Chiroblog

           As we know, breast milk’s popular nickname is “liquid gold” and rightfully so! There are millions of antibodies and nutrients that a mother’s breast milk can provide for her infant and beyond when ingested. As amazing as breast milk is for the gut microbiome, what other ways can it be useful to a child?

           Breast milk is known for its antibacterial properties which can be useful when trying to avoid harmful ingredients when treating skin conditions. Breast milk contains an epidermal growth factor which may promote skin repair.  Some conditions include, eczema, diaper rash, conjunctivitis (eye infection), and Otitis media (ear infection), which is a no-cost and noninvasive approach to such conditions. For many centuries, breastmilk was the treatment of choice due to its affordability (free!) and its natural ingredients.

           As always, more research is necessary to provide further evidence-based results to confirm or deny the effectiveness of this traditional therapy.

Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6567207/pdf/nutrients-11-00944.pdf

There are so many incredible books to help prepare mothers and fathers for parenthood. Many of them express what you cannot or should not do. In "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" she provides a comprehensive book written by Ina May Gaskin, one of the world’s most prominent midwives. Her book helps redirect the mother’s mindset to things she can do by focusing on natural childbirth.

The book provides a holistic approach to childbirth, emphasizing the body's innate ability to give birth and the importance of mental and emotional preparation for labor. Gaskin shares beautiful birth stories from her experiences at The Farm, a midwifery community she co-founded in Tennessee, which highlights the positive outcomes of natural childbirth.

These optimistic birth stories are a refreshing, new outlook for mothers that may not have been exposed to this side of birth from the media and other outside factors. This allows the mother’s mindset to shift from fear to empowerment.  She further discusses various techniques for coping with labor pain, including relaxation, breathing exercises, and the use of water during labor. Additionally, the book addresses common medical interventions and their potential risks, empowering women to make informed choices about their birthing experiences. "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth" encourages women to trust their bodies and embrace the transformative experience of childbirth.

            Typically, neck pain and headaches are considered a complaint that brings adults into a practitioner’s office, especially chiropractic offices. However, recently, there has been a shift of patient population entering chiropractic offices for such complaints. What is a common denominator in a rise of neck pain and headaches? Many factors play a role in this shift; however, it is hard to overlook the obvious: Text Neck Syndrome. Text Neck Syndrome is a recent phenomenon due to improper and overuse of technological devices such as iPads, cell phones, and laptops. Though this is common in adulthood due to poor working ergonomics, there is a rise in text neck development through the increasing use of technology in young and growing children.

            Today’s environment is a world of technology that children cannot get enough of if exposed to it. If we take a second to look around a crowded room, we can see the commonality amongst the population; most are looking down at some form of devices. So, why does this matter? If the natural, healthy forward curve of our neck bones are not maintained, it will disappear. And why is that important? How does this affect my child? Without the maintenance of normal spinal function, changes begin to take place such as degeneration and muscle tightness. Remember- the spine houses one of our favorite systems, the nervous system.

            When degeneration occurs, it is difficult to reverse. Degeneration is a permanent form of misalignment and aging of the spine, further causing irritation to the communication of the brain and body that happens via the nerves. More importantly, degeneration in the neck (due to Text Neck) is the closest area of the spine to the brain. Thus, the body’s alarm system begins to sound, leading to physiological symptoms such as headaches, possible dizziness, and of course neck pain.

            In a child that is still developing, these changes can lead to complications scholastically, behaviorally, and ultimately irreversible spinal changes. Though screen time is not recommended in a developing child, proper ergonomics can help facilitate a healthier spine! Rather than your child sitting in a chair playing games or scrolling, have them rest on their stomachs to encourage a healthy curve in the cervical spine! If lying prone is not an option, consider expressing the importance of lifting the device to eye level to avoid the forward bending. Limit screen time when necessary to decrease the poor positioning if not able to reach these ergonomics.

Check out the ‘screen time’ post for information!

Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7914771/pdf/ijerph-18-01565.pdf

One of the most common conversations right now in parenthood is screen time. It seems that there is a screen everywhere we turn, even if it is not our own screen! We make so many connections on a phone as adults in respect to work emails, coordinating schedules, and simply staying in touch with others. But are we thinking about what consequences a screen has on the child’s developing brain?

Certain learning applications on devices can help improve education and learning opportunities when in small moderation. However, does the cost outweigh the risk? Such risks associated with screentime can include increasing the probability of obesity, sleep disturbances, and psychological issues such as depression and anxiety.  A cohort study performed by The Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development found that early screen exposure showed an outcome of lowered academic performances. Cognitive disruptions due to early introduction to screen time can also be linked to a poorer attention span and focus abilities that correlate with lesser academic outcomes.

Language development relies heavily on interactions between children and adults. It has been realized that less adult and children’s interactions are occurring due to the interruption of screentime and smart devices. This directly affects language abilities when there is no communication taking place.

Enriching activities can be a positive option for a child in place of screentime. Monitoring screen games and media as well as time spent on a screen can help benefit the child’s cognitive development. This begins with pediatric chiropractors advising and encouraging parental awareness and help them make informed decisions as the world of screens and devices continuing to soar.  

In a future blogpost, we will address other pediatric issues associated with screens, including tech neck!

Reference:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10353947/

Of all the reported sports-related injuries that present to the emergency room each year, approximately 40% are attributed to patients aged 5-14 years.^1-2 While this accounts for only the most severe case (e.g. fractures, concussions, dislocations, etc), it demonstrates a rising trend that sports injuries are occurring in high rates at all levels, not just the high school, college, and professional levels. Kids of elementary and middle school age who are participating in recreational and travel league athletics are just as susceptible to injury as any adult athlete.

Kids playing sports are also at risk of the same injuries as any adult athlete (e.g. tendonitis, ligament tears, meniscus/cartilage injuries, concussions, muscle strains, etc.)^3-4, but they can additionally present with their own set of health challenges and risks due to their immature skeleton. For example, youth athletes are uniquely at risk for injuries to the growth plates or the areas of their bones that are responsible for lengthening and ossifying the bones in their body as they reach full size. Damage to the growth plates can result in premature closing of the growth plates and other long-term complications. Youth athletes are most at-risk during growth spurts when the growth plate is its most fragile.^1-5 Unfortunately, most athletes both begin competitive sport and start sport specialization during the times of growth spurts, ages 5 and 12-15 respectively.

We must also remember that no part of the body grows at the same rate. At some points during development, the head and trunk are out of proportion with the arms and legs. When kids are introduced to the same types of training as adults, their bodies are biomechanically not able to withstand the same forces. This can increase the risk of overuse injuries, especially when kids are subjected to specialized skill training.^1-2 Overuse injuries in childhood without proper rest and healing time can lead an athlete to a lifetime of injury challenges such as early arthritis, cartilage damage, and ligamentous laxity.⁵

The good news is that with proper care including chiropractic, rest, and monitoring kids can have long athletic careers. Sport participation has been shown to have significant positive influences on socialization and interpersonal skills, mental health, self-efficacy, self-worth, and creating long-term healthy habits.^6-7  It is never our goal to discourage sport participation, but to educate parents and families that as with all things, there are risks. However, with the right care team in place, (especially a certified pediatric chiropractor), your child can participate in the sports that they love for as long as they choose.

1. Maffulli N, Caine D. The Epidemiology of Children's Team Sports Injuries. Med Sport Sci. 2005;49:1-8. doi:10.1159/000085330
2. Caine DJ, Maffulli N. Epidemiology of children's individual sports injuries. An important area of medicine and sport science research. Med Sport Sci. 2005;48:1-7. doi:10.1159/000084274
3. Wild JT, Kamani YV, Bryan JM, Hartman TN, Spirov LM, Patel NM. Timeout? The Epidemiology of Pediatric Sports Injuries During the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev. 2022;6(4):e21.00092. Published 2022 Apr 8. doi:10.5435/JAAOSGlobal-D-21-00092
4. Zaremski JL, Zeppieri G Jr, Tripp BL. Sport Specialization and Overuse Injuries in Adolescent Throwing Athletes: A Narrative Review. J Athl Train. 2019;54(10):1030-1039. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-333-18
5. Samet JD. Pediatric Sports Injuries. Clin Sports Med. 2021;40(4):781-799. doi:10.1016/j.csm.2021.05.012
6. Hosker DK, Elkins RM, Potter MP. Promoting Mental Health and Wellness in Youth Through Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Sleep. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2019;28(2):171-193. doi:10.1016/j.chc.2018.11.010
7. Carbone PS, Smith PJ, Lewis C, LeBlanc C. Promoting the Participation of Children and Adolescents With Disabilities in Sports, Recreation, and Physical Activity. Pediatrics. 2021;148(6):e2021054664. doi:10.1542/peds.2021-054664

Last year, it was noted that 1 in 44 children were labeled as having Autism by the CDC. But not anymore!  Just a few weeks ago, the Autism rate changed to 1 in 36, which is really interesting when you consider that when I was a kid in the 1960s and 70s, the Autism rate was one in 10,000!  1 in 36 equals 4% of those born as males in the US have autism. 

According to the CDC, the percent of kids with anxiety has risen to 9.4%, and almost 5% of our kids have depression. One in six children, according to the CDC, between ages two and eight have a mental behavioral or developmental disorder. In 2016, it has been recommended that all teens should be screened for depression. And in 2022, they recommended that all kids eight and over should be screened for anxiety. 

So I focus on kids but let's not just talk about kids for a moment. 55% increase in Alzheimer's 50% increase in Parkinson's the last 15 years. So when I ask, “what's wrong with our brains,” it isn't just what's happening to our kids brains…it’s what’s going on with everyone’s brains? The World Health Organization recently said there is “ample evidence that pinpoints neurological disorders as one of the greatest threats to public health.”

Yes, all brain based issues have skyrocketed. But what's wrong with our brains? The answer in one word: neurotoxicity. We have create a neurotoxic world.  But here’s the key question:  what's right with our brains?  We can try to alleviate some of the neurotoxic stress…you can't change what's out there, but you can change how the body is responding to it. And you can change neurotoxicity through kids getting adjusted, you can change through helping them with nutrition, you can get these kids to move instead of sitting on their iPhones all day long playing.  We can't stop all that neurotoxic stress. But we can help alleviate that and strengthen the other side. I think we can start moving into a new generation where their brains even with the neurotoxic stuff are more resilient. And that's what it's all about.

References available upon request.

See https://www.theadjustment.com/page/chiropractic-webinars.html for a webinar about this by Dr. Rubin where he provides all the references in the powerpoint

Listen to our podcast, for over 500 free episodes:

https://open.spotify.com/show/6MAvSFIDSgfi1MFZacbx8D?si=AM6usc5ES82kJvDZC8jcFQ&dl_branch=1&nd=1

The latest statistics from the CDC released in March of 2023 show that the Autism rate has once again increased from 1 in 44 in the 2020 study to 1 in 36 in the 2023 study. The overall Autism prevalence per 1000 children was an average of 27.6 and it ranged from a prevalence of 23.1 in Maryland to 44.9 in California. The overall male to female prevalence ratio was 3.8 (in other words, 3.8 more Autism seen in those born as males than those born as females), with an overall prevalence of 43 out of 1000 among boys and 11.4 out of 1000 among girls.

When I was a child, the autism rate in the 1960s was one in 10,000. The autism rate around the world has gone up almost 800% since then. A practice member asked me yesterday, “why this was happening? Where's all this coming from?” 

My answer was: the neurotoxicity of the world. We see more Monsanto based food…grown with GMO’s, artificial chemicals, flavors, preservatives and colorings. We see our water polluted, our air polluted, and our minds polluted not just by the incredible volume and  inauthenticity of the stuff that's on the internet, but also by the electromagnetic frequency waves (EMF’s) that are blasting into our cell phones, iPads, and laptops, or even worse, directly into your brain through the air pods and earbuds that have an unbroken connection into the temporal lobe of your brain!

The real problem isn't that the Autism rate has skyrocketed from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 36. The real problem is that ALL brain related issues have skyrocketed, from Autism to ADHD to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's in adults. What's wrong with our brains is the neurotoxicity… what's right with our brains is that we can try to alleviate some of the stress that this neurotoxicity is causing through things like chiropractic care, and nutrition, proper supplementation, regular exercise, and calming techniques like deep breathing, meditation, and Yoga.  Time to take care of our brains!

Reference: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/ss/ss7202a1.htm?s_cid=ss7202a1_w 

The Autism rate has skyrocketed over 800% since autism was first being tracked in the 1990s.  It is now seen in 1 in 44 children and it used to be 1 in 10,000. There has been an increase of 43% in the last eight years of ADHD diagnosis. Concussions have increased 500% since 2010.

Suicide rates have jumped more than 25% since 1999. MIT says that “brain disorders including developmental psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases represent an enormous disease burden.”  The World Health Organization says that “there is ample evidence that pinpoints neurological disorders as one of the greatest threats to public health.”

In the year 1900, the top causes of death was tuberculosis and influenza. Now, the top causes of death are cancer and heart disease.  The rate of infectious diseases, except for COVID, declined 46% from 1910 to 2010. Cancer and heart disease account for 47% of all deaths in the United States today.  But honestly, I don't think that cancer and heart disease are the only problem that we're facing in terms of major illnesses. I truly believe the number one problem of our time is what's wrong with our brains.

Teenagers are experiencing more anxiety and depression than ever before. One in six children have a developmental disability and one in five children have a mental health disorder. What's going on with our brains?

One way to fix our brains is to take a good look at what the true problem is. I believe that the problem is that our modern society is literally creating what Dr. Robert Melillo calls a society of 'Disconnected Kids' (and Disconnected Adults!).  We are 'growing' brains with something called functional disconnection. In all my years of experience, chiropractic, neurological exercises and nutritional changes can be massively helpful in Disconnected children and adults. Find a brain-based chiropractor today!

References available upon request

Disruptive pediatrics: What is that? It is a different way of thinking about kids health care.

It is a patient first concept, where we create an environment and care plans based on each individual child. We examine their strengths and their weaknesses during the child’s first visit and determine which of three categories they are placed in.  By creating these specific categories we're able to give them very focused care, focused on that particular child's needs. We assess the child's brain and nervous system and then create a blueprint or a roadmap with very specific recommendations in terms of types of adjustments, types of home exercises and types of dietary suggestions.   

No one child is the same. Whether that child has Autism, ADHD, ear infections, colic, developmental delays, nursing problems…every child is different. So every child gets their own specific care plan.

Most practices in healthcare are very ‘cookie-cutter’ in nature. You go in, they do the same thing to every single person during their examination, regardless of what their issue is, and then spit out the same recommendations to every single person.  Not an office that is involved with disruptive pediatrics!  We are committed to making sure your child gets laser focused health care based upon what they need. And every 10 visits, we will do a re-examination to change that focus based on the child's improvements.

Welcome to disruptive pediatrics!

So often we think of our DNA as a life sentence- that the genes our parents gave us are our destiny, no matter our choices. We look at our parents and grandparents and we assume that their present is our future. However, the science of epigenetics is turning that idea on its head. We might have genes for cancer and diabetes and Alzheimer’s, but it is the actions in our lives that determine the expression of those genes.

“[DNA is] like a script. Think of Romeo and Juliet, for example. In 1936 George Cukor directed Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer in a film version. Sixty years later Baz Luhrmann directed Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in another movie version of this play. Both productions used Shakespeare’s script, yet the two movies are entirely different. Identical starting points, different outcomes.” ―Nessa Carey, The Epigenetics Revolution

This concept is proven when you look at identical twins, who have the same genetic make-up, but different medical histories. At the moment of conception, the health status of our parents will affect the expression of our genes. Throughout our childhood, everything from the food we ate to the air we breathed affect the interpretation of our DNA.

Here are a few ways we can influence our genes in a positive way:

• Eating whole, minimally processed foods
• Moving our bodies daily
• Getting adjusted regularly
• Minimizing our exposure to environmental toxins
• Meditation

We can’t prevent every illness with epigenetics, but by living a healthy lifestyle we give our bodies their best chance!

References

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/17396504-the-epigenetics-revolution

https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/disease/epigenetics.htm#:~:text=Epigenetics%20is%20the%20study%20of,body%20reads%20a%20DNA%20sequence.