Why Kids Need To Be Adjusted:

Labor is hard work, whether natural or C-section.  It can stress the infant’s spine and nervous system and cause a multitudes of health problems that are considered common childhood illnesses, many of which, common medical advice offer’s little explanation for ie.: “they will just have to grow out of it”. Some of these issues are colic, difficulty nursing, sleep disturbances, allergies, ear infections, constipation, lowered immune response, acid reflux and digestive disturbances, etc. All of these often can be traced back to stress within the nervous system and spine which alters the function of the body and its organs and the biological processes within.

The nerve system controls and coordinates the function of all the systems in the body: circulatory, respiratory, digestive, hormonal, and immune system. Any aspect of health may be impaired by nerve interference. The chiropractic adjustment restores nerve system function allowing the body the ability to express a greater state of health and well-being. This ensures that the body is functioning properly and your body is not as susceptible to malfunction and illness. It’s most important to understand that chiropractic is not a treatment for disease. It’s purpose is to reduce spinal nerve stress, a serious and often painless condition most children (and adults) have in their bodies. Spinal nerve stress interferes with the proper functioning of the nervous system, can weaken internal organs and organ systems, lower resistance, reduce healing potential and set the stage for sickness and disorders of all kinds.

My son was checked and adjusted at day 4 of life. Knowing what I know now, our little girl whom I’m currently 7 months pregnant with will be adjusted immediately after birth. Checking the infant right away greatly reduces the changes of any negative effects of birthing trauma and gets the nervous system on the right track right from the beginning ensuring the baby will be given the best start at life. 

Spinal nerve stress can be caused by physical, chemical and/or emotional stress. Physical stress may start in the womb, with the baby lying in a distorted or twisted manner. Spinal nerve stress in newborns is more common than previously realized. This may be caused by a traumatic or difficult birth which can introduce great stress to the infant’s skull, spinal column and pelvis. Throughout childhood, the normal childhood traumas every child experiences can be a source of spinal and cranial trauma. Most of the time, the pain from the initial injury “goes away” however the damage incurred continues to affect the future function of the child’s nerve system.

The spine changes between infancy and adulthood. Greatly so within the first years as the baby learns to hold their head up, crawl, roll over, and walk. These activities promote the spinal curve formations. These are important times in development to ensure that things are given every opportunity to form correctly. Chiropractic adjustments ensure that stressors on the spine and nervous system are eliminated or greatly reduced to as minimum as possible. 

The adjustment itself is gentle and relaxing. There are many ways to adjust the spine: manually, with light touch, with instruments of various types- mechanical or electrical, etc. Adjusting a child’s spine is different than adults due to it not being fully formed and hardened yet. Some people don’t care for the pop and snap approach. Some people love it. It doesn’t matter. There are many ways to accomplish the benefits of an adjustment and we can find a way that works for you and that you enjoy. 

Today’s parents are more concerned than ever about the adverse effects drugs have on their children. Parents are increasingly asking, when handed a prescription for a child’s recurrent problem, “Is this really all I can do for my child? Is there a safer alternative?” Parents are hesitant to merely mask symptoms with drugs and are worried about side effects. Their desire to achieve a state of true health—has led parents to seek health care options which support their children’s own natural ability to be healthy. Chiropractic can be the missing link in your child’s health regimen or your own.

DHA: What’s the hype all about?

When NASA scientists began to look for the best space food, they turned they attention to marine algae for its high source of the fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).  We have since learned that DHA is not only important to astronauts, but everyday people here on Earth. 

DHA is a brain food. The brain contains the highest content of DHA in the body indicating that its value for proper brain function. The areas of the brain closely related to memory show the greatest concentration of DHA. People who are DHA deficient show cognitive deficiencies and have an increased risk for Alzheimer’s. Children with high levels of DHA perform better on tests. As we age, DHA levels drop. This is why supplementation is crucial. In studies with older animals who were given supplementation of DHA, the levels were normalized and the risks associated with deficiencies were reduced. 

A low Omega-3 index shows an indication of a higher risk for coronary artery disease. A healthy diet is often not sufficient enough. Consuming an average of 3g/day of fatty fish offer a 19 to 23% reduction of risk of mild cognitive impairment which is related to a condition with later progression to Alzheimer’s disease.  People who eat larger amounts of fatty fish can experience a protection of up to 75%. Low fish intake and low DHA levels correlate strongly to increased risk of cognitive impairment and especially Alzeimer’s. Deficienty of DHA shows inflammatory and oxidative damage to neurons which are the cells that make up brain tissue. 

Do consuming more fats put you at risk for clogged arteries and heart disease and high cholesterol? No. Unlike other fats that collect in fat cells and are utilized for energy when needed, if ever needed, DHA is collected in cell membranes. Cell membranes are responsible for helping protect and keep the cell healthy. It is a border of sorts and needs to be strong for durability and protection. Cell membranes constantly undergo degradation and renewal, a remodeling of sorts. This is why your body needs a constant supply of DHA to avoid depletion and injury to neurons. 

Supplementation of 2g/day provides sufficient DHA to maintain healthy function. If supplementation ceases, levels drop. To achieve optimal levels needed for proper function and health, additional supplementation in addition to a healthy diet of fish and other high DHA foods is still needed.

DHA is vital for proper development of a fetus during pregnancy. It helps determine brain structure and protects the developing brain. During a rapid time of development and growth like in a fetus during the first and second trimester are especially important. This ensures that during the early childhood stages where learning is greatest and brain tissues are forming and connecting that they will form and grow in   that will reduce issues with learning later in life. Kids with higher levels of DHA correlate well with improved performance on tests of memory and learning shows a study of school children in Canada with kids from birth to 11. 

As important as exercise is to the brain, it enhances brain plasticity and neuron flexibility that is crucial for learning, DHA supplementation also helps. DHA boosts the effects of regular exercise. It is a benefit to multiple conditions other than just memory. Depression for example, DHA supplementation of 1.55g/day reduced the scores on depression scales in depression patients and also helped improve their verbal fluency. People who have a condition that causes decreased appetite and weight control like Alzheimer’s also improve. Alzheimer’s patients often experience loss of appetite due to loss of smell and taste. Supplementation of DHA at 1.7g/day improved weight gain with patient of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s and improved appetite.

People who are the greatest risk for DHA deficiency are people who consume a Vegan diet because their diets provide little or no DHA at all. Marine algae is a nutrient rich food that can solve this problem for people in this category. Fish are an Omega 3 rich food because they feed on algae so we can go straight to the source and get DHA from the same source the fish do without any loss of benefit.  Vegetarians and Vegans can experience the same drop in cardiovascular risk factors as do non-vegetarians consuming fish oil. Those include lowering triglycerides and the total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio. 

No adverse side effects or adverse outcomes have been shown in any studies, even studies where patients consume even large doses of DHA. It is a huge benefit to your health, supplementation is easy, and risks of deficiency are great. Seems like a whether to add it in to your daily regimen is a no brainer. Just make sure when purchasing an Omega 3 that you buy a quality source. Cold water fish are best. Whole food, organic sources are best. If it stinks or tastes bad, it is rancid and should not be consumed. For a quality test, put a capsule in the freezer and see if it freezes. Oil and water do not max and there should be no water in the capsule to freeze. I enjoy Standard Process Tuna Omega 3 Fish oil. It is tasteless and smell less and does not cause indigestion. It is easy to mix in food for babies and toddlers and people who have a hard time swallowing and is very easy to disguise.

Are you doing something that can be contributing to your pain?

Each day I remind my patients about how sitting on their wallet can be adverse to the treatment of aligning their spine. It isn’t conducive to helping an adjustment hold. Most men understand when I say “it’s jacking you up on one side and making you one-sided”. Sometimes plain English conveys the message more effectively than technical terms. 

The condition is becoming so common that it has even been given its own name - hip-pocket syndrome or wallet-neuropathy. It isn’t so bad standing with the wallet in the back pocket, but when you sit while working or watching television or driving on the wallet day in and day out, it slowly can lead to low back pain and then transfer further up the spine to cause problems higher compensatory in nature. Men who sit down with their wallets in their back trouser pocket risk damaging key nerves. The wallet presses on nerves in the back and over time can cause sciatica. This can lead to pain or numbness in the lower leg, ankle or foot. Walking, sitting and lying down can become extremely painful. Some people can only find relief when they stand still. 

The simplest solution is to simply remove the wallet from the back pocket and put it in the front pocket or to take it out anytime you sit or drive. Changing one small habit will amaze you at how much better you back can feel and how much longer the chiropractic adjustment will hold. Muscles will be less traumatized and the whole area will be happier therefore your back pain will be improved. It sounds simple because it is.

With women, crossing of the legs is something we learn to be proper early on. It almost comes naturally. Unfortunately it, like sitting on a wallet, causes misalignments and rotation in the hip/pelvis/sacrum and low back area. I remember when I was young and had really long hair every time my mother took me to get it trimmed the hairstylist would say uncross your legs and sit straight or your cut will be uneven on one side. This is the same mechanism that contributes to rotations and tilting in the low back. The Sacrum, or tail bone, is a triangle shaped bone and we sit on the point of it. It’s common to tilt or teeter one way or another like a seesaw. Crossing of the legs or sitting on one side of a hip more than the other is something that I see commonly with women and low back issues. It causes unevenness in the muscles of the low back called the QL or Quadratus Lumborum muscles. These muscles run along both sides of your spine and attach to the bottom of the ribs and the top of the hips basically. Their function is to be a “hip hiker” and bring the hip and the rib cage closer together. You can see how any tilt of your bottom or pelvis can cause tightness on one side and a stretching on the other leading to unevenness and therefore back pain not just in the low back area with crossing of the legs or anything that leads to unevenness and tilt like sitting on a wallet. Any one sided activities like: mopping, sweeping, vacuuming, golf, etc. can cause unevenness in this area of the body and affect the associated muscles. Evening out work load from left to right side whenever possible is a good idea and stretching and warming up the muscles before extensive activities of this manner is also a good idea to combat unevenness. 

It is a difficult habit to break and it causes us to relearn certain behaviors, but when people stop or reduce the time spent in that position, they are amazed at how much better their back feels. Incorporating small changes little by little are easier than saying “I’m not crossing my legs anymore or sitting on my wallet”. And your wallet is definitely something you don’t want to lose so it is an important thing to keep on you but just in a different position. I always joke with patients and tell them this little tidbit of information is bad for business but good for you. Helping the patient is what my job is all about. Try this small habit change for a week or two and you will see the difference. Your chiropractor will probably notice too!

So What Is A Chiropractic Adjustment And Who Really Needs Them?

Chiropractors adjust the spine. That’s different than a manipulation.  An adjustment is a specific correction of misaligned vertebrae that are putting pressure on surrounding tissues and nerves causing nerve interference and dysfunction. The intention of a chiropractic adjustment  is to remove the interference and re-establish normal functioning like the body was designed to do.

How do you do this? As the famous old saying goes: “There’s more than one way to skin a cat”.  There are multiple ways to accomplish the removal of nerve pressure and therefore  the re-establishment of proper nerve flow, relaxation of surrounding tissues, less pain signals, decrease in inflammation, and restore range of motion.  This can be accomplished by manual adjusting, mechanical instrument adjusting, or electric instrument adjusting.  Chiropractic adjustments are specific to the bone that is misaligned and specific to the patient. For example, the adjustment I perform on a new born baby is nothing like the technique used on an adult. Not everyone is treated the same because no two people are alike. And the good things is, however you like to be adjusted, you can find a chiropractor who uses that technique because no two chiropractors are alike either.

So what’s scary about an adjustment? Well nothing really….Some people think that in order to adjust someone’s neck I sneak up in ninja like fashion and spin their head around.  I’m little and fast, but that’s not the way I work.  I use a gentle, specific, electrical instrument to adjust called the Arthrostim. It gently taps on the spine.  It’s not painful at all; in fact most people leave feeling better and relaxed like they just received a massage.  There are no popping noises and no pulling or snatching. It’s all the benefit of an adjustment with none of the perceived negatives from the way adjustments used to be performed.  Win, win!

Who needs an adjustment? Well the more likely question is who doesn’t? Who has never fallen or tripped or played sports or slept on their stomach or had a car accident or an emotional stressor or put harmful chemicals in your body either through environment or diet or medication? Who has never had a negative thought? Who isn’t human? In short, we all need regular adjustments so our bodies can function properly.  All of the above things cause misalignments. And who doesn’t want their body to work right? No one wants to have pain or diseases or not be able to do the things they enjoy. It seems like a no brainer right?

If you are interested in learning more or have questions, I would love to answer your questions and ease your concerns. Chiropractic is for everyone  and everyone should be for chiropractic!

Milk and Lactose Intolerance:

There are 300mg of calcium in one cup of milk.  While this seems significant, it’s important to note that milk is not the only way to get calcium into our diets.  For example, the same amount of calcium can be found in one cup of calcium-fortified orange juice, one cup of rice milk, or one cup of broccoli. Calcium is the most numerous mineral in the body. More than all the rest combined. Magnesium is essential for calcium absorption. For every 5 molecules of calcium, 1 molecule of magnesium is needed for proper absorption. In order to properly absorb calcium, a working GI tract is crucial.

One of the things we all have been taught that are essential for proper bone growth and function could possibly be having a negative impact on your body. There are multiple ways in which milk can have a negative effect on the body.

One of the ways milk can have an adverse effect on the body is with people who are lactose intolerant. Lactose intolerance is due to a lack of an enzyme called lactase which is produced by the cells lining the small intestine. Without this enzyme, the sugars found in milk and other dairy products cannot be properly broken down. Symptoms often occur 30 minutes to 2 hours after having milk products. Large doses of milk products may cause worse symptoms. Symptoms include: bloating, cramping, diarrhea, nausea, and flatulence. Lactose intolerance can be hard to diagnose based on symptoms alone. People may think they suffer from lactose intolerance because they have digestive symptoms; however, other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome can cause similar symptoms. After taking a medical history and performing a physical examination, the doctor may first recommend eliminating all milk and milk products from the person’s diet for a short time to see if the symptoms resolve. Tests may be necessary to provide more information. Common tests used to diagnose lactose intolerance are: lactose-hydrogen breath test and a stool pH.

Lactose intolerance is a common condition that is more likely to occur in adulthood, with a higher incidence in older adults. Some ethnic and racial populations are more affected than others, including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, and Asian Americans. The condition is least common among Americans of northern European descent. Infants born prematurely are more likely to have lactase deficiency because an infant's lactase levels do not increase until the third trimester of pregnancy.

 Cutting down or removing milk products from your diet usually eases symptoms. Other milk products may be easier to digest like buttermilk and cheese, yogurt, goat milk, lactose-free milk, soy formulas, almond milk, and rice milk. You can add lactase enzymes to regular milk, or take these enzymes in capsule or chewable tablet form. Although the body's ability to produce lactase cannot be changed, the symptoms of lactose intolerance can be managed with dietary changes. Most people with lactose intolerance can tolerate some amount of lactose in their diet. Gradually introducing small amounts of milk or milk products may help some people adapt to them with fewer symptoms. Often, people can better tolerate milk or milk products by taking them with meals. Most people with low lactase levels can drink 2 - 4 ounces of milk at one time (up to one-half cup) without having symptoms. Larger (more than 8 oz.) servings may cause problems for people with lactase deficiency.
A second way that milk can have negative effects is through common milk allergies. Approximately 2.5% of children younger than 3 years of age are allergic to milk. Nearly all infants who develop an allergy to milk do so in their first year of life. Cow’s milk is more allergenic than goat’s milk and goat’s milk is easier to digest for those people who are lactose intolerant. This is a good substitute to cow’s milk and can easily be found at any grocery store in whole or lower fat options. We used this as a base for my son’s homemade formula. Some common, often overlooked, signs of milk allergy or intolerance are: excessive fussiness, irritability, gas, bloating, skin issues like eczema, and a constant runny nose or mucous congestion. Symptoms like congestion can be a sign of milk intolerance and not a full blown allergy. Either way the body is reacting negatively to the milk proteins by producing mucous for a flushing effect.

The only way to know if milk is having a negative effect on your health is to try removing it from your diet, along with other dairy products, for two weeks to see if you experience a change in your overall health and symptoms.  Often, when my patients do this, they experience clearer sinuses.
Rice milk and/or almond milk are easy replacements to milk. They come in different flavors and are usually preferred by many kids because of their sweeter tastes. The sweeter taste also can help the child eat a less sugary, sweet cereal in the mornings and make healthier choices easier to implement. Dark, green, leafy vegetables are another good source of calcium and of course whole food, natural vitamins and supplements can help insure that you or your children are getting the correct amount of calcium they need to be healthy and grow properly.