A dynamic adjustment of the sphenoid bone for multiple cranial and ENT conditions
The Bilateral Nasal Specific Technique is a product of the studies of the disciplines of the ears, nose and throat (ENT) and osteopathic cranial manipulation. This article explores the history and status of the Bilateral Nasal Specific Technique and its use in chiropractic care.
History of the Bilateral Nasal Specific Technique
The following doctors paved the way to the Bilateral Nasal Technique:
- WG Sutherland, DO
- Wilbur King, DC
- Angus McFee, DDS
- Duncan McFee, DDS
- JR Stober, DC, ND
My introduction to the Bilateral Nasal Specific Technique
My mentor, Wendell Diebold, DO, ND, introduced me to JR Stober, DC, ND, in 1976. Diebold was 86 years old at the time and a 1925 graduate of the Chicago College of Osteopathy. Diebold was a practicing osteopathic craniopath, and he taught me many osteopathic cranial manipulative techniques he learned from Sutherland. He knew of Stober’s work and recommended I learn his technique. “Stober’s technique was far advanced to the osteopathic cranial manipulative techniques,” according to Diebold. Attending my first lecture by Stober, “the light went on” for me. I believed he could help me with my chronic sinusitis and headaches caused by some fights growing up in Philadelphia and a broken nose from playing rugby. In 1976, my first treatment from Stober convinced me I needed to learn his technique. I studied with him for 10 years and more than 1,000 hours, became his protégé and was his only student allowed to treat him from the residuals of his broken nose suffered as a kid. I have been practicing the work ever since, more than 40 years now, on patients from newborns to 98 years old and everyone in between. Professional Broadway and ballet dancers, jockeys, world class athletes and everyday patients, all looking for relief from some of the common conditions like chronic sinusitis, migraine headaches, snoring, sleep apnea, mouth breathing, concussions and other cranial and neurologically related conditions from the 22 bones of the head being “locked up” and the patient “driving around with their brakes on.” That is, until their sphenoid bone, the base of the skull, is adjusted and the primary respiratory mechanism is free to move as designed by nature.
Stober’s pivotal lecture
I distinctly remember sitting in one lecture, listening to his discussion on how the pituitary gland, sitting in the sella turcica, is influenced by the positioning and movement of the sphenoid bone or the base of the skull. And that if the sphenoid was properly positioned and moving as designed, the pituitary and the rest of the brain would be making and pumping out their nutrients via cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Little did I know this specific procedure would help one of my patients stop the process of her second adoption because she was able to get pregnant.
My health journey
I was born in Nazareth Hospital and raised outside of Philadelphia, Penn. My great uncle, Joseph J. Toland, MD, founded Nazareth Hospital, and he was a general surgeon. His son, my second cousin Joseph J. Toland, Jr, MD, was an orthopedist. I was born with a clubfoot, but my father refused to allow surgery. My cousin Joe and our family chiropractor took care of me.
My cousin with my orthopedic shoe and Hill with his adjustments.
Athletics
I was able to play baseball and basketball through college and pitch semi-professionally in the Portland City baseball leagues up until 2020. I was voted into their Hall of Fame, winning more than 200 games as a pitcher.
Growing up
My dad was the local health nut. He had a big vegetable garden and huge sunflower plants. We ate a lot out of our gardens growing up, a very healthy diet, long before organic became mainstream. My healthy diet was supplemented with regular chiropractic care and orthopedic foot care. In hindsight, I can thank my dad for his study of the nutritional work of Weston Price, DDS, and Francis Pottenger, MD.
Educational and clinical experience
After graduating from Schiller University with a dual degree in political science and religious studies, I realized I didn’t want to be a lawyer, politician, priest or pastor. I felt a real pull to
become a doctor, with my great uncle, cousin and family chiropractor as mentors. But I also felt a pull to the natural side of health care based on the way I was raised. Pre-med studies at Penn State and Temple University and working at Holy Redeemer Hospital in the pathology lab convinced me I’d be happier in the natural health field than going to Jefferson Medical College.
I began attending Western States Chiropractic College in June of 1976.
My clinical experience
Before graduating I took a year off from 1977-78, when I was scheduled to begin my internship at WSCC clinic. I was helping pay my school tuition by having a massage license. A serendipitous thing happened when I was hired by the Broadway touring show A Chorus Line and others.
During that year, I treated dancers and performers from different ballet companies. It was, as they say in Broadway, “a bus and truck gig.” I literally had my own traveling clinic of chiropractic, nasal specifics, nutrition, sports medicine and rehab patients. I also studied intensely at Theresa Pfrimmer’s Deep Muscle Therapy Clinic in Ontario, Canada, for two weeks before returning to Western States.
Once back in school, I worked at the Portland Meadows Racetrack, taking care of the jockeys. More athletes, more incredible on–the–job training in chiropractic, sports medicine and the Bilateral Nasal Specific Technique.
After graduating from WSCC, I practiced in San Francisco for six months. Once I returned to Portland, I was invited to practice at an Orthopedic Sports Medicine Clinic in Pisa, Italy. I started taking care of many of the athletes from the Italian Olympic Team’s Track and Field Division located at their Olympic Training Center (CONI) in Terranea and was eventually hired by the Italian Olympic Team as their full-time chiropractor in the spring of 1983.
This job took me all over Italy for European track and field meets, to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, to Mexico City for altitude training before the 1984 Summer Olympics, experiencing training methods and treatments from the Soviets and Eastern European Athletes and their doctors.
Returning to Oregon, Diebold introduced me to George Dunn, DC, from the Dunn Chiropractic Clinic in McMinnville, Ore. Dunn was mentored by Byron White, DC, who started the practice in 1922 and had a 22-bed hospital where he did “bloodless surgery/chiropractic orthopedic manipulation” for back and internal medicine issues.
Patients came from all over the country. When White died, Dunn kept up White’s practice of chiropractic, nutrition and sports medicine practice.
Dunn offered me an associate position at the practice in 1985. I moved my family from Portland to McMinnville after the Olympics, and I studied with Stober until he passed away.
The bilateral nasal specific treatment defined
The bilateral nasal specific treatment is an adjustment of the sphenoid bone, which Stober called the “base” of the skull.
I have been practicing this technique as it was developed, taught and practiced by Stober for more than 40 years. In this sense, I am a “clone,” but I have also been referred to as the “Guru” and “Godfather.” More importantly, I have been practicing the technique as it was designed most efficiently to help the patient.
Conditions treated and full transparency here
Do I help everyone? No. However, I can say that probably 95% of my patients report breathing better from the procedure. In addition, if you can breathe better, and get more oxygen and circulation to your brain, all kinds of other conditions may “clear up.” “Unlocking the sphenoid bone” promotes this 95% success rate in breathing better and other improvements.
Table A. Common conditions treated successfully
| Agitation | Irritability | Restlessness | Anxiety | Seasonal or other allergies |
| Bite problems | Bloody nose | Breathing issues | Chronic sinus infections | Cognitive disorders |
| Concussion | Traumatic brain injury | Confusion | Delayed communication | Processing or response times |
| Depression | Difficulty concentrating/forgetfulness | Difficulty getting to sleep | Difficulty doing simple math | Difficulty swallowing |
| Dizziness | Dry eyes | Dry mouth | Dyslexia | Ear infections |
| Ears plugged | Eyes sensitive to light | Foggy brain | Jaw clicking/popping | Lack of energy |
| Memory problems | Migraines | Mouth breathing | Loss of smell or taste | Nasal congestion |
| Facial pain | Poor coordination | Poor immunity | Ears ring | Sleep apnea |
| Snoring | Speech problems | Teeth clenching | TMJ problems | Vision problems |
All the cranial nerves are affected. This treatment, when done correctly, may literally affect the whole body, mind and psyche, with patients reporting a greater sense of well-being, more relaxed physical state, more focus, more clarity of thought, emotional stability and confidence.
Concussions
What about the concussion issue; an almost everyday occurrence in sports and even among the general population. The sooner you get to these patients, and “reset” their brain, the better. Otherwise, the sequelae may persist and worsen for years, causing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). I believe that the bilateral nasal specific treatment, along with specific chiropractic adjustments can prevent the prevalence of CTE.
Final thoughts
Could the Bilateral Nasal Specific Technique be part of the standard chiropractic protocol of the future? The technique, in the hands of a skilled practitioner, provides another opportunity for a patient to achieve maximum functional capacity for their body and mind.
GEORGE SIEGFRIED, DC, practices at the Dunn Chiropractic Clinic, a pain and wellness practice founded in 1922. Siegfried received his undergraduate degree from Schiller University in Heidelberg, Germany in 1974 and attended premed classes at Penn State and Temple University. He has degrees from the University of Western States and the National College of Naturopathic Medicine. He has been in practice since 1981. He is the father of four children and nine grandchildren. He can be reached at nasalspecific.info.
