Dr. Donald Liebell
Chronic Pain Solutions

He Gave Me
My Life Back!



“Over 15 years ago I was in a terrible car wreck in California.  I suffered for many years with agonizing headaches, neck pain and shoulder pain.  I went to dozens of doctors and spent over $20,000.  The worst part is that these so-called ‘experts’ did NOTHING for me…not until I moved to Virginia Beach and was treated by Dr. Liebell.  He knew just what to do at the top of my neck to fix the cause of not only my headaches, but ALL of my pain!  This was in 1993 and today (2008) I am still headache free.  All the other doctors, tests and pain medications were worthless in comparison.

- Ellen Diggs,
 Virginia Beach

"People in control of the headache field seemingly have not, cannot, or will not recognize that this model for cervicogenic [neck based] headache is not only the best evolved of all headaches but is testable in vivo, in patients with headache complaints. No other form of headache has that facility."
 
Nikolai Bogduk, MD, PhD, professor of anatomy at Newcastle, Australia

Dr. Diener recently revealed that the area known as the brain stem has a "possible migraine generator."  He indicated that a study of nine migraine patients revealed persistent overactivity at this area at the base of the brain (at the top of the neck) resulting in impaired regulation of expansion and contracting of blood vessels.

Dr. Hans Christoph Diener, M.D. 

Medical Researcher Reports Scientific Explanation for Neck-Headache Connection



"We couldn't believe it at first. We've been able to put together a scientific explanation for how neck structure causes headaches -- not all headaches, but a significant number of them."  It's true that chiropractors have been saying this for years. Unfortunately, many (medical) doctors tend to have a jaundiced view of chiropractors, but they were right about headaches."

Dr. Peter Rothbart, MD, founder of the North American Cervicogenic Headache Society

"It's a wonderful process to help people recover from a problem that they are frequently told that they have to live with it. I am pleased to have bright new doctors to share this experience and shoulder the responsibility with.

Lacey, WA
Author, "Life Beyond Headaches"

    
By Dr. Donald Liebell

   You've taken every drug on the market.  Every medical test comes up negative; but you're still crippled by severe pounding headaches that strike with a vengeance, and squeeze you head like it's in a vice.

You close yourself off from the world, retreating to a dark corner, robbed of precious time with your friends and family when the headache "monster" rears its ugly head.

Every day is filled with uncertainty -- your life spiraling downhill in misery, as you wonder, will these headaches ever go away?  You swallow pills every day, worried about how the side effects of the drugs are wreaking havoc on your lifer, kidneys and stomach.

    But what do you do? What choice do you have?

With estimates of 45 million sufferers in the U.S., chronic headaches are one of the top reasons for visits to the doctor.  Even so, it just doesn't seem like headaches are a major priority for the medical community.

According to noted neurologist, Dr. Joel Saper, "Migraine is a serious and underestimated health problem.  Patients are subjected to unnecessary procedures and preventable consequences."  Migraines are not only disabling, they can be life threatening.    

   The National Migraine Awareness group, MAGNUM, reported that more people died in 2003 from migraine-related strokes than were murdered with handguns!

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that frequent migraines are actually associated with an increased likelihood of BRAIN DAMAGE.

    It is uncertain at this point whether or not the lesions result in other health problems.  However it's further evidence that migraines should not be taken more seriously as a distinct medical condition.  This is why I passionately object to the overuse of the diagnosis of fibromyalgia.  People have many problems at the same time.  I have found most people who were diagnosed with fibromyalgia, to have many types of headaches.  This particular symptom should not be lumped together with others under the banner of fibromyalgia.  It, like any set of symptoms needs to be addressed specifically.

    Some doctors think Migraines are genetic.  Others disagree.  Either way, most doctors consider Migraines to be a mystery with no cure.  Still others say they are NOT mystery (more on that in a moment).

    The American Academy of Pain Medicine has reported that 150 million workdays per year are lost due to headaches.  Migraines are even common among children, which can lead to dire consequences. 

    According to Dr. Richard Lipton, MD in the Journal of the American Association for the Study of Headache, “A history of migraine may set children up for a lifetime of underachievement.” 

    The doctor also reported in USA Today, “Virtually all medications to treat headache can become a cause of headache if overused.”   The National Headache Foundation calls this the "rebound effect."  Your body actually produces more headaches so you'll give it more drugs!
 
Yet people keep praying for “miracle drugs,” and the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry capitalizes on that huge demand. 

   But do any of their drugs ever address the physical causes of headaches? 

   Or do they merely temporarily suppress symptoms and keep you dependent on buying them indefinitely? 

    Why don’t most doctors offer preventative, drugless treatments?  

With profits from the drug-based approach to merely maintaining and managing headaches sky-high, it's no wonder little attention is put towards corrective natural treatment.

   Is it possible that the average doctor is simply unaware of drugless treatment approaches that are bringing blessed relief to chronic headache sufferers worldwide? 

   Could it be that conventional medical schools do not teach anything other than pharmaceutical treatment for headaches?

 
The Hidden Cause of Headaches You Have NOT Been Told About

   The proper treatment of headaches depends on diagnosing what’s causing them.  While traditional Western medicine continues to be relentlessly obsessed with producing new headache drugs, a growing number of visionary doctors and scientists have focused on an extremely common cause that can be linked to both migraines and muscle tension headaches.

  There has been proof that many chronic headaches are caused by hidden imbalances of the upper neck — specifically, that physical misalignment of the upper neck (cervical spine) and the base of the skull, creates inflammation of nerves and blood vessels, which can cause pain in the head.

    This explains why MRI and CT scans of the head rarely reveal anything causing headaches. World-renowned medical researcher, Nikolai Bogduk, MD has said: “People in control of the headache field have not, cannot, or will not recognize that the neck-based, or cervicogenic explanation is best.

    Dr. Bogduk is not alone. In 1995 a medical research team at Syracuse University revealed scientific anatomical proof that damage to structures of the neck can cause nerves to send pain signals to the brain, affecting cranial nerves.

 
    “Some brilliant people have put their hearts, souls, and minds to this headache problem and haven’t come up with anything. All we’ve been able to do is treat people with an array of medicines, one after another, and hope the side effects won’t be too bad… We couldn’t believe it at first. We’ve been able to put together a scientific explanation of how neck structure causes headaches — not all headaches, but a significant number of them.”

    Further proof came from scientists at the University of Maryland, who discovered a physical connection between muscles, nerves and headaches — a previously unknown muscular connection between the base of the skull and the first bone of the neck, called the Atlas Vertebra.

    The National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed this remarkable discovery with digitized “virtual human” dissection.

Headache Relief & Prevention Without Medication

    It turns out that for decades, certain doctors have been trying to tell the public about this neck headache connection — offering a drugless, non-surgical, corrective procedure.  The research discovery merely confirmed what was already known!

    But with our nation’s focus on pharmaceutical-based “solutions,” our knowledge has largely "fallen on deaf ears."  We are specialists within the chiropractic profession, known as Upper Cervical doctors.   We are doctors who specifically focus on treating conditions related to structural imbalances of the upper neck (upper cervical spine).

    I've been an upper cervical doctor, licensed by the Virginia Board of Medicine since 1993.  I have a passion for helping migraine sufferers. I am board certified in a procedure called Atlas Orthogonal (AO).  Its precise, geometry-based analysis reveals structural and mechanical imbalances of the upper neck.

    The upper cervical specialty has recently been featured on television news/talk programs including:    

• Good Morning America
• "The Doctors"
• The Montel Williams Show

(Watch Atlas Orthogonal Featured on Television's "The Doctors")

       Headache medicine basically blocks pain signals, but it doesn’t treat the structural neuro-vascular (nerve and artery) imbalance — that requires delicate, precision physical correction.

    I’m very proud to be equipped to help supposedly "hopeless" cases, ending people’s dependence on headache medication.  Atlas Orthogonal (AO) is one of several drugless treatments that I use to treat patients with chronic headaches and other neck-related conditions. 

Click HERE to Learn All About Atlas Orthogonal treatment

    In addition to Atlas Orthogonal, I help headache sufferers with other treatments including: complex homeopathy, ear acupuncture, and cold laser therapy.      

    I understand how skeptical people are.  Patients tell me how jaded and skeptical they’ve become after every medical test has come up negative, and every treatment has failed them.  I know people are afraid to try new things — especially when their trusted physician has never heard of them…

    All I can recommend is that if you are a chronic headache or Migraine sufferer, to put any negative feelings aside, just for a while, and reach out for help just one more time, with these safe, time-tested technologies.

You're not alone.  You may be suffering needlessly... because help may be available to you right now.  There is quite possibly realistic hope for you, even if you've been told “nothing can be done” or “learn to live with the pain.”