Chiroblog

Many parents wonder why their child struggles with things like focus, emotions, sleep, sensory sensitivities, or frequent illness—especially when they’re doing “everything right.” An evolutionary perspective helps reframe this question. According to physician and researcher Randolph Nesse, many physical and mental health challenges are due to natural vulnerabilities that come from how human brains and bodies developed over time. Every child’s nervous system is unique, shaped by genetics, early development, and life experiences, which means differences in regulation, sensitivity, and resilience happen due to evolutionary forces. 

Modern childhood also looks very different from the environment the developing brain evolved for. Children’s nervous systems are designed for movement, connection, and predictable rhythms, yet today’s world is filled with screens, sitting, constant stimulation, and stress. This mismatch can place extra strain on a child’s ability to self‑regulate, leading to behaviors or symptoms that parents often worry about. In many cases, these challenges reflect a nervous system working hard to adapt, protect, and cope.

From this viewpoint, symptoms are meaningful signals. Protective responses like stress, anxiety, inflammation, or muscle tension can become overactive or poorly regulated, especially in growing children whose brains are still developing. Brain‑based pediatric chiropractic care focuses on supporting healthy nervous system communication and regulation, helping the brain and body adapt more efficiently to life’s demands.   This evolutionary approach encourages asking more empowering questions, such as: “How can we support my child’s nervous system so they can grow, thrive, and feel more at ease in their body?”

Recently a mom told me that they are seeing improvements with their child at home and at school and that they are really happy with his progress, and now they look at their child as having possibilities instead of having limitations.  That’s what brain-based chiropractic can do for your children…it can change your perspective on what is possible. 

Reference:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wps.21072

When parents bring their child to a pediatric chiropractor, it’s often because they are noticing patterns—how their child moves, reacts, or regulates themselves. They have colic/reflux and are always upset after eating.  They might be on the autism spectrum and get dysregulated easily when there are too many people, bright lights or loud noises.  The child might have ADHD and be distracted constantly while doing homework but can focus on Pokemon or Minecraft for hours. 

One helpful way pediatric chiropractors might think about these patterns comes from biology, using something called Tinbergen’s Four Questions. While originally designed to understand animal behavior, this framework also helps explain how a child’s nervous system functions and develops. It reminds us that behavior and movement aren’t random—they reflect how a child’s brain and body are working together right now.

The first two questions focus on the present and the past. The first question discusses what is know as Mechanism, looking at what’s happening in the nervous system today, such as how a child processes sensory input, coordinates movement, or responds to stress. Ontogeny, the second of Tinbergen’s questions, looks at how those patterns developed over time, including early milestones, birth experiences, or periods of stress. Together, these 2 perspectives help families and practitioners understand a child’s current needs without jumping to labels or diagnoses.

The other two questions help pediatric chiropractors see the purpose and the bigger picture. Function, the 3^rd question, asks what a behavior might be trying to accomplish—many challenging behaviors are actually protective or adaptive strategies. The final question, Phylogeny, reminds us that many primitive reflexes and stress responses are deeply rooted in human evolution and early development. When viewed together, these four questions encourage a whole‑child approach—one that sees each child’s nervous system as adaptive, developing, and worthy of support as they grow.

Someone asked me yesterday, “my child has ADHD but might also have autism.  How would you approach their case?”  Using Tinbergen’s four question concepts, we approach each child not as what their diagnosis is, but how their nerve system is functioning.  It is not a ‘cookie-cutter’, one-size-fits-all method, but very individualized based upon what sort of exam findings they have.  Then we tailor-make a care plan for each child, and importantly perform re-evaluations every 5-10 visits to make course-corrections as the child improves.  If you want a very gentle, individualized approach to help improve your child's nervous system, then pediatric, brain-based chiropractic is for you...and your child!

References:

https://lalandlab.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/files/2015/08/Publication199.pdf

https://academic.oup.com/emph/article/2019/1/2/5232207

Recent research in neuroscience is showing that the brain is far more adaptable than once believed. A 2025 article from Psychology Today explores how “brain maps” — the brain’s internal representations of the body, senses, and movement — can change and strengthen through experience. When these maps are clear and well‑organized, the brain can process information more efficiently, supporting learning, focus, emotional regulation, and recovery after stress or injury. This process highlights the brain’s ability to grow and adapt throughout life, especially during childhood.

In children, healthy brain mapping is closely tied to movement, sensory input, and nervous system balance. Everyday activities like crawling, walking, playing, and even maintaining posture send important signals to the brain that help refine these maps. When the nervous system is overwhelmed or not functioning optimally, these signals may become less clear, potentially affecting attention, coordination, or behavior. Supporting the nervous system during key developmental stages can help children build better foundations for learning and resilience.

Gentle pediatric chiropractic care focuses on supporting the nervous system by improving how the body and brain communicate. Using light, age‑appropriate techniques, pediatric chiropractors goal is to reduce stress and enhance sensory input, which may help the brain create clearer, more efficient maps. When combined with healthy movement, proper sleep, and improved nutrition, gentle chiropractic care can be a supportive part of helping children thrive as their brains grow, adapt, and develop.

We see kids with developmental delays begin to thrive while under chiropractic care, and kids with autism who are minimally speaking become more calm and more communicative.  Pediatric chiropractic is a healthy addition to their lifestyle, and helps their parents too!

Reference:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/recovery-from-brain-injury/202511/the-science-of-brain-maps-and-cognitive-amplification

An article in a 2019 issue of Psychology Today entitled, The Puzzle of the Unbalanced Mind, compares two kinds of “fitness landscapes,” which are simple models showing how different amounts of a trait affect an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce. In a symmetrical fitness landscape, individuals with low to medium levels of a trait have the highest reproductive success, and as you move toward either extreme—too low or too high—the number of successful offspring decreases. Mutations can widen the range of trait values, causing some individuals to fall into less optimal fitness zones on either side of the peak. In contrast, a cliff‑edged fitness landscape shows a situation where increasing a trait generally improves reproduction—right up until it hits a dangerous tipping point. Just past that peak, even a small shift can push individuals “off the cliff,” causing sharply reduced fitness.  The term fitness, as used by the author of the article, refers not to athletic ability but to the physical and behavioral health of that person.  So reduced fitness relates to a child who may have a weakened immune system, or more difficult behavioral issues.

Fitness landscapes offer a helpful way to understand why some children struggle more when their bodies or nervous systems drift away from an ideal range of balance and coordination. In a child’s developing spine and nervous system, there is a “sweet spot” where mobility, posture, primitive reflex integration, and sensory processing all work together smoothly—similar to the middle zone in a symmetrical fitness landscape. When birth strain, limited neck motion, poor crawling patterns, or retained primitive reflexes shift a child away from this zone, the system must work harder to interpret sensations, coordinate movement, or regulate behavior. Pediatric chiropractic care gently supports children by improving spinal motion and reducing tension, helping the brain receive clearer, more organized input from the body. This effectively moves a child toward the optimal middle of the landscape, widening the buffer between them and the “cliff edge” where small challenges can lead to bigger struggles—whether that’s feeding difficulty, colic-like discomfort, increased startle responses, or motor‑development delays. In this way, gentle pediatric chiropractic care supports resilience in growing children, helping their systems stay balanced, adaptable, and functioning at their best. 

We have seen countless times how children with autism come to the office for their first visit and are dysregulated and highly charged, and within several weeks to months they become more calm, focused and communicative. 

Reference: 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201903/the-puzzle-the-unbalanced-mind

The 1907, a landmark law case occurred in Chiropractic.  Believe it or not, chiropractors were being arrested and jailed (yes I am not kidding) for practicing medicine without a license. Over the course of the early to mid 1900’s, over 600 chiropractors were jailed, some multiple times!   

Wisconsin v. Morikubo case was the first successful legal defense of chiropractic, establishing it as a distinct profession from medicine and osteopathy. Arrested for practicing medicine without a license, Shegataro Morikubo, DC, from LaCrosse, Wisconsin, was acquitted based on attorney Tom Morris’s brilliant defense.   Morris was the lawyer hired by Dr BJ Palmer, one of the founders of chiropractic and at the time, president of the Palmer School of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa.  Attorney Morris illustrated to the court that chiropractic was a separate and distinct "science, art, and philosophy" focused on the nerve system, not blood (which was the major tenet of osteopathy). 

Attorney Tom Morris argued that because Dr Morikubo did not use drugs or surgery, nor was he taught about drugs or surgery in chiropractic school, he was not practicing medicine. The defense focused on differentiating the chiropractic "philosophy of the nerve" from the osteopathic "supremacy of the artery".  The trial is considered a landmark event that saved the chiropractic profession during its early difficult years and also helped to establish future chiropractic licensing boards in all 50 states. 

It is amazing that now almost 120 years later, that pivotal case still protects chiropractic but even more importantly, shows how our version of brain-based chiropractic can be cited as having one of its early beginning promoters a clever attorney who knew why chiropractic was so special!

References:

The Morikubo Trial: Content Analysis of a Landmark Chiropractic Legal Case. Senzon 2019

https://chiroindex.org/?search_page=articles&action=&articleId=25851&search1=%22Subluxation%22

Looking back at the lawsuit that transformed the chiropractic profession

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8493523/pdf/i2374-250X-35-S1-25.pdf

The superficial stomach muscles, called the rectus abdominus, are made up of a right and left side, connecting strongly in the middle. A common condition during pregnancy is diastasis recti abdominis, the separation of the two sides of these core muscles. A study found that halfway through pregnancy, at least one third of women have this condition. You can actually visualize a diastasis by having the pregnant mom perform a mini sit-up, to see if the abdominal wall ‘cones’ or ‘pouches’ up.

There are many causes of diastasis recti abdominis. Unavoidable factors include hormonal changes which relax the tissues in the abdomen. Multiple pregnancies close together as well as being pregnant with twins are also factors.  Heavy lifting, crunches, planks, and slouched posture should be avoided as much as possible while pregnant. Whether the cause is avoidable or not, there are plenty of ways to help strengthen the core and work towards a reversal of the separation.

            The abdominal muscles can be supported during pregnancy, helping to decrease the severity of this condition. Focusing on belly breathing to properly engage the diaphragm and core is simple and can be done easily throughout the day. Consistent, low impact movement like walking, yoga, and swimming get the body moving in a way that helps to both strengthen and relax the muscles. Good posture is important and can be supported through aligning the spine with chiropractic adjustments. But importantly, if the person’s pelvis is out of alignment, then prenatal-specific chiropractic adjustments are essential to ensure that the abdominal muscles can heal properly. Properly preparing the body throughout pregnancy is essential, and those preparations should include regular exercise and chiropractic care by specifically trained perinatal certified chiropractors. 

References

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27324871/

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10029-025-03417-5.pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/368909964_The_chiropractic_care_of_pregnant_women_a_scoping_review_of_the_literature/fulltext/6400dec60d98a97717d0baa0/The-chiropractic-care-of-pregnant-women-a-scoping-review-of-the-literature.pdf

New research brings encouraging information for families of young children with Autism who are minimally speaking. A large study following 707 preschoolers found that almost 2/3 of minimally speaking children developed some amount of spoken language after participating in early intervention programs. The researchers discovered that how long a child stays in therapy often matters more than the number of hours per week they receive. Children who had stronger motor‑imitation skills—such as clapping, pointing or nodding—were more likely to make gains in spoken language.

Parents have options now to look for supportive health care choices like pediatric chiropractic to help their child maximize their potential when they notice developmental delays.  While early intervention speech-language therapy is the primary, research‑supported method for developing language, some families also explore supportive options like pediatric chiropractic care to promote comfort, body awareness, and overall well‑being during this developmental phase. Parents have found that gentle pediatric chiropractic care can help their child feel more relaxed, regulated, and ready to engage during learning.  We see this everyday in our practice.  Kids who have been going to speech therapy and have been making mild to moderate improvements suddenly accelerate their improvements after starting brain-based pediatric chiropractic care. 

References:

[neurosciencenews.com]

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15374416.2025.2579286#abstract

If you’ve been following the big ideas shaping 2026, you know healthcare is changing fast. We’re talking about a future where health decisions aren’t just about treating sickness—they’re about keeping families healthier for the long term. That’s exciting news for parents because it means more options for proactive care. One area that’s gaining attention? Pediatric chiropractic. It’s all about supporting your child’s growth and development naturally, focusing on posture, spinal alignment, and especially on brain and nervous system health—things that can make a big difference as kids grow.

Think about it: today’s healthcare is becoming more personalized and tech-driven. Pediatric Chiropractors, pediatricians and wellness experts are working together, using tools like primitive reflex testing and visual/vestibular exams to create care plans that fit your child’s unique needs. Pediatric chiropractors are part of this movement. We're not just adjusting spines—we’re helping kids move better, sleep better, and feel better, often reducing stress on growing bodies before it turns into bigger issues. For parents, that means fewer surprises and more peace of mind.

As we look ahead, the best healthcare decisions will combine traditional medicine with preventive care. Adding pediatric chiropractic to your child’s wellness routine is a simple, low-risk way to support their overall health and make sure their brain and nerve system are working as effectively and efficiently as it can. It’s about giving kids the best start possible—helping them thrive in 2026.  And that’s what healthcare is really about: working together to raise healthier, happier kids.

Ready to give your child the best start possible? Schedule a pediatric chiropractic check-up today and discover how small adjustments can make a big difference for your child’s future health. Your family deserves care that’s proactive, natural, and designed for the world of tomorrow.  For more information, click here: https://www.theadjustment.com/

Reference: [substack.com]

Pregnancy is a time of many physical changes, and some expectant mothers may experience discomfort or challenges with fetal positioning. The Webster Technique, a chiropractic method developed by Dr. Larry Webster from Life University in Marietta, Georgia, aims to gently align the pelvis and reduce tension in surrounding muscles and ligaments. The Webster Technique focuses on improving the biomechanics of the sacrum and pelvis, which creates a more balanced environment for the baby and can, as Dr. Webster used to say, “give the pelvis more room.” [icpa4kids.com], [vertebrals…search.com]

Research supports the Webster Technique’s effectiveness in helping pregnant mom’s with babies in a non-optimal birth position.  A survey published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found that 92% of pregnancies showed improvement following Webster Technique adjustments during the last months of pregnancy. Similarly, a practice-based study involving 81 pregnant women showed that about 70% of them had significant improvements after receiving the technique. Multiple case reports over the years, including a 2025 case report, documented that a woman at 37 weeks’ gestation had great results with the Webster Technique.  [spinecentral.co.uk] [vertebrals…search.com] [vertebrals…search.com]

Beyond encouraging optimal fetal position, the Webster Technique can ease pregnancy-related discomfort by relieving pelvic and sacral stress. Many pregnant women report lower back and hip pain relief following treatment. The consistency of positive outcomes makes the Webster Technique a valuable, gentle, and non-invasive option for prenatal care.  

One of our favorite recent cases was a pregnant mom at 41 weeks who was referred to the office by her Ob/Gyn on a Wednesday night for her first ever visit to a chiropractor.  After a detailed exam, we provided her a gentle Webster-based adjustment.  The following day, we received a text from the mom, who said that she went into labor a few hours after the adjustment, and had a natural delivery the next morning!  She texted us a beautiful picture of her and her newborn.  What a celebration!  This just shows that chiropractic can be an amazing intervention for our pregnant moms at any stage of their pregnancy.

When you think about your spine, you probably picture it as the backbone of your body—literally. But did you know that this incredible structure has been evolving for hundreds of millions of years? The story begins with simple aquatic creatures that had nothing more than a flexible rod called a notochord. Over time, that rod transformed into segmented vertebrae, giving rise to the first vertebrates. These early innovations allowed animals to move more efficiently and protect their nervous systems, setting the stage for everything from fish to mammals—and eventually, us. The spine allows for greater flexibility and protection for the spinal cord, but it also is very vulnerable to injury (which is why chiropractic was eventually created in 1895!).

As life moved from water to land, the spine had to adapt to new challenges. Early reptiles and synapsids (our distant ancestors) developed specialized regions in their spines, like thoracic and lumbar sections, to handle twisting, bending, and weight-bearing. This was a game-changer for locomotion. Later, mammals refined these features even further, creating a spine that could support running, climbing, and eventually walking upright. Researchers using advanced imaging and computer modeling have shown how these changes weren’t just about strength—they were about flexibility and balance too. And as the spine evolved, so did our brains…to adapt to walking on 2 feet, we had to create more complicated brains to allow us to use our hands for more complex things and our feet and back for support. 

Fast forward to humans, and the spine takes on its most unique role yet: supporting bipedalism. Standing on two legs required new curves in the spine to keep us balanced and upright. But here’s the catch—those adaptations came with trade-offs. Studies show that our vertebrae are more vulnerable to issues like lower back pain and osteoporosis compared to our primate cousins. Plus childbirth had to change, since the human pelvis is much smaller than most mammals…hence our baby’s come into the world with brains that aren’t completely grown, to make birthing a human baby somewhat easier.  However, that makes our spine, brain and nerve system even more vulnerable.

Hopefully this is a fascinating reminder that evolution isn’t about perfection; it’s about making do with what works best for survival. So next time your back aches, you can thank millions of years of evolutionary engineering for getting you here!  And thank your chiropractor for helping keep your spine, brain and nerve system as healthy as possible!

Further Reading

• Journal of Human Evolution – The evolution of spinal morphology in hominins
• Nature Reviews Rheumatology – Spinal disorders and evolutionary trade-offs in humans
• Evolution & Development – Origin and diversification of vertebral elements in vertebrates
• Proceedings of the Royal Society B – Functional evolution of the mammalian axial skeleton
• Journal of Anatomy – Comparative morphology of lumbar vertebrae in primates and early mammals
• Science Advances – Synapsid trunk evolution and the origins of mammalian flexibility
• The 4 billion year path to human evolution:  https://www.visualcapitalist.com/path-of-human-evolution/