Brain Health D.C.

Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts longer than 12 weeks—even after the original injury or condition has healed. For some, it lingers for months or years, impacting not just the body but every aspect of life. It can interfere with work, sleep, relationships, and even your sense of identity. Over time, the weight of constant discomfort can erode emotional well-being, leading to frustration, anxiety, or depression.

For many individuals, the first line of defense is medication. Prescription opioids, over-the-counter NSAIDs, and muscle relaxants are often recommended to “manage” pain. While these options may provide short-term relief, they rarely address why the pain is happening in the first place. Worse, long-term use can lead to serious consequences—tolerance, dependency, digestive issues, or hormonal imbalances.

At Brain Health D.C., we believe that true healing comes from treating the root, not just masking the symptoms. Your pain is not just in your muscles or joints—it’s part of a larger story that includes your nervous system, immune function, gut health, past trauma, and more.

The good news? There are effective, drug-free solutions that honor the complexity of your body while empowering you to reclaim your life. Functional and integrative care offers a personalized, whole-body approach that restores balance, reduces inflammation, and rewires how the brain interprets pain—naturally.

The Limits of Conventional Pain Management

When pain becomes chronic, many people are funneled into a cycle of symptom suppression. The most common conventional treatments include:

• Pharmaceuticals such as opioids, NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, or antidepressants
• Corticosteroid injections to reduce localized inflammation
• Surgical interventions aimed at correcting structural abnormalities or removing damaged tissue

The Hidden Costs of Medications

Long-term use of pain medications can lead to:

• Tolerance: needing higher doses to achieve the same relief
• Dependency and withdrawal symptoms
• Gastrointestinal issues like ulcers or leaky gut from NSAIDs
• Hormonal disruption, sleep disturbances, or mood imbalances
• Increased sensitivity to pain (a condition known as opioid-induced hyperalgesia)

Understanding the Functional Medicine Approach to Pain

At its core, Functional Medicine is about looking deeper—treating the root cause of symptoms, not just silencing them. It’s a science-based, patient-centered approach that sees the body as an interconnected system, where pain is often a signal of imbalance, not just injury.

Chronic pain is often a complex interplay of:

• Inflammation
• Structural imbalance
• Neurological dysfunction
• Biochemical disruption

Common Contributors to Chronic Pain We Explore:

• Gut Health Dysfunction: Leaky gut, dysbiosis (imbalanced microbiome), and poor digestion can lead to systemic inflammation that sensitizes the nervous system.
• Food Sensitivities: Hidden triggers like gluten, dairy, or processed foods can silently fuel joint or muscle pain.
• Environmental Toxicity: Mold exposure, heavy metals, and chemical sensitivities can overload detox pathways, inflame tissues, and trigger neurological symptoms.
• Autoimmune Activity: Conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or thyroid autoimmunity often drive chronic pain from within—even before labs show overt disease.
• Chronic Stress & Trauma: Emotional pain can leave a physical imprint. Stress raises cortisol, alters inflammation, and can create persistent pain loops in the brain and body.

Functional Neurology: Rewiring the Pain Pathways

How Functional Neurology Helps

Functional Neurology focuses on identifying and correcting these maladaptive pain circuits. By observing how the brain and nervous system are functioning—rather than just looking for damage—we can uncover areas of dysfunction that are perpetuating pain.

Through precise, non-invasive therapies, we stimulate and re-train the nervous system, helping it reset and interpret signals accurately again.

Therapies That Reset Pain Processing

At Brain Health D.C., we use an integrative blend of therapies designed to interrupt chronic pain patterns and encourage healthier brain-body communication:

• Sensory-Motor Integration: Helps recalibrate how the brain processes touch, movement, and proprioception (your body’s sense of space), which are often distorted in chronic pain states.
• Vagus Nerve Stimulation: Activates the parasympathetic nervous system (your “rest and digest” mode), which reduces inflammation, eases pain, and promotes healing. This can include specific breathing patterns, neck and facial stimulation, or tools like BrainTap HRV.
• Eye Movement Therapy: Eye movements are deeply connected to brain function and pain regulation. By activating certain brain regions through targeted eye tracking and reflex testing, we can influence how the nervous system modulates pain.
• Gait and Postural Retraining: Pain alters how we move. We often develop compensations that worsen dysfunction. Functional neurology restores optimal movement patterns to decrease strain and improve nervous system feedback.

Chiropractic Care and Movement-Based Therapies

The Role of Chiropractic in Pain Relief

At Brain Health D.C., our chiropractic care focuses on restoring proper joint mobility, spinal alignment, and nervous system balance. Through gentle, specific adjustments, we help reduce mechanical stress, improve circulation, and allow the body to move with greater ease and less pain.

Unlike conventional approaches that often treat pain with medications alone, chiropractic therapy directly addresses the structure-function relationship—getting to the root of dysfunction rather than masking it.

Supportive Manual Therapies

To complement spinal adjustments, we offer a range of specialized techniques that support tissue healing and release tension:

• Graston Technique: A form of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization that breaks down scar tissue and fascial restrictions.
• Active Release Technique (ART): Targets tight or overused muscles, promoting flexibility and decreasing inflammation.
• Cupping Therapy: Increases circulation, reduces stagnation, and supports detoxification in affected areas.
• Percussion Therapy: Stimulates muscle recovery and eases trigger points using high-frequency vibration.

Postural Correction & Cranial Adjusting

Posture isn’t just about standing tall—it’s about ensuring the nervous system is free to function without interference. We assess and correct postural imbalances that contribute to chronic tension, headaches, joint pain, and fatigue.

Cranial adjusting can be especially beneficial for patients with a history of concussion, jaw issues, or upper cervical misalignment, where subtle shifts in cranial bones affect neurological function and circulation.

Functional Movement Training

Lasting relief requires more than passive care—it requires teaching your body how to move well. We incorporate functional exercises and brain-body retraining to strengthen stabilizing muscles, improve flexibility, and re-establish optimal movement patterns.

This empowers your body to become resilient, balanced, and pain-free—not just today, but for years to come.

Functional Nutrition and Anti-Inflammatory Support

The Diet–Pain Connection

Chronic pain is often driven by systemic inflammation, a biological response that may be triggered by:

• Pro-inflammatory foods (sugar, gluten, processed oils)
• Blood sugar imbalances
• Gut dysfunction
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Food sensitivities

Without realizing it, many people are eating foods daily that silently worsen their pain and fatigue. Our goal is to uncover and remove those hidden triggers—and replace them with nutrients that heal.

Personalized Nutrition for Real Relief

We don’t believe in fad diets or one-size-fits-all meal plans. Instead, we start with a clinical assessment, health history, and sometimes laboratory testing to understand your body’s unique needs. From there, we design a tailored plan to:

• Reduce inflammation
• Correct nutrient deficiencies
• Repair gut lining
• Support detoxification and immune regulation

Key Players in Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids (from fish oil, flax, walnuts): Naturally reduce joint inflammation and support brain function
• Turmeric/Curcumin: Potent anti-inflammatory compound shown to rival NSAIDs in some studies
• Magnesium: Relieves muscle tension, calms the nervous system, and supports over 300 biochemical reactions
• Vitamin D: Modulates immune activity and is often deficient in chronic pain patients

Blood Sugar Stability & Hydration

Erratic blood sugar spikes can worsen inflammation and amplify pain sensitivity. A balanced intake of protein, fiber, and healthy fats throughout the day helps regulate energy and mood.

Hydration is another underestimated factor. Dehydrated tissues are more prone to stiffness, tension, and inflammation. We support proper hydration through mineral-rich fluids, electrolyte balance, and gut healing.

Building a Sustainable Anti-Inflammatory Lifestyle

We help patients create realistic and nourishing habits that become a way of life—not a temporary fix. This may include meal planning, stress-reduction practices, sleep hygiene, and cleaner choices in household and personal care products.

Pain relief doesn’t have to come in a pill. Sometimes, it begins with what’s on your plate.

There Is Hope Beyond the Prescription

If you’ve been living with chronic pain, you’ve likely heard the same message over and over: “This is just something you’ll have to manage.” But what if that’s not the full story?

The truth is, chronic pain can be understood, addressed, and even reversed—when we look deeper. Through the lens of Functional Medicine, Functional Neurology, and integrative care, we don’t just treat the symptoms—we uncover why your body is in distress and help it return to balance.

If you’re ready to explore a deeper, more compassionate approach to healing, we invite you to begin your journey with Dr. Nisreen Tayebjee.

Whether you’re local to Southern California or traveling from out of state, we offer comprehensive evaluations and intensive care options designed to help you reclaim your life with clarity, confidence, and support.

Let’s get started:

📞 Call Us: (858) 208-0710
🌐 Book Online Here
📍 Visit: 1905 Calle Barcelona, Suite 234, Carlsbad, CA 92009
💌 Email: infochiro@fitnessgenome.net

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