similar to paralysis. This was initially observed by French researcher Jouvet in 1965. He found a very active mental state in REM but paradoxically, total inactivity of the muscles, which he coined REM atonia. Few pieces of the REM sleep puzzle seemed to fit, includ-ing perhaps why cetaceans do not experience REM the same way the rest of the mammals do. Their aquatic environment may be less challenging to cartilage and may not require the core muscles to shut off to allow recharging of the discs. Furthermore, we know REM sleep is known to be greatest in youth and declines with aging. Cartilage is a tissue that requires offloading. Perhaps the reason babies experience so much REM is because they have much more cartilage requir-ing mechanical offloading to supply nutrient influx. Even with a few pieces of the puzzle seeming to fit, an ar-ticle without data doesn’t hold much water. In the end, four out of the nine editors were in favour, and The Lancet rejected my manuscript. I was actually surprised to even get that far in such a highly impactful journal. I continued to press for a publication and thereafter submitted to the Journal of Circadian Rhythms , which accepted and published my paper in 2009. The crux of the publication speaks about the value of sleep to the spine, and in particular REM sleep and the atonia that accompanies it. Sleep plays a crucial role in the health of all individuals. What happens in REM sleep to recover tissues may be mechanical. Perhaps if we learn more about these physiological microenvironments, it will provide clues to further advance our mechanical strategies as practitioners. Coming back to the patient who had trouble sleeping and was prescribed medical marijuana, I would like to offer a mechanism. I believe medical marijuana allowed the patient to achieve better quality and quantity of sleep, which in turn allowed further hydraulic recuperation of the intervertebral discs. Disc height loss was noticeable on her x-rays and there-fore, logically, disc height gains could conceivably alleviate her symptoms, even if the height gains were only millimetres or fractions of millimetres. The pure scientist reading this article may have already turned the page, but good research questions start with speculation. Sleep is a magical time and I believe this can be the case for spine. Good sleep does matter clinically. A study pub-lished in June 2015 in the European Spine Journal found that “patients with non-specific neck and/or back pain and self-reported good sleep are more likely to experience a minimal clinically important difference in pain and disabil-ity compared to patients with impaired sleep with daytime consequences.” As practitioners, we should be open to anything that could potentially improve the quality and quantity of sleep in our patients. Kosim ideal for health Chiropractic, Physiotherapy, Massage Therapy & much more! Toll Free: 1-877-50KOSIM or WWW.KOSIM.CA KOSIM MEDICAL SUPPLIES Matrix Repatterning Restoring Health from the INSIDE OUT Learn the SECRET to ground-READY TO TAKE YOUR PRACTICE TO THE NEXT LEVEL? val! Arri w e N ComboCare 2-Channel Ultrasound & E-Stim Combo • 1 MHz & 3 MHz for Ultrasound, • 2-channel of electrical stim output • IFC, Russian, EMS, and TENS ULTRA breaking solutions for: Drug FREE Pain Relief Super Pulsed Laser World’s most advanced pain relieving modality Starting from $6,620. 00 Full range of portable TENS, EMS, IFC units As lowest as $38. 00 Special $1,250. 00 • Concussion, Headache, TMJ • Back and Neck Pain • Snoring and Sleep Apnea • And many other conditions… Let Matrix Repatterning Show You How Easy It Can Be. UPCOMING SEMINARS Introductory Workshop: November 13-14, 2015 and January 22-23, 2016 Toronto, Ontario Canada REGISTER NOW http://matrixrepatterning.com/Pr_courses Dr. George Roth, DC, ND Founder, Instructor Micro-Sphere Cervical Pillow “ … I view it as prudent to have a Matrix assessment after a blow to the head… Observing such cases has led me to hope that one day Matrix Repatterning will be routinely applied in hospital emergency departments.” Dr. Norman Doidge Author: The Brain That Changes Itself and The Brain’s Way of Healing BUY 5 GET 1 FREE * Sectional Divided Design www.matrixrepatterning.com 135 SPARKS AVE (Victoria Park & Steeles East) Toronto, Ontario M2H 2S5 T:416-502-3700 F:416-502-2808 email: [email protected] 36 Canadian Chiropractor October 2015 905-836-WELL (9355) Toll-Free: 1-877-905-7684 [email protected] www.canadianchiropractor.ca
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