by Michael D. Allen, DC, NMD Functional Neurologist There is a television commercial that stops me in my tracks every time I see it. It’s the one about an ingredient originally discovered in jellyfish. The narrator declares that your brain is an amazing thing, but aging causes the loss of certain brain proteins that leads […]

by Michael D. Allen, DC, NMD Functional Neurologist Preventing Heart Attacks: Is Exercise Important? A New Approach Shows Promise While aerobic exercise is appropriate for your heart and circulatory system it can easily be overdone, and you may be setting yourself up for heart troubles. By definition, aerobic exercise requires oxygen, and exercise movements generate […]

by Michael D. Allen, DC, NMD Functional Neurologist Virtually every musculoskeletal complaint can be linked to bad posture, and good posture is more than standing up straight. A healthy posture has to do with muscles and how they work together to keep you upright and move against gravity. Standing and moving about on two feet […]

by Michael D. Allen, DC, NMD Functional Neurologist Your digestive problems probably relate to a one-way valve located between your large and small intestine called your ileocecal valve (ICV). It is a sphincter valve that is designed to allow the contents of the small intestine to pass into your large intestine but to stop its […]

The Galant reflex (or Galant’s infantile reflex, named after the Russian neurologist Johann Susman Galant) is commonly observed in newborns and is said to fade between the ages of four and six months. It helps rule out brain damage at birth. Elicit Galant’s reflex by holding the newborn in a face down posture or laying them […]

The Crossed Extensor Reflex (CER; also known as the crossed cord reflex) is a protective response that apparently begins at about the 28th week of gestation and is functionally integrated one to two month after delivery. It is functionally significant in back-and-forth (or reciprocal) muscle actions. Its dysfunction can interfere with activities like running and […]

The Idea: Human physiological reflexes have a predictable display. Either they work according to their original design or they are pathological. There are no other choices. If a reflex displays itself in ways other than according to its preprogrammed format, it must be considered to be pathological, and it increases the risk of injury. Reflex […]

Striking a tendon has an almost instant display. A quick stretch to the patellar tendon, for xample, should register with an involuntary jerk of the knee; the foot kicks. This “knee jerk” deep tendon reflex (DTR) test is a common part of even the most basic neurological exam. It assesses the functional integrity of the […]

The neck receptors give rise to a primitive reflex—the Tonic Neck Reflex (TNR)—found in newborn humans. Books say that the TNR normally vanishes by the child’s first birthday, but that appears to be functionally and demonstrably untrue. The TNR persists throughout life and is a fundamental tool for neurological examination. The TNR is fundamental to […]