Question
Since childhood I have experienced numbness in my back and left side. In my 7th grade class i was pulled aside by my P.E. teacher and told to straighten up my posture because i was walking with a slump to the left i went to the nurse by her request and did some tests and was that was it. i went on to play tons of basketball, I played 4 years of tackle football in highschool at a high level all the while with this numbness moderately annoying me. Since graduating highschool I have Had an active life and to be honest I have pushed the limits as far as partying (very hard) witch makes me confident in my ammune system. I dont get sik for more than 3 days, I havent vomited or become faint at any time in over 15 years. but I do know that in those young developing years I was overweight and ALWAYS slumped over or leaning over to that side. I am now 32 and in the last 4 years I adopted another health regimine and vigorus workout. I went from 239lbs to 216lbs in a 18 months all the while with the numbness witch I start to notice i felt in my ribs on the left side of my sternum. For almost 6 months I have backed off working out and have gained almost all my weight back. Now the discomfort is even more with a little pain as well. I am going for the dreaded over due check up, but what can I expect?

Answer
James,
It sounds to me like you have been accumulating destruction your entire life and now at the still very young age of 32 you are concerned about your health.  Well the fact of the matter is that you may very well have a nervous system interference caused by an upper cervical subluxation.  What is an upper cervical subluxation and how did I get one you ask?  Birth is the usual culprit in about 8 out of 10 babies.  If by slim chance you escaped birth without this pressure on the brainstem, then childhood got you for sure:  Slips and Falls, Sports Injuries, Falls off a bike or skateboard, skiing accident, fall off a horse, car accident, fights, contact sports, etc.  cause a misalignment at the area where the 12-15 lb skull sits atop the tiny 2 oz vertebra.
What should I do now, you ask?  Not treat the effects (drug the symptoms), what you need to do to get well is have the cause of abnormal function corrected.  First it must be detected, and measured, and then and only then can it be corrected.
The only Doctors in the entire world who are capable of this are Doctors of Upper Cervical Specific Chiropractic.
If you want to truly get well, then send me your town and state along with the nearest big city and I will reply to you within a day or two with at least one contact.  Keep in mind that there are only about 100 of us in the world so it very possible that you may have to travel a little for care, it is well worth it.
As far as your checkup, they can only check for symptoms which are the effects of the real problem, and since they can only find and deal with effects, you never get well that way.  You need to have the cause proven and then corrected, it is the ONLY way that you will get well.
Dr Robert Arnone
711 Old Ballas Road Suite 104
Creve Coeur, MO 63141
314.995.5719
www.GetWellSTL.com