Upper Cervical Chiropractic San Diego | Dr. Mercedes Cook DC

My experience Upper Cervical has been absolutely wonderful - Dr. Mercedes and her staff are professional, knowledgeable and kind- coming here for adjustments (and sometimes massage) always reduces the chronic pain I have in my neck, shoulders and hips.

Very lengthy review but I feel people should read this! I started coming to Upper Cervical Chiropractic San Diego back in July 2025 because I was experiencing a variety of neurological symptoms that were not otherwise explained by another well-known medical diagnosis. Back in December 2024, I was undergoing a lot of severe stress at the time. Randomly, I just started feeling dizzy 24/7 and having severe neck tightness/stiffness. It was as if I felt like I was drunk or not fully awake/alert and always having a “floaty“ sensation. Being a medical doctor myself, I initially stuck to the traditional western medicine route as that is what I had been trained in and was most familiar with. I ended up seeing my primary care provider, physical therapy, orthopedic surgery, ENT, had imaging done and all of the results came back unremarkable and I did not get any answers. Around March 2025, I started developing severe migraines, headaches, brain, fog, and eye strain so severe that I literally could not look at my own phone to check the time without straining my eyes. It progressed to the point where I would use Siri to text my friends, I would wear Avulux migraine glasses 24/7 because I was unable to even turn on the lights in my own apartment without getting triggered. Driving was also very challenging because fast moving cars would trigger visual discomfort. I saw an otoneurologist (headache/vestibular disorder specialist) who diagnosed me with vestibular migraine a.k.a. migraine with vertigo. I was started on migraine medications and tried them for about three months with modest improvement in my symptoms. I also tried osteopathic manipulative, medicine, and acupuncture, which did not really help either. However, my acupuncturist and osteopathic physician did give me clues that an upper cervical misalignment was the cause of my symptoms. My osteopath noted that my neck was most stiff at the C1/C2 junction And whenever my acupuncturist needled my suboccipital muscles, my symptoms would always get better. I also ended up seeing a Neuro optometrist and started a vision therapy rehabilitation program with them Including syntonic light therapy, which did alleviate my symptoms but I was still not quite back to baseline. I was starting to question whether I would be able to get my life back and go back to work and be the doctor that I trained so hard for. When I had my first upper cervical adjustment, all of my symptoms instantly got better! I had taken an Uber to my first appointment as I did not feel comfortable driving yet, and I remember On the way home from my appointment, I was looking at the cars on the highway, and suddenly the fast moving cars were not triggering for me anymore! Once I got home, I was able to turn on the lights in my apartment and not get triggered by the lights. I was able to scroll through my phone for almost an hour after previously only been able to use it for a 5 to 10 minutes at a time. It really felt like magic and a miracle!! At the time I am writing this review, I am about almost halfway through my care plan, but I already Feel infinitely Better and am inching closer and closer to my prior baseline as time progresses. The proof is that I am able to write this lengthy review which would have been impossible before! I thank Dr. Mercedes, Gloria, and Dr. Lisa so much for the part that they have and are continuing to play in my healing journey. Knock on wood my trajectory continues to go up from here 🙏

Dr Mercedes is truly a gift! I REGULARLY send my friends to her office! I drive 1.5 hours to get checked by her because I too need Upper Cervical care. She’s so kind and compassionate and uber intelligent! I feel so well taken care of! Do not hesitate to see her, she is simply amazing.

Doctor Mercedes and her team have been amazing. I found Upper Cervical through Google reviews and Tik Tok after being told by doctors and neurologists that I suffered idiopathic intracranial headache, which means unknown cause and would need to be on a diarrhetic to slow down spinal fluid production and potential lumbar puncture to relief pain for the rest of my life. The pain was so bad and the medicine was draining me. As a mom, I knew I had to advocate for myself. I knew that getting a second opinion was necessary. When I started at upper cervical I had massive intracranial pressure headaches, intense shoulder pain, sore hips, anxiety, and more. Since starting treatment 8 weeks ago a lot of my symptoms have subsided or decrease immensely. I no longer have ringing in my ear preventing me from sleeping and can finally exercise again and get back to living my life. I will continue my treatment and will spread the word about this life changing practice. They have a different more human approach and it works!