Kids & Babies

The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (I.C.P.A.) has initiated a ground breaking study on the safety and effectiveness of chiropractic care for children. The preliminary results are outstanding and show that chiropractic care is safe for children. Even more significant is that parents reported three unexpected improvements with their children's care:

1- Improved sleeping
2- Improved behavior and attitude
3- Improved immune system function

 

 

You can read the press release and abstracts here

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions (2)

1. What is chiropractic?
2. How does Chiropractic help?
3. Is chiropractic appropriate for children?
4. How safe is chiropractic for a child?
5. When should I take my child to a chiropractor?
6. How effective is chiropractic care for children?
7. How can chiropractic care help an older child who is not ‘sick’?
8. What if my child has a health problem that does not respond to chiropractic care?
9. There are so many different health specialists today, who is responsible for the health of my child?
10. Do all Doctors of Chiropractic care for children? How do I choose?

1. What is chiropractic?

• Your nervous system (brain, spinal cord & nerves) controls and co-ordinates everything in your body and mind
• When your nerves flow optimally and without obstruction, your body and mind are 100% self-communicating, self-healing, self regulating and robust
• When subluxations (nerve interference or damage) impede nerve flow, similar to static on your cell phone, you are no longer functioning at 100% and your health and vitality are compromised.
• Subluxations are caused by our inability to handle life’s three stressors: physical, mental-emotional and chemical
• Left uncorrected, subluxations have devastating effects on human health and well-being, leading to breakdown, malfunction and disease.
• Our goal is to locate subluxations, remove them and their causes and allow you to heal yourself on every level(1).

2. How does Chiropractic help?

The chiropractor, through a procedure called an adjustment, helps restore misaligned vertebrae to a more normal position, thus allowing the nerves to properly communicate with the rest of the body and let the body heal itself – safely and naturally.

And for the science geeks in all of us!

A basic overview of the neurological impact of an adjustment:

Using the hands to deliver therapeutic physical forces to the human body which engages mechanoreceptors to open mechanically gated ion channels in the muscle and initiate a current flow into the largest and fastest primary afferent neurons from the muscle.

Using a rapid lengthening of muscle to activate the dynamic components of the muscle spindle receptor to fire 1A afferents at a high frequency to modulate central neurology (greater than 200 Hz) This alters the gain on the muscle spindle system to change muscle tone via the action of gamma motor neurons that innervate the intrafusal muscle fibres.

This produces a novel blend of sensory input that alters the state of the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and shapes the responsiveness of spinal cord neurons to future inputs. It also induces plastic changes in neural circuits as a result of long term potentiation and long term depression depending upon the type of circuit - i.e. adjustment can produce long term depression of the projections neurons of the pain pathways.  

The dorsal horn inputs project up the spinal cord and simulate the Vestibular system - which has an effect on many other parts of the brain.

 

 

3. Is chiropractic appropriate for children?

Yes. Chiropractic’s drugless and preventive approach to good health makes it perfectly appropriate for infants, children, and teenagers.

 

4. How safe is chiropractic for a child?

Chiropractic is one of the safest forms of children’s health care. A chiropractor does not adjust a baby or a child the same way as he or she adjusts an adult. A baby’s spine is very supple during the first few months of life, so the chiropractor applies only a slight pressure to make an adjustment. For older children whose spine is still made of mainly cartilage, slight pressure followed by a gentle push is all that is required to move the veretebra.

To read the latest studies on chiropractic safety for children, please follow click here

 

5. When should I take my child to a chiropractor?

When you want to give your child a head start in good health and all the benefits of a conservative, drugless approach to health care, you should take your child to a chiropractor. It is important to have a chiropractic exam during the first year of a child’s life as spinal trauma can occur during birth, as well as from tumbles while learning to sit up or walk. Improper lifting and carrying can also contribute to spinal stress.

Your child’s spine grows almost 50% in length during the first year. This is equivalent to a six-footer growing to nine feet in just 12 months! It’s this kind of tremendous growth and developmental changes which make a complete chiropractic examination so important in the early stages of a child’s life. If there is a problem, the earlier it is corrected the less likelihood there is of it becoming a chronic or more serious problem later in life.

Chiropractors believe it’s much more important to prevent diseases than wait till some disease occurs.

 

6. How effective is chiropractic care for children?

Chiropractors have been providing safe and effective care for children for more than 103 years. Without efficacy, parents would have long ceased to seek out a chiropractor for their children. A 1992 survey showed that the most common conditions for which children visit a chiropractor are: earaches, neck pain, check-up, headache, upper respiratory, low back pain, allergies, asthma, bed-wetting, and thoracic pain. Other reasons are ADD and ADHD, colic, torticollis, insomnia, growing pains, and persistent crying in infants.

 

7. How can chiropractic care help an older child who is not ‘sick’?

Chiropractors do not treat diseases, they help to correct spinal misalignments that can cause health problems. Through regular adjustments, counseling on proper nutrition, exercise, and posture, the chiropractor can help you raise a child who is structurally and functionally sound.

The number one “illness” in children is accidents. You may not realize it, but youngsters take numerous tumbles -- learning to ride a bike, or even just jumping and running around. If your child takes part in athletic activities, the rugby scrum or tackle could twist a young spine, pitching a ball can throw a vertebra out of its normal movement. These underlying injuries, if left uncorrected, can cause serious problems as the child grows into adulthood.

Chiropractors can do more than correct these problems. They can also help improve performance on and off the field by helping the body to function at its optimum level, naturally, and without drugs.

 

8. What if my child has a health problem that does not respond to chiropractic care?

Our promise to you is that we will make sure you and your child are in the right place to get the care you need.  Either we will recognize we are the people to help you, or we will recognize that we are not the right people and we will do everything in our power to get you to someone that can help you.

 
Chiropractors are trained to recognize complex health problems. Their primary obligation is the welfare of the child. It is the position of the ICA Council of Pediatrics and its parent organization, the International Chiropractors Association, that when the chiropractor or any doctor reaches the limits of their skill and authority that they are “ethically and morally bound to make patient referrals to practitioners in other fields of healing when such referrals are necessary to provide the highest quality of patient care.”

 

9. There are so many different health specialists today, who is responsible for the health of my child?

You are. As a parent or guardian you must take responsibility for your child’s health and use your best judgment as to what is most appropriate for your child. Fortunately, there are some outstanding primary health care providers to help you make your decision, including your chiropractor, pediatrician, and dentist. These professionals should make up your child’s personal health care team.

 

10. Do all Chiropractors care for children? How do I choose?

All chiropractic schools have required courses in pediatrics. However, there are chiropractors who take postgraduate courses in pediatrics after graduation because they want to specialize in this field. The ICA Council of Chiropractic Pediatrics offers a 3-year postgraduate program (320+ hours) that leads to Board Certification in Chiropractic Pediatrics. Graduate doctors are recognized by the letters DICCP (Diplomate of the ICA Council on Chiropractic Pediatrics) after their name. Since all chiropractors are licensed to care for children, there are many doctors of chiropractic who also see children in their practice on a regular basis.

When you choose a Chiropractor who is a member of the ICA Pediatrics Council, you will get a chiropractor who is either Board Certified in Chiropractic Pediatrics (with the DICCP credential) or is in family practice and has experience in caring for children.

The ICA Pediatrics Council regularly updates its members with the latest in chiropractic pediatric care and provides them with opportunities to continually refine and/or expand their diagnostic and clinical skills with continuing education classes or other resources.

Both David Kay and Sheridan Brady have large family & child practice, while Alice Cade holds the DICCP and specializes in chiropractic care for children and infants

(1)Courtesy of Dr Russ Rosen  - Rosencoaching.com

(2) Courtesy of ICPA.com