Children's Care

Most children can’t make their own health decision. Consequently, they are often affected by the decisions that their parents make for their health. Our mission is to empower parents with the proper knowledge on how to raise healthy children. Our focus is not only building their health but also helping to prevent future problems. If your child/children is/are experiencing any medical condition such as ADD, Ear Infections, Colic, Autism, Allergies, Learning Disabilities, etc., we can help!

In the following section, you will find research articles and testimonial clinical experience related to children’s health. Be sure to schedule a consultation immediately because the longer you wait, the worse the issue can get. Call now to schedule a consultation and we will make sure that your children have the best chance of living a life with optimal health that they deserve.

Disclaimer: Chiropractic is used to remove interferences (subluxations) so that the power that made the body can heal the body. We make no claims to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Please be advised that any information provided prior to an office visit is for general education purposes.

Attention Deficit Disorder – Allergies – Asthma – Autism – Colic – Ear Infections – Insomnia – Learning Disabilities

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

From the July 12, 2003 issue of the peer-reviewed, “Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, comes a case study of a very ill nine-year-old boy. According to the case study, this child was suffering from a multitude of problems including, asthma and upper respiratory infections since infancy; headaches since age 6; Tourette Syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression, and insomnia since age 7; and neck pain since age 8. It was noted in this child’s history that he had been delivered by forceps delivery. His mother described her son as being “constantly sick since birth.”

There has been much discussion about forceps delivery causing a variety of health problems in children. In the December 2nd, 1999 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, was a report that showed that the forceps delivery death rate was more than twice that for vaginal delivery. This situation along with other trauma the young boy had experienced offered some possible explanation for the findings of subluxations in this child. During the patient’s initial examination, evidence of a subluxation stemming from the upper cervical spine was found.

Chiropractic care was then administered to correct and stabilize the patient’s upper neck subluxations. Following six weeks of chiropractic care, all six conditions were absent and remained absent five months later at the conclusion of care. In a follow-up seven months later, no asthma attacks, headaches, neck pain, insomnia, behavioral trouble, or tics had occurred. He had not suffered any infections, nor had he used any medications other than his half-dose of Wellbutrin. His mother reported that her son’s only “problem” was becoming accustomed to being a “normal” child who was required to complete chores, walk home from school by himself, or complete school work during allotted time.

Above is the title of a documented research case study published in the August 27, 2012, issue of the Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research. This case reports on the improvement through chiropractic of a young man who was suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder, sleep problems, and long-term mid and lower back pain.

In this case, a 19-year-old man went to the chiropractor suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) which his father reports the young man had been suffering from his whole life. The man’s primary complaint was pain in his mid and lower back that he had been suffering with for five years. The history recorded that the man had organizational and attention issues and his overall condition was affecting daily activities, school, and work.

A chiropractic examination was performed including postural analysis, and spinal x-rays. Based upon the results of the examination, a determination was made that the man had subluxations in the uppermost part of his neck, the atlas vertebra, causing neurological malfunction. Additional assessments were performed to measure physical functioning, sleep, spontaneous and evoked brain activity, and visual responses. The additional assessments were performed before the initiation of chiropractic care and after care was started in order to objectively measure the patient’s response to his care.

The results of the objective assessments showed improvements in attention, sleep, visual responses, and ADD scores. The improvement was apparent immediately, and showed continual improvement on subsequent tests.

The young man’s mother reported that her son was doing better and was behaving better. The case study reports, “He is more cooperative and is better able to follow through and complete tasks. These include chores at home, school work, and music-related activities. He began taking classes at college.”

The young man himself reported that his back, neck, and head pain had resolved, his sleep improved, and he no longer felt “clumsy.” He also reported that he was able to start playing his musical instrument again.

Allergies

“My immune system is stronger and my allergies have improved! I started visiting AHH 3 years ago, and it changed my life 100%. Being in high school, I have always had a hard time focusing. Within a few months, my grades have improved and my attitude changed in a positive way. In addition to this I have had physical health changes. My allergies have significantly improved as well as my eyesight and immune system. AHH genuinely cares for their patients and I will continue to come consistently. Thank You!!”

In this study, the young boy’s parents explained that their son had been suffering from his problems since age 5, and was now taking the medications Alavert daily for allergies and Albuterol for asthma as needed. The child also required nebulizer treatments for his asthmatic episodes. Additionally, steroid injections were also used “regularly”. Because of his illnesses he missed 1-2 days of school per month. He also had monthly visits to the medical doctor for all his health issues.

Finally, his parents brought him to a chiropractor to see if he could be helped. The chiropractic examination revealed multiple postural abnormalities and changes in the boy’s ranges of spinal movement. Additionally, areas of the spine felt abnormal to the doctor’s touch. These findings are all indicative of spinal subluxations. Subluxations are when bones of the spine are positioned incorrectly and create pressure or irritation on nerves. This causes changes in the function of the nervous system and can result in a variety of health issues depending on the severity of the nerve system interference and the areas of the nervous system involved.

Specific chiropractic care was initiated on the boy at the initial frequency of 3 visits per week for the first month of care. Within two weeks of the child’s first chiropractic adjustment, the patient’s mother indicated that her son no longer was dependent on his prescription medication for allergies, so they decided to discontinue them on their own. His parents also reported that his frequency and severity of the asthma attacks had greatly improved, and he no longer required his nebulizer treatments since beginning chiropractic care.

According to the study records within 3 months of the initiation of chiropractic care, the boy’s mother reported that all the young boy’s initial complaints were addressed successfully. The child continued chiropractic wellness care, and after a 16-month follow-up, it was noted that the boy experienced only 1-2 minor colds or sinus infections and required the use of his nebulizer on only two occasions. Neither the patient nor his mother reported any adverse reactions to the chiropractic care.

On May 7, 2009, a story was run on the ABC affiliate, KSPR out of Springfield Missouri, which featured help for allergies through chiropractic. In this story Jami Lynn Lilly was an allergy sufferer who always had problems during the spring in Missouri. Her allergies would give her sinus problems and cause her eyes to water. She commented, “I get really bad sinus infections, for weeks I just look like I’m bawling all the time.”

Jami finally decided to go to a chiropractor for her problem. After her first visit, she reported improvement. She described the experience by saying, “He adjusted me one time for it, two-three days my nose just drained and then I was fine after that.”

Jami’s chiropractor, Dr. Baca, was also interviewed in the news story and he raised an interesting question. “If there’s an allergy floating around out there what makes one person susceptible to it, when it doesn’t make all of us susceptible.” He then explained that the nervous system is the key. He stated, “Your nervous system controls every aspect of your body, including your immune system.”

The story noted that the nervous system is the master controller of the body. The spine protects the spinal cord thus protecting the messages that are carried over the nervous system. According to the article, Dr. Baca explained that, “If one of the vertebrae on your spine is out of place it could be putting pressure or irritating one of your nerves. Maybe the nerve that controls your sinuses, your head, your throat or your immune system.”

He further explained that this could be the reason why one person is susceptible to allergies while another in the same environment is not, “This person’s immune system isn’t functioning as well as this person’s immune system so it can’t fight the allergen off like it should.”

Jami explained that she never knew that chiropractic could help her allergies. She said, “I never knew it; I just came because my neck was bothering me.” The news story concludes by noting that. “Jami is a big believer now. She’s allergy-free and passing the word on about allergies and chiropractic.”

Asthma

Thousands of asthma sufferers have found relief in a chiropractic office, and now some studies are supporting this phenomenon. In a 1997 study published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, doctors placed 81 asthmatic children under chiropractic care. These children were evaluated after 60 days of chiropractic care. The results were simply amazing! There was a significant improvement in the child’s asthma impairment score in 90.1% of the children, and many of the children voluntarily decreased their medications. In a 1995 study published in Chiropractic Pediatrics, seven out of eight children who were under chiropractic care were able to reduce or eliminate their asthma medication.

Autism

“Happier, Calmer, Less Aggressive Son! Our true miracle is my son. He is autistic. During his years of puberty, there is a chemical change that apparently causes aggressive behavior. I did not know where to turn. Thank God for Dr. Gus and everyone’s support at Advanced Holistic Health Care. He is happier, calmer, and no longer aggressive. He has even started to speak more often. We are no longer afraid of him being outdoors without supervision. I know that if I continue this treatment, he will eventually become normal.” – Victoria & Nicholas Hallford

Autism and Chiropractic, Studies Hold Hope

Two separate papers published in two scientific journals hold hope for children with autism through chiropractic care. One paper published in the March 2006 issue of Clinical Chiropractic reviews past studies on chiropractic and Autism. This paper recounts in clinical studies where children with autism are helped with chiropractic care. Most of the studies reviewed speak of problems in the upper cervical (neck) spine.

In addition to the Clinical Chiropractic paper, a study published in the March 9, 2006 Journal of Vertebral Subluxation (JVSR) compares two groups of children with autism and their response under chiropractic care. In this study, 14 children diagnosed with autism were studied undergoing chiropractic care. Seven of these children received one form of chiropractic adjustments focusing on the entire spine while the other seven received a form of chiropractic adjustment focusing on the upper cervical spine.

The children in this study were diagnosed with autism at the Child Evaluation Center at the University of Louisville Medical School. The evaluation of any progress made was done by using the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) created by the researchers at the Autism Research Institute of San Diego, California. According to the JVSR study, the ATEC is a one-page questionnaire designed to be completed by parents, teachers, or caretakers. It consists of 4 subsets: I. Speech/Language Communication (14 items); II. Sociability (20 items); III. Sensory/Cognitive Awareness (18 items); and IV. Health/Physical/Behavior (25 items).

Each of the children in this study were scored according to the ATEC evaluation. Then, twice each week for the following 3 months, the children were checked and adjusted as indicated. Follow-up ATEC evaluations were performed each month to monitor the progress.

The results showed that improvement of ATEC scores occurred in six of the seven children under upper cervical adjustment and in five of the seven children under full spine adjustment.

The children in the upper cervical group did show greater score improvements overall. In this group, two of the children improved so much that they no longer met the criteria to be classified as autistic. Overall, the study noted that the most common clinical aspects of improvement were in communication, verbal skills, eye contact, mood, and physical sport skills.

Colic

Over 1 million babies suffer from colic every year!

The solution may be as close as your Wellness Chiropractor who focuses on restoring a healthy nervous system. There are numerous case studies that have been published on the benefits of chiropractic care and colic babies, but the most compelling research is a study that included 316 babies with colic.

In this study, 73 chiropractors treated 316 babies with moderate to severe colic. An incredible 94% of the babies demonstrated satisfactory results within 14 days of chiropractic care. 25% showed great improvement with just one treatment! In another study of 132 babies suffering from colic, an amazing 91% of the parents reported improvement within 1 week of care.

A baby with colic who was helped by chiropractic was the focus of a study published in the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal, & Family Health on Nov. 28, 2012.

Colic in babies has classic symptoms of crying for more than 3 hours a day, usually at the same time each day, and for at least 3 days a week. Infants may have a hard abdomen, burp and pass gas a lot, spit up frequently after eating, and cry while pulling their legs up and making tight fists. The crying sounds as if the baby is in pain.

Colic is distressing not only to the baby, but also to the mother and father who witness the suffering of their baby, and are frustrated by their inability to help the baby.

In this case, an 8-week-old baby girl was brought into a chiropractic clinic with the classic signs of colic. The mother said that the baby cried constantly for up to 5 hours, and that the baby’s face showed pain when making a bowel movement. The baby also had diarrhea, and would scream and cry during these episodes.

A chiropractic examination of the baby was performed using static, motion, and muscle palpation. Subluxations were found in the atlas and T11, as well as observations of subluxation in other areas of the infant’s spine.

Specific chiropractic adjustments were begun with “…light impulse finger adjustments.” The adjustments were made to C1 (atlas) and T11. The care plan included two visits weekly for four weeks.

Immediate improvement was observed after the initial adjustment, and the colic symptoms disappeared after eight adjustments over four weeks. The parents of the baby reported, “After her first visit, she slept the entire night. She did not have the crying spells and we reduced the medication to once per day.” After two weeks of chiropractic care the parents further noted, “She (the baby) no longer takes her medication daily. She is now a happy baby. She eats, sleeps and has regular bowel movements with no pain. For the first time since she was born, she slept through the night.”

Ear Infections

In a study designed to determine the characteristics of 217 children attending a chiropractic college teaching clinic, it was found that pediatric patients had common complaints of ear-infections, sinus problems, allergies, bed-wetting, respiratory problems, and gastro-intestinal problems. After undergoing chiropractic treatment, complete or substantial improvement was noted in 61.6% of pediatric patients.

In another study, children from 27 days to 5-years-old who suffered from ear infections were studied to determine if a correlation existed between chiropractic care and ear infections. It was found, that with chiropractic care, the recurrence rate over a six-month period for acute ear infections was 11.02% and 16.34% for chronic ear infections. It was concluded that there is a strong correlation between the chiropractic adjustment and the resolution of ear infections for children in the study.

Sources:

-Chiropractic and the Disabled Child by Bobby Doscher, D.C. Editorial in Chiropractic Pediatrics Vol. 1 No. 4 May 1995.

-Characteristics of 217 children attending a chiropractic college teaching clinic. Nyiendo J. Olsen E. JMPT, 1988; 11(2):78084.

-The role of the chiropractic adjustment in the care and treatment of 332 children with otitis media. Fallon, JM. Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics Vol 2, No. 2 1997 p. 167-183.

The above headline comes from the January 2005 issue of the magazine Up & Coming. This article tells the story of a 13 year old girl named May Beth, who had suffered from ear infections most of her life. Her father, was the author of the article. He started off by describing May Beth’s history and explained that by the time his daughter was 13 months old, she’d had 11 ear infections. He explained that each time she was given an antibiotic which caused the ear infection to go away after about a week, but it would soon return.

After a while May Beth was even give antibiotics as a preventative. However this did not work and her father began to get concerned about the effects all these antibiotics would have on his daughter. As matters got worse May Beth’s father grew more concerned. He stated, “I became desperate for an end to her misery. I was concerned about how these chronic ear infections might be affecting her developing speech and how the antibiotics might be affecting her natural immunity. As a result, I arranged for her to have a myringectomy, a type of surgery in which tiny tubes are placed in the child’s ear to prevent fluid buildup. While I believed the operation was May Beth’s best option, I felt terrible about having her undergo a general anesthetic and surgery at such a young age. There are no words to describe the feeling I had watching my smiling baby girl dressed in a tiny hospital gown wave back at me as she was being wheeled in a little red wagon into the operating room.”

Unfortunately, even after the surgery May Beth’s ear infections didn’t stop. Less than two months later, she was once again taking antibiotics. Soon after it was suggested that she have a second surgery. Her father noted, “I just couldn’t bear it. I was at my wit’s end.”

Then coincidentally, May Beth’s father had just started chiropractic school and had heard that chiropractic care had helped many children with chronic ear infections. He then took May Beth to a family chiropractor who began adjusting May Beth. The results were wonderful. May Beth’s father described the events by saying, “Since that time, she’s had one ear infection that lasted less than two days with no medication. Her overall health has been excellent – and she can talk up a storm!”

He summed up his comments in this article by explaining, “Chiropractic adjustment may resolve the ear infections without the need for surgery. Our bodies – young and old – are wonderfully made to take care of many of the problems we encounter. A correct alignment of the spine maximizes the body’s potential to take care of itself.”

In the October 1998 issue of the Ladies Home Journal appeared an article entitled, “Chiropractic Adjustments for Chronic Ear Infections.” This article reviewed several studies showing the effectiveness of chiropractic care for preventing re-occurring ear infections known as Otitis Media or OM.

According to the article, reoccurring ear infections account for over 35% of all pediatrician visits in the United States. Sometimes these infections are due to bacteria and sometimes these are due to a virus. The most common medical care for this situation has been antibiotics, even though antibiotics have no effect on viruses. While the article mentions that the antibiotic may be effective in an acute bacterial infection, they do nothing to stop repeat infections. Research and statistics is now showing that repeated use of antibiotics is contributing to future infections by creating drug-resistant infections. The surgical approach has met with little long term results as the “tubes” placed in children’s ears often come out and usually require a child to be put under general anesthesia to do the surgery.

The article in the Ladies Home Journal states, “Chiropractic care is thought to prevent recurrent infections by correcting misalignments (called subluxations) and allowing normal fluid drainage from the middle ear.” What the article took special note of was that 6 months after the chiropractic care was given to the children in the study, 80 percent had not suffered a recurrence of ear infections.

In closing the article did make a profound statement. They made a recommendation to parents on this subject. “If your child is between ear infections and his doctor suggests ear-tube surgery, ask if you can try chiropractic treatment first.” While we agree with that sentiment, we suggest you not wait for a period between episodes, and you don’t have to “ask” permission from any other doctor to seek chiropractic care. As the sneaker company said, “just do it!”

“Chiropractic Care of 401 Children with Otitis Media: A Pilot Study”

Found in the March 1998 edition of Alternative Therapies and authored by Fallon and Edelman. (Conclusion) “There is a strong correlation between chiropractic adjustment and the resolution of otitis media for the children in this study, which can serve as a starting point from which those in the chiropractic profession can examine their role.”

Insomnia

In the September 24, 2012 issue of the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health Chiropractic comes a documented case study of chiropractic helping a baby girl with chronic otitis media, difficulty sleeping, irritability, and skin sensitivities to clothes or being held and touched.

Otitis Media is the technical name for what most people refer to as an ear ache. The study notes that it has become the most common infection in children that are sick as well as the number one reason antibiotics being prescribed to children. The study author also reports that roughly 25% of all infants have sleeping difficulties. Skin sensitivities also known as tactile hypersensitivity, is where the child exhibits excessive reaction or irritability to touch or clothing.

In this case a 2 year old girl was brought to the chiropractor by her mother with the complaints of chronic ear infections, difficulty sleeping, irritability, and skin sensitivities to either clothes or being held or touched. The history showed that her mother had labor induced a week early, and the birth was traumatic causing the child to be born with a broken collar bone.

The study reported that at the age of 2, the child was taking at least two hours to get to sleep and would not sleep for more than four hours at a time. Additionally, the girl has experienced over 20 ear infections, severe allergies requiring a nebulizer, severe behavior problems including temper tantrums and irritability. The girl had been given multiple rounds of antibiotics by her MD with little or no result. She would also have temper tantrums and exhibit aggressive behavior toward her sister and mother.

A chiropractic examination was performed resulting in the determination that subluxations were present in the girl’s upper neck and upper mid-back areas. Specific chiropractic adjustments were initiated for the correction of the subluxations as determined by the exam.

The results documented in this study showed an immediate and positive response by the girl to the chiropractic care. After her first adjustment her mother stated that her daughter was a little less aggressive towards her sister. After the third adjustment her mother reported that the girl was able to sleep through the night.

After two months of care it was noted that the girl who previously did not like to be hugged was coming into the chiropractors office and “hugging everyone”. Her mother also reported that there was no longer an issue with clothes with the minor exception of socks. After 4 months of care the girl was no longer suffering from ear infections.

In this case, a 19-year-old man went to the chiropractor suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) which his father reports the young man had been suffering from his whole life. The man’s primary complaint was pain in his mid and lower back that he had been suffering with for five years. The history recorded that the man had organizational and attention issues, and his overall condition was affecting daily activities, school and work.

A chiropractic examination was performed including postural analysis, and spinal x-rays. Based upon the results of the examination, a determination was made that the man had subluxations in the uppermost part of his neck, the atlas vertebra, causing neurological malfunction. Additional assessments were performed to measure physical functioning, sleep, spontaneous and evoked brain activity, and visual responses. The additional assessments were performed before the initiation of chiropractic care, and after care was started in order to objectively measure the patient’s response to his care.

The young man’s mother reported that her son was doing better and was behaving better. The case study reports, “He is more cooperative and is better able to follow through and complete tasks. These include chores at home, school work, and music related activities. He began taking classes at college.”

The above is a headline from a January 20, 2007 article published in the online Medical News Today. The story, and a similar one dated January 18th published by United Press International, is based on research that came out January 15, 2007 in the scientific periodical The Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (JVSR). The study suggests that chiropractic care may offer significant benefits to children suffering from learning disabilities and dyslexia.

The author of the JVSR study was a Swiss chiropractor Dr. Yannick Pauli, who is the president of the Swiss Chiropractic Pediatric Association, and who specializes in the care of children suffering from learning and behavioral disorders. Dr. Pauli explained, “This review critically assessed eight previously published studies involving a total of 160 children. He continued, “Although the results remain preliminary and more research is needed, the evidence strongly suggests that chiropractic care may help various cognitive abilities that are essential to learning.”

The study notes that between 3-10% of the school-age population in the United States is considered learning disabled. Some experts claim that the figure is closer to 20% of school age children. According to Dr. Pauli, “The main aim of this literature review was to investigate the clinical evidence for the effect of chiropractic care in people suffering from learning disorders and dyslexia.”

Dr. Pauli explained, “What appears from our review is that the chiropractor is not so much interested in the cure of the disorder itself, but rather in the correction of an underlying Central Nervous System dysfunction assumed to underlie the disorder(s) affecting the patient” He explained the connection of chiropractic care to learning disabilities by saying, “The only source of constant stimulation to the brain comes from the spine and the postural muscles constantly adjusting to the force of gravity. If the daily physical stresses of life cause misalignments in the spine — called vertebral subluxations by chiropractors — the brain is not adequately stimulated. This can cause problems throughout the body.”

Dr. Matthew McCoy, a chiropractor and editor of JVSR, remarked, “This study is an exciting first step. It shows the beneficial effect of chiropractic care and may offer hope for thousands of suffering children.”

Learning Disabilities

A case study research article published on November 17, 2009 in the scientific periodical, the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal and Family Health, documented a case showing improvement in learning disorder and speech delay in a four year old child undergoing chiropractic care to correct vertebral subluxations.

In this case a 4 year old boy was brought to the chiropractor having been diagnosed with a learning disorder and speech delay. The study noted that his speech was so severely impaired that others could not understand him. The boy’s mother reported that her son was not speaking when he started school which caused him much frustration and anger. He was under the care of a speech therapist.

The history in this case revealed that the boy was born by Caesarean section. According to the study he was pulled out by his head and his mother reports that she remembers hearing him crying while he was still inside her. The boy has one sister with no development issues and has above-average intelligence.

The chiropractic examination showed imbalances in his posture and spinal curvatures. X-rays were also performed which confirmed a loss of cervical (neck) curve and vertebral misalignments. The primary diagnosis listed was vertebral subluxation of the top vertebrae in the neck called the Atlas.

The study noted that this patient was seen for a total of 44 visits over an 8 month period. Care initially started with three adjustments per week for 30 days, then followed by two adjustments per week for 30 days and then once weekly thereafter.

The results were startling as immediately following the first adjustment the patient began speaking and putting together full sentences that were coherent and understandable. Additionally, after the first adjustment, the young boy was also able to recognize his written name, which he had never been able to do before. As care continued the boy was able to color with crayons and began to understand and follow verbal directions.

Other improvements noted in this case were that prior to care the boy was fairly emotionless but as care continued he began to smile or cry at appropriate times. Additionally, it was noted that the boy had difficulty standing or lying still prior to the introduction of chiropractic care, but after initiating care he could remain still and undistracted while getting his chiropractic adjustments.