June Sage, TN Patient

Her Personal Story, as told to R. Harmer

BACKGROUND

On August 30, 2004, June Sage, a TN patient, met with Rohn Harmer, Co-leader of the Greater Tampa Bay TN Support Group, to discuss her medical history with trigeminal neuralgia.  June requested this meeting to provide specific feedback on her TN treatment with the hope that it would provide help for other TN sufferers. The meeting took place at the office of a specialist in upper cervical care (UCC) who has been practicing for three years.  He uses orthospinology to precisely align the upper cervical vertebrae.  A force-controlled stylus is used to rotate the Atlas in three-dimensions after a computer analysis is done using three x-rays of the upper spine.  He joined in the discussion and confirmed that June had suffered a “very serious” trauma to her number one and two cervical vertebrae.

JUNE’S CONTACT WITH TNA

June is an active 87 year old who has overall excellent health; good hearing, memory, motor skill, etc.  She drives her own car, exercises daily, operates her own art business, and cares for all her own personal needs.  She rarely eats at restaurants because she believes in natural whole foods including fruits and vegetables with a limited amount of lean meat.  She cooks at home to avoid processed food.  June has two children, however, her oldest child died at the age of 37 due to an adverse reaction to a doctor-prescribed medication.  Due to this experience she refuses to take any medication and seeks natural approaches to health and wellness.  She takes responsibility for her health and does not “blindly” follow the advice of doctors. 

June developed TN in October, 2003, and contacted several neurologists to confirm the diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia.  She was told by a neurologist that she had several options:  1) take medication for the remainder of her life, 2) have surgery, or 3) try acupuncture.  She opted for acupuncture.  After five treatments, she did not have any relief and requested that her son, John,  seek additional information on the Internet. In April, 2004, John obtained the phone number for  Rohn Harmer from the TNA web site and subsequently contacted Rohn to discuss his mother’s TN.  Rohn reviewed June’s medical history and learned that approximately 2 years before the onset of TN, June was involved in an automobile accident wherein June’s car was broad sided and spun around about 180 degrees.  June had soreness of her neck during this 2-year period prior to the onset of TN. 

June appeared to have typical TN pain, i.e. unilateral, sharp, electric shocks of intense pain lasting only a few seconds.  The shocks were triggered  by bright light, wind, touch, etc.  At the height of pain during her episode of several months of pain, she was experiencing frequent shocks throughout the day and was not able to function without the help of family members.

After learning about June’s automobile accident, Rohn recommended that June see the UCC doctor, whose office was located with a few miles of June’s home.  He had previously treated  approximately 15 TN patients and had significant success in eliminating or significantly reducing TN pain in those patients with subluxation of the Atlas or Axis  (i.e., the number one and number two cervical vertebrae, respectively).  He confirmed that June had a serious subluxation and began treatments in May, 2004.  After five treatments, June observed a significant lessening of the frequency and intensity of TN pain.  Within the subsequent two weeks, the pain continued to decrease.  As of August 30 (the date of the meeting), June was essentially free of pain, although she has continues to have minor sensations triggered by bright light. 

June has not taken any pain medication throughout the entire period of diagnosis and treatment. She feels that the underlying cause was the subluxation of her vertebrae.  She and her son have read the references in Striking Back, by George Weigel and Dr. Casey, regarding UCC and feel that this information has led them to the proper treatment and elimination of the underlying cause.  Moreover, they feel that recommendations of their family physician and neurologist did not address the underlying cause and would have further undermined her health.

Based on the information in Striking Back, June has begun taking Vitamin B12 supplements.  Moreover, she has adopted recommendations from the Lemole nutrition plan.  June feels that the increased consumption of EFA (essential fatty acids) and Omega 3s have improved her skin.