How do Children Benefit from Chiropractic?

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. His little heart started beating at 24 days. Her eyes formed at 36 days. This miracle unfolds perfectly – unless there is interference. Which 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. 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.

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.

Sadly, bedwetting and many childhood aches and pains are passed off as “growing pains” or “just a phase they’re going through.” Careful! Aches and pains at any age are a sign that something isn’t right. Subluxations may be involved.

As you make decisions about your baby’s health care and are confronted with the issues of antibiotics, vaccinations and the growing use of behaviour altering drugs, consult with your chiropractor. Seek accurate information and make an informed choice. First, make sure you child has the best change 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 anaesthesia can have a profound effect on a newborn/

Will my paediatrician 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 paediatric 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 they 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 makes a child’s chiropractic adjustments gentle, comfortable and effective.