Caring Pediatric Chiropractors in Columbia, MO

Nervous System Disturbances

The nervous system, consisting of the brain, spinal cord and all the nerves of the body, controls and regulates the entire body. Many childhood health problems are merely the result of nervous system interference, usually along the spine.

Our gentle adjusting techniques help reduce these disturbances so your child’s body can resume working as it was designed. Better health is the natural result when the brain and body have clear communication pathways.

Chiropractic and Children

Upon examination, we often find nerve disturbances associated with many types of common childhood health complaints.

While the effects of these nervous system compromises go by a variety of names, chiropractic is not a treatment for them! Our primary aim is to locate and reduce the underlying nervous system dysfunction.

Infertility. Even before birth, restoring nervous system control of reproductive organs has blessed many chiropractic patients with the child they thought was impossible.

Traumatic Birth. Have your newborn checked shortly after birth to detect the effects of in-utero constraint, C-section, vacuum extraction or other aspects of a stressful birth.

Colic. Birth trauma, even from so-called “natural” birthing experiences can often produce a child’s first nerve compromise. Lacking the ability to communicate, your baby cries. And cries.

Ear infections. Biomechanical restrictions in the upper spine can compromise the nervous system and immune system, making your child’s ears a breeding ground for viral infection.

Bedwetting. Nervous system compromise in the lower back can block nerve messages responsible for bladder control. Many children regain their confidence and self-esteem with chiropractic care.

ADHD. Many parents investigate conservative chiropractic care before exposing their children to psychotropic drugs. Reducing tension to the nervous system has produced excellent results for many.

Asthma. By reducing neurological compromise to the bronchial tubes, lungs and diaphragm with chiropractic care, attacks can often be reduced or eliminated with chiropractic care.

Growing Pains. Pain of any type is a warning that something isn’t right. While considered a “phase they’re going through,” it’s usually a sign that biomechanical stress to the nervous system is present.

Scoliosis. Instead of crude bracing or the all too common “wait and watch” approach, chiropractic care has helped countless children with this common disfigurement.

Wellness. An obvious symptom isn’t required! Enjoy the peace of mind of having your infant or child checked to uncover structural or neurological problems before they become serious.

Many of the hard-to-correct problems we see in adults are long-standing problems that began, and remained undetected in childhood. If you have questions, use the email link below. Or give us a call and arrange a telephone consultation. We’re happy to discuss any concern without cost or obligation.

Colic

Colic. Your tummy hurts. You have a terrible headache. You can’t sleep and you’re cranky. One more thing: you can’t ask for help because you’re only two weeks old! So you cry. And cry. And cry.

And your parents feel helpless.

Indigestion?

Infantile colic was first thought to be merely indigestion. The most widely accepted definition of colic today is “unexplainable and uncontrollable crying in babies from 0 to 3 months old, more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week for 3 weeks or more, usually in the afternoon and evening hours.”

Birth Trauma?

If a baby is inconsolable, it’s hard to know if it’s a digestive disturbance. Consider another explanation. Upon examination, we often find spinal distortions in the baby’s upper cervical spine. These babies are probably suffering from head and neck pain. This is especially common if there was a difficult birth.

A 67% Reduction in Crying

The results of a randomized controlled trial published in the October 1999 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiologic Therapeutics tracked a small group of 50 infants. Half received the drug dimethicone and the other spinal manipulation. At the conclusion of the two-week study, the babies being adjusted saw a 67% reduction in crying and the drug therapy group saw a 38% reduction.

Little Research

While large scale research results are lacking, and colic is considered a condition that resolves on its own with the passage of enough time, there are many case studies showing improvement, sometimes dramatic, among colicky babies with subluxations.

Not a Cure

Chiropractic isn’t a treatment for colic! If subluxation is present, interfering with the proper function of any part of the body, restoring proper nervous system control often allows the body to heal. This may happen regardless of age and regardless of what the particular symptoms are called.

Find Out More

Consult our practice for a no-obligation consultation. Take action now and set up an appointment. Call or email us and put an end to the frustration and helplessness so many new mothers feel.

Bedwetting

Bedwetting takes a tremendous toll on children. Embarrassment. Alarms. No sleepovers. Plastic mattress covers. Frustration. Unable to fit in. Even diapers.

Up to the age of four or five, most children have poor bladder control at night. But after that, the inability to stay dry at night may be a sign of an underlying problem. While chiropractic is not a treatment for bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis), countless children have been helped with safe and natural chiropractic care.

Bladder Physiology

Two key muscles control the emptying of the bladder. Their technical names are the detrusor and trigone muscles. Nerves that exit the spinal column in the lower back and sacrum control these muscles.

During the early years of life, the sacrum has five separate segments. Later, they fuse together to form the triangular-shaped bone that adults have at the base of the spine. If these segments misalign (falling, learning to walk, ride a bike, etc.) they may compromise nerves that are responsible for bladder function.

We look for these sometimes subtle misalignments during our examination. When these misalignments are reduced with safe and natural chiropractic adjustments, nervous system control and regulation of the bladder may often be restored.

Published Reports

The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics document many studies showing the positive benefits of chiropractic care.

A study of 46 children received chiropractic care for a 10-week period. A quarter of those receiving chiropractic care had 50% or more reduction in the wet night frequency, while none among the control group saw a reduction. (JMPT 1994 (Nov-Dec);17 (9): 596-600)

Children with a history of persistent bed-wetting received eight chiropractic adjustments. Number of wet nights fell from seven per week to four. (JMPT 1991 (Feb);14 (2): 110-115)

The lumbar spine of an eight-year-old male bed wetter was adjusted once and at a one-month follow-up. There was a complete resolution of enuresis. “This happened in a manner that could not be attributed to time or placebo effect.” (JMPT 1994 (Jun);17 (5): 335-338)

Will Chiropractic Care Help?

Since chiropractic care isn’t a treatment for bedwetting, a thorough examination is necessary. If the bedwetting is caused by nerve interference from the spine, many children see great results with chiropractic care. Find out!

We approach these cases with sensitivity and compassion. Your son or daughter will appreciate and understand our explanations.

Please call or email us if your specific concern hasn’t been addressed here.

Asthma

Chiropractic is not a treatment for asthma. However, many who suffer from asthma report improvement by receiving chiropractic care.

Drugs may temporarily reduce symptoms but ignore any underlying nerve disturbance.

There is research that suggests a link between the spinal column, the nervous system and the respiratory system. This may be why many have mentioned improved breathing by consulting our practice.

Countless Causes

Asthma cases seem to be rising at an alarming rate. Some think it’s due to a combination of factors, especially the increase of chemicals in our environment.

These days, airtight, super-insulated homes can trap chemicals, molds, formaldehyde and other irritants. Even the increasing use of cesarean births, antibiotics and our fascination with germ killing have been cited.

If these factors were the only issue, why wouldn’t all children living in the same house and breathing the same air, suffer equally?

Chiropractic Connection

Your diaphragm is the primary muscle used for breathing. Nerves that control each breath leave your brain and exit the spinal cord in the mid-neck (C3, C4 and C5) area. Spinal problems in this area can have a profound affect on the nerve supply to the diaphragm.

Reducing subluxations in the spine may help restore proper nervous system control of the lungs and improved function can begin.

More Research is Needed

In fact, research published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research documented the results experienced by 81 children with asthma who received chiropractic care. The two-month study revealed that those under care saw a 45% decrease in the number of “attacks” and that 31% of the subjects voluntarily chose to decrease their medication.

All this from improved nervous system control of the lungs!

Find Out More…

Chiropractic care may help reduce the frequency and severity of asthma attacks. Naturally, we can’t make any promises, however, if your son or daughter has subluxations, and they are the cause of their symptoms, many have found relief with conservative chiropractic care. Call our practice and let’s discuss the possibilities and get your questions answered.

Ear Infections

As parents, it makes us feel so helpless. Our child is suffering but there seems little that we can do. No wonder reoccurring ear infections (otitis media) account for a huge number of pediatrician visits.

The traditional approaches include:

Antibiotic therapy. This may be effective for acute bacterial infections, but many cases are viral, for which antibiotics are useless.

Tubes in the ears. Surgical implantation of artificial drainage tubes require the administration of a risky anesthesia and then, they often come out!1

However, many parents are choosing a more conservative approach:

Chiropractic care. A thorough examination to locate, and adjustments to reduce, nerve disturbances that may make the ears prone to infection.

Our bodies have an incredible capacity to fight infection. When that ability is impaired, it means something else is going on. With our focus on the integrity of the nervous system, we start there.

Nerve Compromise

It surprises many to learn that some of the nerves that control, regulate and monitor the ear begin in the brain stem, continue down the spinal cord and exit out from between the bones of the spinal column.

Changes to the function of the bones in the upper neck may compromise the quality of the nerve signals to and from the brain. Obviously, this can affect the ability of any organ or tissue, in this case your child’s ear, to “defend itself” from infection.

Impaired Drainage

Nerve compromise is often accompanied by abnormal tension to the muscles that support the spine. Besides “protecting” the spine from further compromise, these muscle spasms can exert pressure on nearby lymphatic drainage ducts. This prevents natural drainage, further compounding the problem.

What We Do

Our approach is simple. Since chiropractic care isn’t a treatment for infections of any type, when parents bring their child for us to check, we look specifically for distortions in the upper spine. If nerve tension is detected, we gently reduce it with safe and natural chiropractic adjustments. This helps restore nervous system integrity. For a child or infant, this usually requires little more than a light touch with our fingertip at just the right place and direction.

Parents love our approach. We explain everything in advance. Our adjusting approach is safe and results are achieved naturally. Give us a call. We’d like to help.