MBR Treatments

The primary cause of chronic/refractory pain is the imbalance between the body and the 12 meridians.
Because the human body affects each other like cogwheels, an imbalance that starts in one place spreads throughout the body. The pain often arises from the paths that the imbalance had spread throughout the body, rather than where the imbalance first started. In order to cure the pain,  not only the area where the pain occurs but the root cause of the imbalance has to be treated in the first place.

At MBR Acupuncture & Herb, the three critical areas where the imbalance between the human body and the 12 meridians begin are referred to as “3 Troublemakers” and considered essential for treating chronic/intractable pain.

Three essential points for MBR Pain treatments

1st.   Occipital-Upper cervical-TMJ complex(OUT-complex)
2nd.  Pelvics-Hip joint complex
3rd.  Foot & Anlke

1st. Occiput-Upper cervical-TMJ complex(OUT-complex)

The imbalance of the OUT-complex is one of the critical reasons that cause body & 12 meridian imbalances, the main culprits of craniofacial pain, migraine, dizziness, and neck and shoulder pain.

Pain-sensitive nerves are abundantly distributed between the occipital bone and the upper cervical vertebrae, The imbalance of the OUT-complex stimulates them and can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, and pain around the eyes.
The trigeminal nerve is very closely related to the TMJ. Therefore, an imbalance in the TMJ may cause facial pain, eye pain, headache, migraine, and other pains. The trigeminal nerve and the meninges (dura mater) are significantly involved in headaches and migraines. An imbalance in the OUT-complex makes the trigeminal nerve sensitive and changes the tension of the meninges which causes frequent headaches and migraines.
Because the OUT-complex and the shoulder girdle ultimately compensate for all imbalances in the human body, the chronic neck and shoulder pain may occur when thecompensation is excessive or inadequate.

TMJ act as a steering wheel to control occipital-upper cervical imbalance

The temporomandibular joint is the only bilateral joint in the human body and its axis of motion is located in the upper cervical vertebrae. In consequence, the  imbalance in the jaw causes the imbalance in the upper cervical vertebrae. Additionally, an imbalance in the upper cervical vertebrae also causes an imbalance in the jaw. Therefore, the occipital-upper cervical and temporomandibular joints (OUT-Complex)  are considered a single unit that is moving as a complex.

The most effective way to find and correct the imbalance between the occipital bone and upper cervical vertebrae is using the temporomandibular joint (steering wheel of OUT -complex).  The TMJ treatment is required to heal minor imbalances between the occipital bone and upper cervical vertebrae.  Since proprioceptors are abundantly distributed in the TMJ and teeth, the TMJ treatment can effectively control the occipital bone and upper cervical vertebrae.

Alignment of the OUT-complex is crucial in maintaining the balance of the human body.

The balance of the human body is controlled by the the integration of the central nervous system through the trunk and neck from the vision of the eyes, the vestibular organs of the ears, and proprioception from the pelvis, and foot & ankle.   The key to this balance control is in the connection between the occipital bone and the upper cervical vertebrae.

This area is where the brainstem transitions to the spinal cord and plays a significant role in craniofacial pain. The meninges, a pain-sensitive structure, and the nerve nucleus of the trigeminal nerve responsible for most of the sensations of the craniofacial nerve descend here.

All 12 meridians of the human body pass through the OUT complex.

In oriental medicine, all 12 meridians of the human body are directly or indirectly connected to the complex connecting the occipital bone-upper cervical vertebrae-TMJ. , GV15, GV17 , SJ17, GB12, , GB3, ST7, ST6,  SI16) are placed in the 12 meridians.

Finally,
OUT-complex is a vital troublemaker that causes the imbalance of the craniofacial, neck, and shoulder. The first treatment point takes here in order to restore the balance of the human body and 12 meridians for the treating of chronic intractable pain and diseases.

2nd. Pelvics-Hip joint complex

The imbalance of the Pelvic-Hip joint is one of the critical points that cause the imbalance of the spine.
It can be a significant cause of back pain, discs, stenosis, and pelvic pain.

The spine is a pillar that supports the body and forms 24 bony joints stacked on top of the pelvis like Lego blocks.
If the center of mass in the human body changes due to an imbalance of the pelvis, the spine forms a C-curve or S-curve to compensate for the changed center of mass.
If any of the 24 vertebrae is over-compensated during this compensation process, it can cause sudden pain in daily activities. The pains can come from coughing, bending over to pick up tissue, long-distance driving, light golf swing, and picking up objects from the backseat of a car.

Back pain is a result, not a cause. The cause of back pain is an imbalance in the pelvic-hip joint complex.

In the case of low back pain, especially the chronic/intractable low back pain, the pain does not disappear no matter how many local treatments are applied only to the back. The back pain comes from the result of an imbalance in the pelvic-hip joint complex.
Therefore, the key to treat the root cause of back pain, disc, and stenosis is treating the pelvic girdle.

The key to controlling pelvic imbalance is the hip joint.

Ligaments very tightly bind the pelvic girdle and therefore the movement of the pelvic girdle is limited.
The pelvic band is connected to the lower extremities through the hip joint. It makes rotational movements forward, backward, left, and right on the hip joint. Therefore, the imbalance of the pelvic girdle is very often caused by hip joint imbalance.
Treatment of the pelvic girdle is essential for the successful treatment of low back pain. Because balancing the hip joint  is the key to the treating the pelvic girdle, a misalignment of the pelvic-hip joint complex becomes the second issue that causes an imbalance in the human body.
In addition, treatment of the pelvic girdle is the second key treatment point to restore the balance of the human body and the 12 meridians for the treatment of chronic and intractable pain.

Of the 12 meridians in the human body, six meridians pass through the Pelvic-Hip joint complex.

In traditional oriental medicine theory, 6 meridians originating from the lower extremities out of 12 meridians of the human body are connected to the Pelvic-Hip joint complex.  Acupuncture treats back pain, pelvic pain, painful bladder, uterine, kidney, hepatobiliary, and pancreatic diseases. ㅁAcupuncture points such as GB29, GB30, Liv 14, SP12, and SP13 pass through and control the Pelvic-Hip joint complex.

3rd. Foot & Anlke

The imbalance of the Foot & Ankle is one of the critical issues that cause body & 12 meridian imbalances.
The imbalance of the foot and ankle is the leading cause of chronic pain in the foot, lower leg, knee, hip, back, and the neck

Because the pelvic band supporting the spinal column is balanced on the both  feet, the imbalance of the  feet causes an imbalance between the knee and the pelvis. In result,  it twists the spine located on the pelvis and eventually rotating the occipital – upper cervical vertebrae – TMJ joint complex (OUT-complex) which may cause pain.

The habit of leaning on one leg  causes imbalances of the body and the 12 meridians.

– The picture on the right is a typical postural imbalance formed by leaning on one leg for a long period of time.
– Pay attention to the imbalance from head to toe.
– In particular, imbalance can also be caused if the left and right feet are not properly treated after an ankle sprain.

Especially, anatomical leg length discrepancies may lead to these types of imbalances.

– 6 mm or more difference in the leg lengths of patients with low back pain may have negative affect in the lower back.
– When a patient with an imbalance in leg length do regular exercises to overcome back pain, the imbalance can be further exacerbated and cause even more pain.