Infants and Chiropractic
Dawn M. is an army wife; she and her husband, Enrique, were stationed far away from their family when their first baby was born. Sadly, the baby had colic so she cried, and screamed all night long. With no family around, Dawn and Enrique were almost to their whit’s end when they heard from a friend on base that a chiropractor would be able to help.
The two parents quickly decided to make an appointment with us at Demaray Chiropractic & Nutrition Center. After their initial consolation, the two parents brought the baby in. Dr. Demaray checked the baby’s spine and found a misalignment of the vertebrae between the shoulder blades. She wrapped her hands gently around the baby’s chest, lifted her up and tilted her backward with a practiced hand and the bone slid back into its normal position. The baby fussed for only 10 seconds and fell asleep. On her next visit, Dawn reported back saying that the baby had slept a full 8 hours without waking up once.
There is a lot of misinformation out there causing many to not understand why a parent would take a small infant to see a chiropractor. The general questions being: “Why would a baby possibly need chiropractic care?” or “Isn’t chiropractic too rough for a baby?” In actuality, there are many reasons for a parent to take their infant to the chiropractor. One major reason is that the birth process can be very taxing on the baby’s body. There is a lot of pressure bearing down on the baby, squeezing them through the birth canal. If the baby is not in the proper position or gets stuck on one of the mother’s pelvic bones, the pressure of the muscular uterus can push the vertebrae out of alignment. During some births, there are medical interventions such as suction or forceps to assist in the mother giving birth. These instruments are typically used in a pulling motion that can cause injury to the neck or shoulder of the infant.
When the spine is pushed or pulled out of alignment, it puts compression on the nerves, which alters the signal being sent. This is what is called a subluxation. Depending on what nerves are affected, the altered nerve signals can cause colic, sleeping problems, breathing problems, and ear problems. If forceps are needed in the assistance of birth, depending on where the forceps are placed, can affect the jaw (temporal mandibular joint, or TMJ) possibly pushing the jaw out of alignment, causing nursing problems and trouble “latching on” during breastfeeding.
Chiropractors are highly trained to find and fix subluxations. What’s really amazing is that chiropractic is a safe and effective care for the body with no side effects. In contrast, there is risk for side effects with every medication. Dr. Demaray has a post graduate certificate in pediatric chiropractic. Chiropractic care for infants is very gentle. The bones adjust very easily with light and specific touch. Once the pressure is relieved off the nerve and the connection to the brain and other organs is restored, and the body can heal itself.
Every infant and toddler should be checked for subluxation. When children receive regular chiropractic care they stay healthier, have fewer illnesses, and when they do get sick, it’s for a shorter period of time. This is because the adjusted child’s immune system is stronger because the nervous system is free from interference and bad signals.
To find out more, schedule a consultation with us by calling (707)455-8655, email us at DrDemaray@hotmail.com or come by the clinic at 805 N. Lincoln St Suite E, Dixon CA 95620. To stay up to date, follow us on Facebook and let us know what you think!