Infants and Children
Here at First Chiropractic Centre we are passionate about informing our patients and community about why parents should have their newborn babies checked by a Chiropractor.
The underlying principles of Chiropractic focuses on your nervous system. Your nervous system controls every organ, system, muscle, cell and joint in the body. If your nervous system has no interference/blockages it can function and flourish and allow your body to perform at its very optimum.
The nervous system does much more than transmit sensory information to the brain or control motor functions. It actually controls the peripheral organs, including its bio molecular environment and the control of organs and cells to maintain health and homeostasis. “The quality of healing is directly proportional to the functional capability of the central nervous system to send and receive nerve messages.” Janson Edwards, MD, PhD
A newborn baby has a nervous system. Their nervous system is protected delicately by their skull and cartilaginous spine.
During the birthing process, physical stress can be placed on the babies’ skull, neck and spine. Physical stress can occur from a natural birth, but more so from physical interventions like ventouse or the use of forceps. Stress to their spine can also be caused before birth from inter-uterine constraint.
Nerve dysfunction caused by birth can result in weakened breathing, irritability, colic, difficulty with feeding and attachment, sleeping problems and neurological defects. Undetected, these problems can sometimes lead to learning difficulties, asthma, repetitive ear infections, hyperactivity and other health problems.
The adjustment…
A chiropractic adjustment performed on newborns is very different to adults. It is safe, light pressure, and light force from the fingertip or an instrument called an activator. An adjustment sometimes involves reducing muscle tension and constraint. Chiropractic adjustments typically leave the baby soothed and at ease afterwards.
It is important to note that 65% of neurological development (brain and nervous system) occurs in the child’s first year of life. It is therefore essential to ensure that every child’s opportunities are maximized by a fully functioning nervous system, in this critical period of development.
Why should I have my baby checked if they are well and have no symptoms?
Now more than ever before, parents are searching for proactive lifestyle habits that will nurture their child’s health. Ensuring your child’s nervous system is functioning optimally by having them regularly checked by a Chiropractor…
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- Maximizes brain and nerve development
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- Enhances the child’s overall health and well-being
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- Strengthens immunity
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- Improves
spinal posture
- Improves
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- Assists
to better sleep
- Assists
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- Enhances concentration and learning
Chiropractic for Children
We are often asked here at First Chiropractic why should my child be checked by a Chiropractor? Or are the children that come here to be checked, sick or unwell?
The information below helps to shed light on both of these questions.
The main premise of Chiropractic is based on the essential relationship between the spine and the nervous system. One of the fundamental concepts in chiropractic is that dysfunction in the spine and spinal joints can lead to dysfunction within the nervous system. Since the nervous system controls and coordinates all of the systems in the body; digestive, immunity, urinary, reproductive, and vascular and so on, spinal dysfunction can have a wide-ranging effect on the body’s health.
From the ages of 0 to 7 years a child’s nervous system is developing at its fastest and most dynamic. Many developmental milestones such as learning to hold up the head, sitting upright, crawling, walking, learning, speaking, engaging and growing are all activities that are affected and determined by spinal alignment and nervous system communication. Additionally falls, sports injuries, playground bumps, heavy school bags and sitting all day in the classroom are added physical stresses to a growing child’s spine and nervous system.
These are important times and important to be checked by a chiropractor. Since spinal dysfunctions can occur at, or prior to birth, many parents choose to have their newborn’s spine checked right after birth.
While chiropractic may be able to help with a number of health issues, our focus is not treating or curing ailments; our focus is ensuring the nervous system has every opportunity to work efficiently and effectively.
Can you cook at night with the lights out?
For example, imagine your nervous system is like the electric, lighting system in your home. If the lights start to dim, you might not be able to cook dinner very well, you may start banging into furniture, you may trip and hurt yourself. How the dim lights influence you precisely will vary but the issue is still the same – there is a communication problem between the wiring and the bulb which needs detecting and fixing.
In the same way, chiropractic focuses on the studying and analysis of the nervous system. We detect and correct these ‘communication errors’ in the body.
Another question you may ask is…
“How do children get nerve irritation?”
Nerve irritation occurs as a part of normal daily life. It may result from physical, chemical and emotional stressors or dysfunction to our health, such as bad posture, sleeping on our stomachs, knocks and falls, poor food choices, dehydration, exposure to chemicals and toxins, stress and anxiety. Some research suggests that even before these lifestyle stressors have an impact, nerve irritation may occur in the uterus from awkward positioning, restriction of movement, and exposure to toxins. Nerve irritation may also occur from birth complications such as long labors, very fast labors.
10 reasons parents take their children to see a chiropractor:
1. To encourage good neural plasticity (brain and nerve development).
2. To support their child’s overall health and wellbeing.
3. To help strengthen their child’s immunity
4. To assist with colic and Irritable Baby Syndrome.
5. To help with asthma, breathing difficulties and allergies.
6. To encourage good spinal posture.
7. To help improve their child’s ability to concentrate.
8. To assist with behavioural disorders.
9. To help alleviate digestive problems.
10. To assist with bed-wetting and sleep issues.
A child and newborns health is their greatest asset
Chiropractic care is tailored to the individual and their particular spine, and children are no exception. We deliver specific, gentle adjustments appropriate to the infant and child’s spine and cranium (skull).
Spinal adjustments for infants and children involve very light fingertip pressure to correct spinal dysfunctions. This amount of “force” is often not more than a finger touch. This is usually sufficient to restore mobility to spinal joints, which have become restricted and are causing interference to the normal nervous system function. Occasionally, the adjustments will make a ‘popping’ sound when the spinal joints are moved; however, this is not always heard when children’s spines are adjusted. Other techniques involve the use of hand-held instruments, which offer specific and gentle correction.
References
- Journal of paediatrics 1994. Cited in ICA review: Sept/Oct; 1995. Maginess G Dr (2001). C4K chiropractic for kids. Paediatrics research. Available: chiro@netscape.net.ow. P.673
- vanBreda WM. van Breda JM. A comparative study of the health status of children raised under the health models of chiropractic and allopathic medicine. J chiro research. 1989 101-103