Healthier Children Through Chiropractic

James W. Gregg, D.C.

“Chiropractic care for my child? Why? His back doesn’t bother him.” How often chiropractors have encountered parents who appreciate the importance of regular checkups for their child’s teeth, hearing, eyes and ears but draw a blank when it comes to a spinal checkup. In fact, a spinal check up could be one of the most important checkups your child will ever have.

Your child’s spine is his/her lifeline because running through it is the spinal cord, containing billions of nerve fibers that send messages and energy from the brain to every part of their body. If there is blockage of any of the nerves along the spinal cord, any nerve damage at all, then a state of ” dis-ease” will develop. Dis-ease means dis-harmony in the body that will cause generalized weakening of your child’s body, lowered resistance to disease, and consequent body malfunction and sickness.

Blockage of nerves in the spinal column are usually caused by tiny fixations and misalignments of the spinal vertebrae that are called vertebral subluxations. Only chiropractors are trained to detect and correct subluxations, much like only a dentist finds cavities. Subluxations can be cause by the birth process, the very physical childhood activities of running and jumping, falls and accidents.

Because your children (and you) may have spinal subluxations and not know it, all children need periodic spinal check ups. There are however certain warning signs indicating that the spinal column may be out of alignment: one hip or shoulder is higher than the other, hyperactivity and can’t sit still, frequent falling, a foot turned in or out (foot flare), neck tilt, one leg shorter than the other, chronic fatigue, “noisy bones” or joint aches, and skin conditions. Some other indicators are increased allergies, colds and flu, asthma and ear infections. A recent study of 332 children showed that chronic ear infection sufferers under chiropractic care had no more infections in 80% of the cases (JCCP, Vol.2, No.2 1997).

The Chiropractic Approach
By releasing stress on the nervous system with very gentle and safe chiropractic adjustments, the body will work more effectively and be able to express better health. The nervous system controls EVERY function of the body (Gray’s Anatomy) and thus the nervous system when not interfered with by subluxations can enable the body to heal itself and be healthy.

No matter what health concerns you or your children may have, you can benefit from a healthy spine. Spinal health can be as important for your overall healing as proper nutrition. Are you and your family carrying vertebral subluxations in your spines? A spinal checkup can tell. Among the many things contributing to your health: the quality of the air, food and water you take in, how you handle stress, your inherited weaknesses, strengths and activity levels – a healthy spine is absolutely essential. In some people and children it is a major factor and can make the difference between a life of health, strength and vitality or a life of disease, weakness and disability.

More and more families are finding that chiropractic care for their children makes a big difference in their health. Every day we see children in our office getting healthier as they receive adjustments, because their parents who saw benefits from chiropractic care for themselves wanted their children to have the same. One of the comments that we hear over and over again is “My child doesn’t seem to get sick as often since getting adjusted.”

Why not include chiropractic spinal checkups for you and your children? It may be the best move for your family’s health you’ll ever make.

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Dr. James Gregg practices in Waterloo, Ontario and he is a board member of the Chiropractic Awareness Council. You can contact him via email at: [email protected]