Children & Chiropractic

Why We Believe Every Child Should See A Chiropractor

The message we have to tell you is so important that what you will learn can change forever the direction of your child’s health and well-being.

There are three priorities that every parent must focus on, to insure they have the most successful children possible:

 

It is on this last point – the best possible health care – that we would like to address:

1.      What is the best possible health care that your child can receive?

2.      Can the birthing process be harmful to an infant?

3.      Does your child need chiropractic?  And if so, why?

4.      What specific action can I take, to insure my child receives the best possible health care?

We have a lot to cover…  so let’s begin!

How to cure the common cold:

“Without medicine it takes 7 days,

with medicine it takes a week.”

You’ve heard this classic punch line about fighting a cold.  In humor is much truth.  When a child in America starts sniffling or sneezing, the first line of defense that most parent’s use is… a trip to their medicine cabinet.  Yet is that really the best thing a parent can do for their child?

Let’s examine this question closely.

Throughout Europe, they view medicine as an annoying and distasteful “last resort” to fighting illness.  Many leading Universities have shown that more natural forms of health care – including chiropractic – are just as effective (meaning they will fight the sickness in the same amount of time)… but the single most important advantage that outweighs all others is…

Chiropractic is far more safe!

Let us look closely at the evidence of this seemingly controversial statement that we’ve just made.

ü      The Food and Drug Administration was recently quoted as saying that the side effects of many cold medicines are not usually serious, but that severe and deadly side effects are not only possible, but are becoming more common every day.

 

ü      During a five-year period in the late 1980’s, more than 650,000 children were reported as severely “ill” as a direct result of taking over the counter drugs, so says the Center for Poison Control.

 

ü        Have you heard the slogan “Tylenol – “Nothing’s Safer”?  The slogan “Nothing’s safer” used by Tylenol is not quite the truth.  The chiropractic lifestyle is a natural way to health, allowing the power that made the body to heal the body.  Fever is a natural body process in order to fight off infection.  We understand that as a parent there is always concern for children with fever and that there are times when antibiotics and other medications may be necessary.  This article is to warn of “over doing it” with over the counter medications and of course… just so you know.  Tylenol (acetaminophen), marketed by Johnson & Johnson since 1955, has dominated the market for pain relief.  J & J spends about $685,000 per day to achieve that status.  Millions of Tylenol are taken every year and as with all “quick fixes” there is a cost.  Sometimes that cost is asthma, liver damage, kidney failure, or even death.  According to the journal Thorax, acetaminophen doubles the chance of asthma.  When acetaminophen is consumed the liver must break it down.  About 5% of every pill becomes a highly toxic substance in your liver.  This substance under normal conditions is “de-toxed” by the liver.  There becomes a problem when the liver is damaged, overworked or in children.  A 6-year-old girl took 6 grams of extra strength in 2 days time and lost her liver.  Other cases have been similar to this… only a surprisingly small dosage can cause serious damage.  According to Dr. Eugene Schiff at the University of Miami School of Medicine, the normal recommended dose is 4 grams per day.  Five times this or 20 grams would cause a “life threatening injury in anybody”.  This 20 grams reference point is even less in children.  The FDA (Federal Drug Administration) did a study and found that 70% of parents accidentally give the wrong dosage of drugs to their kids. (Source: www.forbes.com/forbes/98/0112/610142S1.htm, Thorax 2000; 55:260-270)

 

ü      The most common drug given to sick children – antibiotics – is actually a suppressor to the immune system! (The immune system is the body’s tool it uses to fight viruses and disease)

(More information is available to you at the click of a mouse)

Kids & Chiro

Children’s ear infections and chiropractic

Childhood asthma and chiropractic

Drug errors in children draw alarm

Children and unnecessary antibiotics

Antibiotics linked to serious complications in infants

Antibiotic usage shown not helpful for kids in new study

 

It is our belief at Health First Chiropractic that much of the sickness and colds your child “catches” can be dramatically reduced through the process of boosting their immune system.  As you are about to discover, children that receive chiropractic adjustments often become far less prone to sickness – and there is a very good reason this occurs: 

All the body is affected by the spinal cord.  When the spinal cord can operate freely and at maximum health, your immune system can rejuvenate and become stronger than ever before.

ü        In 1989 a study was published comparing the overall health of children of chiropractors and children of pediatricians.  400 children were studied (200 chiropractic and 200 allopathic) the results were almost 50% of the chiropractic children never received an antibiotic compared to 12% of pediatric children.  69% of chiropractic children had no occurrence of ear infections whereas 20% of pediatric children reported the same.  73% of chiropractic children reported no tonsillitis compared to 57% of allopathic children.  This study also stated “this study has shown that children raised under chiropractic care are less prone to infectious processes such as otitis media and tonsillitis, and that their immune systems are better able to cope with allergens such as pollens, weeds, grasses, etc. as compared to children raised under allopathic care” (source: Chiropractic First – Terry Rondberg, D.C., Beyond Antibiotics – Michael Schmidt, D.C., Lendon Smith, M.D., Keith Schnert, M.D.)  

From having helped thousands of patients, my experience shows that there is a very high likelihood that the same problems that once plagued you or still continue will eventually plague your children.  Much of the body structure of a child is hereditary – it is mirrored from that of the parents.  This in itself makes a very strong case for you to consider chiropractic care for your children… but even if you believe your problems won’t affect your son or daughter, did you know that…

 

chances are strong that your child’s spine was injured when he or she was born?

 Chiropractors have always stated that the first subluxation can be caused during the birth process.  Others have even stated that the birth process is the most traumatic event in our lives.  The birth process was not always as we know today.  A woman did not always lie on her back to deliver.  This practice is only in Westernize nations.  The manner of position was the result of the French King Louis XIV.  He demanded that he watch the birth process and his wife lie on her back (late 1600’s). From then on, that’s the way it was.  The position of lying on her back made it easier for the doctor also.  It made it much more difficult for the mother and the baby.  Gravity can no longer assist when a woman lies on her back to give birth.  This now means someone has to assist the infant out of the womb.  The doctor usually pulls on the head.  This can create a problem.  Abraham Toubin, M.D. did a study on 8 infants, which died as a result of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).  7 of the 8 had blood in the spinal cord as a result from birth trauma.  In this study he quoted J.M. Duncan who did a study of his own in 1874.  The study showed that 120 lbs of pull on the baby’s head would decapitate the baby.  90lbs of pull would pull the brain into the spinal canal.  According to the late Larry Webster, D.C. (former President of the   International Chiropractors Pediatric Association), during birth the pounds of pressure exerted can range from 35lbs to 95lbs!  There is a possibility that a subluxation can be created from “normal delivery”.  Here are some illustrations from Beck’s Obstetrical Practice and Fetal Medicine.  These are diagrams to teach medical students how to deliver a baby.  From these illustrations you can see how it is standard procedure to twist the neck.  This pulling and twisting can cause a subluxation in the upper neck.  This is not an extreme example yanked from fiction meant to frighten you.  It is a harsh reality that occurs every single day in birth centers around the country.  There is a good chance it happened to your own child, I know it happened to mine.  Chiropractic can help correct this subluxation, restoring proper function to the child. (Source: ICPA Newsletter May/June 1997/JMPT 1999; 22(8): 517-22/ Manuelle Medizin 1987 25:5-10

Why every child needs to be checked

For spinal trauma – immediately

 

I have reviewed hundreds of medical studies and personally seen how spinal problems can affect infants as a direct result of the birthing process.  As you can see from the graphic example discussed above much of this spinal injury is caused by the doctor during birth.  Is this done intentionally? Never!  But it occurs nonetheless – and with great frequency.

An alarming study about spinal damage in newborn children comes from a German Medical School by two doctors, Gutman and Fyrmann.

These doctors looked at 1,250 babies, five days after they were born.  It was discovered that symptoms such as sleeplessness, irritableness, and vomiting affected 211 of these babies.  They found spinal abnormalities in 95% of this group!  It was then discovered that after the babies received a specific spinal adjustment, that this “frequently resulted in immediate quieting, cessation of crying, muscular relaxation, and sleepiness.”

I have seen results, which show a clear link between spinal misalignment in children with ear, nose, and throat infections.  Some people are offended at hearing this information, but it makes a lot of sense.

Chiropractic care is the science of removing subluxations in the spine, so that the internal nervous system can work effectively.

When a child of any age is given a chiropractic adjustment, the nerves are now free to function as they were originally designed – they are no longer “blocked” or “irritated” abnormally by the spine.

 

What should you do now that you know this important information?  

Ignorance is not bliss when your child’s health is at stake.  I hope the information we have talked about here has made a real impact on you and the way you look at your child – and chiropractic in particular.  The following are some important action steps that I would strongly encourage all of my readers to take, to insure the best possible health for all your children: 

Action #1 All infants and children need a healthy spine

One of the most common questions parents ask  is “won’t a chiropractic adjustment hurt a newborn child or injure a child that is developing?

The answer is:  a child needs a very gentle form of adjustment.  It would not be the best thing for a child to receive the same type of adjustment, with the same force and pressure that we give to an adult.  Each person receives an adjustment specifically suited for that person.  If you would like an actual demonstration of the gentle adjustment technique used on yourself first, I will be more than happy to show you what it feels like.  This ultra-gentle spinal adjustment to your child produces a more relaxed, happier, and healthier child.  Parents often begin to see results immediately, especially since they are so “in tune” to their child’s behavior.

 

Action #2 All children need adjustments

The average child goes through much “wear and tear” as they grow up in this world.  They learn to walk, and fall down dozens of times!  They learn to ride their bicycles and crash countless times!  They learn to play football… and hockey…  and soccer… and experience countless bumps and bruises.  Should a parent be fearful of letting their child play these sports and experience these events?  Of course not!  But you are now blessed with something that more and more parents are beginning to understand:  knowledge about the benefits of chiropractic care for your child. Why wouldn’t you give this healing gift to your child? 

Action #3 Print and fill out the pediatric health history form, then schedule your child for a chiropractic examination today!

Action #4 Regular “family adjustments” are the key to success

Should your child receive regular tune up adjustments – just as we often recommend for all of our patients? 

The best solution… is to do “family adjustments”.  By involving the entire family and getting them to come in together for chiropractic adjustments, the family becomes much more committed to other aspects of their health.  Children do not always need an adjustment every time they come into our office, but they love to be checked.  Our daughter will even ask for an adjustment, she already knows her body well enough to know when she needs checked, at 6 years old. Great health becomes as natural as brushing your teeth, eating an apple a day and limiting your intake of sweets.

There are three important benefits that chiropractic can offer your family.

Benefit #1 Lifetime of health.  Would you like to minimize the sickness that you and your entire family experience?  Chiropractic can assist in dramatically reducing these problems.

Benefit #2 Sports related soreness, bruising, or injuries.  Please call me whenever you or your child has experienced any kind of sports injury.  Chiropractic has been proven to be invaluable in relieving injuries such as these.  And the quicker you fix the problem after an injury, the less the risk of more problems later on. 

Benefit #3 Chiropractic isn’t just for back pain!  Did you know that hundreds of people have found relief from headaches, knee or ankle soreness, carpal tunnel, asthma, sinusitis and even arthritis, when they have consulted with me?  Chiropractic works because it is truly a whole body approach to wellness that benefits every part of your being.

There are dozens of more benefits to chiropractic care, come in and see for yourself what hundreds of our patients are already experiencing!

Need to know more?  Please read on…

 

Is chiropractic safe for children?
 

And there is even more information available to you at Chiropractic & Health Articles

If you have a specific problem, concern or question, please do not hesitate to contact our office.  We will provide you with the information you need to make an educated decision about you and your family’s health care.  It is our mission to answer all of your questions and concerns.  Thank you and we look forward to seeing you!