Kids and chiropractic go together like peanut butter and chocolate. There are many reasons your child should see a chiropractor. For example, do they have the same 5 senses as their parents: touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight? Of course they do, and those are controlled by the same brain body connection (aka nervous system) as their parents too. So there is no question that our kids need chiropractic just as much as Mom and Dad do.
1. Reflux/Spit Up - This can be caused from a number of reasons, including vertebral subluxation, cranial fault, stomach torsion, and spinal cord tension. Other causes can be allergens in a breastfeeding mom’s diet or wrong type of formula in a formula fed baby.
2. Ear Infections - Many people don’t realize your ears can be adjusted! As we get older, our ear canals start to tilt downward to allow for proper drainage; however, infant ear canals are horizontal in nature, causing them to not drain as well and be more prone to infection. A quick ear adjustment can relax the inner ear muscle, pulling on the ear canal and preventing drainage. Upper cervical subluxations and cranial faults are also common findings in kids with chronic ear infections.
3. Constipation - The nerves feeding the colon and rectal area originate from the lumbosacral region of the spine and are often misaligned, needing adjustment with symptoms of constipation. Constipation can also be due to an ileocecal valve misfiring, which takes a couple of spinal adjustments and acupressure points to correct. However, constipation is often also caused by something in the diet causing GI distress, so it becomes important to discuss potential food allergies in the baby’s or mom’s diet.
4. Trouble Latching/Feeding - An upper neck misalignment can cause a baby to not be able to turn its head as needed for breastfeeding. Cranial and palate misalignment can also be present in these kids, so appropriate cranial assessment and correction is needed. Most newborns are in need of an upper neck adjustment whether or not they have outward physical symptoms of anything. Getting through the birth canal or even being delivered via cesarean can be very strenuous on the baby’s neck, and proper realignment is necessary to ensure the nervous system can work at 100% capacity.
5. Colic - This is defined as “severe, often fluctuating pain in the abdomen caused by intestinal gas or obstruction in the intestines and suffered especially by babies.” This is a very common infant symptom and is used as a diagnosis for a crabby baby that has “no other problems,” so I believe it is commonly misdiagnosed. But this is so easy for chiropractic! Most often these babies and kids have spinal misalignments specifically in the upper neck and sacrum needing correction. It is very much related to any GI distress, along with food allergies, as discussed under “Constipation.”
6. ADHD - This is one hot topic in our culture and is becoming more and more prevalent. Our kids’ bodies have become so neurologically overloaded that it can be difficult for the nervous system to navigate simple everyday tasks. Chiropractic, by nature, balances neurology by taking tension out of the nervous system so the brain can communicate more effectively and work more efficiently. Diet plays a HUGE role in attention. A large amount of our food is processed and contains dyes, which will have neurotoxic effects on the brain. It is important to look at all stimuli coming in the child’s life, including diet, exercise, medications, amount of activity, screen time, etc. Too much stimuli will also cause trouble with attention.
7. Asthma - This is often due to an emotional component and/or mid-spine misalignments needing chiropractic correction in order for the lungs to function more efficiently. It’s important to take a look at the birth process as well. Cesarean births have a greater chance of developing asthma, so it is especially important to get these kids under chiro care. Passing through the birth canal allows for passage of important flora from the mom’s vaginal canal to the infant for population of important immune developing bacteria in the baby’s gut. Passing through the vaginal canal also squeezes the amniotic fluid out of the baby’s lungs they were “breathing” while in utero. These are in addition to many other important developmental things happening while passing through the vaginal canal.
8. Growing Pains - This can be caused from improper joint alignment not only in the spine but in the extremities. Chiropractic adjustments will align all structures so the overlying musculature can fire appropriately.
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Dr. Kael Moulton
DrKael@MoultonChiropractic.com