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INITIATIVES SPOTLIGHT
NeuroLIFE Institute and Dr . Michael Longyear
With the number one type of medication dispersed in the United States being for mental health conditions , Longyear is hoping to show people that medication is not the answer .
Dr . Michael Longyear
Dr . Michael Longyear is the Director of Chiropractic Neurology at the NeuroLIFE Institute ( NLI ), an applied clinical neuroscience clinic on the campus of Life University . A graduate of Parker University in Dallas , Texas , Longyear has dedicated his professional life to researching and learning all he can about the brain and nervous system and to develop non-invasive ways to treat associated conditions . His passion lies in treating neurodevelopment disorders , as well as neuropsychological and sport-related injuries . Having fought back from a month of his own paralysis , Dr . Longyear never accepted his “ new normal ” of being confined to a wheelchair and doesn ’ t believe that other patients should ever have to either .
The NLI ’ s clinical mission is to restore and optimize the brain and neurologic function using non-drug , non-surgical approaches that utilize the body ' s innate capacity as a self-developing , self-maintaining and self-healing organism . They have a dynamic and revolutionary applied clinical neuroscience approach that employs emerging technology and innovative thought to maximize neurologic potential and improve quality of life .
With the number one type of medication dispersed in the United States being for mental health conditions , Longyear is hoping to show people that medication is not the answer . According to him , a lot of people that come to his clinic suffer from neuro-emotional problems . “ The number one cause of death is cardiovascular disease , and that is linked to stress . You could say that stress , depression and anxiety are really wrecking our world right now .”
Dr . Longyear ’ s main concern is that people are hurting : “ The number one cause of death in teenagers is suicide . There are more than 400,000 children under the age of one on antidepressants or antianxiety meds in the United States , and it scares me that we are doing that to young brains . We don ’ t yet understand the consequences .” He is working to measure the correlation of a person ’ s sense of balance with their mental and emotional balance , and he ’ s using different treatment modalities to see if they can have a positive effect .
Dr . Longyear enthusiastically shared one of his favorite and most recent success stories . An eightyear-old boy came in to the NLI with a condition called cyclic vertigo syndrome where every eight weeks at 5:00 a . m . on a Monday he would start vomiting from 5:00 a . m . — 7:00 or 8:00 a . m . and then would be so dizzy for the next three days , he couldn ’ t get out of bed . They had been everywhere looking for help for him . After working with Dr . Longyear and the NLI , the patient ’ s events went from happening every eight weeks to every 24 weeks , and the boy continues to improve .
The NLI is currently working on a research project and and is actively seeking participants . Ideal candidates are people who are taking medication to treat depression and anxiety but still have symptoms . Dr . Longyear won ’ t be taking participants off their medication . Instead , he will be working with them to deal with symptoms that are not being addressed by the medication . Says Dr . Longyear , “ Once we get the final findings , we would hope to publish the article to show people that there are alternatives .”
24 Alumni . LIFE . edu | 2019