Published on January 1, 2010 comes a case study in the scientific journal, the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal and Family Health that documents the case of a two week old male infant who was helped with chiropractic, after suffering with a number of abdominal problems, along with an inability to sleep properly.
In this case the infant was brought to the chiropractor by the mother who was under care during her pregnancy. The two week old boy was in distress and suffering from excessive crying, abdominal distension, constipation, and gas. He was unable to sleep properly and was clinching his fists in obvious pain. The mother reported that her infant son was unable to have a bowel movement or belch. He was unable to sleep during the day and was only sleeping sporadically at night.
Because of their child's inability to sleep properly the parents were also being sleep deprived. The mother's general practitioner even went so far as to recommend anti-depressants and tranquilizers, however; she tried an over the counter sleep aid instead.
The chiropractic examination showed a crying infant in apparent distress with areas of muscle spasm, tight ligaments and multiple vertebral misalignments in his spine. Chiropractic care was initiated using specific techniques designed to correct the vertebral subluxations found in this infant.
The results on this infant were immediate. During the adjustment the child belched, and immediately following the adjustment the child had a bowel movement before he even had a chance to leave the office. Within five adjustments his mother reported that her son's bowel movements had started to become more regular, and he was belching better after meals. The mother noted that in the initial part of care, if she had missed a visit that the child's distress would return, but would be corrected upon her son's next visit.
This case study reported that after 16 adjustments, his mother noted significant and longer lasting abatement of his symptoms and crying. His colicky behavior and constipation had resolved. His bowel movements had returned to normal and he only cried when he was either hungry or sleepy.
The study author wrote in his conclusion, "Resolution of all presenting symptomology was noted following the introduction of chiropractic care concomitant with a reduction in vertebral subluxation
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Is Chiropractic for kids?
Some of you may be wondering if chiropractic is safe or necessary for children. Some have asked at what time can I get my child adjusted? I know people who have their chiropractor come into the hospital and check their child and if needs be give the child a correction within minutes after birth.
There are some that may children don't need to be adjusted because they haven't experienced any significant trauma yet. But one thing we forget is that every child has experienced something traumatic that often causes their first subluxation, birth.
As a child is delivered vaginally they typically present face to the rear, if you are lying on your back that's face down. The doctor then rotates the head to get the body to follow so that the shoulders can be manipulated through the pelvis. This rotary force is tremendous in relation to the size of the child. The next step after the head rotation in the shoulder presentation which can be the most detrimental to a child. There is downward traction applied on the neck that has been estimated to exceed at times 90 lbs. This is on average a force that is 10X the infants body weight. Imagine a 180 lb man receiving 1800lbs of tractional force on his neck, it would probably kill him. The interesting note is that this is “far from being what most obstetricians would regard as a great force.” (Towbin, 1996) This process is on an average birth with no complication.
This trauma is magnified if the child is extracted with forceps (not used that often anymore), or suction devices. The stress that is placed on the fragile neck is enough to cause damage to not only the surrounding nerves that go to the arms but also the brain stem and spinal chord.
Some be thinking, "whew! My child was a cesarean section so I am good." There is a great deal of trauma that is associated with a child that is not allowed to travel the birth canal. First, there is degree of suction that is naturally given to the child as it travels out that helps the respiratory system function upon birth. Second, most often when a child is delivered C-section at full term the baby has a faced and is sitting on the cervix ready to travel out. When the infant is then pulled in the opposite direction via an incision there is a degree of suction that has formed around the head causing cervical, or neck traction.
I wanted to share with you a tremendous story that I ran across, it brought me to tears and was a reminder to me why I was lead to this profession.
I am not trying to scare you or make you feel like you are a bad person if your child has had any of theses procedures, in fact my third child was C-section and my fourth will be also due to complication that happened, life happens and there are things that we can't control. The point that I want to make is that children have been through a lot in there relatively short lives and don't discount their lack of age as an indicator to their need for chiropractic.
There are many success stories that are emerging from parents that bought their child in with a disease that doctors said would be permanent and upper cervical chiropractic became that treatment that gave them hope. Some of the most popular success stories are autism, ADD, and ADHD, and general behavioral disorders. I am amazed how often I hear stories of success in regards to these diseases/disorders.
If you are wondering if you should take you child to be checked ask yourself some questions. Has my child ever had a significant fall, down the stairs, from a tree, out of bed, and so on. Has my child ever had a blow to the head, ball, falling backwards and hitting it on the ground, hand upside the head. These are some of the thing that can and more often do cause a subluxation in a child. We often dismiss the even, pick up our child and brush the dirt off them and tell them to go play failing to consider what might have happened.
It is never too early to get your child checked for subluxation. Upper cervical techniques are not the "twist and pop" style that you might think of when you hear Chiropractor, they are low force, very specific, and can be used on a 1 hour old baby to a 98 year-old patient with osteoporosis. The only thing that might be a problem is that there are very few truly Upper Cervical doctors in the United States. Some states are without a single one.
If you are want to know the closest one to your area drop me a line and I will point you in the right direction or give you the closest alternative. I don't care who you go to as long as you get well and your children become well.
Works Cited
Towbin, A. (1996). Laten Spinal Chord and Brain Stem injury in Newborn Infants. Devlope Med Child Neuro , 11:54-69.
There are some that may children don't need to be adjusted because they haven't experienced any significant trauma yet. But one thing we forget is that every child has experienced something traumatic that often causes their first subluxation, birth.
As a child is delivered vaginally they typically present face to the rear, if you are lying on your back that's face down. The doctor then rotates the head to get the body to follow so that the shoulders can be manipulated through the pelvis. This rotary force is tremendous in relation to the size of the child. The next step after the head rotation in the shoulder presentation which can be the most detrimental to a child. There is downward traction applied on the neck that has been estimated to exceed at times 90 lbs. This is on average a force that is 10X the infants body weight. Imagine a 180 lb man receiving 1800lbs of tractional force on his neck, it would probably kill him. The interesting note is that this is “far from being what most obstetricians would regard as a great force.” (Towbin, 1996) This process is on an average birth with no complication.
This trauma is magnified if the child is extracted with forceps (not used that often anymore), or suction devices. The stress that is placed on the fragile neck is enough to cause damage to not only the surrounding nerves that go to the arms but also the brain stem and spinal chord.
Some be thinking, "whew! My child was a cesarean section so I am good." There is a great deal of trauma that is associated with a child that is not allowed to travel the birth canal. First, there is degree of suction that is naturally given to the child as it travels out that helps the respiratory system function upon birth. Second, most often when a child is delivered C-section at full term the baby has a faced and is sitting on the cervix ready to travel out. When the infant is then pulled in the opposite direction via an incision there is a degree of suction that has formed around the head causing cervical, or neck traction.
I wanted to share with you a tremendous story that I ran across, it brought me to tears and was a reminder to me why I was lead to this profession.
I am not trying to scare you or make you feel like you are a bad person if your child has had any of theses procedures, in fact my third child was C-section and my fourth will be also due to complication that happened, life happens and there are things that we can't control. The point that I want to make is that children have been through a lot in there relatively short lives and don't discount their lack of age as an indicator to their need for chiropractic.
There are many success stories that are emerging from parents that bought their child in with a disease that doctors said would be permanent and upper cervical chiropractic became that treatment that gave them hope. Some of the most popular success stories are autism, ADD, and ADHD, and general behavioral disorders. I am amazed how often I hear stories of success in regards to these diseases/disorders.
If you are wondering if you should take you child to be checked ask yourself some questions. Has my child ever had a significant fall, down the stairs, from a tree, out of bed, and so on. Has my child ever had a blow to the head, ball, falling backwards and hitting it on the ground, hand upside the head. These are some of the thing that can and more often do cause a subluxation in a child. We often dismiss the even, pick up our child and brush the dirt off them and tell them to go play failing to consider what might have happened.
It is never too early to get your child checked for subluxation. Upper cervical techniques are not the "twist and pop" style that you might think of when you hear Chiropractor, they are low force, very specific, and can be used on a 1 hour old baby to a 98 year-old patient with osteoporosis. The only thing that might be a problem is that there are very few truly Upper Cervical doctors in the United States. Some states are without a single one.
If you are want to know the closest one to your area drop me a line and I will point you in the right direction or give you the closest alternative. I don't care who you go to as long as you get well and your children become well.
Works Cited
Towbin, A. (1996). Laten Spinal Chord and Brain Stem injury in Newborn Infants. Devlope Med Child Neuro , 11:54-69.
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