Tag Archives: adjustment

Adjustments to keep you “Regular”…

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I would like to address a topic that people don’t often discuss with others, but is a problem for so many…especially children!

POOP!

Did you know that constipation is one of the most common issues plaguing people of all ages in the US? A survey by NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) found “it is estimated that over 4 million people in the United States have frequent constipation. Constipation was the most common digestive complaint in the United States, outnumbering all other chronic digestive conditions.”

This is highly affecting children as well;

“Constipation affects up to 30 percent of children and accounts for an estimated 3 to 5 percent of all visits to pediatricians. The peak prevalence is during the preschool years in most reports. There is no consistent effect of gender on the prevalence of childhood constipation.”

This information IMMEDIATELY makes me think; Of course the peak is in preschoolers! What happens to kids age 3-5 going to preschool?!
*Nervousness/anxiety of new surroundings
*Poor/picky diets-namely too much sugar and not enough water
*Many are newly potty trained or possibly still wearing a pull-up
…this list goes on…

Sadly, most of these cases are treated via drug prescription, commonly Miralax, which is approved by FDA for ADULT — USE ONLY! Also, this drug is meant for TEMPORARY use…

NY Times posts an article stating; “Instead, Miralax has become a long-term solution for childhood constipation — a problem that can be troubling not just physically, but also emotionally — rather than a short-term fix so that parents can change their children’s diets to include more fruits and vegetables. “I’ve had kids on it daily for years,” said Dr. Scott W. Cohen, a pediatrician in Beverly Hills, Calif., adding that he will generally refer them to a specialist in prolonged cases. For children with chronic constipation who are not being helped by dietary changes, “We literally give it like water.”

There have been thousands of parents reporting side effects such as these;

Jeanie Ward’s daughter Nicole was placed on MiraLAX when she was just 3 1/2-years-old. Within ten days, she says Nicole turned manic, aggressive, and paranoid. “It was horrifying to see my daughter change like that and to not come completely go back to normal,” Ward said. “Near psychiatric events with paranoia, mood swings, aggression, rage,” parent Jeanie Ward said.

“He had the rage, fears, phobias, anxieties,” parent Sarah Locatelli said.

“We saw a lot of the anger, a lot of the rage, a lot of the aggression,” parent Mike Kohler said.

Read more here: http://abc7news.com/news/parents-say-over-the-counter-medicine-is-sickening-kids-/1760065/

How Can Chiropractic Help??

Chiropractic adjustments have been proven to assist in alleviating the pain and symptoms of constipation in pregnancy, infants, school age children and into adulthood. The nerves that exit your lumbar spine directly supply function to the bowels. So it makes complete sense that any interference to these nerves can create a problem…commonly CONSTIPATION!

Adjustments are always the first place to start in our family when such an issue arises. We then look to diet, water consumption, getting active, etc. Please consider chiropractic care FIRST, before the use of drugs for treating GI issues. We specialize in pediatric and family care. We would love to care for you and your loved ones! Pass it on 🙂

Pediatric Chiropractic Care

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Pediatric Chiropractic;
The importance of having babies and children checked for nerve interference
Kennedy adjustment Kennedy adjustment
A few of the common questions we get when encouraging a parent to bring their kids into the office are: Why would a child or especially an infant need chiropractic care? Is it safe? Do you adjust them the same way you adjust an adult? What does the adjustment help with?

There are many reasons you should bring your little one in to be checked by Dr. Scott or myself. Let us start with infant care. Labor and delivery is not only tough on the mother but can be quite traumatic for the new baby as well. They are changing and developing so much in those 40+/- weeks inside mom and although baby’s progression inside the womb is a very natural thing, the delivery process is typically anything but natural. It is sited that in America, less than 8% of women opt for a natural birth. This means there is some sort of intervention (often multiple) with medications, caesarean deliveries, vacuum or forceps extraction or simply the “Normal axial pull” on the baby’s head during delivery. Dr Towbin, a Neuropathologist from Harvard Medical School, found during his research that it is common during a “normal” hospital delivery that a child’s head will be pulled with 90-120 pounds of force. “The top bone in the neck, the C1 vertebra, is the most unstable vertebra in our spine, connected only by muscles, tendons, and ligaments. With any kind of extreme twisting, turning, or yanking, that vertebra will misalign in three directions, which will result in occlusion, pressure, and interference.”

As your child grows, they will begin to have numerous things happen to them that will cause subluxation/nerve interference in their spine. Trying to hold their head up, or “bobble head syndrome” as we like to call it. Also rolling over, crawling and of course walking lead to a number of bumps and bonks that can cause their malleable vertebrae to move out of place. As toddlers and children they have their fair share of falls, tumbles and stumbles. These are a few more important reasons they should see a chiropractor.

Yes, it is very safe and is much different than how an adult is adjusted. Our 3 girls were checked and adjusted as soon as 30 minutes old. Although they were all born naturally and with the most minimal interference by our midwife of just “guiding” them out, they all had subluxations at the C1 vertebra. The adjustment is made with the light pressure of my pinky finger (the pressure is that of pressing on a ripe tomato before the skin indents). Their little joints are so tiny and their vertebrae are not completely formed yet, so it takes minimal force to relieve the pressure on those nerves.

We have seen an array of different issues/concerns in our office that have had amazing success. It has been shown that chiropractic can help with colic, difficulty latching, torticollis, constipation, diarrhea, reflux, acid reflux, trouble sleeping, ear infections/aches and the list goes on. We also see many families for overall wellness care as they may not have anything specific bothering them, but we keep them feeling great.

If you have any questions about pediatric chiropractic, nutritional components to integrate into their diet or any other concerns, please contact us and we would love to answer those questions for you! Also, please tell your friends, family and coworkers with kiddos about us as we would be happy to help them as well and appreciate your referrals!

~Dr Molly Scott

Steps to take for an optimal labor and delivery

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Dr Molly specializes in treating pregnant women, newborn babies and families through chiropractic adjustments and/or acupuncture.

Pregnancy

As I type this, I am 8+ months pregnant with my third and can speak from experience. The truth is, for most of us mamas, natural childbirth is a marathon. We wouldn’t show up to a race like that without training and the same can be said with natural childbirth. Some believe “it’s going to be what it’s going to be” or genetics play a role, so they are doomed when it comes to having a baby…Not true! Did you know that there are many things you can do to help your body and baby be in optimal shape for a quicker, easier natural childbirth? There are a handful of simple things you can do to prepare you for the big day! It comes down to 4 main areas you should look at;

            Nutrition * Exercise * Sleep * Chiropractic/Acupuncture

When it comes to your diet during pregnancy, I’m sure you will hear “take advantage of being able to eat anything you want!” This is NOT the way to go about it! If you start off at a healthy weight, you need no extra calories during the first trimester, about 300 extra calories a day in the second trimester, and about 450 extra calories a day in the third trimester. Most pregnant women need to get more protein, vitamins and minerals such as folic acid and iron. This means eat lots of lean meats/poultry, veggies (green leafy are best) and make sure you’re taking a quality prenatal supplement. We carry the very best researched and studied nutritional supplements in the office at a comparable price to what you are likely paying already. Also, increase your water intake. You should typically be drinking half your body weight in ounces of water every day (ex: wt. 150lbs=75oz H2O) and need to drink even more during pregnancy as that baby will require more fluid than you are used to…You’re drinking for 2!

There are some great & easy exercises to do during pregnancy. The hormone relaxin is released during pregnancy to help with joint laxity. Simply walking helps to keep the body in balance as you get closer to delivery. Try to walk 30 minutes every day. Make an exercise ball your new best friend. Just sitting with proper posture and a slight bouncing motion will help stretch pelvic joints and keep baby moving downward. Pelvic tilts and hip hikes on the ball are great exercises to utilize throughout pregnancy and especially when you are preparing for the big day. Pelvic tilts consist of small forward to backward movement of the pelvis. Sitting straight and tall on the ball with legs spread wide and focus on moving only your pelvis to roll the ball slightly forward and back again. Similarly, hip hikes will be the same starting posture but then imagine bring your hip toward your ear on one side, then the other. These should both be performed 5-10 minutes, 3 times per day. Finally, sitting on the floor in butterfly position will not only create a nice stretch for your adductor and groin muscles, but will also work to open the pelvis so baby can move into position for optimal delivery. Perform this stretch 3 times per day and hold each stretch about 5 minutes.

Sleep is one of the most beautiful things we get as it is a time to relax, recharge and reset the mind and body. Be sure you are getting the proper amount of sleep to keep you and your growing baby healthy. It is recommended that the average person needs 8-10 hours per night. For proper support we suggest you sleep on your left side while pregnant with a thin pillow between your knees for pelvic support, hug a pillow or spouse to keep your upper back in ideal posture and a supportive neck pillow to keep your head in a neutral position. We carry a pillow in the office that offers support, correction of the neck curve and is extremely comfortable at the same time! Please ask us about them next time you’re in.

Of course chiropractic and acupuncture are extremely important during pregnancy as well as post-partum. Getting regular adjustments helps to keep proper motion in the joints that desperately need it. With the growing belly in the front, mothers-to-be tend to notice an increase in discomfort in the back as they try to keep themselves upright. As you near the end of the pregnancy, adjustments and acupuncture can be utilized to assist in a smooth delivery with much less pain than one would normally experience. These two techniques are also great tools in helping to move breech babies head down, assist in labor induction (if it’s that time) and relieve the “back labor” and sciatica that can often come with pregnancy. Post-partum we encourage mom and baby get checked as labor/delivery can be difficult on both of you.