I had one of those conversations recently that I just have to share with you.
Tom Hazzard came into my office after flying home from a Thanksgiving trip to New York. He was, in his own words, "a mess." Tremendous low back pain. Couldn't pick up his young daughter. He'd been popping Aleve for days just to get through the holiday.
And here's the thing about Tom: he's not a stranger to this. He's been my patient for years. He's a brilliant inventor with over 37 patents and an 86% success rate on consumer product designs. He's also one of the most passionate advocates I know for Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic. So when he landed at LAX and texted me to ask if I could squeeze him in that afternoon, I already had a pretty good guess about what we'd find.
Sure enough: C1 and C2 were both out of alignment.
"Wait, What Does My Neck Have to Do With My Low Back?"
Tom's mom asks him this question all the time. And honestly, it's one I get every week from patients and their families.
Let me explain it the way I explained it to Tom on the podcast.
When your head sits properly over your spine, your body translates gravity the way it was designed to. Gravity is a force we cannot escape. So when your neck is in alignment, your entire spine can do its job. When it's not, your body compensates, and that compensation often shows up as pain somewhere completely different from where the actual problem is.
For Tom, his C2 being out usually means left-sided lower back pain. This time, C1 and C2 were both out, and the pain was more central, more intense, and confusing enough that he didn't connect it to his neck right away. That confusion? Totally normal. The body speaks in different ways depending on what's happening.
The cool thing about being under care for a while is that you start to recognize your own patterns. Tom can now essentially read his body's signals like a map. And that's exactly what we want.
A Skeptic Who Became a Believer
Tom didn't walk into my office a convert. He spent years watching his wife Tracy get Blair Upper Cervical care and thinking, "okay, it seems to help her, but I'm not sure I buy it." It wasn't until a rear-end collision on the 5 Freeway in 2009 that he finally decided to try it for himself, and honestly, he told me the financial ease of auto insurance coverage helped make the decision.
I love that he's honest about that. Because here's what he said next: "Today, as a regular patient, I would pay anything to get better. I know it works."
That kind of transformation, from skeptic to true believer, is one of the most beautiful things I get to witness in my practice. And it's not because I'm doing anything magic. It's because this stuff actually works.
The Time He Cashed In 100,000 Frequent Flyer Miles
Here's a story Tom shared that I think is worth repeating.
A few years back, his wife Tracy went out of alignment while they were traveling on the East Coast for a family funeral. Stressed, sleeping in an unfamiliar bed, grieving, and then her neck went out. She had sharp pain radiating down her arm.
There was no Blair chiropractor nearby. So she did what seemed reasonable: she went to see a different chiropractor. A more traditional one, lots of cracking and popping. And it made things significantly worse.
By the end of the trip, Tom cashed in over 100,000 frequent flyer miles to fly her home first class so she could get back into my office and get proper care.
I'm not sharing this to scare you away from all chiropractors. But I do want you to understand that Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic is a specific, precise approach. There is no twisting, popping, or cracking. We use your 3D imaging to understand the exact geometry of your individual neck, and every correction is tailored to you. That level of precision is what makes it so effective, and so different.
What Bounce Houses Have to Do With Your Kid's Behavior
Here's the part of the conversation that I know is going to blow some minds.
Tom and his wife started bringing their then-5-year-old daughter into my office because she was having behavioral issues beyond what you'd expect for her age: extreme emotional dysregulation, temper tantrums that would go on until she completely exhausted herself. They'd already tried psychological support, which helped somewhat. But then they started bringing her in for care.
When she's in alignment? Calm, emotionally stable, age-appropriate behavior. When she goes out? You can see the difference immediately.
And how does a 5-year-old's neck go out? Well, one reliable culprit in this family's life turned out to be bounce houses.
Tom literally watched his daughter at a birthday party at Pump It Up and saw her head jar on impact, and said to himself: "Oh no. That's a chiropractor appointment on Monday."
He was right.
Here's what's happening: when the upper cervical vertebrae (the bones right at the base of your skull) are misaligned, they can interfere with the nervous system's ability to communicate properly between the brain and the body. In kids, that can look like emotional dysregulation, hyperactivity, difficulty focusing, and yes, meltdowns. Parents are often told their child needs medication. And sometimes they might. But I'd always say: at the very least, get their neck checked first.
Tom put it really well: "There is a safe and effective way, without drugs, to get these kids' behaviors in check."
Newborns, Birth Trauma, and the First Adjustment
Tom also shared something that I think every expecting or new parent needs to hear.
His youngest daughter had a complicated birth. The cord was around her neck, she was wedged in the birth canal, and the doctor had to use a maneuver that put a tremendous amount of strain on her shoulder and neck to safely deliver her. She spent one day in the NICU and was otherwise healthy. But they brought her to me within days of birth.
When she came in, her arm was essentially stuck to her chest. She wouldn't move it. She was struggling to nurse on one side because turning her head that direction was uncomfortable. These are huge signs in newborns that something is off in the upper neck.
We did a modified pediatric assessment, no X-rays needed at that age, and a very gentle, light-touch correction with just a finger. And her arm began to move. She nursed well. She slept. And now? She is one of the happiest toddlers I know.
Traumatic birth is one of the most common causes of upper cervical misalignment, and people often don't connect it until they're 40 years old and wondering why their discs are degenerating. Getting checked early matters.
Tom also mentioned something beautiful toward the end of our conversation: he credits their care with helping alleviate a lot of his wife's postpartum depression symptoms. To any partners out there listening: if your wife or partner is struggling after birth, please get their neck checked. It's real, it's connected, and there is help.
The Practical Takeaway
Tom said it better than I ever could: "Everything runs through your neck. Your blood, your nerves, everything. It makes a lot of sense once you experience it."
Here's what I want you to walk away with:
Your neck affects more than you think. Low back pain, headaches, shoulder pain, emotional dysregulation in your kids, postpartum symptoms, these can all connect back to what's happening at the top of your spine.
If something feels off, get checked. Don't wait until you're flying home from Thanksgiving barely able to move. And don't let your kids bounce around for months wondering why their behavior is "off."
Not all chiropractic is the same. Blair Upper Cervical is specific, gentle, and based on your individual anatomy. If you've had a bad experience with another approach, please don't let that be the end of the story. (As I always say: a bad haircut doesn't mean you stop getting haircuts. You just find a better stylist.)
There are about 100 Blair chiropractors in the world. I know that's not enough, and changing that is one of my biggest missions. But we're here, and we're growing, and if you're listening to this and you're not near me in Southern California, I can help you find someone near you.
You deserve to get your head on straight.
Listen to the full conversation with Tom Hazzard on the Well Connected Podcast: Live Your Life in Alignment. Available wherever you get your podcasts.
If you're ready to get checked, or if you want to find a Blair chiropractor near you, reach out. I'd love to help.
