Tag: Ear Infections

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How Do You Know If Your Baby Needs an Adjustment?

How Do You Know If Your Baby Needs an Adjustment

DID YOU KNOW that structural shifts in the spine can happen from the birth process?

A typical birth can place 60-90 lbs of force onto an infant’s head and neck. While most children are okay, these shifts have been associated with colic, constipation, sleep issues and trouble feeding. Early check ups can help prevent structural shifts from becoming a chronic problem.

So why would a baby need an adjustment? It all starts with our modern birth process. You see, for thousands of years – the vast majority of children brought into this world were done so without the need for intervention and induction. That doesn’t mean that every birth was perfect and non-complicated – but it does mean that 40% or more of them did not end with drugs, anesthesia, and surgical tools. Unfortunately, in our present society – the birth process can often times be the first injury to a baby’s upper neck, cranial area, and spine. In my experience, the greater the amount of intervention during the birth process (induction, forceps, vacuum, C-section, etc.), the greater the likelihood of a significant shift in a newborn’s spinal structure.

When there is strain, tension, pulling and stress placed on the child’s head and neck during the birth process, it very commonly leads to a structural shift. This shift has three parts – misalignment, fixation (“stuck”), and nerve interference/irritation. This will often times lead to secondary conditions (colic, constipation, difficulty feeding) that we see resolve when these misalignments are corrected in infants.

The following are physiological signs of a structural shift in newborns, infants, and toddlers that parents can be on the lookout for:

Cervical spine (neck):
  • Baby always has head turned one way (head tilt)
  • Difficulty rotating head or restrictive neck motion in one or more directions
  • Apparent discomfort or resistance when touching muscles at base of skull (sub-occipitals).

Hips/Pelvis (sacrum):

  • Forward rotation of a hip when holding baby up under arms
  • One crease of buttocks higher than the other (deviated gluteal crease)
  • Arching of back
  • Unequal crawling

Skull (cranial bones):

  • Aysmmetry of cranial bones
  • Flattened occipital bone (back of head)
  • Uneven eye orbits

Pediatric Chiropractic care is gentle and safe. Only light force is needed when adjusting an infant or child’s spine. Imagine the pressure needed to press your pinky finger into a ripe red tomato. It’s important to note that not all chiropractors check and adjust children. I recommend using the ICPA’s website to find a pediatric chiropractor in your area that specializes in dealing with prenatal care, pregnancy, and children.

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What You May Not Know About Chiropractic

What You Don't Know About Chiropractic

When most people think of chiropractic care, they think of traditional chiropractors who focus on decreasing muscular spasm, increasing range of motion, and reducing pain. This is how most chiropractors practice, and most of them are great at what they do. This falls under the umbrella category of symptom relief/symptom management. Now, what you may not know about chiropractic care is that symptoms are the secondary condition of an underlying cause.

In our office we focus on structural correction. You see, once the spine shifts and disrupts the spinal nerves and spinal cord, it can create many different secondary conditions or symptoms. The reason these are called secondary conditions is because they are a result of the primary structural shift, or the underlying cause. Once found, a specific adjustment of only those segments of the spine that are actually shifted is needed. With care for not disturbing those vertebrae that are in proper alignment, the chiropractic adjustment respects the spine for good reason – your spine protects the nervous system which controls everything in your body.

The location of the structural shift and where the nerves are being disrupted will give us an idea about your secondary conditions. Most people are unaware of the many ways chiropractic can help these conditions; here are just a few examples: Continue reading “What You May Not Know About Chiropractic”

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Weekly Health Roundup

healthWelcome to True Health Family Chiropractic’s Weekly Health Roundup, where we’ll take a look at what’s making news in the world of health.

Research of the Week

A new study finds that over-diagnosis of reflux in infants leads to needless medication, which is generally ineffective and could have long term implications. As I’ve written about before, research shows that parents of infants using chiropractic care for colic reported fewer hours of crying per day and difference was statistically significant. We also know that the addition of probiotics has been shown to help with symptoms of colic.

Interesting Articles

I talk a lot about taking control of your health. The reason being is that today we have infinite possibilities, and and our health can suffer as well as benefit a great deal for it. For example, we have the option of sitting on the couch all weekend watching a netflix marathon, or we can be outside. Here’s a great article that offers 8 tips on how to take control of your health. The article focuses on a excellent concept; health integrity -an honesty to one’s self, a commitment that begins and ends with one’s self, an inner compass that has nothing to do with the outside world.

Food for Thought

Eating fruits and vegetables in season makes sense – they are at their peak freshness and have to travel the least distance to your plate (and they taste better). But how do you know what is in season when? The solution is a food calendar, and Eat Seasonably has created a great interactive one -the pinwheel shows what’s in season by month; the outermost ring shows what’s particularly delicious at that time:

Blog Posts Worth Reading

Blenders and juicers are great tools to help any kid eat more nutrient dense foods. However, lots of parents are unsure as to which is better. This is a great blog post on blenders versus juicers, and which will work best in your house for your kids.

Time Capsule

A year ago on the True Health blog we looked at a natural approach to ear infections. This is one of the most common reasons I see children in my practice –  there is a strong correlation between chiropractic adjustments and the resolution of ear infections. Research has shown that close to 80% of children treated with a series of chiropractic adjustments did not experience another ear infection within the six-month period following their initial visits.

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Ear Infections: A Natural Approach

Otitis media (more commonly known as an ear infection) is a generic name for several conditions that can affect the middle ear, including inflammation of the middle ear, ranging from acute to chronic and with or without symptoms.

Acute otitis media (AOM) is characterized by symptoms of pain and fever. Otitis media with effusion (OME) is typified by the presence of fluid in the middle ear without signs or symptoms of infection. Ear infections account for over 35% of all pediatrician visits in the United States. Antibiotics are not always effective and may even lead to a recurrence of ear infections. Continue reading “Ear Infections: A Natural Approach”