Chiropractors, Kids and Maintaining Health

The Chiropractic profession has been controversial since it became recognized as part of the medical profession. Many MD's today refuse to acknowledge the medical benefits of Chiropractic. Granted, there are some Chiropractors who don't really know what they are doing. However the same can be said for MD's. I have had first hand experience with both.

When I was pregnant with the twins, I went to a Chiropractor who knew the Webster Technique. This was supposed to align my bones such that my babies would turn head down. At the time, they were breech and transverse. Any chiro who knows the Webster technique can successfully turn a baby in a couple of visits. The key word here is BABY. I had two babies. Not much is known about whether the Webster technique would work on twins that were both facing the wrong direction. But I gave it a shot. It only took 3 sessions for Jake to turn head down. I was amazed. I had planned on continuing my sessions until I got too big to go but nature had its own plans. I started having contractions at about 26 weeks. No one knew they were harmless so I was put on bedrest and stopped visiting my Chiropractor. Within 2 weeks Jake turned back to breech and my OB planned my C section . This was a sad day for me because I felt like my pregnancy was once again out of my control. I had hoped and wished to have a vaginal delivery of my children but it just was not in the cards for me. I am thankful for modern medicine in this case because without a C section, I would have died along with my babies.

Lets fast forward to now. You may have heard that chiropractic can be practiced on children of all ages. This may scare you as it did when I first heard about it. But I learned a lot more about it talking to my good friend who happens to be certified in pediatric chiropractic. He told me that chiropractic can be used as preventative medicine in children, helping their immune system strengthen. It can also help relieve stress on the nervous system and allow for new neuropathways to develop. This is especially important in the little ones who do not have a fully developed nervous system. The nervous system is not complete until about 2 years old. So during that fragile time, chiropractic can help restore any blocked pathways and put the child back on the road to positive neurological health.

This hit home to me as one of my boys is having some sensory issues. They are mostly confined to the oral motor department (i.e won't eat certain textures of food such as fruits and veggies). Now you may be thinking, oh, the kid doesn't like fruits and veggies, who does? But if I puree those same fruits and veggies, he has no problem eating them, so we know its not the taste. I decided to look into chiropractic care for him and I stumbled up on and old friend of mine from undergrad. His name is Brian Knight. He now lives in Atlanta and is certified in pediatric chiropractic. http://www.drbrianknight.com/ Ansley Chiropractics. I brought Cole to him and he checked out his bones. Apparently, Cole's atlas bone and pelvic bone were completely out of line. The craziest part was how much sense that made to me. Cole was diagnosed as having weak trunk strength and was also diagnosed with slight torticollis at birth. Torticollis is common in twins especially when room gets tight in the uterus. I was able to use some therapy techniques when Cole was 2 months old to reverse the torticollis, at least in his muscles. But the bones didn't move and its no coincidence that his cervical spine and atlas bone would be all out of whack. I also believe that the pelvic bone's misalignment could be affecting his trunk strength as well. So Brian gave Cole some adjustments and he was such a trooper. The kid let him do whatever he had to do. There was minimal protesting and right after the adjustments he was running around just like his normal happy self!

The amazing things started to happen in the following week. Cole started babbling more and using more consonants than he ever did. His mouth began working in new ways. He still was not eating any whole fruits or veggies but I could tell that he was making more connections in his oral motor skills. Once those bones were shifted back to their proper positions, it allowed the neurons in his spine to generate new pathways and thus strengthen his nervous system. We will continue to see Brian for a while as long as it continues to help Cole. I think chiropractic is a great compliment to any sort of sensory/occupational or speech therapy.

I will continue this post as I see more results. Its just the beginning but I believe in this type of care and attitude is half the battle! So for everyone who thought Chiropractors just cracked your back and gave temporary relief, there is much more that you don't know about the practice. Its truly an overall wellness plan that can target many systems in the body to create healing and health.

Change of Season Ailments

So I haven't posted in a while but things have been a little crazy around here. I thought I would let you all know how I successfully got rid of Jake's croup within 2 days. Maybe my story will inspire you to go out and experience the power of Young Living essential oils.

About 3 days ago, Jake woke up from his nap choking. He couldn't breathe and was turning purple. I was panicked to say the least but something took hold of me and suddenly I was able to focus. I took my little Jake, gasping for air and performed the Heimlich Maneuver on him. Within seconds I was able to loosen some phlegm that must have been lodged in his airway. He swallowed the phlegm and was finally breathing. What followed was a loud and seal like cough that made him cry. I was still scared to death so I grabbed both Jake and his brother and raced to the pediatrician. They didn't even have socks on but I didn't care!

Once we got into the office, the doctor listened to Jake's lungs and determined that they were clear but noticed his honking cough and immediately diagnosed it as the croup. I was relieved to know that he didn't swallow or aspirate anything to make him choke but also wondered why his airways could close up that tight? Apparently with the croup, the pharynx becomes inflamed making breathing more difficult in certain cases. The doctor prescribed Jake a steroid which I knew I was not going to use. My mind was already jumping ahead to all the oils I have at home and which ones I would put on Jake that evening.

A quick phone call to my good friend helped me figure out which oils to use and where to apply them on his body. Here is what I did:

Immupower on his spine
Raven on his back
RC on his chest
Theives on his feet
Melrose to inhale

I did this for 2 nights. His cough is gone. He never even got a fever or a runny nose. He had 2 pretty nasty poops (sorry for the graphics) and then the virus was gone. Amazing stuff right? I am even amazed at how quickly he recovered from something that plagues young children this time of year. These poor kids can't seem to get rid of this cough and can have it for weeks.

I have also learned that peppermint essential oil is great for fevers and any swelling in the throat or pharynx. So I could have applied peppermint on his throat as well or diffused it overnight for him to breathe in. Next time I will try that.

For any of you out there who would like to experience an immune system boost, especially in this scary flu season, contact me for information. Or just go to http://www.youngliving.com/ and check out their products. I can answer any questions you may have and recommend the proper oils to use for specific ailments.

To Good Health!