Karen Singer has been in pain nearly every day since the death of her husband 19 years ago. Not just the pain of loss, but also physical pain, eventually diagnosed as Fibromyalgia. It was painful to do everything and anything.
“My husband would look at me, and say, ‘You’re in pain,’” she recalled recently. Since his passing and the onset of her disease, every day had been a struggle. Until recently.
Any chronic pain sufferer will tell you this. When you live with pain every single day of your life, sometimes even the tiniest glimmer of hope is a form of relief. Whether it’s simple joint pain or the pain from cancer, the question is the same: When will the pain end?
Dr. Nazee Rofagha
Dr. Nazee Rofagha, Doctor of Chiropractic, hears this question every day in her office. She also knows that so much pain goes either little noticed or rarely treated. But as her patients will tell anyone who asks, it’s more than hope, it’s results.
“I was at my wit’s end because the constant pain that traveled through my body for decades was becoming unbearable,” said Singer, 75. Dr. Rofagha used Infrared Therapy and Vibration Therapy on Singer; both designed to stimulate the nervous system.
There, in the office, Singer felt her neck actually becoming stronger. “The intensity of my pain in my back went from a level seven to a level three within fifteen minutes,” Singer said. “For the first time in my life, I left a doctor’s office with less pain and more hope.” (During our interview, by the way, Singer, without a moment’s hesitation, suddenly crouched down to pick up something someone had dropped. “There’s no way I could have done that a few weeks ago,” she laughed.)
Specializing in Neurological Rehabilitation as well as traditional Chiropractic care, Dr. Rofagha understands pain and its relief like few others.
“We all age,” she says. “Your teeth age, your eyes, your hair and everything,” she explains. “And we might not notice the kind of pain we have, but you might get the signs and symptoms, and that’s when you understand how chronic it is. And all of this pain is very much related to nerves.” Rofagha saw this in her own mother, who was suffering from muscle and joint pain.
I wanted to take her off some medications,” said Dr. Rofagha. “I tried several techniques with her, which helped, and that journey led me to my work with the NRCT (Neurological Relief Center Technique).” The concept of it is, the decompression of meninges,” she explained.
“Meninges are the protective layers over the central nervous system. Meninges are attached to all the nerve roots that exit your spine. “The (NRCT) works for all types of pain if the patient is the right candidate,” said Dr. Rofagha. “Even in cancer patients, where chemo and radiation are deteriorating the other cells of your body. But if the pain is there, and if the patient is the right candidate, then this technique can work for them.”
NRCT releases the tension in the meninges, thus releasing the irritation to the nerves, thus helping to relieve the symptoms associated with neurological disorders.
“Pain is pain basically,” says Dr. Rofagha. “It means that a nerve is being irritated.” Treat the nerve and you treat the pain, she says.
Dr. Rofagha is currently completing the third of the three modules of Quantum Neurology Rehabilitation Training, developed by Dr. George Gonzales, DC. “The concept of it is, the decompression of meninges,” she explained. “Meninges are the protective layers over the nervous system. Those are the sources of pain.” This advanced healing concept uses the patient’s own nervous system to relieve them of their pain.
Quantum Neurology, one of the most advanced chiropractic techniques for analyzing and strengthening the function of the nervous system, focuses on allowing nerves associated with painful or debilitating injuries or illnesses to stabilize, so that the body can heal itself. This safe, non-invasive technique that allows the doctor to evaluate, strengthen, and rehabilitate every major nerve in the body, through a series of upper and lower body muscle strength tests designed to evaluate the entire spinal cord, as well as strengthening the nerves with light therapy, and gentle joint mobilization.
Proper nerve function is essential for health and wellbeing. Nerves control every function in your body, and when they become dysfunctional, a symptom develops, says Dr. Rofagha. When these neurological messages are not communicating effectively from the brain and spinal cord to the different parts of the body like they should, Quantum Neurology rehabilitation is beneficial.
Dr. Rofagha has seen and treated patients with Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Migraines, Anxiety, fatigue, as well as other pain-intensive neurological conditions.
“I respect what science and medicine can do,” says Dr. Rofagha, “but sometimes it’s not enough. People realize they have a choice now, with all of the emerging techniques breaking ground in pain management and neurological rehabilitation, which is exciting.”
While Dr. Rofagha stands as one of the few Southern California specialists in neurological rehabilitation, her work in another specialized area is equally, if not more important. That area is called “hope.”
The Family Chiropractic Wellness Center is at 1017 Fair Oaks Avenue, South Pasadena. (626) 583-9116. www.drrofagha.com.
