Children, not just adults, benefit from chiropractic care.

Dr. Haberstroh tells us how:

Patients have been asking me for years about chiropractic for kids: Is it safe? How early can a chiropractor adjust a child's spine? Should I get an orthpod to approve of chiropractic treatment for my child first? Doctor, should I get my child checked by a DC even though the MRI/CT scan(s) were negative and s/he still has pain? There are many other questions asked of me regarding kids, but these are the most common inquiries. At Boston Spine Clinics, we can answer these important questions. Let's start our discussion by answering these 4 questions and then move on from there.

  Dr. H with Jordan, a chiropractic patient.                                                                                                         

 1) Q:Is chiropractic safe for kids? A: YES! Absolutely safe. There are many methods of chiropractic adjusting for youngsters and they all have one thing in common; these adjustment styles are all very low force and extremely gentle. The orthopedic and neurology anatomy of a child, while smaller and in some ways different from adults, is still generally similar to adults and gentle adjustments to a child's spine can effect changes not only with neck and back pain, but also with certain neurologically based conditions.

2) Q: How early can a chiropractor "adjust" my child's spine? A: 30 seconds.  That's right. I always say, "Thirty Seconds." I have adjusted my children literally just after they emerged from the birth canal without even severing the umbilical cord. I have placed them gently on my right shoulder (face down, similar to the baby I am handling in the picture at left) and lightly touched their spines with my index and middle fingers. There is always a nice adjustment at that moment in their spines. All this hype about not adjusting children until they are 16 or 18 is put forth by uniformed sources who are not chiropractors and have no informed knowledge of chiropractic. While I don't label my own practice as a pediatric practice per se', I have treated many children over the years including my own. And yes, just after birth is an acceptabale time to begin chiropractic treatment. Consider this; Q: barring the bizarre like a bad accident or injury, what is the most traumatic thing that ever happens to each of us?  A: The act of being born.

3) Q: Should I get an Orthopod to approve of chiropractic treatment for my kid first? A: No. With the exception of possibly needing a Primary Care Physician to approve of any type of treatment you seek in your particular health plan, no, a parent does not need the approval of an orthopod to seek chiropractic care for their kids. Chiropractors have made a specialty out of chiropractic for kids over the last 30 years. Many practices advertise as specifically pediatric practices and they treat the children splendidly. Literature now exists to show chiropractic care helps with asthma, bed wetting, colic and headaches in children. There are many post-graduate courses and programs in chiropractic that specialize in pediatric care. Pediatric chiropractic has become an extremely popular form of treatment for many DCs.   *Daughter Alexandra in 1990 when she was 1. She got chiropractic care then.

        Alexandra with Dad in Hollywood, CA March, 2010; still a chiropractic patient 20 years later.                                                                                                                

 4) Q: Should I get my child checked by a Chiropractor even though the MRI/CT scan(s) was "negative" and s/he still has pain?  A: Yes. This holds true for adults too. I am often approached by potential patients who have all kinds of orthpedic aches and pains including headaches, radiation of pain down the arms/legs etc and they tell me that since they had expensive imaging done on themselves and/or their child and the scan was allegedly "negative" then there should be no problem. Nothing could be further from the truth. But we should always ask what "negative" really means. In most cases it means no fractures or cancer. It does NOT address the crucial issue of spinal vertebrae out of alignment.    

While the big expensive scans are great to have and more often than not are indeed negative, a simple plain film X-Ray can show us much about the postural attitudes of anyone's spine, degree of degeneration and so forth. Subtle "pathomechanics" (bone slightly out of place) may show better on plain film radiography. This will help the Chiropractor decide on exactly what adjustment to render and in what direction. And of course, this most definitely applies to children as well. Remember, medical facilities are looking for huge pathology. Chiropractors look for that and the subtlties that affect a person's health and life.

*Don't forget to check out "JoJo's DREAM CART for KIDS" at www.jojosdreamcart.com   Educational, entertaining and hugely fun award winning program for kids 5-10 years old.

Back in the 1980's, there was a wildly popular book by an MD name Robert Mendelsohn. He was a pediatrician and on the Board of Examiners for the State of Illinois. His first book was a sensation. It was called, "Confessions of a Medical Heretic." While not a treatise on chiropractic, it did blow the lid off of the medical world and expose readers to the sometimes haphazzard way that MDs and hospitals practice medicine. His follow up was, "How to Raise a Healthy Child:  IN SPITE of Your Doctor." In this case, Mendelsohn refers to your pediatrician. Another blockbuster and hugely readable and informative. I would recommend both of these books to all parents, especially the second book. There was a third book called, "MALE-practice," which challenged what so-called medical research was really accomplishing while continually using women as laboratory guinea pigs. Find these incredible books at www.becomehealthynow.com

Consider this recent article: Jaskoviak P,"CRA Technique with Invalid Child," Amer ChiroVol. 31 (7), July, 2009. Upshot: An 8 year old girl was struck and dragged by a car. She suffered multiple contusions, a lacertated liver, brain injury, and a torn aorta. She was hospitalized for 10 months and underwent multiple surgeries. At the end of this, she could not walk, talk or see. She was eventually brought to a chiropractor who diagnosed her spinal issues using a special technique called Contact Reglex Analysis. She then undewent an extended course of chiropractic manipulation of the entire spine with emphasis on the neck. She was able to walk, talk and see at the end of this regime. The hospitalization was most definitely needed initially but the chiropractic care was the treatment of choice with follow up care.

Dr. John Haberstroh is a Boston Chiropractor and a Somerville Chiropractor.  Tell your friends to find us at Boston Spine Clinics.

There is much more that can be said about pediatric chiropractic, but that would far exceed the scope of this brief WEB page. Suffice it to say, chiropractors have always been, and remain in the vanguard of wholistic treatment for children that espouses the traditional chiropractic philosophy of "First and foremost, prevention." Find more great information on pediatric chiropractic with the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association at www.icpa4kids.com

COLIC: 316 infants with moderate to severe colic were given chiropractic treatment. After 2 weeks (ave. 3 treatments), the success rate was 94%:  60% were totally cured, 34% were much improved. (J Manip. Physiological Therap. Vol. 12, 281-288, 1989). See also, Miller JE, Phillips HL, "Long Term Effects of Infanct Colic: A Survery Comparison of Chiropractic Treatment and Nontreatment Groups," JMPT, Vol. 32 (8), oct. 2009.

ENURESIS: aka "bed wetting," Another study showed a 25% success rate with this troublesome situation. Lewitt, a neurologist studied chiropractic care with children with chronic relapsing toncillitis: 67% were cured. (JMPT, Vol. 14 (2), Feb. 1991). See also Poecke AJV, Cunliffe C, "Chiropractic Treatment for Primary Nocturnal Enuresis: A Case Series of 33 Consecutive Patients," JMPT, Vol. 32 (8), Oct. 2009.

HEADACHES (CHILDREN):  See Marchand AM, Miller JE, Mitchell C, "Diagnosis and Chiropractic Treatment of Infant Headache Based on Behavioral Presentation and Physical Findings: A Retrospective Series of 13 Cases," JMPT, Vol. 32 (8), Oct. 2009. *(Bottom line here: the kids responded favorably to chiropractic care)

See also, Hartvigsen J, Hestbaek L, "Children and Chiropractic Care: A Window of Opportunity," JMPT, Vol. 32 (8), Oct. 2009.

See also, Hellstenius SA, "Recurrent Neck Pain and Headaches In Pre-adolescnents Associated with Mechanical Dysfunction of the Cervical Spine: A Cross-Sectional Observation Study with 131 Students," JMPT, Vol. 32 (8), Oct. 2009;    Hawk C, Schneider M, et.al, "Best Practices Recommendations for Chiropractic Care for Infants, Children, and Adolescents: Results of a Consensus Process," JMPT, Vol. 32 (8), Oct. 2009;  Cuthbert CS, Barras M, "Developemental Delay Syndromes: Psychometric Testing Before and After Chiropractic Treatment of 157 Children, JMPT, Vol. 32 (8), Oct. 2009.

Cousin Luke, Kurt and Alex have been getting chiropractic care since birth

Jordan with cousins Chris and Nick.

Breast Feeding: Although not a chiropractic treatment, most DCs highly recommend this with newborns. Consider the new article that just came out talking about this very subject:

Study: Breast-feeding would save lives, money
Reuters – Mothers breast feed their newly born babies inside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Fabella … .By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner, Ap Medical Writer – Mon Apr 5, 1:53 pm ET CHICAGO : 

The lives of nearly 900 babies would be saved each year, along with billions of dollars, if 90 percent of U.S. women fed their babies breast milk only for the first six months of life, a cost analysis says. Those startling results, published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, are only an estimate. But several experts who reviewed the analysis said the methods and conclusions seem sound. "The health care system has got to be aware that breast-feeding makes a profound difference," said Dr. Ruth Lawrence, who heads the American Academy of Pediatrics' breast-feeding section. The findings suggest that there are hundreds of deaths and many more costly illnesses each year from health problems that breast-feeding may help prevent. These include stomach viruses, ear infections, asthma, juvenile diabetes, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and even childhood leukemia.

The magnitude of health benefits linked to breast-feeding is vastly underappreciated, said lead author Dr. Melissa Bartick, an internist and instructor at Harvard Medical School. Breast-feeding is sometimes considered a lifestyle choice, but Bartick calls it a public health issue.  Among the benefits: Breast milk contains antibodies that help babies fight infections; it also can affect insulin levels in the blood, which may make breast-fed babies less likely to develop diabetes and obesity.  The analysis studied the prevalence of 10 common childhood illnesses, costs of treating those diseases, including hospitalization, and the level of disease protection other studies have linked with breast-feeding.

The $13 billion in estimated losses due to the low breast-feeding rate includes an economists' calculation partly based on lost potential lifetime wages — $10.56 million per death.  The methods were similar to a widely cited 2001 government report that said $3.6 billion could be saved each year if 50 percent of mothers breast-fed their babies for six months. Medical costs have climbed since then and breast-feeding rates have increased only slightly.  About 43 percent of U.S. mothers do at least some breast-feeding for six months, but only 12 percent follow government guidelines recommending that babies receive only breast milk for six months.

Dr. Larry Gray, a University of Chicago pediatrician, called the analysis compelling and said it's reasonable to strive for 90 percent compliance. But he also said mothers who don't breast-feed for six months shouldn't be blamed or made to feel guilty, because their jobs and other demands often make it impossible to do so.  "We'd all love as pediatricians to be able to carry this information into the boardrooms by saying we all gain by small changes at the workplace" that encourage breast-feeding, Gray said.

Bartick said there are some encouraging signs. The government's new health care overhaul requires large employers to provide private places for working mothers to pump breast milk. And under a provision enacted April 1 by the Joint Commission, a hospital accrediting agency, hospitals may be evaluated on their efforts to ensure that newborns are fed only breast milk before they're sent home.  The pediatrics academy says babies should be given a chance to start breast-feeding immediately after birth. Bartick said that often doesn't happen, and at many hospitals newborns are offered formula even when their mothers intend to breast-feed.

"Hospital practices need to change to be more in line with evidence-based care," Bartick said. "We really shouldn't be blaming mothers for this."

For the Health of Your Baby, Stay Away From Unnecessary Ultrasounds

Efforts to help obese children floundering
Americans are beginning to realize that childhood obesity is a real problem and are even starting to do something about it, but there is no way to tell what actually works, a panel of experts said.