Hi, my name is Dr. Ross Hauser. Welcome to the Hauser Neck Center. Today, I will be discussing a serious topic that has affected many of my patients. Neurocatastrophe from degenerative broken neck structure. Several patients have shared with me their concerns, saying, “Doc, I don’t know why it seemed like I had just a moderate amount of symptoms or I had head pressure and it was just a little bit, and then all of a sudden it went terrible and crazy, like unbelievable amounts of disabling symptoms.” Many people who visit the Hauser Neck Center or Caring Medical often do so because they have reached a point where they simply cannot tolerate their symptoms any longer.
I want to explain how someone can start with simple palpitations or common symptoms, and then unexpectedly experience a “neuro catastrophe,” such as atrial fibrillation or arrhythmias, For example, a patient may have only mild brain fog that suddenly progresses to severe and persistent head pressure and tension.
When head pressure increases, it often results in noticeable memory problems. The onset of memory issues is a clear sign that something serious may be happening to the brain. Many people can relate to this, as most of us know family members who are dealing with dementia or are in the early stages leading up to dementia. In addition to dementia, conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, or symptoms that resemble Parkinson’s tremors, are becoming more common and are affecting individuals at younger ages.
When a person experiences sudden symptoms such as personality changes or new-onset anxiety—especially if they had not been anxious before—it is recommended to get an evaluation for intracranial hypertension. This is because high brain pressure can be a silent killer of both the heart and the brain. Just as high blood pressure is known as the silent killer of the heart and high eye pressure is the silent killer of the eye, elevated brain pressure can have severe consequences for neurological health.
If left unchecked, these symptoms can escalate into neurological catastrophe, with damage to brain regions such as the hippocampus (which is crucial for memory) and the anterior cingulate cortex. Memory problems may arise, marking the beginning stages of conditions like Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. The underlying cause for many people may be the blockage of internal jugular veins, which can be influenced by sleeping positions.
Two Types of Broken Necks
There are two kinds of broken necks. The first type is the one most people are familiar with: this occurs when you are in a car accident and break the bones in your neck. The other kind of broken neck involves breaking the ligaments. When you maintain bad posture and reverse the natural cervical curve (which should be lordotic, resembling a C-curve), the ligaments in your neck become stretched. Ligaments are similar to rubber bands: they bounce back after being stretched, but if you keep stretching them over time, there comes a point when they do not return to their normal length or strength.
Testing to document high brain pressure
Our center operates like a medical facility, where we conduct thorough testing to document high brain pressure, vagus nerve degeneration, and problems such as ligamentous cervical instability or a compromised neck structure. We have the technology on site to perform these tests, which allows us to regularly monitor patients throughout their care. By retesting, we can track whether blood flow to the brain has been restored and if the flow of fluids out of the brain has returned to normal levels.
Routine tests often include checking eye pressures and performing non-invasive tests for brain pressure. Additionally, the function of the vagus nerve is evaluated, as it supplies electrical signals to all internal organs. Symptoms such as nausea, bloating, and poor appetite may indicate degeneration of the vagus nerve. Because the vagus nerve is responsible for the electrical supply to organs like the liver, heart, lungs, stomach, and intestines, its optimal function is critical for overall health.
Testing is conducted in different sleeping positions, and clinical observations have shown that patients who previously could not sleep flat due to symptoms experienced improvement after treatment. For example, a patient who slept upright due to discomfort reported significant improvement in energy and memory after being able to sleep on her back. However, some vagus nerve symptoms persisted.
Sleeping positions that force the atlas vertebra forward can compress the jugular vein or vagus nerve. When the neck has a healthy curve, the vagus nerve remains open, and the jugular vein is less likely to be compressed. Conversely, a straight neck curve or forward atlas can severely compress the jugular vein, preventing the brain from draining properly overnight. The brain is designed to drain during sleep, so compression of these structures can have significant health consequences.
Additionally, we use non-invasive tests to determine whether brain pressure remains elevated or if it has returned to a healthy range. This approach allows us to accurately document changes in brain health and track progress over time.
In the image below DMX motion x-ray shows a broken neck structure. In the C panel – The broken neck structure is shown as loss of cervical lordosis.
The vagus nerve intervates your heart, your lungs, your stomach, your digestive tract, your liver, your gallbladder, your spleen. All the internal organs of your body are inervated by the vagus nerve. When structural instability occurs in the neck, pressure is put on the vagus nerve. I coined the term cervical vagopathy to describe this situation.
Cervical vagopathy is a very serious condition that can lead to organ dysfunction throughout the body, including problems with heart function. If you have been diagnosed with any heart or internal organ condition and the cause is unknown—sometimes referred to as idiopathic—cervical vagopathy may be involved. Restoring electrical supply to the affected organ can help the organ function better.
When fluid cannot drain from the brain due to compression of the jugular veins, this is known as cervical jugular compression syndrome. This condition can result in rapid deterioration of the brain.
A neuroquant MRI is now available to show which areas of the brain are deteriorating by measuring brain volume. Symptoms related to these conditions can progress to a neurocatastrophe, which involves moving from mild symptoms to those that are life-threatening or could be life-threatening.
Symptoms of Jugular Vein Compression
When an individual begins experiencing memory loss, difficulty concentrating, brain fog, personality changes, and sensations of head pressure or headache, these can all be signs that the jugular vein is being compressed. If this vein is compressed enough, it leads to dangerously high brain pressure. Toxins then accumulate in the brain, manifesting as symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, derealization, and depersonalization. In this state of waste products unable to drain from the brain, the stage is set for brain atrophy or degeneration.
This build-up causes the brain to be continuously compressed, resulting in shrinkage—or atrophy—of the brain. Over time, this leads to memory problems, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as visual disturbances such as blurry vision, macular degeneration, cataracts, and other retinal issues. If an ophthalmologist or retinal specialist cannot determine the reason for these eye-related issues, it may simply be due to compression of the jugular veins. This compression affects the eyes because the brain and eyes share drainage pathways, and any blockage can lead to the accumulation of toxins and metabolic waste products, further exacerbating neurological and visual symptoms.
Accumulation of Toxins and Metabolic Waste in the Eye and Brain
When the eye is able to drain properly, it helps clear away toxins and metabolic waste products, such as certain proteins and amyloid, along with other inflammatory substances. If these waste materials are not efficiently removed, they can accumulate in the brain. Interestingly, these harmful substances tend to build up in the eye before affecting the brain, which may be especially noticeable in younger individuals.
Recently, we had a case involving a teenage student who suddenly experienced difficulty moving her left eye, despite being a high-achieving, straight-A student. She woke up one day with blurry vision and was unable to move her left eye in a certain direction. All medical scans appeared normal, leaving the cause of her symptoms unclear initially.
Eventually, she was diagnosed with cranial nerve six palsy. It was determined that this condition could be related to a blocked jugular vein, which was subsequently discovered. Treatment now involves a cervical curve correction program, with the goal of reducing pressure in the area.
Recognizing the Signs of Vagus Nerve Degeneration
If you experience symptoms such as dizziness, palpitations, or a sudden increase in heart rate, these may be early warning signs of vagus nerve degeneration, as these indicators of vagus nerve degeneration. As vagus nerve degeneration progresses, its effects extend beyond the heart. You may experience issues such as the liver struggling with detoxification, or the development of leaky gut syndrome. These problems indicate that the condition is worsening, even if the underlying cause is not immediately clear.
Potential Solutions
In some cases, the root of the problem may be as simple as a need for non-surgical reconstruction of the neck. This type of intervention can sometimes restore proper function, as non-surgical neck reconstruction is possible for certain individuals facing these symptoms.
To address these issues, treatments aiming to non-surgically reconstruct the neck are used, including prolotherapy. Over time, many patients show improvement in the diameter of the vagus nerve and the cross-sectional area of associated arteries. Functioning of the vagus nerve improves, and the jugular veins open up. While not every patient experiences complete recovery, there are days when all patients show signs of improvement.
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