(Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Michael Flanagan, DC regarding his book The Downside of Upright Posture – The Anatomical Causes of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Multiple Sclerosis.)
The true story of more than twenty years of investigative research begins in the Department of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where Dr. Michael Flanagan tells how a chance investigation started him on his journey. Dr. Flanagan’s research into fluid mechanics of the brain – including the unique design of the sutures and base of the human skull – led to a discovery of a clear and unmistakable link between upright posture and neurodegenerative diseases seen in aging adults. This “link” is in the cervical spine – especially the upper cervical spine and base of the skull – which contain key circulatory routes for blood and cerebrospinal fluid flow entering and exiting the brain.
In a style that is accessible to the lay reader, as well as the scientist, Flanagan explains why his discovery offers important new information and hope for the many millions of patients, family members, physicians and scientists who are devoted to understanding the causes of – and finding cures for – neurodegenerative diseases of the brain and spinal cord.
Dr. Flanagan graduated magna cum laude from Sherman College in 1978 and published his first paper on the potential role of the spine in neurodegenerative diseases in 1987. He became board certified in chiropractic neurology in 1990. Currently, there is a great deal of excitement regarding research by Dr. Paolo Zamboni, a vascular surgeon from the University of Ferrara, Italy using venoplasty to cure MS. He attributes the cause of MS to “chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency,” which Dr. Flanagan wrote about over twenty years ago. What’s more, Dr. Flanagan believes that MS is just the tip of the iceberg and upper cervical care makes as much, if not far more sense, and is much safer and far less costly and invasive than venous stents. For further information visit uprightdoc.com.
