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| Children and Chiropractic |
Children and Chiropractic or No More Yucky Medicines
"Chiropractic care for my child? Why? His back doesn't bother him."
How often chiropractors have heard that said from parents who appreciate the importance of having check-ups for their child's teeth, hearing, eyes, ears, nose and throat, but when it comes to a spinal checkup they think it isn't necessary.
A Spinal Check-Up For Your Child Could Be One Of The Most Important Check-Ups In His Or Her Life.
The spine is the lifeline of the body. Inside the spinal column is the spinal cord, a bundle containing billions of nerve fibers that will travel to every part of your child's body, sending messages and energy from the brain that regulate your child's health.
If there is any nerve blockage along the spinal cord, any nerve damage, then a state of dis-ease will develop. Dis-ease causes a generalized weakening of your child's body, lowered resistance to disease, and is a major contributor of body malfunction and sickness.
Most spinal column nerve blockages are caused by tiny fixations and misalignments of the spinal vertebrae. These tiny misalignments are called vertebral subluxations.
How can a child's spine lose alignment?
The First Subluxation
Spinal nerve damage, also known as vertebral subluxations can have many causes. Some injuries to the spine are caused during the birth process by obstetrical procedures.
For example, forceps are capable of causing damage to the newborn's spine, especially when they are used to pull or twist the head and neck. Babies were meant to be pushed and guided out of the birth canal-not pulled out.
Low Back Pain
Go why do we have a pamphlet entitled Low Back Pain? Simply because among the hundreds of conditions that the "flesh is heir to," there are a lot of people who suffer from bad backs.
How many? The fact is that 85 percent of the population will experience disabling low back pain at least once during their lives! That's almost all of us. The problem is so bad that at any one time, according to one researcher, 6.8% of the U.S. adult population is suffering from an episode of back pain lasting more than two weeks.01 That's a lotta bad backs.
Birth Without Violence
Immediately after birth, what do doctors do to the baby's spine? Have you ever seen the doctor dangling the baby by the feet? This is a too common occurrence, and the famous French obstetrician Frederick Leboyer commented on it in his book 'Birth Without Violence':
"Why, when the vulnerable spine has always been curved, do we insist on holding the newborn upside down and jerking the back straight?"
Whiplash Shake Syndrome
Recently the medical profession recognized the Whiplash Shake Syndrome (WSS) which occurs when a baby is severely shaken. It can cause blindness, paralysis, convulsions, brain and/or eye damage. This is something chiropractors recognized nearly a century ago.
Childhood
Childhood is a very physical time for all of us. The falls, the accidents, the jumping and running are all part of childhood, and yet, they can cause spinal misalignments and nerve damage. It would be wise for all parents to have their children's spine checked repeatedly, on a periodic basis throughout their growing up years.
A Family Affair
The most gratifying thing a chiropractor sees in his or her office is an entire family coming in for spinal check-ups. They notice differences: the father who has more energy and doesn't have that digestive problem he used to, the mother who doesn't get her headaches anymore and her menstrual cramps are a thing of the past, the children don't get sick as often, they miss less days from school and have better posture. In fact, there have recently been studies determining the effectiveness of chiropractic on emotional and learning disabilities and other neurological problems in children.
Studies on Chiropractic Effectiveness
Psychological Studies
Two pilot studies in Texas in the 1970's confirmed what chiropractors have known for years-that spinal adjustments can help children with emotional, behavioral and neurological problems. The kind of problems helped were hyperactivity, asthma, anxiety, low mental stamina, discipline problems, inability to concentrate and even low I.Q. and grades.
(For more information on these studies see the brochure on Learning Disorders and Chiropractic in this series.)
If your child is suffering from any of these common conditions it is essential he gets his spine checked for vertebral subluxation:
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Fever |
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Eye Problems |
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Hypertension |
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Skin Disorders |
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Constipation |
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Frequent Colds |
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Stomach Ache |
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Arm, Hand Pain |
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Arthritis |
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Scoliosis |
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Headaches |
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Croup |
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Sore Throat |
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Nervousness |
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Sinus Problems |
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Weakness or Fatigue |
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Bronchitis |
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Ear Infections |
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Poor Concentration |
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Irritability |
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Hip, Leg, Foot Pain |
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Backaches |
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Colic |
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Cough |
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Poor Posture |
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Asthma and Wheezing |
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Bed Wetting |
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Poor Coordination |
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Loss of Hearing |
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Painful Joints |
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Numbness |
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Shoulder Pain |
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Neckaches |
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Warning Signs
Just as you may have a cavity in your tooth and not know it, so you may have a subluxation in your spine and not know it. For this reason it is recommended that children have periodic spinal check-ups. However, there are certain warnings signs which may be an indication that the spinal column is out of alignment. They are:
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One hip higher |
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One shoulder higher |
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Shoulder blades flared out |
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A foot turned in or out |
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Neck tilt |
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Can't stand still |
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One leg seems shorter |
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Joint aches |
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Hyperactive |
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Always falling |
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Fidgety, nervous |
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"Noisy bones" |
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