The Side Effects of Pediatric Chiropractic Care
When your family gets caught in a cycle of sickness and stress, it can feel overwhelming and difficult to know where to start. Or if you are a parent trying to help your child who is struggling with ADHD, autism, anxiety, etc, you may feel out of choices after exploring traditional medical options.
Traditional medicine often leads to more referrals to specialists and more medications that come with terrible side effects. Then, turning to the internet and various Facebook Groups for advice can result in an overwhelming flood of recommendations—diet changes, detoxes, supplements, essential oils, and more.
This is where the simplicity of Neurologically-Focused Pediatric Chiropractic Care makes a huge difference. At Sprout Family Chiropractic, we view the body as a whole, not just symptom by symptom or system by system. Our focus is entirely on safely and naturally removing neurological interference and imbalance without the use of drugs. Once we calm, balance, and regulate your child’s nervous system, it’s no surprise they start experiencing so many positive “side effects”!
The good news is that pediatric chiropractic care has become an increasingly known drug-free option in recent years, as parents are so ready for alternative natural approaches to their children’s health and wellness. Chiropractic care offers a wide range of benefits, from improved sleep to enhanced immune function.
UNDERSTANDING PEDIATRIC CHIROPRACTIC CARE
Before diving into the “side effects,” let’s explore more of Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care. This type of chiropractic care is dedicated to identifying and addressing subluxation, nervous system dysregulation, dysfunction, and dysautonomia and to restoring optimal neurological health and function for children and families. The nervous system functions as the “Air Traffic Controller” of the entire body, so optimal function of this system is crucial!
Digging back into your child’s case history, birth trauma has been found to be a huge contributing factor to subluxation and nervous system dysregulation. Birth trauma is any trauma or injury, most commonly physical (due to c-sections, forceps or vacuum extractions, etc) that happens during the labor and delivery process and can lead to lifelong health challenges for children.
Subluxation can also set in due to stress and toxicity overload. While stress is a normal part of life, what we call The Perfect Storm teaches us that we have far too much stress and toxicity in our current environments. If children are exposed to high amounts of trauma, stress, and toxicity early in life before their nervous system has developed enough to handle it, subluxation and dysautonomia set in.
The primary goal of Neurologically-Focused Pediatric Chiropractic Care is to restore balance and function to the nervous system, which will positively impact various functions and significantly improve the quality of life, even for challenging neurological conditions and chronic health challenges, such as ADHD, anxiety, sensory processing disorder, etc.
Our doctors at Sprout Family Chiropractic have advanced training in Pediatric Chiropractic Care and a deep understanding of neurodevelopment, neurosensory function, brain health, and more.
POSITIVE SIDE EFFECTS OF PEDIATRIC CHIROPRACTIC CARE
In many cases, it can take some time to achieve big goals like improvements in speech and communication, seizures, behavior, focus, etc… but we know we’re on the path to get there if your child starts to experience other important changes and improvements in day-to-day quality of life and most importantly, changes and improvements on their INSiGHT Scans.
INSiGHT Scans are what we use to detect subluxation and neurological dysfunction. In just a 10-15 minute exam, these scans can find, measure, and locate dysautonomia and other elements of subluxation. This allows our doctors to create an exact, personalized, and customized care plan for your child.
Once this care plan begins, here are commonly reported side effects:
Improved Sleep: Many parents report significant improvements in their children’s sleep patterns. Better sleep can lead to improved mood, behavior, and overall health.
Enhanced Emotional Regulation: Children often show better emotional stability and fewer outbursts.
Digestive Health: Improvements in colic, reflux, and other digestive issues are commonly reported.
Cognitive Function and Focus: Enhanced brain function and improved focus are frequently noted benefits.
Posture and Physical Development: Many children experience improved posture, which is crucial for proper growth and development.
Immune System Support: Many families report fewer illnesses and quicker recovery times, a boost to immune function.
Neurological Soft Signs: Parents often notice improvements in areas like mood regulation, social interaction, and motor skills – what some practitioners call “neurological soft signs.”
Overall Well-being: Many children seem happier, more comfortable, and generally healthier after receiving care.
Aid in Chronic Conditions: Many parents seek chiropractic care for children with specific conditions such as autism, ADHD, epilepsy, allergies, or asthma, looking to address the root cause instead of covering up the symptoms with medications.
PEDIATRIC CHIROPRACTIC SAFETY
Millions of kids and patients receive safe and gentle chiropractic adjustments every single year, and the safety of Pediatric Chiropractic Care is well documented as well in papers such as this.
One additional way we like to assess and explain the safety of chiropractic care and medical care is by examining the rates of malpractice claims and the cost of malpractice insurance for each profession. Malpractice insurance is a type of insurance that provides coverage for healthcare providers in case they are sued for medical malpractice. The cost of malpractice insurance is typically higher for professions that are considered to be at a higher risk of being sued.
The average annual premium for chiropractic malpractice insurance ranges from $1,000 to $2,500 per year. In contrast, the cost of malpractice insurance for medical doctors can vary widely depending on the specialty, geographic location, and claims history, but can often range from tens of thousands of dollars to even over $100,000 per year.
The actuarial scientists who set malpractice rates do not use their personal “beliefs” or other sets of opinions to set them; they just use real-life facts, research, and data. Therefore knowing that chiropractic malpractice rates are this low compared to those of medical doctors and specialists, it is quite inaccurate and misleading for any medical doctor or professional to try and scare parents away from Pediatric Chiropractic and state that is is “unsafe” when multiple scientific viewpoints prove the opposite to be true.
We work in collaboration with many wonderful pediatricians, nurse practitioners, neurologists, and other medical professionals who are up to date on the actual research and, more importantly, the goals and preferences of today’s parents who wish to seek out drug-free, safe, natural forms of care for their children. If any of our patient families are met with resistance or “scare care” from their conventional pediatrician or any provider for that matter, we always encourage them to seek a second opinion from a different doctor who listens and aligns with their values and goals for care.
NOT A TREATMENT OR CURE
It’s important for all parents and even other providers to know that Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care does not promise a treatment or cure for any condition, acute or chronic, nor is that the actual goal of our care.
What sets this approach apart from traditional medical care is that we look to address the root cause of all dysfunction and illness within the body and nervous system, and make safe, specific adjustments that help restore and rebuild optimal function and healing mechanisms within the body itself.
This is why the “side effects” tend to be nearly all positive and helpful, because the body is working to heal itself from the “inside out” instead of relying on chemicals and other procedures from the “outside in” to do the job. Because the body is so intelligent and organized, when this natural drug-free form of healing happens, the first things to improve are going to be the “building blocks” of good health – sleep, digestion, immune response, movement, and so forth.
Our children are designed to heal and to be healthy and strong. While chronic illness is becoming far more common today, it’s not normal. Our kids are meant to be healthy, strong, resilient, and capable of healing all on their own – sometimes, they just need some extra help in the form of chiropractic adjustments to heal from and withstand this current way of living we all face each and every day!
GET THE HEALING STARTED!
If this kind of natural, drug-free healing approach sounds like a perfect fit for your family and you could use some “side effects” of better sleep, improved digestion, stronger immune systems and so forth, then schedule an appointment at our office today!
Get started with a doctor who truly listens and cares, an exam that looks for and finds the root cause, and a care option that helps the body heal and recover from the “inside out” safely and naturally.
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References:
Alcantara J, Ohm J, Kunz D. The safety and effectiveness of pediatric chiropractic: a survey of chiropractors and parents in a practice-based research network. Explore (NY). 2009 Sep-Oct;5(5):290-5. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2009.06.002. PMID: 19733815.
This article appeared on PX Docs.