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Children's Health Chiropractics for my child?
How often chiropractors have encountered parents who appreciate the importance of regular checkups for their child's teeth, hearing, eyes and ears but draw a blank when it comes to a spinal checkup. In fact, a spinal checkup could be one of the
Childhood is a very "physical" time. Jumping and running, falls and accidents are all part of a normal childhood and yet they can cause spinal misalignments and nerve damage with serious consequences. More and more families are finding that a periodic chiropractic spinal checkup for their children makes a big difference in their health. Hyperactivity and Learning Disorders Learning disorders are just one of many neurological problems that affect children today. They include: Hyperactivity
The number of children diagnosed with these conditions is growing at a staggering rate. The standard medical treatment for hyperactivity in children is amphetamine medications such as Ritalin, Desedrine and Cylert. Ritalin can have severe side effects, including arrested growth, increased heart rate, insomnia, loss of appetite, social withdrawal, irritability, moodiness, and involuntary movements or sounds. Chiropractic care, although not a treatment for neurological disorders, has given many children suffering from neurological disorders new hope. Chiropractors, parents and school officials have reported on the effectiveness of chiropractic care for children with many kinds of neurological conditions including learning disorders, hyperactivity, inability to concentrate and behavior problems. Bed-Wetting By one estimate, 5 to 7 million children in the United States wet their beds. Doctors of chiropractic have continued to observe dramatic improvements or total curing of bed-wetting after spinal adjustments. Bed-wetting is often found to respond in many cases after a few adjustments. Infants and Babies Of a random group of 1,250 babies examined 5 days after birth, 211 suffered from vomiting, hyperactivity and sleeplessness - spinal abnormalities were found in 95% of this group. Spinal adjustment "frequently resulted in immediate quieting, cessation of crying, muscular relaxation and sleepiness." In another study, of 1093 newborns checked, 298 had upper neck stress and early signs of scoliosis. For over a hundred years, doctors of chiropractic have observed often dramatic responses from some infants after a chiropractic spinal adjustment with conditions as varied as Erb's palsy, in which an arm is limp and undeveloped, unbalanced facial and skull symmetry, foot inversion, colic, torticollis (twisted neck), "nervousness," and ear, nose and throat infections. A chiropractic spinal checkup can ensure a healthier baby, one with higher resistance to disease anda healthier nervous system. Colic According to Dr. George Wootan, M.D., author of "Take Charge of Your Child's Health:" "A colicky baby will have periods of acute discomfort no matter what you do to relieve them." Colic usually starts about the second week after birth, and often disappears, for no apparent reason, between three and six months of age. Chiropractic care appears to have an especially dramatic effect on colicky babies suffering from moderate to severe colic even with no dietary changes. Many results are reported within two weeks of care, however, in many cases great improvement is seen after the very first chiropractic adjustment. Ear Infections Childhood ear infections often frighten parents partly because they tend to come on suddenly, often at night. The most common treatments prescribed are antibiotics, oral decongestants, tubes in the ears and surgery. The benefit of every one of these treatments is questionable. At least half of all U.S. children have had an episode of "glue ear" by their first birthday. By the age of six, 90 percent have had such an episode, and they account for 30 million visits to physicians each year. Chiropractic is not a treatment for ear infections, yet doctors of chiropractic have noticed chiropractic's profound effect on ears and hearing. Fever A fever is not something to be "cured." It is not a disease. Instead it is one of your body's most powerful defenses against infection. Your body usually raises its temperature on purpose. When body temperature raises about 102 degrees, interferon, a powerful natural antibiotic and antiviral agent, is produced. When we lower a child's temperature, we may be interfering with the body's disease-fighting ability, causing the disease to linger longer or develop complications. Let your child understand that a fever is a natural, necessary part of healing and not a disease or a sickness in and of itself. After a spinal adjustment fevers may go down, remain unchanged or may even raise if that is what the body needs.
Copyright 2001 - 2008 American Family Chiropratic Center
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