natural health

Babies and Chiropractic: At What Age are Adjustments Beneficial?

babies & chiropractic Do babies need to get adjustments?

Absolutely! The process of being born can be extremely extremely hard on a baby's neck and spine, causing subluxations which can result in other symptoms early in the baby's life. If a vacuum or forceps are used, that can cause even more damage to Baby's spine. Even babies born via Cesarean section can benefit from an adjustment a few days after birth.

As Baby grows, other new experiences can cause damage to the spine. Holding up the head, sitting up, crawling, standing and walking, can all affect Baby's spine. Babies should have a chiropractic checkup at each of these milestones. Learning to walk can be especially damaging to the spine, as Baby falls often during that process.

Many conditions common to newborns can be helped by chiropractic: colic, difficulty eating, ear infections, allergies, projectile vomiting, etc. These conditions are often the result of a subluxation in baby's spine. Chiropractic can help relieve these conditions without the use of drugs or surgery.

Check out the photos in our waiting room of some of our tiniest patients! We have many patients under a year old who have been coming to us for most of their lives so far. Dr. Hackbart and Dr. Folkers have adjusted some babies as young as just a few days old. We love seeing these tiny ones grow up healthy and happy!

No matter the size of the person, the health of the spine is vitally important!

Avoid Colds and Flu: Get Adjusted Regularly

avoid colds and flu Colds and flu are no fun, but we've come to expect to get sick sometime during "flu season." Catching a cold isn't always a bad thing, as you'll learn, but there are ways to keep from getting one entirely, and heal quickly when you do get sick.

Why we get sick

You are exposed to "germs"--different viruses and bacteria--every day. Any of these could make you sick except that your body's defense system kills most of those germs before they have a chance to do any damage (unless you are afflicted with a poor or weakened immune system).

When you do get sick, it's a result of a low resistance to disease. This is usually caused by stress: structural stress (what chiropractors correct), emotional stress, and chemical stress (toxins that your body hasn't been able to get rid of). A combination of two or more of these can allow an infection to take over your body.

3 reasons why cold symptoms aren't a bad thing

When you get sick, it means an infection or virus has gotten past your body's initial defenses. In order to get out the intruder, your body goes on the attack. Your body temperature will often raise to try to kill the invading germs (resulting in a fever), and other systems will do whatever they can to get rid of the bacteria or virus (resulting in a runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing, or in the cases of a digestive infection, vomiting or diarrhea). These symptoms are uncomfortable and unpleasant, but they're a sign that your body is doing what it's designed to, in order to heal from the illness.

If you take a fever reducer, you're taking away your body's ability to kill an infection with heat. If you take a decongestant to stop your nose or eyes watering, you're keeping the virus or bacteria in your body instead of letting your body get it out.

How chiropractic prevents colds and flu, and helps you heal faster

We've established that you get sick because of a compromised immune system. When your body's natural defenses are not functioning the way they should be, viruses and bacteria can get in and attack. How do you keep your immune system working properly? The same way you keep all your body's systems working correctly: by keeping the nerve pathways between your organs and your brain open and healthy. That's what chiropractic does, by keeping your spine in alignment and the nerves in your spine un-pinched!

Chiropractic also helps you heal faster when you do get sick. Sometimes, even with a healthy spine, you might get a cold, flu, or gastrointestinal infection ("stomach flu"). You'll be able to heal more quickly with a properly aligned spine. That's why it's important to come to the chiropractor when you get sick, ideally before you go see any other doctor. Come see us, then go home and rest!

Other ways to get healthy and keep healthy, naturally

Don't fight your body's well-designed defense system. Work with it! Keep healthy by:

  • eating nourishing food, and avoiding food that doesn't benefit your body
  • getting adequate sleep (at least 7 hours a night for adults)
  • drinking plenty of water
  • exercising regularly
  • seeing your chiropractor at least monthly!

 

Source:

Koren, Tedd, D.C. (2014). Colds & Flu (pamphlet). TAN Koren Publications Inc.