Christine Ludke Naturopath

03/01/2026

02/01/2026

Arthritis is not a single disease but a group of conditions that cause joint pain, swelling, stiffness, and reduced movement. Each type has a different cause, pattern, and treatment, which is why correct diagnosis is so important.

🔍 Common Types of Arthritis Explained:

🔹 Osteoarthritis (OA)
The most common form, caused by wear and tear of cartilage. Commonly affects the knees, hips, spine, and hands, leading to pain and stiffness that worsens with activity.

🔹 Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
An autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks joint lining. It usually affects joints symmetrically and causes prolonged morning stiffness, swelling, and fatigue.

🔹 Psoriatic Arthritis
Seen in people with psoriasis. It can cause swollen fingers or toes (sausage digits), nail changes, and joint pain along with skin rashes.

🔹 Gout
A metabolic arthritis caused by uric acid crystal deposition in joints. It often begins suddenly in the big toe, with severe pain, redness, and swelling.

🔹 Ankylosing Spondylitis
A chronic inflammatory arthritis mainly affecting the spine and sacroiliac joints, leading to back pain, stiffness, and in advanced cases, spinal fusion.

🔹 Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA)
Occurs in children under 16 years, causing joint swelling, pain, and stiffness. Early treatment is crucial to prevent growth and joint problems.

🔹 Septic (Infectious) Arthritis
Caused by infection in the joint. It presents with severe pain, swelling, fever, and requires urgent medical care.

02/01/2026

⭐️ CONCUSSION, THE NECK & DIZZINESS — THE CRITICAL LINK TOO OFTEN MISSED ⭐️

Why persistent concussion symptoms are NOT just “in the brain”… and why the neck may be the missing piece of your recovery.

Every week at The Functional Neurology Center, we meet patients who have been told to “just rest” after concussion — only to find themselves months or even years later still struggling with dizziness, light sensitivity, visual strain, imbalance, head pressure, jaw pain, or motion intolerance.

Many are told their scans are normal.
Many are told it’s anxiety.
Many are told their symptoms “don’t make sense.”

But emerging research — including a 2025 Frontiers in Neurology article on cervicogenic dizziness — is finally explaining what we see in clinic every day:

👉 Persistent post-concussion symptoms are often driven by a sensory mismatch between the neck, the vestibular system, and the visual system.
👉 And until the neck is addressed, symptoms can persist — no matter how much you rest.

⸻

🧠 The Science: Why the Neck Matters in Concussion

The upper cervical spine (C0–C3) is packed with proprioceptors — sensors that tell the brain:

• where your head is in space
• how fast it’s moving
• how your eyes should stabilize
• how your balance system should respond
• and how to coordinate posture

After concussion or whiplash, this information can become distorted.

The 2025 Frontiers in Neurology article outlines exactly what happens next:

🔹 1️⃣ The neck sends altered proprioceptive signals

🔹 2️⃣ The brainstem and vestibular nuclei receive conflicting information

🔹 3️⃣ The visual system tries to compensate

🔹 4️⃣ The cerebellum attempts to reweight sensory input

🔹 5️⃣ A sensory mismatch develops

This mismatch is what drives:

✔ dizziness
✔ motion intolerance
✔ unsteadiness
✔ “floating” or “rocking” sensations
✔ eye strain
✔ head pressure
✔ jaw or facial pain
✔ anxiety in busy environments

The article emphasizes that this mismatch can persist — even after the brain has “healed” — unless the cervical system is rehabilitated.

(Source: Frontiers in Neurology, 2025 — Cervicogenic Dizziness Perspective)

⸻

🌀 Why Imaging & Rest Often Fail

Standard MRIs and CT scans look at structure — not function.

They cannot detect:

• proprioceptive errors
• vestibular integration issues
• cervical mechanoreceptor dysfunction
• sensory mismatch
• autonomic dysregulation

So patients are told everything is “normal,” while their functional systems are deeply dysregulated.

Rest alone cannot recalibrate these systems.

They need targeted, active retraining.

⸻

🎯 The FNC Approach — Grounded in Research & Clinical Results

We specialize in evaluating and rehabilitating the exact systems involved in post-concussion dizziness:

✔ Cervical Proprioceptive Training

• joint position error
• deep neck flexor sequencing
• suboccipital function
• C0–C3 sensorimotor control

✔ Vestibular Rehabilitation

• VOR gain
• head-eye reflex training
• habituation
• motion sensitivity reduction

✔ Ocular Motor & Visual Processing

• saccades
• pursuits
• convergence
• optokinetic response

✔ Trigeminal & TMJ Pathways

• dural tension
• jaw mechanics
• facial pain modulation

✔ Cerebellar / Nodulus Integration

• gravity & velocity storage
• otolith processing
• postural control

✔ Autonomic Regulation

• HRV
• breath-driven vagal modulation
• limbic calming

✔ Sensory Re-weighting & Integration

where the REAL healing occurs.

We do not guess.
We measure.
We map systems.
We treat the whole network — not just the symptom.

This is why patients who have tried everything else often improve when these systems are finally treated together.

⸻

🙌 Why This Matters for YOU

If you still have:

• dizziness
• foggy vision
• motion intolerance
• neck pain
• head pressure
• jaw tension
• imbalance
• fatigue
• anxiety in busy environments

months or years after a concussion…

There is a physiological reason.
It is NOT “in your head.”
It is not “just anxiety.”

It is a treatable mismatch between the neck, vestibular, and visual systems.

And when treated holistically — recovery often accelerates.

⸻

💬 If You’re Still Struggling, You Have Options

At The Functional Neurology Center, we offer:

• comprehensive evaluations
• intensive programs
• multidisciplinary rehab

We serve patients locally & from across the U.S. and internationally.

If you want to learn whether you’re a candidate:

📩 Send us a message
TheFNC.com
💬 Comment “HOPE” below
📞 Request a complimentary consult 612 223 8590
📍 Minnetonka, MN

You deserve answers.

There IS hope — and there is a pathway to recovery.
— The Functional Neurology Center

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1545241/full

01/01/2026

This isn’t fear-mongering — it’s informed use.
Medications play an important role, and understanding their nutrient effects helps support the body better.
This New Year, choose better nutrition — ditch refined oils and excess sugar.

01/01/2026

Taurine, magnesium, and vitamin B1 support the nervous system by strengthening inhibitory signalling in the brain, especially through GABA activity. When these nutrients are low, nerve cells fire too easily, increasing tension, anxiety, and sensory overload.

Taurine helps stabilize nerve membranes, magnesium calms excessive electrical activity, and vitamin B1 supports glucose metabolism inside neurons so they can recover properly. Restoring these nutrients through foods like shellfish, pumpkin seeds, and nutritional yeast can help the nervous system return to a calmer, more resilient state.

30/12/2025

29/12/2025