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Children and Chiropractic Check Ups

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Recent research has shown that chiropractic care is extremely safe for babies and children. As a result, more children and families are having their spine and nervous system examined by chiropractors.

The Journal of Science and Healing reported on a study of 577 children under the age of 18 receiving chiropractic care. The study showed that parents reported a high rate of improvement in their children presenting with health issues with the most common symptoms of muscular conditions, ear, nose, throat, respiratory and digestive issues. They also reported better sleeping patterns, improvements in behavior, and stronger immune systems while under chiropractic care.

While there are many conditions that respond to chiropractic care as indicated in this research, chiropractic care does not treat these conditions. The conditions respond because of the increase in the body’s ability to fight infection, resist dis-ease and heal itself when the spine is aligned and the nerves are working properly.

At the same time many parents who used to give prescription and over the counter drugs routinely to their children are stopping to think twice before doing it again. Why? Here are a few reasons to consider.

Children’s bodies process medication differently than do adults. During debate and discussion about off-label prescribing, which is the practice of prescribing medications to children and extrapolating from an adult does to a pediatric dose, The Director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Pediatric Therapeutics stated, “We found out that you can’t predict how kids are going to handle things.” The Government Accountability Office concluded that only about one-third of the drugs prescribed have been studied and labeled for pediatric use. This is a very dangerous practice.

According to a CDC Report in November 2013, “Every year as many as 10 million U.S. children risk side effects from antibiotic prescriptions that are unlikely to help their upper respiratory conditions. Many people have a misconception that, since antibiotics are commonly used, they are harmless. Taking antibiotics when you have virus can do more harm than good.”

The families that are choosing chiropractic care and opting for alternatives to medication as a first response to symptoms and conditions are enjoying both short term and long term perks of their positive choices. Regardless of who in the family is seeking relief from conditions, everyone in the family benefits from improved immune systems, better digestion and restful nights. Lifestyle Care can make a huge difference.

Our office offers Chiropractic Care to people of all ages and sizes including infants and children. We are trained to provide you and your family with great, quality care. The adjustments are specific to the individual. The adjustments given to a newborn are not the same as the ones given to a 4 year old sibling and the adjustment for a 12 year old will differ from the one the parent just received.

Everyone in your family could benefit from a chiropractic check-up. Through your examination, we will determine if you are a candidate for care and if your spine and nervous system has been compromised. Contact us today to schedule your appointment.

Get Your Kids Back on Track

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School is about to begin which means that families are gearing up for busy schedules, homework, after school activities and the hectic pace of our 21st century lifestyles. To insure that your child has a healthy and successful year, it will be important to have their back aligned, balanced and on track.

Every activity affects the spine. Contact sports, playing an instrument, sitting, studying, and paying attention in class are all important for a successful school year and they all require a healthy spine and nervous system. When your child is sitting in class listening to a teacher, they listen through their ears, process the information in their brain, and a signal is sent down their spine to their fingers so that they can write their notes which they will later study. If a child is playing an instrument, the instructor often tells them to sit up straight. A healthy spine with good alignment and nerve supply is essential to performance in the classroom and activities.

When we watch our kids participating in sports, we often cringe at the intense beating that their spines take when they are hit by another person or twisted through their activities. Keeping their spine aligned and balanced is crucial for them to be able to enjoy a healthy and successful year and have a healthy spine for a lifetime.

Children make 775,000 visits to the emergency room each year because of sports-related injuries. Every 2 and a half minutes a child is injured on a playground. 150,000 kids are treated in the emergency room for football injuries. These injuries are often accompanied by trauma to the child’s developing spine and nervous system. More than 40 Million students carry school backpacks. Backpacks that are too heavy or worn incorrectly can injure your child’s back, neck and shoulders, which can lead to other health problems.

Heavy backpacks, playground and sports injuries can cause non-structural or functional scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine that typically appears in early adolescence. This type of scoliosis develops as a result of misalignment and pressure on the spine and nerve system. Functional scoliosis can often be corrected by addressing the underlying condition through chiropractic care. Kids can injure their spine and remain symptom free until later on in life when the damage becomes more permanent. This, too, can be avoided with regular chiropractic care.

British medical researchers have found through MRI technology that nearly 10% of children show signs of disc degeneration before reaching puberty.

Disc degeneration is a condition in which a damaged spinal disc wears down unevenly causing pressure on the nerves and limiting activity levels, stamina, and quality of life as we age. We tend to think of disc degeneration as a sign that we are getting older but this is not true. It is a sign that the spine has been injured which can happen at any age.

There are so many things to do to prepare for the upcoming school year. As you make your list remember to make an appointment for a “School’s Back” Spinal Exam. This simple examination can determine if your child’s spine is on track or off track. Chiropractic care can keep your child’s spine and nerve system healthy and insure your best school year ever. Get them started on the right track today!

Childrens Longevity Threatened

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Are your children’s health and longevity threatened by your lifestyle choices? The answer is yes!

Think about how long will your children live and what will their quality of life be like along the way? According to the Lancet, 50 percentsign of the babies born since the year 2000 are expected to live over the age of 100. Additional research is concerned that our current generation of children may be the first in recent history to see their life expectancy go down.

How can this be? Doesn’t it seem like a contradiction to see so many children living longer while their overall life expectancy goes down?  The answer is sad yet simple in that the other 50percentsign of children are expected to die younger and sicker than ever, not because of their genetics, but because of unhealthy lifestyle choices.

Even Children Are Concerned

If your children have aging grandparents, they are staring at their potential longevity during every family gathering and this can be unconsciously weighing on their spirit. Nico Santi, a 10 year old boy from Bellevue, Washington who is blessed with a proactive, health conscious family, sent me this video after attending an event in their community. Sponsored by Cummins Chiropractic and Wellness, Dr. Bob Cummins and his wife Anna have been providing Chiropractic Lifestyle Care for the family who are more excited about their health and future than ever.

It is not rocket science to understand the connection between lifestyle choices, quality of life and longevity. A healthy life requires a lifestyle that includes healthy food, exercise, strong social circles and a healthy spine and nervous system as well as avoiding destructive habits such as the overuse of technology, smartphones, smoking and excessive stress. On the other hand, a 50 to 60 year lifestyle includes unhealthy eating with excessive sugar, calories, sitting, lack of exercise and an unhealthy spine and nervous system.

Are you raising your children to live a 60 year lifestyle or a 100 Year Lifestyle? You will often hear people say as they get older, after they are diagnosed with diseases like heart disease, cancer and diabetes, that “these diseases run in my family”. While there is a genetic component to these conditions, it is actually a small component. These diseases are mostly lifestyle diseases. Based on the lifestyle in which your children are being raised, they are either inheriting the lifestyle habits that contribute to a 60 year lifestyle or they are inheriting the lifestyle habits that contribute to a healthy, active, positive, productive 100 years and beyond.

If you have not been healthy and you are ready for a change, it is not too late for you. Many people who have lived from crisis to crisis have become tired of this roller coaster ride. They are tired of pills and potions that cause side effects but don’t solve their problems. Because of the amazing ability of your body to adapt and heal, it is never too late to take care of your spine and nerve system and adjust your lifestyle.

Begin shopping in stores that sell organic food. Fill up your shopping cart with fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and whole grains. Avoid high fat foods like cookies, cakes and cereals that are high in sugar and avoid white flour and white rice.

Turn off the TV and the video games and get outside with your family for walks or bike rides. Go to the gym and to your chiropractor together.

In 1903, Thomas Edison said, “The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.” Thomas Edison was right and 115 years is enough. The future is now and the future of our children is at stake.

So in 2010 I updated Edison’s quote to say, “The doctor of the PRESENT will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of DIS-EASE. Be present.” We should do what we can to stay healthy and consider using medicine and surgery only as last resorts.

As a parent, it takes being one of the Purposeful Willing to protect your children and ensure their well-being. You have to be purpoeful and you have to be willing. Do your part by making 100 Year Lifestyle choices so you and your children are healthier today and can enjoy a sensational century.