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NeuroCranial Restructuring (NCR)

What is Neuro-Cranial Restructuring?

Dr. Hillary Lampers, NDDr. Hillary explains:

NeuroCranial Restructuring ® (NCR) is a profound and unique cranial technique, which facilitates the cranium, skeletal, muscular, and neurological systems to align, eliminating pain and restoring function and mobility to the body.

NCR was developed in the early 90s by Dr Dean Howell ND, as a progressed and personally specific form of Bilateral Nasal Specific (BNS), a therapy used since the 1930's to treat a number of conditions including chronic sinusitis, and headaches. Through specialized massage techniques, precise proprioceptive testing, and specified cranial adjustments, NCR is more effective and much less traumatic than BNS. By releasing dysfunctional cranial patterns caused by birth traumas, head/body injuries, emotional traumas, or mental stressors, patients understand what is means to have a true sense of well being in all aspects of their lives. By optimizing structure, function is restored, and better health is experienced!

Do you suffer from headaches, migraines, and neck/back pain, scoliosis, chronic sinusitis, and sleep apnea, pain from old injuries, TMJ, anxiety, depression, a head injury, or any one of many structural conditions? NeuroCranial Restructuring focuses on assessment and treatment of the cause- not just alleviating the symptoms of structural misalignment. Benefits include: elimination of headaches, head/neck/back pain, a wider more symmetrical face that allows for better breathing and decreased sinus congestion and infections, septum deviation straightening without surgery, increased range of motion in the neck and back, improved posture, less wrinkles, improved mood and better sleep - truly the list goes on and on. Could you benefit from NCR?

The brain and skull work together in perfect harmony, one is VERY soft, and one is VERY hard! Many people think their brain is firm, even hard, but really it is more like the consistency of a soft hard boiled egg, and thus the skull is extremely strong to protect it. However, it is NEVER a good idea to do things in which your head is purposely getting hit- each time the head is hit, the brain is affected and small seizures are created throughout the brain, leading to what is known as Traumatic Brain Injury. Unfortunately there are very few if any treatments for Traumatic Brain Injury, with exception to acute care and surgery to decrease movement and reduce swelling and lack of oxygen to the brain. NCR has shown to increase healing time and decrease deleterious side effects of TBI (once the acute injury is healed) by returning the skull to its symmetrical shape and improving brain biochemistry and blood flow. LESSON: PROTECT YOUR BRAIN!

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More Info: Beauty and Symmetry: NCR Can Improve How You Look

Beauty and Symmetry: NCR Can Improve How You Look

Head and facial shape changes over time, due to age, gravity, injuries, stress, poor diet, and dental work. As this happens more asymmetries are noticed in the face, the skin begins to lose it's elasticity, and wrinkles appear in areas of least resistance. By moving the cranial bones, NCR can widen and create symmetry of the eyes, lift the eyebrows, restore and lift cheekbones, straighten the nose and or elevate the nasal bridge, soften fine lines and wrinkles, and pronounce the jawline, helping to tighten the skin of the neck. Those with tighter, narrow heads will notice the benefits of more symmetry, widening of high narrow palettes, and increasing space for the teeth. All this without invasive surgery, shots, or chemicals and with all the benefits of better posture, less pain, and mental clarity!

More Info: Common Conditions Treated With NCR

Common Conditions Treated With NCR

Head injuries, headaches, head pressure, migraines, whiplash injuries, thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, scoliosis, sinusitis, seizures, orthodontic problems, sleep apnea, snoring, deviated septum, athletic injuries, insomnia, tinnitus, TMJ, muscular pain, nerve impingement, birth trauma (forceps/suction cups), some metabolic conditions, Down's Syndrome, and Cerebral Palsy, and much more. Mental and emotional disorders have also shown to greatly reduce with NCR. Complex pain conditions such as Fibromyalgia can also be helped.

More Info: The Anatomy Of An Injury

The Anatomy Of An Injury

If you haven't seen it yet, you'll want to take a look at Dr. Hillary's in-depth orientation on head trauma and injury, and how NCR aids in healing. It covers this topic more in detail and has cool visual aids!

Traditional care of the physical body is to first look at the spine - starting at C1, or the atlas. Remember  the story of Atlas who held the world on his shoulders? It's a great metaphor for our spine and skull.

The skull is the largest and heaviest structure of our skeletal system, and within it houses the most important organs, the brain and the pituitary gland. Within the skull, there is a large winged bone, called the sphenoid. It touches every bone of the skull with the exception of the mandible, and it carries on its very center, or sella turcica, the pituitary gland. In cranial therapy, we consider the sphenoid to be the 1st vertebrae, relating to its placement above the atlas. The sphenoid bone slowly moves throughout life, helping to pump cerebral spinal fluid around the brain and up and down the spinal cord. Also holding the pituitary, its placement becomes important for many hormonal and metabolic systems.

Within the skull there are layers of connective tissue known as the meninges. The meninges move down the spinal cord as its protective covering, and then covering the nerves as they exit the spinal cord, and terminate as fascia/connective tissue throughout the rest of the body. The sphenoid, meninges, and cerebral spinal fluid all work together to create roundness of the skull, symmetry of the face, lubrication of the brain with healthy amounts of neurotransmitters, and postural patterns throughout the body.

Now lets adds an injury of some sort, whether it be forceps during delivery, hitting your head on the windshield, breaking your nose during a football game, or experiencing emotional grief. Any kind of trauma will change the position of the sphenoid bone, and thus all the other bones of the head and face will have to change is some way. The sphenoid will not be able to move freely in the same way, and in turn the meningeal system will become compromised. The meninges will become "tight" and thus can create tension all the way down into the feet, since the connective tissue in your feet is related to the meninges in your skull. Also the cerebral spinal fluid may not be able to saturate parts of the brain, and the pituitary gland will be compromised. Now since the head changes shape, so must the spine, and the muscles that were primarily used for range of motion, now have to make up for the slack of the skeletal system to hold the head up.

So what does this patient look and feel like? A child who can't breath through his nose to breastfeed and never grows out of his "cone head", a woman with severe neck and back pain and a headache that hasn't gone away since her accident, an athlete who notices he can't remember things as well and has chronic sinus problems, and a widower who has insomnia, weight gain, and severe long-lasting fatigue. Sound familiar? The structure and function of our skull and nervous system is essential for true vitality. NCR may fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle that you feel have never been addressed!!

More Info: The Four-Day NCR Session and Return Care

The Four-Day NCR Session and Return Care

The Four-Day NCR Session

NCR treatment is 4 consecutive days, or a session. This is to optimize movement of the skull and train the nervous system, creating lasting and permanent results. The treatments begin with a specialized bodywork treatment (Dr Lampers was originally a teacher of NCR massage) and then assessment and proprioceptive testing. The cranial treatment is the last part of the treatment, where a small balloon is inserted in the nasal cavity to push against the sphenoid, sometimes causing mild discomfort, but lasting only seconds and without the use of harmful anesthetic and the downtime of recovery!

Before and after pictures are taken at each new session and a copy is given to the patient with the Dr's assessment after each session. (Pictures are optional.) For examples of NCR's sometimes dramatic effects on patients, be sure and visit the Testimonials.

Return Care

Your continued NCR care is identical to your initial session, but is cheaper! Changes are monitored during each session. On average we estimate that it takes between 4-6 sessions to obtain optimal results, but this can be less or more, varying on the patient and how long they have been experiencing dysfunction. Dr Lampers has the best and most permanent results with patients who get their NCR sessions 1-3 months apart.

More Info: Contraindications & Cautions

Contraindications & Cautions

There are some conditions that would be contraindicated for NCR therapy:

  1. Acute nasal or facial fractures - all fractures must be healed prior to treatment.
  2. Stitches in the nasal area
  3. Those with severe bleeding disorders such as hemophilia. even though it is very rare, sometimes there can be bleeding during the procedure.
  4. An adult patient who is agreeing to treatment only at the request of a significant other but does not fully understand why they are there. Dr Hillary will not treat someone who is not fully aware of why they are there and is only feeling pressured by another to do so.

Cautions For...

  1. Those taking blood thinning medications like coumadin. Dr Hillary has worked on those who are taking these medications, but coumadin can decrease clotting time, so in case of bleeding, it will take longer to clot. Other blood thinners such as aspirin, high dose fish oils, etc should be discontinued for at least 2-3 days prior in case of bleeding.
  2. Those who have PTSD, severe anxiety, are very fearful, and/or afraid of change. NCR is an invasive therapy and can cause some slight discomfort. Dr Hillary is highly experienced at helping her patients through the treatment process and whatever arises. NCR  is a great treatment for anxiety, but we encourage you to talk with Dr Hillary if you are experiencing the above conditions and want to pursue NCR therapy.
  3. Those with metal plates, pins, or implants in the face or skull. If plates or pins cross sutural lines it is unlikely that the patient will get global movement because the joint structure is compromised. Facial implants such as nasal bridge implants, cheekbone implants, front teeth bridges, etc should be taken into consideration and discussed with Dr Hillary. Even though she has treated patients with facial implants with great success, we encourage a phone consultation for patients with any of these concerns. Please contact us for a free consultation today.

More Info: Related NCR Videos

Costs, Payment Options & Policies

Cost & Payment Options

Please call our office for cost and payment information. We do have payment plan options.  We accept cash, check, VISA, MC, or Discover.

  
  
  
  
  
  

Scheduling a phone or Skype consult with Dr Hillary

Phone or Skype consultations are free and are offered to every prospective patient. This is a good time to ask questions, and for Dr Hillary to determine if NCR is right for you.
To schedule a phone consultation please use our contact form or call 888-870-7137.

Skype is a FREE way to talk over the internet. To learn more about Skype, click here.

Scheduling your NCR appointments

  1. If you would like to schedule an appointment, please visit the Montana clinic or Washington clinic pages for available sessions or click the "Schedule An Appointment" tab to the right and enter your full name, address, best phone, email, and date of birth.
  2. You will be contacted with appointment times via email or phone.
  3. We require a $300 deposit for new patients, and a $150 for returns. Your deposit will be collected at the time of confirming your appointment on the phone.
  4. Once the deposit has cleared, you will be sent an email confirmation of your appointment times. 
  5. All the paperwork that you will need to fill out and bring with you to your appointment is available in the appointment form or by clicking the "Related NCR Resources" tab on the right. This will be further discussed in your confirmation email.

Cancellation Policies

NCR is a treatment that you have likely researched, thought about, and discussed with Dr Hillary through consult. It is a process and we expect that you will be attending all four days. If you are not serious about scheduling, or you continue to be undecided, we ask that you schedule when you are ready and know that you can afford the treatment.

We understand that sometimes things come up and you may not be able to make your scheduled NCR appointments. Dr Hillary only sees a set number of patients per session, so to hold the spot we take a $300 deposit at the time of making your NCR session appointments.

WA State NCR Cancellation Policy

If you cancel your appointment within 14 days of your scheduled treatment you will receive a full refund. However, after that we will not refund the $300 unless we have a signed letter of emergency. The $300 will apply to any future session however, so please note that we can reschedule you.

MT State NCR Cancellation Policy

Dr Hillary travels to Montana on a bimonthly basis. Due to travel time and costs, we will not refund any of the deposit if cancelled in less than 30 days prior, without a letter of emergency. We will hold the $300 for a future session. This also applies to any NCR sessions outside of Washington state.

Health Insurance

At NWNCM, LLC we require payment at time of service for both NCR and Office visits. We DO NOT bill health insurance directly. We will provide a detailed invoice for your submittal to insurance. Many of our patients get insurance reimbursement from 25%-100% depending on the plan. It is also beneficial for you to understand your policy and know how much out of contract coverage you have for naturopathic care. Dr Lampers will also write referral letters to other providers or to insurance, an appointment may apply.Click the "Related NCR FAQs" tab on the right for more insurance information.

Below are the CPT codes for new and return NCR patients for inquiry with your insurance.

 New Patient Visit
 99204 1st Day - New Patient Initial Office Visit
 97140  2nd Day - 2 units Manual Therapy
 97530 2nd Day -  1 unit Therapeutic Activities
  3rd Day - Same as second
 99213 4th day - Return Limited Office Visit

 

 Return Patient Visit
 99214 1st Day- Return Comprehensive Office Visit
 97140 2nd Day - 2 units Manual Therapy
 97530 2nd Day - 1 unit Therapeutic Activities
  3rd Day- Same as second
 99213 4th day - Return Limited Office Visit

More Info: Schedule An Appointment

Schedule An Appointment

Scheduling a phone consultation with Dr Hillary

Phone consultations are free and are offered to every prospective patient. This is a good time to ask questions, and for Dr Hillary to determine if NCR is right for you. To schedule a phone consultation please use the form below, or call 888-870-7137.

For more information on costs, payment options, scheduling, policies and more, click on the "Costs, Payment Options & Policies" tab on the right.

Request Your Appointment Online

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NeuroCranial Restructuring (NCR)
Snohomish, WA: Jun 8 - 11, 2012

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NeuroCranial Restructuring (NCR)
Snohomish, WA: Jun 21 - 24, 2012

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NeuroCranial Restructuring (NCR)
Snohomish, WA: Jul 26 - 29, 2012

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Bozeman, MT: Jul 31 - Aug 3, 2012

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NeuroCranial Restructuring (NCR)
Snohomish, WA: Aug 23 - 26, 2012

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NeuroCranial Restructuring (NCR)
Snohomish, WA: Sep 20 - 23, 2012

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More Info: What is Neuro-Cranial Restructuring?

Northwest Neuro-Cranial Medicine, LLC - Specializing in neuro-cranial restructuring (NCR), pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF), and personalized naturopathic care, and led by Doctor Hillary Lampers ND.

Call Northwest Neuro-Cranial Medicine LLC for an appointment - Toll Free 888.870.7137

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