Childrens Health through Chiropractic Care

Life is a miracle.  Two cells become four and four become eight and so on until nine months later a perfect human being enters the world.  This miracle unfolds perfectly – unless there is interference.  This is why children can benefit from chiropractic before they are born by having a mother with a nervous system free from the interference of spinal subluxations.

With pregnancy come hormonal changes, a shift in body weight and a laxity of connective tissues.  New stresses are experienced by the lower back and pelvis.  Many women report that their pregnancies were easier and their delivery times shorter when they received chiropractic care.

All parents want to maximize their children’s health, and they should take a proactive approach in keeping children healthy.  There are five major strategies that you can implement as a parent who wants what’s best for a child.

First and foremost is the understanding that your child’s brain and nervous system controls and coordinates every function of the body, including the immune system, biochemistry, and hormones.  Your child’s nervous system also controls how the body heals and regulates.  Thus, you want to make sure that your child’s spine and nervous system are developing and functioning properly; in our view, the best educated and trained expert to determine this is a doctor of chiropractic.

After taking a proper history about your child and doing a thorough evaluation, a doctor of chiropractic will determine the extent of your child’s interference in the nervous system, which is called a subluxation, a minor misalignment of the vertebrae.  All children, from birth onward, should be checked on a regular basis to determine whether there are spinal postural alterations, which can negatively affect the child’s nervous system and the way the child’s body heals and regulates.

Next, what goes into your child’s body for the first year of life is essential to influencing their health.  It is recommended that a child breastfeed exclusively for the first six to nine months, before one vegetable or fruit is introduced.  Then, slowly introduce new foods individually every four to seven days.  As long as your child’s nervous system is being evaluated by the chiropractor and working properly, the child should usually be able to digest and assimilate the right foods properly.  Dairy products, hydrogenised oils or trans-fats, refined sugars, fruit juices, and processed foods should be avoided in your child’s diet.  As parents, it is important for you to be a role model and set healthy eating habits.

Exercise is also paramount in maximizing the health, coordination, and fitness level of your child.  It is important to keep them away from the television and computer so they remain physically and mentally active.  This will ensure that they maximize their immune system and brain function, provided that they maintain their spinal care and remain subluxation free.

Even today’s birthing procedures can put tremendous pressures on a child’s spine.  And while the injury from forceps deliveries may be less common today, vacuum extraction and eager hands can do even more damage by pulling, forcing, and twisting the baby’s young spine.

Without the language to explain, many newborns experience colic, unexplained crying, lack of appetite, frequent ear infections or other signs of poor health.  A chiropractic examination is essential to determine if birth trauma to the spine is involved.
Then if indicated, a gentle, life-affirming adjustment is given.  With no more pressure than you’d use to test the ripeness of a tomato, nerve-compromising subluxations can be reduced.  Almost miraculously, many parents see instant improvements in the well-being of their child.

Later, regular chiropractic checkups are helpful to monitor spinal development as infants sit upright, support their heads, learn to crawl and take their first brave steps.  Many experts believe that uncorrected spinal problems during this early stage of development cause the chronic, hard-to-correct subluxations seen in adults.
As you make decisions about your baby’s health care and are confronted with the issues of antibiotics, vaccinations and the growing use of behavior altering drugs, consult with your chiropractor.  Seek accurate information and make an informed choice.  First, make sure your child has the best chance to be all that he or she can be by having a nervous system free of subluxations.

How can something as natural as being born cause subluxations?

Being born is a natural phenomenon.  It’s what we’ve done to the birth process that has become increasingly suspect.  In hospitals, birth is often treated like a disease.  A newborn’s introduction to the world is often accompanied by a severe drop in temperature, loud noises and other insensitivities.  The administration of drugs and anesthesia can have a profound effect on a newborn.

Will my pediatrician approve of chiropractic care for my child?

First, you don’t need anyone’s approval to seek a chiropractic opinion about health issues affecting your child!  Medical practitioners keeping up with the latest pediatric chiropractic research are starting to understand the value of this natural, drug-free approach to better health.

Will adjustments hurt my baby?

This is a common concern among parents who mistakenly think that their child will receive adjustments like the ones they receive.  Adjusting techniques are modified for each person’s size and unique spinal problem, and an infant’s spine rarely has the long-standing muscle tightness seen in adults.  This make a child’s chiropractic adjustments gentle, comfortable and effective.