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Health & Fitness

Why Do Children Need Chiropractic Care?

This article details the importance of children receiving chiropractic care for optimal health and well-being.

Seeing a child who was once sickly be able to laugh and play with other kids in an optimal state of wellness is one of the best parts of being a chiropractor.

Chiropractic care for children is not only safe but also vital to healthy growth. As to why chiropractic care is necessary, let me start with the facts. These “facts” are not just hypothetical ideas. They are actual statistics and actual studies that show that chiropractic care for children is not only safe, but it is vital. Take these figures into account:

- A study done by Abraham Towbin, M.D., an expert in pathology, shows that “Spinal cord and brain stem injuries occur often during the process of birth but frequently escape diagnosis." (Towbin, A., "Latent Spinal Cord and brain Stem Injury in Newborn Infants", Develp Med. Child. Neurol, 11:54-68,1969) This often leads to something known as Blocked Atlantal Nerve Syndrome, a primary cause of upper respiratory infections including ear infections and chronic tonsillitis. (Gutman, G., "Blocked Atlantal Nerve Syndrome In infants and Small Children", Manuelle Medizin, 1987)

- A study in which Blocked Atlantal Nerve Syndrome was corrected with chiropractic care showed that 40 out of 43 children studied who were suffering from ear infections improved with chiropractic care alone within two weeks of being adjusted. (Froehle, R.M., J Manipulative Physiol Ther, 1996 Mar-Apr;19 (3):169-77)

- A study by J.E. Upledger showed a definite and significant relationship between restrictions in movement of the upper neck area of the spine and children with learning disabilities. (Upledger, J.E., J Am Osteopath Assoc, 1978 Jun;77(10):760-76)

What we have going on here is a high prevalence of something known as “birth trauma” that is causing children to suffer as they grow. When bones become misaligned, nerve tension can result. When this happens, the whole body suffers as a result. These misalignments are known as “subluxations.” So the question is, what type of healthcare practitioner is trained and qualified to diagnose and correct such a condition? Only a Doctor of Chiropractic can do this, particularly one who has specialized training in the care of pediatric patients.

While birth trauma causes direct impingement on the tiny nerves of a child, there are also two other reasons why subluxations may occur indirectly: mental stress and toxic stress. While mental stress may not be so prevalent in childhood years, toxic stress is, particularly because of thimerosal, formaldehyde, and aluminum found in vaccinations, and because of inadvertent exposure to other kinds of toxins such as secondhand smoke. A child’s immune system isn’t even fully developed until after the age of two years. Thus, vaccinating a child before the immune system is even capable of handling antigens can impair the immune system’s response at a later time. This is why many children still may develop a disease even though they have been vaccinated against it.

I am often asked by mothers-to-be what the safest way to give birth is in order to minimize the occurrence of birth trauma. They are pleased to learn that the upright or squatting positions are not only easier on the baby, but they are much more comfortable on mom as well. The baby has the benefit of having a gravity-assisted birth that minimizes the amount of force being placed on the baby’s head and neck. Mom doesn’t feel as much pain because the baby is not pressing down on the sacral plexus of nerves as it usually is in the typical “lithotomy” position (mom reclining or flat on her back with legs up in stirrups). These safer, less painful positions minimize the chance that both mom and her baby will suffer from a subluxation.

Children who receive regular chiropractic care do indeed live healthier lives. When I was a chiropractic intern at Life University in Marietta, GA, I met many people my own age who have never been sick in their life. They said that the key to their abounding level of wellness was that they have never received a vaccination and that they’ve been receiving chiropractic care since the day they were born.

I have seen for myself how much happier and vibrant children who receive chiropractic care are. It is so heartwarming to see children who no longer have to take medications such as Ritalin, asthma medications, or antibiotics because they started receiving chiropractic care. Two notable patients of my own in this category are the eight-year-old girl who overcame years of dependency on antibiotics to treat her chronic ear infections and the three-month-old whose severe colic disappeared after just one adjustment to the topmost vertebra in his spine.

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Two years ago I put together an informational video about this very topic that can be viewed at vimeo.com/10592726. For more information on me, visit my website at www.DrPatSuglia.com.

It’s always my pleasure to be of service to you!

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