Does YOUR Child Have A Brain?

Although as parents we often wonder about this very question about our children, we all know that in order for them to function as a viable living organism that ALL of our children do.

So why do I ask this question or am writing a blog about this topic?  Because, believe it or not, most parents don’t think about this very fact.  More about this in a minute, but first I need to explain a few things…

As a chiropractor, I deal with all sorts of people with different conditions and ailments. People come to see us for neck pain, back pain, joint pain, headaches, as well as, other more serious conditions. One on the biggest surprises people learn is that Chiropractic actually deals with the nervous system.

The nervous system is comprised of your brain, spinal chord and nerves and is the MOST important system in your body. In fact, during conception the first division of cells produce the beginning of the neural tube which eventually forms your brain.

We all know that the brain is the “main frame” computer of our body and its ability to communicate to the rest of it determines “how” healthy we are. When the brain can accurately transmit the correct information to the rest of the body, the body works as it is designed to, and when the brain can’t efficiently communicate to the rest of the body, the body develops problems and symptoms.

The brain communicates to the rest of the body via the spinal chord and nerves. Information generated in the brain travels down the spinal chord, to the appropriate level, and then out through the nerve that connects to the target organ, muscles, or cell.

Unfortunately, there are a myriad of reasons that the communication from to the brain to the rest of the body can be interrupted.  These reasons include physical, emotional, hormonal, and chemical stresses. When these are present, and interference results, the information traveling from the brain to the rest of the body is disrupted and results in improper communication and problems.

I want to address the physical stresses that can cause this interference.

It is no surprise to most people that posture has a role in their health.  In fact, many of the patients that we see in our office come in because of strains and stresses that they have experienced due to poor posture.

We have postures for sitting, sleeping, driving, watching TV, and working at the computer.   And although doing any of these once or twice doesn’t make a huge impact on our health, repeatedly doing them daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly does.

As a result of poor posture, as well as, physical trauma such as car accidents, falls or sports injuries, the normal curvature of your spine is often distorted and normal joint motion is often restricted.  These postural distortions and joint restrictions cause improper muscle movement and biomechanics which often lead to degenerative changes of your joints. This degenerative process produces inflammation and pain and is when MOST people come into our office for relief.

The MOST serious problem with postural distortions and joint restrictions, however, is that….

NERVE INTERFERENCE also occurs!

Because of these additional stresses, the information traveling from your brain to the rest of the body is negatively affected and often results in bigger problems.  For instance, instead of receiving 100% of the information from your brain to you heart, maybe you only get 80%.

Now, does that mean your heart won’t work or you will develop immediate symptoms? Who knows?  But I know that I prefer to have 100% of the information that my brain sends my heart to actually get there.

So what does this have to do with your children?

Your children have the SAME brain, spinal chord and nerves that you do!

Your child’s nervous system operates the EXACT same way as your does.  Their brain sends signals to the rest of their body through their spinal chord and nerves and that information is vital for their health.

In fact, I would argue that their body’s ability to communicate is MORE important than yours during their developmental years.

Despite this truth, so many parents are surprised when I mention chiropractic care for their children.  Most respond with, “Why does my child need care?  They don’t complain about any pain.”   And although in MOST cases our children patients aren’t experiencing pain, many of them DO have joint restrictions throughout their spines.

These restrictions often manifest in symptoms such as ear infections, colic, acid reflux, and bed wetting and in some instances “growing pains.” When the motion of these joints are properly restored, many of these symptoms disappear.

So how does your child develop some of these postural distortions and joint restrictions?

Have you ever seen a child sleep in a car seat?  What about in a stroller?  Does you kid fall or play rough with their siblings or friends.  What about sports?

One of the MOST traumatic things that children go through is child birth.  Imagine the torquing that occurs when your child manipulates themselves through the birthing canal. If the doctor had to use forceps or a vacuum to “assist” your child out then they went through even MORE trauma.

The fact is, we see children EVERYDAY in our practice.  Most of the time it is NOT because of pain or for any particular reason.  It is because many parents understand that their children DO HAVE brains and that it is vitally important that their child’s nervous system operates at 100%.

So, if you’re a parent and you would like to have your child’s nervous system operating at 100%, just let a qualified Chiropractor check them out.  A good resource about children and chiropractic care is the International Pediatric Chiropractic Association’s website: http://icpa4kids.org.  There you will find tons of information on chiropractic care for children, as well as, how to locate a local chiropractor.

By receiving chiropractic care, your whole family will enjoy a higher quality of life and the benefits of an optimal working nervous system.  Implement chiropractic care today and take one more step to Achieving Optimal Wellness.