What is the big killer in the U.S.? AIDS? Cancer? Heart Disease? Guess again - when you add up all of the accidents, suicides, overdoses and violent deaths due to drugs and alcohol, then drugs and alcohol addiction is the number one killer by far!

A few years ago, Dr. J.M. Holder researched effects of auricular therapy (a form of acupuncture stimulation to the ear - a technique we have used here at Keefe Clinic since 1980). You may have read about that study in the papers then - it indicated that auricular therapy was the most effective therapy for drug addictions of the 178 government-approved therapies at that time! This study was released in the early 1990's and has started to revolutionize drug addiction programs across the country.

This study was headed by Dr. J.M. Holder, D.C., M.D., Ph.D. He practices chiropractic, teaches at a medical school, and conducts research. He was the first American physician to win the Albert Schweitzer Prize in Medicine, and is in line to receive more awards due to his most recent research.

As he studied the effects of auricular therapy on drug addictions and the physical causes behind the addictive personality, he found that by stimulating these acupuncture points in the ear, he could enhance what is known as an "award cascade" effect from the limbic system. This re-balances an addict's chemistry. It can change the addiction from an overwhelming compulsion to a manageable situation which the patient can then eliminate. Certainly, many drug addicts would give anything to rid themselves of their habits - but that over-whelming compulsion to use the drug is more than they can overcome. Thus, this help is a wonderful asset to the addict on a physiological level.

Now to his next study: Dr. Holder reasoned that the effects demonstrated in the first study described above dealing with problems with the limbic system could be tied in to the effects that subluxations have on the nervous system. He knew that the limbic system is not just a compartment hidden in the center of the brain, but it also extends down the "dorsal horn" of the spinal column. He decided to test to see what Chiropractic adjustment intervention could do with this particular system of the nervous system.

In 1994, the Holder Research Institute established that only vertebrates have an opiate reception site, brain reward system. This means that the vertebral subluxation complex is the hallmark of insult to any vertebrate's ability to express the state of well-being to its fullest potential. If messages from the brain are interrupted from their expression to itself and the rest of the body by vertebral subluxations, the vertebrate necessarily will not have the fullest quality of life. What is called the "brain reward cascade" is a scientific model that has the vertebral motor unit as its cornmon denominator which provides an understanding to the neurophysiologi-cal mechanism on how the meso-Limbic system expresses a state of well-being. Therefore, a subluxation-free spine is mandatory to express one's greatest potential.

Dr. Holder went before the Research Committee at the where he teaches to present his research ideas. They approved his study, and conducted it at the largest addiction hospital in Miami, Florida. This study divided addicts into three groups: group one receive regular counseling therapy that is common to all addiction centers. Group two received that therapy plus Chiropractic adjustments, and Group three received standard addiction therapy plus "sham" Chiropractic treatments. That means that these patients were really not adjusted.

At the end of that study, the results were astonishing, even to Dr. Holder. After compiling all the data, he found that the combination of Chiropractic adjustments with counseling therapy approach to addiction and compulsive disorders produced far better results than any other test results for any other government-approved technique now available. His conclusion: for the 180 different addiction disorder techniques that have been tested, Chiropractic now proves to be the most effective, even more effective than the use of auricular therapy found previously so helpful.

This means that: Chiropractic care, coupled with proper nutrition, electro-stimulation of points in the ear, and counseling is the best help currently available for individuals who have addictive-compulsive disorders.

September 18, 1895

 

DEAF 17 YEARS
I was deaf 17 years and I expected to always remain so, for I had doctored a great deal without any benefit. I had long ago made up my mind not to take any more ear treatments, for it did me no good. Last January, Dr. Palmer told me that my deafness came from an injury in my spine. This was new to me; but it is a fact that my back was injured at the time I went deaf. Dr. Palmer treated me on the spine; in two treatments I could hear quite well. That was eight months ago. My hearing remains good.

Harvey Lillard
320 W. Eleventh St.
Davenport, Iowa

TODAY

Hi, my husband and I have been trying to start a family for seven years. After trying the doctors my medical doctor sent us to without success, we were told about chiropractic. Well, two months later I was pregnant.
- Linda

My name is Jim. I lifted something wrong at work and heard something pop and went to my knees in pain. I was told surgery was the only option I had, and I would be off work several months. Then the bad news......I might not ever return to my same job. Someone told me to try chiropractic, best suggestion I ever got. I was back to work in three weeks and am doing great...
- Jim

It was a year ago that I had the car accident, and just a few weeks after that, the first seizure hit. For the next several months I was terrified when the next one would come. Every few weeks the doctor would increase my medication until he said any higher could be fatal. I was looking at a life of drugs that left me a zombie and I was still having seizures. When a friend told me about chiropractic, I didn't think it could help. What a mistake I almost made! Today I am free of seizures and feel fantastic, even my daily headaches are gone.
- Jill

I used to have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome before I tried Chiropractic
- Beth

My child was hyperactive and doing poorly in school...not any more! For the first time she is making A's!....
- Karen

I couldn't believe after twenty years my allergies were gone.....
- Larry

In 1895 Dr. D.D. Palmer gave the adjustment that was heard around the world. Today Chiropractic is the worlds largest natural health care system.

Though started in the U.S. in the late 1800's, Chiropractic is now found around the world.

Chiropractic is a science, philosophy and art making up the second largest healing art in the U.S.

PHILOSOPHY

The power that made the body can heal the body. There is an inborn intelligence (innate) that controls all function within the body. As innate is expressed to each tissue at 100%, then there will be 100% function or health. The body does not need outside help to do its job-- it just needs no interference. When the spine is subluxated (misaligned) INNATE can't control and coordinate the body, thus ill health happens.

SCIENCE

Health is when each organ is functioning properly, and is functioning in relation to the needs and wants of the rest of the body. (Dorland's Medical Dictionary) The nervous system controls and coordinates every organ, part and system of the body and relates the individual to his or her environment. (Grays Anatomy) Nerves from the spinal cord (Pre-ganglionic fibers) communicate (synapse) with the nerves controlling organs (up to 20 post-ganglionic fibers - autonomic chain). Vertebra become subluxated (misaligned) and compress the nerves (pinched nerves). 10 millimeters of pressure decrease the nerve function 40%. 20 millimeters of pressure decrease function by 60%. (Spinal Research University Colorado) This nerve pressure causes the underlying weakness that allows disease to develop. Healthy bodies don't get sick. Studies show chiropractic is twice as effective as medical care, at half the cost. (Trial records Wilks vs. AMA)

ART

The highly skilled, specialized art of finding and adjusting misaligned joints of the body (mainly the spine). Helping restore proper function by restoring normal nerve and blood supply to the body. Taking the knowledge of chemistry, physiology and diet to restore proper blood chemistry balance and organ function.

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patient in the care of the human frame, diet , and in the cause and prevention of disease."
- Thomas Edison

The Chiropractic Physician looks to correct the cause-not just to cover the symptoms.

Symptom relief is the approach most medical physicians use in treating their patients, leaving the underlying condition time to get worse. This approach is widely used, although drugs can't replace sick cells with healthy ones. And physicians who were only taught drug therapy in school don't have the tools to do anything else.

Chiropractic training takes a totally different approach. Lifestyle components like diet (vitamin therapy, herbs etc.), exercise, stress, body ecology and nervous system health are taught in place of drug therapy.

Because of the difference in philosophy of health care, tension has built up between the two approaches in patient care. This tension has produced a lot of negative propaganda from the AMA (the union of most drug therapists). It has gotten so nasty that the federal court has demanded the AMA stop its attempt to block the growth of chiropractic. Despite the scare tactics the AMA has used over the years to keep patients from seeing other types of doctors like Chiropractors, Chiropractic has grown into the second largest health care system in the US and the world's largest natural healing art. The federal judge found the AMA's main objection to chiropractic was an economic one. Chiropractic patients were getting well after medicine failed to help them and they were telling others. Not only that, they were asking their drug therapists why they did not do for them what their chiropractic physician did....ouch!

LAWS OF HEALTH

Chiropractic Physicians don't claim to cure every disease, and they refer patients to other specialists at a far greater rate than the reverse, even when the MD knows we could help his patient.

However, most chiropractic patients report receiving what they came for. In fact, Chiropractic doctors have the highest approval rate over MDs in patient opinion polls.

There are no magic potions or pills to produce good health, but there are five laws:

• Diet
• Rest
• Attitude
• Exercise
• Healthy Nervous System

Some have said that there are no incurable diseases, just incurable patients. If you don't work the laws, don't expect to receive the benefits.

A SPECIAL CLASS

In studies of those who visit Chiropractic Physicians as compared with those seeing drug therapists, the following profile was discovered.
On the average Chiropractic patients:

• Had more higher education.
• Were more concerned about their health, and took more responsibility in their life styles.
• Asked more questions and expected to get answers.
• Thought for themselves and refused taking information from their physician without question.

COULD I BENEFIT FROM MODERN CHIROPRACTIC?

Only a Chiropractor can tell for sure. Some people don't know most health problems respond to the tools that modern Chiropractic has to work with. Call today and find out what you are missing! 663-1111

Diet, Exercise, Attitude, Rest And A Pressure Free Nervous System

Have you ever thought much about your nervous system? Millions and millions of tiny electrical fibers sending chemical and electrical information throughout your body. Making muscles move, causing glands to secrete, creating the miracle of sight and sound. Most people don't think much about how the body works but if we were going to decide upon the most important system it would have to be the nervous system. Not that you can do without your cardiovascular system or your digestive system but these systems and all the rest are controlled and coordinated by the nervous system.

Gray's anatomy, one of the most widely used anatomy books, indicates that the nervous system controls and coordinates every organ, part and system of the body and relate the individual to his or her environment. To put that in plain english your stomach won't digest, your lungs won't take in air, your joints won't lubricate themselves and your brain won't interpret what your eyes see without the function of the nervous system.

Who Are You?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the physical sense you are your nervous system. You're not your liver, though your liver is a part of what makes up your body. If you get a liver transplant you're still you. If you get a heart transplant you're still you but if science could transplant your nervous system then you would not be there anymore. Not only are you expressed through the nervous system so is your health.

Your nervous system was the first recognizable organ, a little gray streak, within a mass of identical looking cells. It was your nervous system's job to take those cells and make a complete human being. And now it's your nervous systems job to maintain the normal function of your body. It controls the growth of cells, the function of organs as well as coordinates the massive job of navigating your body's movements. The miracle of balance and movement of our human bodies is pulled off masterful by the control of the nervous system.

How Do You Work?

How fast should your heart beat right now? How much insulin should your pancreas produce right now? What is your cholesterol level right now? The answer to these questions are programmed within your nervous system. The ability to regulate these functions and thousands upon thousands of others is the ability your nervous system has to maintain you health. When your nervous system is in full control it can express your genetic potentials as far as health is concerned. It keeps your cholesterol level normal, your blood sugar normal, your hormone levels normal, your blood pressure normal etc.

If you have a digestive problem what's wrong with your nervous system? Your nervous system controls and coordinates the growth, repair and function of your digestive system. Why is your digestive system acting up? Has your nervous system forgot want to do? Of course not, but you can be assured something is interfering with its function. Your nervous system knows how to keep your digestive system functioning normally. Then why do you have digestive problems. Is it due to some lack of a drug? Some antacids? What is the daily recommended requirement for Alka-Seltzer?

No, your nervous system has not forgot want to do. But the information can get blocked and never reach your digestive system. When the information that tells your stomach how much acid to secrete becomes garbled what is your stomach to do? The organs need direction in order to function properly. It's your nervous systems job to give it that direction. When you get sick this direction is lost, chiropractic can restore it.

How Do You Get Sick?

There are different causes for nerve interference but the number one causes is subluxation. The subluxation is a slight misalignment of a vertebra which causes distortion within the spine. This misalignment with the accompanying changes in the spine can cause a considerable amount of stress on the nervous system. Unfortunately this stress is not always felt as pain. In fact a considerable amount of stress can develop along key nerves without any back pain whatsoever. As this stress is maintained, organs, parts and systems start to malfunction. Again this malfunction can take place slowly over time without a lot of warning. Our body slowly loses the vitality and energy that is part of normal function. Slowly over months and years disease develops.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POSTURE AND HEALTH Roger Sperry,Ph.D. (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1981) discovered that 90% of the brain’s activity is used to balance your body within the gravitational field of earth. If your body is mechanically distorted, it will affect the other 10% of the brain's activity, which controls all the other body functions such as breathing, digestion and cognition. If the body framework (bone structure and spine) is misaligned it can impede or block the electrical and chemical transmissions of the nervous system, which controls all of your body's functions. This interference to the nervous system can cause or contribute to all kinds of symptoms and illnesses (in other words, the feeling that "I am hurting or I am sick"). Published research studies indicate that when body balance is restored, the body enters a healing cycle that alleviates pain and symptoms, elevates the immune system, increases blood and oxygen circulation, normalizes nervous system communication and creates more optimum body performance ("I feel good again").

Science

Nerves from the spinal cord (Pre-ganglionic fibers) communicate (synapse) with the nerves controlling organs (up to 20 post-ganglionic fibers - autonomic chain).

Vertebra become subluxated (misaligned) and compress the nerves (pinched nerves).

• 10 millimeters of pressure decrease the nerve function 40%
• 20 millimeters of pressure decrease function by 60%.
• (Spinal Research University Colorado)

This nerve pressure causes the underlying weakness that allows disease to develop. Healthy bodies don't get sick.

Studies show chiropractic is twice as effective as medical care, at half the cost. (Trial records WlIks vs. AMA)

How Do You Get Well?

A Chiropractic physician is trained in detection and correction of spinal subluxation complex. A Chiropractic physician is trained in diagnosis as other physicians are but when it comes to treatment we specialize in a natural approach. The Chiropractic adjustment to reposition the spinal bones also rebalances the spinal distortion that results from the subluxation. This releases the spark of life that allows the body the miracle of healing.

How Do You Stay Well?

The Chiropractic physician includes diet, exercise and other lifestyle techniques to restore the body to good health. Because the Chiropractic physician works with the spine many people mistakenly believe that chiropractors just work with spinal problems. A Chiropractic physician works with most health problems with treatments that are designed to fix and not cover up. The Chiropractic approach is a natural health care approach. We offer health care for the whole family.

Long Term Chiropractic Patients Have Higher Blood Levels of DNA Repair Chemicals  Published by drkita on November 16, 2012

The February 18, 2005 issue of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research finds that patients under long-term chiropractic care have higher levels of the blood chemicals associated with effective DNA repair and overall wellness.

The test was a retrospective analysis of 46 patients, all over the age of 40 who had been under short- term chiropractic care for 8-52 weeks or long term wellness care for 52-312 weeks. Researchers assessed the levels of serum thiols, blood factors that have been found to help the body repair the damaging effects stress has on the structure of DNA. Serum thiols are measured in terms of nM cysteine.

The authors found that non-chiropractic treated patients in the control group had serum thiol levels of 124 nM cysteine. Patients with active disease processes going on generally had levels below 90 compared to patients under long-term chiropractic care who had values of 146.

If you know someone with a chronic health problem please pass along this post. Please see our other posts in the natural law series.

Each health-care system around the world has an underlying philosophy that it is based on. Medicine is based on an evolutionary/materialistic philosophy whereas Chiropractic is based on a vitalistic philosophy. Philosophies do have an effect on the theory and practice of the health-care system. For instance medicine has looked at the appendix as a residual organ leftover in our evolutionary development. And for years the appendix was routinely removed when surgeons were in the abdomen doing other surgeries. Today we realize that was a mistake because those patients without an appendix have more colon disease and cancer.

Chiropractic philosophy has always respected the body even before we understood how each organ worked, realizing those organs were there for a purpose. The vitalistic philosophy recognizes that if there is a design or intelligence then there is a designer or universal intelligence. Where as materialistic philosophy would look at design as a curious accident. In a vitalistic framework if one was walking in a forest and found a watch there wouldn't be any questioning about this watch being formed by some marvel of random action. In a vitalistic philosophy man is understood as more than just material or a bag of chemicals. Man has a spiritual component. As we study the effect of attitude upon health we will explore both mental and spiritual attitude.

First it is important to note that scientific studies have proven the effect of spiritual/religious activities on the health of man. People that exercise regular spiritual disciplines such as prayer or even church attendance have been shown to be healthier than the general population. Since our goal with each of our patients is to help you achieve the highest level of health let's for a minute explore how spiritual and mental attitudes affect our health.

Let's first look at a positive mental attitude.

If you are a patient reading this pamphlet you have been explained how the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord and the billions of nerve fibers) controls and coordinates your body. By definition health is when every organ, part and system of the body is functioning normally and its function is coordinated with the needs, wants, stresses and demands of the body. The basic principle of Chiropractic understands health as the normal expression of the nervous system to each cell in the body and the corresponding feedback from the cells or body to the central nervous system.

 

The brain and spinal cord are the key components of the central nervous system and the mind is expressed through these structures. Fortunately for us the unconscious mind or subconscious mind primarily is responsible for keeping track of the hundreds of millions of impulses traveling to and from the central nervous system. Our conscious mind would be overwhelmed since some of us have problems chewing gum and walking at the same time. Fortunately our subconscious mind can effortlessly keeping track of all the incoming information and perfectly devise a plan to maintain normal function. Even so our conscious mind does have an effect on our subconscious mind. Study after study shows the connection between the stress that we deal with on a conscious level and a corresponding affect on our subconscious mind and thus our bodies. So when our mind is at peace that has a positive effect on our bodies.

 

How does this spiritual part of man affect the mental part of man and is there a connection between spirit and body?

 

There are different disciplines that are considered spiritual in nature. Prayer, meditation, fasting, service to mankind could be considered a short list. Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness temperance are considered some of the spiritual attributes. We hear a lot about happiness in our society. Happiness depends on happenings and with a lot of people if good things are happening then they are happy and if bad things are happening then they are sad.

Joy is more of an inward attitude and does not necessarily depend on what's happening. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones from the writings of Solomon. Many people who have obtained this spiritual attribute can maintain joy even when circumstances would appear adverse. I think if one understands the importance of attitude upon the function of the body one could quickly see how Joy would be better than sadness.

If one could call upon the resources of their spirit to maintain a constant positive attitude then there would be a corresponding benefit to that person's health. Many scientific studies show this connection. There is a difference between just trying to maintain a positive mental attitude and being able to draw on the resources of one's own spirit. It's much like looking at the conscious mind and subconscious mind. If a person's conscious mind had to maintain all of the bodies' functions than you can see how overwhelmed and impossible that responsibility would be. Our subconscious mind has more than enough resources to accomplish this task. In the same way as we learn to tap into the resources that are available on a spiritual level we can draw upon positive energies to help maintain a healthy attitude even in a world that is not always positive.

It's interesting to study the effects on individual lifestyles of people who routinely focus on their spiritual side as opposed to individuals who primarily focus on the physical/mental. Individuals focusing on developing a spiritual nature routinely discard many negative lifestyle habits. It seems that those individuals that ignore this component of their lives become involved in lifestyle practices that over stimulate their systems. " Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags" from the writings of Solomon. The spiritual component of man is more at a deeper level, more inward and individuals who ignore this part of their person tend to over stimulate themselves in the mental and physical areas as if in an effort to distract them from their deeper selves. "A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings" from the writings of Solomon.

If you're reading this and are dealing with chronic health problems, issues with stress such as sleep disorders, depression or anxiety consider exploring the possibility of improving your mental and spiritual attitude through spiritual disciplines. Studies have shown simply doing something for someone else and becoming less focused on oneself can have a dramatic positive effect on one's health. The effects that prayer and/or meditation have on improving body function and reducing stress with the corresponding depression and anxiety, are well documented. To ignore this area is very short sighted. Just as it is important to feed your physical body good food you need to properly feed your mental and spiritual bodies. "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding" from the writings of Solomon.

Let us define what is meant by proper rest. Ideally it means freedom from work or physical activity; freedom from disturbance of mind or spirit, peace of mind. The purpose of proper rest is to restore, to bring back to a former or original condition.

 

There are presently many theories as to why we require rest or sleep, what happens mentally and physiologically while we sleep and even how much each individual really needs. Based on the information that we have, a rational approach serves to unravel some of the mystery surrounding sleep and the essentials of proper or adequate rest.

When individuals are sleep-deprived their most common complaints are mental fatigue or confusion and musculoskeletal discomfort. These conditions are relieved by subsequent rest. We therefore may extrapolate that sleep is essential to maintain mental clarity and to neutralize structural stress. The physiology behind the restoration of mental capacity is not yet well understood, however, it would appear to be associated with renewing neurotransmitting chemicals and cell membrane potentials throughout our bodies.

These processes in turn are dependent, at least in part, upon the length of rest, the quality of one's nutrition, and the state of one's mind. Rest also provides time for your logical, analytical 'left' brain to relax its dominance and thus allow the emotional and imaginative 'right' brain valuable time for 'creative' expression. Thus, one of the keys to effective rest is learning how to turn down the volume of your 'left', brain while you tune into your 'right'! This is where regular use of an exceptional guided imagery tape can be so useful.

The physiology behind the other major function of rest and sleep, structural recuperation, is more important. There is a relentless force acting upon our physical structure, day by day, week after week: The constant force of gravity. The more effectively one learns to be aware of this force and to deal with it intelligently, the less destructive its influence. Failure to pay heed and to effectively reduce the effect of this downward pull on our bodies, often results in chronic and recurrent musculoskeletal discomfort (stiff, sore shoulders, neck, and back: hip, knee and ankle distress). Degenerative disc and joint disease, myofascial problems and even headaches are the result.

How then may we better cope with these stresses, especially with those related to the earth's gravity? While most of us are aware of the need for a good night's sleep, too few recognize the need for proper rest and relaxation. Both those who are engaged in heavy physical labor and business executives or white collar workers alike are subjected to a variety of physical stressors throughout their 'working hours'. There is mounting evidence that those who manage to obtain some rest and more resourceful postures during the day, not only live more comfortably and work more effectively, they also live longer! Once convinced of the benefits, how does one go about obtaining proper rest during business hours? Proper rest refers to "those inactivities which serve to aid restoration of optimal mental and physical function" (i.e. good health).

Our goals here include assisting the nervous system in its ability to cope with the stresses upon it, and assisting the physical body in compensating for the wear and tear of manual activities and the effects of gravity. All that is normally required is 15 to 20 minutes, twice daily, (in addition to your usual night sleep) to counteract the onslaught of stress-related fatigue and wear and tear.)

One of the most effective practices involves getting off your feet, and/or derriere, and laying supine on your back on a firm surface. Any carpeted floor will do nicely. The knees should be bent up toward your chest until your thighs are at right angles to your trunk, perpendicular to the floor, with your lower legs resting on a chair seat, couch, or even a box with padding on top.

By Dr Jen / 24th June

Some adults may wonder why more and more children are starting to see chiropractors. That’s a good question and the answer is simple: whether we have a large spine or a tiny little spine, if that spine is creating nerve distress then our magnificent bodies may not operate smoothly…

The nervous system is the ‘Master Controller’

The nervous system is the master controller of our body and if its communication channels become fuzzy, distorted or damaged then we experience all sorts of communication errors. For babies and children, this ineffective communication may play out as colic or irritability, an inability to suckle and breastfeed, poor sleep, developmental delays, digestion issues, asthma, behavioural problems, low energy, inability to concentrate, headaches, etc – the list is endless. In fact, regardless of what the end result or symptom may be, all roads to ‘optiminal health’ lead back to the body’s ability to self-regulate and function at a peak level.

While chiropractic may be able to help with a number of health issues, our focus is not treating or curing ailments; our focus is ensuring the nervous system has every opportunity to work efficiently and effectively.

Can you cook at night with the lights out?

For example, imagine your nervous system is like the lighting system in your home. If the lights start to dim, you might not be able to cook dinner very well, you may start banging into furniture, you may trip and hurt yourself, you may feel frightened. How the dim lights influence you precisely will vary but the issue is still the same – there is a communication problem between the wiring and the the light globe which needs detecting and fixing.

In the same way, chiropractors spend years studying the nervous system to be able to detect and correct these ‘communication errors’ in the body.

Another question you may ask is…

“How do little kids get nerve irritation?”

Nerve irritations (or vertebral subluxations) occur as a part of normal daily life. They may result from physical, chemical and emotional stressors or ‘insults’ to our health, such as bad posture, prolonged postures, sleeping on our stomachs, knocks and falls, poor food choices, dehydration, exposure to chemicals and toxins, and stress and anxiety. Some research suggests that even before these lifestyle stressors have an impact, nerve irritation may occur in the uterus from awkward positioning, restriction of movement, and exposure to toxins. Subluxations or nerve irritation may also occur from birth complications such as long labours, very fast labours, or forceps or caesarean delivery.

While research to support how effective chiropractic for children is not yet extensive, parental satisifaction with results achieved is compelling in its own right.

While more research into the benefits of chiropractic for babies and children is needed, chiropractic for little people has been shown to be gentle, safe and effective. Babies can be checked by chiropractors very soon after birth and special techniques have been developed to carefully correct any subluxated areas. When we appreciate how the nervous system may be hindered and impaired it makes sense why more parents are having their child’s spine and nervous system assessed.

10 reasons parents take their children to see a chiropractor:

1. To encourage good neural plasticity (brain and nerve development).
2. To support their child’s overall health and wellbeing.
3. To help strengthen their child’s immunity and potentially reduce the incidence of colds, ear-aches and general illness.
4. To assist with colic and Irritable Baby Syndrome.
5. To help with asthma, breathing difficulties and allergies.
6. To encourage good spinal posture.
7. To help improve their child’s ability to concentrate.
8. To assist with behavioural disorders.
9. To help alleviate digestive problems.
10. To assist with bed-wetting and sleep issues.

 

 

 

Despite persistent skepticism, the most common childhood psychiatric disorder is increasingly understood to be a brain malfunction. Different forms of the disorder may have different biological roots.

Discoveries in neuroscience are reinforcing a growing consensus that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as it is officially known, is not just a set of behavior problems but a biologically based disorder of brain function. The symptoms of impulsiveness, inattentiveness, and hyperactivity arise, this research suggests, because misfiring of the brain's executive function - its management system - make it difficult to stay still, concentrate, and exercise forethought and self-control.

ADHD is known to have a strong genetic component - one of the highest among psychiatric disorders - and several genetic markers are known. Similar symptoms have also been found in children with autism and fetal alcohol syndrome and even those exposed to nicotine in the womb. In two studies, ADHD-like symptoms appeared in 15 of 29 children who had strokes, and in 16% of children admitted to trauma centers after a head injury. In most children diagnosed with ADHD, signs and symptoms appear before the age of 7, although they sometimes may occur even earlier.

Inattention

Signs and symptoms of inattention may include:
"    Often fails to pay close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork or other activities
"    Often has trouble sustaining attention during tasks or play
"    Seems not to listen even when spoken to directly
"    Has difficulty following through on instructions and often fails to finish schoolwork, chores or other tasks
"    Often has problems organizing tasks or activities
"    Avoids or dislikes tasks that require sustained mental effort, such as schoolwork or homework
"    Frequently loses needed items, such as books, pencils, toys or tools
"    Can be easily distracted
"    Forgetful often

Hyperactivity-impulsiveness
Signs and symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsive behavior may include:
"    Fidgets or squirms frequently
"    Often leaves his or her seat in the classroom or in other situations when remaining seated is expected
"    Often runs or climbs excessively when it's not appropriate or, if an adolescent, might constantly feel restless
"    Frequently has difficulty playing quietly
"    Always seems on the go
"    Talks excessively
"    Blurts out the answers before questions have been completely asked
"    Frequently has difficulty waiting for his or her turn
"    Often interrupts or intrudes on others' conversations or games

Most healthy children exhibit many of these behaviors at one time or another. For instance, parents may worry that a 3-year-old who can't listen to a story from beginning to end or finish a drawing may have ADHD. But preschoolers normally have a short attention span and aren't able to stick with one activity for long. This doesn't mean they're inattentive - it simply means they're normal preschoolers.

Symptoms of ADHD in adults

ADHD always begins in childhood, but it may persist into adult life. The core signs and symptoms of distractibility, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior are the same for adults as for children, but they often manifest themselves differently and far more subtly in adults. Hyperactivity, in particular, is generally less overt in adults. Children may race around madly; adults are more likely to be restless and to have trouble relaxing.
On the other hand, problems with organization and concentration often increase as people get older when their lives become more complicated and demanding. Adults diagnosed with ADHD often say that their biggest frustration is their inability to focus and to prioritize, leading not only to missed deadlines but also to forgotten meetings and social engagements.

We have seen many patients helped over the years with a combination of chiropractic adjustments to improve neurological function, neurological exercise and Eyelights when indicated and diet and nutritional therapy including detoxification and food avoidance as necessary.  Also the lack of proper sleep habits can be a big factor sometimes. Each patient is evaluated and treated individually.  Patience and persistence are the key to treatment success.  Below is the suggested first two weeks dietary changes to help identify offending foods.

First, what NOT to eat for TWO WEEKS:

1) NO DAIRY PRODUCTS, especially cow's milk. This is the single most important restriction. Instead try Almond milk, Rice milk, or Better Than Milk. Drink water instead of milk. In fact, drink lots of water. The brain is about 80% water, and increasing your water intake to 7 to 10 glasses per day might be helpful all by itself. Sodas, Gatorade, teas, icees, etc., do not count as water. Water counts as water.
2) NO YELLOW FOODS. Especially Corn or Squash. Bananas are white. Don't eat the peel.
3) NO JUNK FOODS. If it comes in a cellophane wrapper, don't eat it.
4) NO FRUIT JUICES. Too much sugar content. One small glass of apple juice has the sugar content of eight apples. Later on you can have juice, but dilute it with water 50/50.
5) CUT SUGAR INTAKE BY 90%. If you can, cut it down to zero. Sugar is in just about everything, but give it a try. Do your best without going crazy. Ask about Steva.
6) CUT CHOCOLATE BY 90%. No more than a single piece, once a week.
7) NO NUTRASWEET. None. Period.
8) NO PROCESSED MEATS and NO MSG. Only get meats with labels that say, "Turkey and Water," etc. If the meat has chemicals listed that you can't pronounce, don't buy it.
9) CUT FRIED FOODS BY 90%.
10) AVOID FOOD COLORINGS WHENEVER POSSIBLE. See if your child is sensitive to any particular colors, such as Reds, Yellows, etc. For now, though, avoid all if possible.

SUMMARY: Just eat foods that God made for a while. Eat like people did in the 1940's. Go to a used book store and get a Betty Crocker's Cook Book for recipe ideas. There really are about 10,000 meals that you CAN eat. Just not much in the way of "fast foods" or "convenience" foods.

AFTER TWO WEEKS begin adding these foods back into your diet, one food every other day. Eat A LOT of that food every day for four days. If you have a problem with one of the foods, you will see some kind of a "reaction" within four days. The reaction can vary from big red splotches on the body to ears turning bright red to explosive temper outbursts. If there's a problem, you'll know. If there's no problem, enjoy the food.