As parents or legal guardians, it is our job to ensure that our children are healthy, happy, and safe. This includes eating healthy meals, getting exercise, going to health checkups, and getting enough sleep. Like adults, children can also suffer from pain, discomfort, and illnesses that can benefit from holistic care. Did you know that 17 percent of chiropractic patients are under the age of 18 and that almost 8 percent of that group are five or younger? Indeed, the National Board of Chiropractic Examiner’s statistics indicate that a growing number of children are benefitting from chiropractic care at an early age. Keep reading to learn about the top benefits of chiropractic care for children.
Your Child’s Central Nervous System
The central nervous system includes the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. This vital system controls the body’s functions, which includes growth and development. If your child has a spine misalignment or subluxation, this can prevent effective brain to body communication.
Like adults, children of all ages can experience subluxations in the spine. For example, babies may suffer from a misaligned spine due to birth trauma and developmental stress. From birth to age 5, a child’s body produces more neural pathways than any other time during their life. Thus, it is essential that this neural production is working properly. After all, the first five years of a child’s life are essential for their growth and development.
Early Start for Healthy Living
When you take your child to a chiropractor, the chiropractor will perform a gentle, safe, and effective adjustment specialized for treating children. By properly aligning their spine, the chiropractic adjustment will help promote effective nervous system functions and communication with the body.
When the spine misalignments are not treated, this places excessive pressure on the spine and nerves, which can lead to pain and neurological interference with brain to body communications. By fixing the spine misalignments, the brain can then better communicate with the body and be able to heal itself as it was intended. Indeed, a child’s body depends on a healthy, functioning nervous system to develop and grow into a healthy adult. Chiropractic care can help set your child up for healthy living at an early age.
Help with Breastfeeding
For new mothers and babies, it can be stressful and challenging to breastfeed. Some find it difficult for a baby to stay or latch on, so the baby can get the proper amount of nutrients from a mother’s breast milk. If a baby is suffering from a misaligned spine, neck, or shoulders, this can place excessive on the baby’s body. Chiropractors can perform gentle and safe adjustments designed for infants. This will treat the baby’s misalignments and thus, improve the breastfeeding process for both mom and baby.
Reduce the Risk of Injury
Regardless of age, children are going to get bumps, bruises, and other injuries. Children learn by doing and this can sometimes lead to accidents. Fortunately, young children have much more flexible bones compared to adults. However, this doesn’t mean they cannot become injured. One effective way to reduce the risk of injury is to take your child to a pediatric chiropractor. These holistic experts have extensive knowledge and experience to help keep your child’s joints and ligaments flexible.
Additionally, as children grow, chiropractic care can promote an easier, less stressful transition during each developmental milestone. This will help prevent injuries as the body is properly aligned and the central nervous system is able to effectively communicate to the body. In turn, this optimal brain to body communication will help the body continue on a path of lasting health and wellness.
We hope you enjoyed this week’s article discussing the benefits of chiropractic care for children. Like grown-ups, children can suffer from misalignments in the body, which affect their overall health and wellbeing. Contact West Michigan Chiropractic today to learn how we can help your child achieve true health and wellness and be set up for a lifetime of healthy habits. We would love to become your new Portage and Kalamazoo, MI chiropractor!