Disclosure :: This post is sponsored by Resilient Chiropractic. Dr. Amanda Engels and Dr. Debrah O’Hara at Resilient Chiropractic have made it their life’s mission to create happier, healthier children. We are excited for them to share more about why you should consider a chiropractor for your child.
6 Reasons You Should Take Your Child to a Chiropractor
Typically, when people think about chiropractic their mind automatically jumps to neck pain and back pain. This is totally understandable because chiropractic care TREMENDOUSLY helps with these issues. What people do not know, YET, is that chiropractic care addresses the system that controls all other systems, and that is the central nervous system. Let’s get a little science-y here for a moment! The central nervous system is composed of the brain and the spinal cord. From the spinal cord are all the spinal nerves that control every cell, tissue, muscle, and organ in the body. So how does it work? The brain sends signals down the spinal cord and out to the spinal nerves to allow our bodies to function. Now how does this relate to our little ones? A lot of times the bones that surround our spinal cord, called vertebra, can shift out of proper alignment. That shift, known as a misalignment or subluxation, is going to put pressure on the spinal nerves that exit the spinal cord, which causes nerve interference. Imagine it being like a water hose with a kink in it. A misalignment is kind of like a kink in the information highway of the body! This means that the signals the brain sends throughout the body are compromised, leading to aches, pains, but more importantly DYSFUNCTION.
Typically, in adults misalignments show up as various types of aches, pains, and discomfort. However, in our kiddos it shows up a little bit differently. Our little ones are not able to tell us that they are having headaches or back pain. For them, the misalignments show up as an irritation, such as digestive issues, ear infections, immunity issues, sleeping disturbances, and ADD/ADHD just to name a few!
Here are a few examples of things that we see on a regular basis in our office, and why you should take your child to a chiropractor sooner, rather than later:
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Latching Issues
- When our babies are having trouble nursing, a lot of times it has to do with the fact that it is uncomfortable for them. Examples of this are turning their head a certain way, opening their mouth wide enough, or lying in the nursing position. These troubles can be a result of the birthing process. If you have ever been to a birth or have given birth, we can all agree that sometimes it can be traumatic not only for mom, but also for baby. During that process, the baby can get extra stress on the neck during their grand entrance. This extra stress to the neck can affect the proper structure of the of the spine, specifically Atlas, which is the top bone in the spine. By correcting Atlas, baby can latch comfortably on both sides, and regain proper biomechanics for nursing.
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Colic
- The nervous system is in one of two states when it comes to environmental response. One is for the healing and resting side of life, called parasympathetics aka “rest and digest.” The other is for dealing with the stresses of life, known as sympathetics aka “fight or flight.” In babies, one of their main functions is to eat! When the body is in a constant state of “fight or flight,” it does not worry about digesting food. This is when we see digestive issues arise, such as colic. Our goal is to encourage the nervous system into parasympathetics so that resting and digesting can be achieved.
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Ear Infections
- Ear infections are not only a neurological issue, but also a biomechanical issue. During the birthing process, babies experience added stress to the neck. Often times this causes a misalignment of the top bone in the spine, known as Atlas. This alters the position of the eustascian tubes or ear canal, leading to fluid pooling in the ear canal and allowing for bacteria to grow. By correcting this misalignment, we restore the proper position of the ear canal and the fluid can drain out.
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Immunity
- The nervous system controls and coordinates all other systems, including the immune system. The immune system is designed to maintain, adapt, and HEAL. Chiropractic care restores the body’s ability to do just that, allowing for optimal function as well as boosting the immune system. Thus resulting in less colds, coughs, or runny noses for our littles. Who doesn’t want that?
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Sleeping issues
- Sometimes our kiddos just have trouble turning their little bodies off. They are always on the run and a lot of times they cannot switch over to the rest, relax, and healing system that is located within their nervous systems. By getting adjusted, their system can communicate better and bring their bodies to a more relaxed state. This allows them to have more restful nights. Mamas, I know that is something that we all need a little more of!
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Behavioral issues/ Sensory issues
- In our kiddos, behavioral and sensory issues go hand in hand. Because of these issues, children are processing their environmental stimuli differently. The child that reacts with anger and tantrums is most likely not able to compartmentalize their feelings and reactions due to some type of communication issue within the nervous system. The child that is extremely sensitive to their surroundings, such as sounds, textures, or any form of stimuli, most likely has an issue interpreting that stimuli within their nervous system. Chiropractic care restores the miscommunication between the brain and the rest of the body, allowing our kiddos to process various stimuli correctly.
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Looking to learn more about chiropractic options?
How Depth of STRESS Affects Your Body and a Drug Free Approach To Handling
Learn More About How and Why you Should Use a Chiropractor in Pregnancy HERE.
About the Authors ::
Dr. Debrah O’Hara is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and lived in many different places 
surrounding the city throughout her life. After trying many different career paths, she discovered that learning about the human body was her greatest interest. So she continued her education and received her Bachelors Degree in Science. From there she continued on to Life University in Marietta, Georgia where she received her Doctorate in Chiropractic. That is where she was able to expand on her interest in the human body and learned how chiropractic care can help the body function at its optimum potential without nerve interference. While in school, she focused a lot of her time learning about the importance of chiropractic care in pediatrics and pregnancy, and witnessed several amazing health transformations. She has made it her goal to see healthy kids become healthy adults, and that starts at conception. Dr. Debrah is a true believer of “the power that made the body heals the body” and when the body is functioning at its optimum, healing will take place from within. In her spare time, you can find Dr. Debrah spending time with her family, friends, and doggo.
Dr. Amanda Engels is a Louisiana native, and proud mama to her son, Martin. Throughout her middle and high school career, she played many different sports. This sparked her 
interest in the biomechanics of the human body, which led her to pursue her bachelors in Kinesiology from Southeastern Louisiana University (Geaux Lions!). After discovering her passion for helping adults and children naturally, she proceeded to obtain her Doctorate in Chiropractic from Life University in Georgia. Her love for family and Louisiana culture brought her back to serve the people of this great state. She is driven to helping people of all ages reach optimal health by getting to the root cause and allowing the body to heal, without the use of drugs or surgery. When not serving the community, you can find Dr. Amanda spending time with family or outdoors. She enjoys cooking, hiking, kayaking, and traveling (just to name a few).
