Colic is commonly defined as unexplainable and uncontrollable crying in babies 0-3 months of age, more than three hours a day, more than three days a week for three weeks or more, usually occurring in the afternoon and evening. This common condition affects some 20-40% of children in their first year of life. Colic is stressful to parents and children alike. Given the lack of effectiveness of various pharmaceutical interventions in treating infantile colic and concerns about the adverse effects of these drugs, parents are turning to more conservative methods of care, such as chiropractic.
Wiberg and colleagues published a study examining the short-term effect of chiropractic treatment in children with colic. A controlled clinical trial in a private chiropractic practice placed children into two randomized groups. One group received pediatric chiropractic care for two weeks, while the other was treated with the often-prescribed drug dimethicone for two weeks. Changes in daily hours of crying were monitored and registered in a colic diary. By the end of the first week of care, the number of hours of crying was reduced by one hour in the dimethicone group compared with 2.7 hours of crying reduction in the chiropractic group.
In addition to chiropractic adjustments, the doctors at Family First Chiropractic utilize other ancillary care approaches for a colicky baby. Depending on each child’s health history and examination findings, these can include dietary changes, herbal remedies, and behavioral interventions.
Earaches and Ear Infections
The most frequent reason for physician visits for children under 15 in the United States stems from Otitis Media, better known as a middle ear infection. This is the most common reason that doctors prescribe antibiotics for children. Approximately 10% of infants will experience an ear infection by three months, and 50% will experience at least three ear infections by the age of three. The American Journal of Epidemiology states that an infant under six months old who has been on two or more rounds of antibiotics has a 72% higher risk of asthma than children who do not undergo antibiotic cycles.
Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of chiropractic care and adjustments to help infants and children overcome ear infections. With chiropractic care, 75% of ear infection cases show improvement or complete resolution within ten days. 43% of children with ear infections will improve within one to two adjustments, according to the Journal of Manual Physical Therapies, which results in fewer rounds of antibiotics and fewer surgeries for ear tube placement.
“90% of the stimulation and nutrition of the brain is generated by the movement of the spine.” -Nobel Prize Scientist Roger Sperry
Chiropractic uniquely helps children with autism, ADHD, and sensory processing disorders by improving the function of the brain and central nervous system. Every chiropractic adjustment causes the body’s main computer (the nervous system) to reset. A 2014 study of children with sensory processing disorders proved a direct link between the influence of the parasympathetic nervous system and radical improvements in the behaviors of children with ADHD. Chiropractic adjustments increase the influence of the parasympathetic nervous system resulting in improvements in attention span, learning, and behavior.
Every human body possesses the capacity to heal. The Journal of Neurologic Health states health is the ability of the nervous system to send and receive nerve signals. Chiropractors optimize nervous system function and experience unique results for children under duress from an inability to focus at home or in the classroom.
Sports Injuries and Posture
Many adults with chronic back pain can trace the beginning of their problem to years of bad posture habits or injuries in childhood. Because they are growing and more active, children can be at higher risk for injury to the spine. More than one-third of all high school athletes sustain some type of injury. Many childhood stresses and traumas lead to spinal and nerve dysfunction as we age. For instance, children that carry backpacks quite often develop postural problems and regions of spinal dysfunction.
At Family First Chiropractic, our doctors make it a priority to check the family members of patients to ensure they have the best opportunity to grow up healthy and optimally instead of waiting for tragedy to occur or a decrease in the quality of life to take hold. Studies have shown that children who have had their spines taken care of with regular chiropractic care have five times fewer health problems than the average child of the same age. Children under regular chiropractic care have fewer instances of scoliosis, ear infections, growing pains, and other common childhood health problems.
Poor posture extracts a high price because it can limit your range of motion, the organs in your body become less effective, and your mental and emotional state can be affected. The postural disturbances seen in adults often begin with spinal misalignments throughout the growing stages of life. Correcting the issues plaguing young people’s spines saves a lot of stress and treatment down the road.
Breathing is a specific and delicate process that depends on nerve supply to keep it functioning normally. Improper spinal and nerve function, along with food or environmental allergens, generally bring on these potentially life-threatening attacks. Asthmatics commonly feel condemned to a life of bronchodilators and steroid-based drugs, which can include numerous side effects that can be immediate or develop over a lifetime of chronic use. At Family First Chiropractic, we focus on finding and correcting the cause of lung dysfunction. Often, an individual’s posture can significantly affect the development and function of a patient’s lungs. Studies have shown that proper posture increases inspiratory lung capacity by 30%.
The standard medical approach offers no cure for asthma, bronchitis, or emphysema. Patients are commonly told to avoid physical or emotional irritants and given only temporary relief through inhalers or expectorants. A chiropractor’s objective is to locate areas of nerve interference caused by subluxation and correct them. Many times, these areas are directly correlated to the nerve supply related to lung function, and correcting the misalignments brings about a new level of health and function for the patient. A study done for the Brain Research Bulletin found a connection between the alignment of the upper neck vertebrae and breathing. Stimulating the small neurons in the muscles, joints, discs, and ligaments of the upper neck creates positive changes in the diaphragm, lungs, and associated blood vessels. This research shows why any adult or child with lung or breathing troubles can benefit from a spine and nervous system evaluation.
