WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE MARCH OF DIMES POSTER CHILD WINIFRED GARDELLA?

In the early 1950’s, Winifred Gardella was a poster child for the March of Dimes in San Francisco. Nationally, her image raised millions of dollars to help fight the dreaded crippler, Polio. Her sad, innocent face and her tiny body supported on crutches and leg braces made many Americans reach into their pockets to donate. But the March of Dimes could not help Winifred. After two and a half years under their Doctor’s expert care, her parents were told “There is no hope”. Despite this dire prediction, her grandparents were determined to find a cure. They were not about to accept the opinion of so called “Medical Experts.” They decided to choose their own health care and they took Winifred to Dr. Lewis Robertson, a Chiropractor in Glendale, California. She was adjusted daily, and in less than six months of having her nerve interference corrected Winifred Gardella threw away her crutches and braces, and went for a walk with her chiropractor. She has been walking ever since! This was not a “medical miracle”, Winifred’s body simply responded normally to Chiropractic adjustments by re-establishing its ideal balance and optimal function. It’s a natural response to Chiropractic.This is just one of many stories about the benefits of chiropractic. While there is extensive research about the benefits of regular chiropractic treatments, much of it is ignored by the media and the medical community. Good spinal health is essential to the function of the entire body!

Passion City Kids and Chiropractic

Last night was a life changing experience for me! There is nothing more amazing to see child's like faith actually played out. Yesterday was day one of Passion kids, and I was blessed to be a part of it. During the 2 hours we had to learn about God's love for us and how he made every single one of us perfect and perfectly planned to live for him, I noticed the love and desire to give back to this world in every single child and volunteer. This experience deepened my understanding of what God is putting in my heart and the blessings and talents he has given me to better serve his will. What am I talking about? CHIROPRACTIC!!

More than ever, kid's need to make sure their growing bodies are functioning at their optimal level. This is because they are having to deal with never ending obstacles of life that are putting stress upon their bodies and spines. These are the child birthing process itself, learning to crawl and walk and ultimately falling, unhealthy foods, increasing vaccinations and medications at a very young age, sitting inside watching tv and playing video games instead of being outside, and the emotional stress with being accepted. These incidents and many others put stress on our nervous systems and can lead to chronic sickness, ear infections, decreased focus and mental capacity just to name a few.

God has prepared me to serve him by serving others via chiropractic. Chiropractic deals with the God given potential inside every single one of us. When your nervous system is functioning at its optimal level, we can better meet the needs of our daily lives and therefore better serve God's will.

Don't hesitate to ask me how chiropractic can help you and your child. And please read this other post.

http://moechiropractic.blogspot.com/2011/05/children-and-chiropractic.html

"The Lord will guide you continually, watering your life when you are dry and keeping you healthy, too. You will be like a well watered garden like an ever-flowing spring." (Isaiah 58:11)

Children and Chiropractic

The nervous system plays a key role in the health of children and yet is often overlooked as the cause of health problems. Chiropractors and medical researchers have found that birth trauma is the first cause of nervous system interference. This is because the process of most birthing processes is a physical insult to the baby’s body. Often the first subluxation in a person’s life occurs at birth, and usually being the first bone of your spine known as the atlas. This is the most important bone in your body not only because it is responsible for holding up your head but because it houses and protects your spinal cord and brain stem. When this bone is out of alignment, pressure builds around you brain stem and spinal cord causing nerve interference. When your body’s afferent and efferent communication is not in balance your body begins to fall away from homeostasis and pulls you away from optimal health. When this occurs in an infant during their most important time of development major consequences will follow. Having your child checked for a subluxation at birth or soon after will allow that inborn intelligence inside of them that has been developing them from conception work at 100%.

Get your family checked!!

Upper Cervical Care and the Pediatric Patient

by Dr. Claudia Anrig

from: Dynamic Chiropractic - April 10, 2006, Volume 24, Issue 08

Upper cervical technique is not new to the chiropractic profession. It started with the toggle (HIO) technique, developed by Dr. B.J. Palmer, followed by other upper cervical techniques, such as Grostic, NUCCA, orthospinology and atlas orthongal. In preparing this article, I interviewed Dr. Julie Mayer Hunt, a second-generation upper cervical chiropractor who is board certified in orthospinology and has earned diplomate status in chiropractic pediatrics. She is currently a board member of the Society of Chiropractic Orthospinology and the Academy of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Organizations (AUCCO).

According to Dr. Mayer Hunt, "The upper cervical spine is one of the most vulnerable areas of the spine and is a critical area to keep free from nerve interference." She cites a study published in the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics that identified approximately 58 articles regarding chiropractic care of the pediatric patient.1 All of the literature reviewed involved upper cervical adjustments (UCA) and reported the overall level of improvement as a result of rendering specific chiropractic care. Many of the studies involved cases in which any of a myriad of conditions frequently affecting children was resolved completely. Moreover, the response time of a UCA often was seen within one to three treatments. The conditions cited included infantile colic, glaucoma, irritability, head trauma, hemiparesis, projectile vomiting, tonsillitis, sinusitis, bronchitis, nocturnal enuresis, allergies, sleep disorders curvature of the spine, fever, otitis media, asthma, ADHD, headaches, torticollis and seizures. The JCCP study summarized studies involving more than 1,000 children under chiropractic care; the findings suggested the focal area of care involved the upper cervical spine.

Dr. Kirk Eriksen best describes the upper cervical biomechanics as not moving in only one plane of motion. During normal cervical movement, coupled motion occurs. Coupling is defined as motion in which rotation or translation of a rigid body about or along one axis is consistently associated with simultaneous rotation or translation about or along another axis. During normal range of movement, coupled motion helps reduce tension on the nervous system. This is accomplished by offsetting pure lateral flexion or rotation, with small amounts of movements in the X, Y or Z axes.2

One feature of an upper cervical subluxation is that the occipito-atlanto-axial articulations have misaligned in an uncoupled fashion. This condition is measured radiographically in a neutral posture, with the spine at rest. The body must continually adapt, from a biomechanical and neurological standpoint, to this type of subluxation.2

The birth process alone can contribute to upper cervical trauma and instability. Abraham Towbin, MD, reported the results of a study on newborn spinal cord/brainstem injuries that he conducted at the Harvard Department of Neuropathology.3 He performed autopsies on more than 2,000 newborns that died shortly after birth. In his report, Latent Spinal Cord and Brain Stem Injuries in Newborn Infants, Dr. Towbin stated: "Spinal cord and brain stem injuries often occur during the process of birth, but frequently escape diagnosis. Respiratory distress is a cardinal sign of such injury."3

A study by H. Biedermann, published in the Journal of Manual Medicine, high lights the importance of checking the newborn following delivery. In his evaluation of 1,000 newborns, he discovered that 119 cases revealed kinematic imbalances of the suboccipital spine. The finding of suboccipital strain equated to approximately 12 percent of the population group.4

Upper cervical techniques traditionally use the supine leg-length evaluation to determine necessity for adjusting the atlas. When evaluating the pediatric patient with the supine leg check, a leg-length difference is often readily apparent, usually half an inch or greater. Dr. K. Eriksen notes the following hypothesis regarding the short leg findings:

"The spinocerebellar tracts are located along the lateral edge of the spinal cord and are located at the most probable site of maximal mechanical irritation via the dentate ligaments. These proprioceptive tracts are primary pathways for regulating muscle tone and joint position sense. The spinocerebellar tracts are arranged in a laminar fashion (although somewhat angulated) with the most lateral fibers innervating the most caudal structures (i.e., legssacrallumbarthoracic cervical [very limited]). Irritation of these tracts could lead to muscle tone imbalance of the pelvic girdle resulting in a functional short leg."5

Upper cervical chiropractors also note postural corrections as a byproduct of specific upper cervical adjustments. These doctors advocate that one of the benefits of chiropractic care for the pediatric population is eliminating spinal stress (weight of the head centered and structurally/neurologically balanced) on the child's developing spine.

A resource regarding upper cervical techniques for both pediatric and general practice is Dr. Erikson's book, Upper Cervical Subluxation Complex: A Review of the Chiropractic and Medical Literature. The book reviews the anatomy and kinematics of the upper cervical spine, and explains how impaired biomechanics causes neurological dysfunction and physiological concomitants.5 This textbook is not intended to be about chiropractic technique; rather, the text provides the "why" as opposed to the "how" of upper cervical chiropractic care. A follow-up book providing specifics on upper cervical techniques including pediatric care is scheduled to be released in spring 2007.

Claudia Anrig, DC, practices in Fresno, Calif. She is on the board of directors of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association. For more information, including a brief biography, a printable version of this article and a link to previous articles, please visit Dr. Anrig's columnist page online: www.chiroweb.com/columnist/anrig

Chiropractic at 37,000 ft.

This past week I was flying from San Diego to Oakland, California and there was a very fussy baby (to put it mildly) sitting across the isle from me and one row back. He was somewhere between six and eight months old by my best guess. Everything started out fine, but about ten minutes into the flight he began whimpering, then crying a little harder. This kept up for about five minutes or so when he suddenly reared back and let out a yell that sounded like someone was torturing him. He cried at the top of his lungs no matter how his mother tried to comfort him. He wouldn’t be distracted, he wouldn’t nurse, all he would do is scream, scream, scream! I was thinking about saying something to the mother after roughly ten minutes or so of this to see if she would allow me to help her when she said to her baby, “Oh Honey, it won’t be much longer before you will get to se Dr. Rich. We’ll go right to his office from the airport!” I turned around and asked her, “Dr.? Does he have a problem he’s being treated for?” She answered, “No, he’s usually very happy. But we’ve been out of town for two weeks and he’s been in a lot of strange places and hasn’t seen his chiropractor for an adjustment since we left.” I smiled and replied, “I’m a chiropractor, is there something…” Before I could finish she got up out of her seat, holding her baby out in front of her, arms fully extended and pleaded, “Would you mind?!” I put him on my lap, assessed him, adjusted him once very gently in his upper neck and once in his mid-back, and he was quiet within twenty seconds. The people around us were amazed and a few even clapped. She took him back and he went to sleep for the rest of the flight. As we landed, the flight attendant thanked everyone for flying Southwest, and then added, “And how about a huge thank you and a round of applause for the wonderful chiropractor who not only helped that little guy asleep there, but who also saved the rest of us from whatever horrors we might commit as the result of listening to over an hour of screaming!” Everyone clapped and cheered. You may think the point of this story is to tell you how wonderful chiropractic is at helping babies in distress – it’s not. You may think it’s about the fact that more and more people are not only accepting but actually praising chiropractic care – it’s not. No, the one and only point I want you to get goes back to what the flight attendant said, even if she meant it as a joke. She talked about how I, “not only helped that little guy asleep there, but who also saved the rest of us from whatever horrors we might commit as the result of listening to over an hour of screaming!” B.J. Palmer once said, “You never know how far reaching something you may think, say, or do today will affect the lives of millions tomorrow.” Who knows how everyone on that plane’s lives were different because they had a better experience after he went to sleep? Who knows what may have been said out of frustration to an innocent person by any one of the 163 people on that plane? And what about the ripple effect of all those people everyone on that plane interacted with after the flight? You may not realize just how important you and your health are to those around you, but I can tell you that there are 163 people who now know that truth a whole lot better now than they did a week ago.

By kevin Donka D.C.

INNATE INTELLIGENCE

The intelligence within man, which activates and motivates living man, which reproduces his seed; the intelligence, also within woman, which fertilizes, develops and matures that seed from a dependent to an independent child, in 280 days; the intelligence which directs, regulates, and controls all of us, night and day, and/or asleep; keep hearts beating continuously every second and minute from birth to death; causes our bodies to inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide; brings about adaptations to latitudes and altitudes; takes mixed substances we ingest, breaks them down chemically, extracts from them needed vitamins, assimilates them into body nourishment; urinates, defecates, and perspires poisons; heals burns, mends and unites broken bones; heats our bodies in winter and refrigerates them in summer. That is the INNATE INTELLIGENCE and law resident within us which the Chiropractor works with it to get the sick body well.

-B.J. Palmer

Chiropractic Care for Children found to be safe and effective!

Two recent survey studies have shown chiropractic care for children is safe, gets results and offers children unexpected health benefits. One survey included data from doctors of chiropractic and the other survey collected data from parents of children under care.

The results of the doctors’ surveys showed that of the 812 clinical cases, 717 indicated experiencing an improvement with their presenting symptoms, while 9 patients reported treatment-related aggravations. These were described as “soreness” or “fussy.” No treatment-related complications were reported. The survey results suggest that chiropractic adjustments for children is safe and effective.

An overwhelming majority of the parents reported that their children’s problems improved with chiropractic care. After 10,249 visits from 1, 176 children, only 17 reported treatmentassociated aggravations described as soreness and stiffness after the adjustment, the child is “fussy” after the adjustment or a fever or spitting up. No serious complications were reported. “Wellness care” care was reported by 54% of the parents for their child’s visits.

Both surveys revealed that children experienced added health benefits beyond what they came in for. The three most common additional benefits were: improved immune system function, improved sleep and improved moods in the children.

To date, these are the first study of its kind in documenting treatment- associated problems and improvements in the chiropractic care of children. This study provides practice-based evidence on the safety and effectiveness of pediatric chiropractic

http://www.pathwaystofamilywellness.org/

Children and Chiropractic

The nervous system plays a key role in the health of children and yet is often overlooked as the cause of health problems. Chiropractors and medical researchers have found that birth trauma is the first cause of nervous system interference. This is because the process of most birthing processes is a physical insult to the baby’s body. Often the first subluxation in a person’s life occurs at birth, and usually being the first bone of your spine known as the atlas. This is the most important bone in your body not only because it is responsible for holding up your head but because it houses and protects your spinal cord and brain stem. When this bone is out of alignment, pressure builds around your brain stem and spinal cord causing nerve interference. When your body’s afferent and efferent communication is not in balance your body begins to fall away from homeostasis and pulls you away from optimal health. When this occurs in an infant during their most important time of development major consequences will follow. Having your child checked for a subluxation at birth or soon after will allow that inborn intelligence inside of them that has been developing them from conception work at 100%.

Get your family checked!!

ADHD Helped With Chiropractic, A Case Study

In the October 2004 issue of the peer-reviewed research publication, the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT), comes a case study of a child with ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), who was helped with chiropractic.

The case was of a 5 year old boy who had been diagnosed with ADHD at age 2. The child’s pediatrician prescribed methylphenidate (Ritalin), Adderall, and Haldol for the next 3 years. The combination of drugs was unsuccessful in helping the child.

At age 5 the child was brought to a chiropractor to see if chiropractic care would help. The history taken at that time noted that during the child’s birth, there were complications during his delivery process. The results of this trauma and complications resulted in a 4-day stay in the neonatal intensive care unit. The child’s mother reported no other incidence of trauma.

The chiropractic examination and x-rays showed noticeable spinal distortion including a reversal of the normal neck curve indicative of subluxations. Chiropractic care was begun and the child’s progress was monitored.

According to his mother, positive changes in her son's general behavior were noticed around the twelfth visit. By the 27th visit the patient had experienced considerable improvement.

The child was brought by the mother to the medical doctor for a follow up visit and questioned the usage of the Ritalin. The medical doctor reviewed and examined the child and based on that assessment and his clinical experience, the MD felt that the young boy was no longer exhibiting symptoms associated with ADHD. He then took the boy off the medications that he had been taking for 3 years.

The conclusion of the author of the JMPT case study noted, “The patient experienced significant reduction in symptoms. Additionally, the medical doctor concluded that the reduction in symptoms was significant enough to discontinue the medication.”

--> When your body is able to properly function via an efficiently communicating nervous system it is able to get as close as it possibly can to optimal health.

Autism Statistics

I have recently met more and more people who's life has been affected by autism and came upon these statistics at generationrescue.org.

-1 in 91 children (formally 1 in 150 up until 2009 and 1 in 10,000 in the early 1990s)

-4:1 ratio of boys to girls

-1 in 58 boys

-Fastest growing developmental disability

-More than 100 billion in estimated annual costs

-In ten years the annual costs are projected at 200-400 billion.

-Cost of lifelong care can be reduced by 2/3rds with early intervention

-A family with a child with autism will fund 3 to 5 million dollars of services throughout the lifetime of the child.

-More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than cancer, diabetes, Downs Syndrome and AIDS combined.

-Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of most of the more prevalent childhood disorders.

-Approximately 1 million individuals in the US have autism

-Studies have shown that environmental toxins like mercury and pesticides can trigger autism.

-There has been no study that has directly linked a pure genetics basis for autism.

-The fastest growing genetic disorders increase at an approximate rate of 1% per 100 years. Autism is growing at a much greater rate.

Incidence vs. Private Funding (2007) Condition Incidence Private Funding Pediatric AIDS 1 in 8,000 394 Million Leukemia 1 in 25,000 310 Million Muscular Dystrophy 1 in 20,000 175 Million Juvenile Diabetes 1 in 500 130 Million Autism 1 in 150 42 Million

--> Autism is defined by the Autism Society Of America (ASA) as: "Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Both children and adults with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities.

--> The Role of Chiropractic in the Care of Children with Autism

The November/December 2003 issue of the magazine "Autism Digest" contained an interesting article on the subject of Autism and the effect of chiropractic care on those children. The article was authored by world known chiropractor for children, Dr. Joan Fallon. In her article she notes, "While it has regularly been associated with back pain or headache, increasing numbers of parents are seeking chiropractors for children and especially for children with developmental issues."

The article starts off by noting that Temple Grandin, an author of two books on autism, is herself autistic. The article notes that in her books she repeatedly discusses sensory integration difficulties as being the core of her autism. Additionally, a growing numbers of professionals also tout sensory difficulties as one of the hallmarks of autism.

Dr. Fallon describes this phenomenon by saying, "Sensory integration is defined as the disorganization of the multisensory input into the body. People who experience sensory integration problems have profound and often debilitating difficulty with touch, taste, smell, sound or visual input. Non-autistics can often experience sensory issues as well, such as the irritation we feel from a band playing too loudly, or an immediate headache from a certain smell. While these may be bothersome to the typical person, such sensory stimuli can be “noxious” to the autistic child and often manifest in infancy as colic and in the older child as hyperactivity, the “inability to listen”, or unexplained behavior issues, especially in children who lack communication."

The article continues by stating that Chiropractic care should be the cornerstone of the sensory integration treatment plan for the Autistic child. Dr. Fallon notes, "Chiropractic care differs from many of the other therapies used with autistics in that it is directed to the heart of the problem: the lack of homeostasis in the body, which can, in turn, produce a disease state. Treatments are directed to the imbalances in the nervous system which inhibit sensory processing. By directly affecting the nervous system, chiropractic care for the autistic child can begin to change the many sensory integration issues by facilitating input into the organs and areas of the body involved in sensory integration, including the skin and the nervous system."

The article then explains that the imbalances in the nervous system are caused by "Subluxations" in the spine. "The presence of Subluxation can cause illness as well as a host of other problems for the child," contends Dr. Fallon. "The chiropractor administers an adjustment as the mainstream portion of care. The adjustment is administered in areas where there is the presence of a SUBLUXATION. Subluxation occurs where a segment of the spine consisting of two vertebrae and a disc between them, has lost their juxtaposition. Proper juxtaposition is necessary to maintain the integrity of the various systems that are located there, not the least of which is the nervous system."

Chiropractic Care for Children Receives More Press

Two recent news articles feature chiropractic care for general wellness and for children. One article from the August 28, 2003 Press & Sun Bulletin from Binghamton NY, starts off by featuring 5-year-old Michael Smolinsky as he receives his chiropractic adjustment. Michael’s mother Joanne, noted that her son started seeing Dr. McAulliffe three years ago because, after nine months of chronic ear infections, she didn’t know where to turn. All of the pediatricians and ear, nose and throat doctors she took her son to couldn’t figure out what was wrong and just kept prescribing medication that didn’t seem to help.

“It concerned me,” Joanne Smolinsky said. “How much medicine can you put into a 2-year-old child?” She then recalled that doctors suggested putting tubes in Michael’s ears to drain excess fluids. The idea of putting her son under anesthesia scared her, and after talking to her chiropractor she decided to give chiropractic a shot. Her medical doctors didn’t support the idea, so she couldn’t get a referral for insurance purposes. After receiving chiropractic every six weeks for three years, Michael has had only one ear infection in that time. He also experienced the same good results with dizzy spells that he had been previously having.

Another article featured in the August 18, 2003 Star Online News of North Carolina, starts off by saying, “In recent years, chiropractors nationwide have been increasingly successful in beating the “back-pain only” rap with statistics and growing testimonials about chiropractic care’s benefits, for everything from stress and fatigue to sinus trouble and asthma. And whether young or old, folks in Southeastern North Carolina, too, are making use of what’s renewing itself as one of the hottest trends in healthcare.”

This story highlighted 3-year-old Christian Kent of Leland. When Christian was a mere 6 months old, he developed recurring ear infections. These ear infections would clear up with medicine, but they would always return. After a year and numerous trips to an ear, nose and throat specialist, it was determined that at a year and a half old, he needed tubes in his ears. Cindy Kent, Christian’s mother remembers her initial reaction, “I thought, ‘Oh no’.” she then continued. “Instead, we brought him to the chiropractor and after six adjustments, the ear infection was gone.”

“People should be focused on correcting the root of the problem,” said Dr. Reese, a chiropractor interviewed for the article. “This is not an alternative, but its own distinct form of health care. People should have a chiropractor, just like they should have a doctor, a dentist or a mechanic.”

(If you have any questions, please leave a message and I can hopefully help or refer you to a local Chiropractor who specializes with children)

Chiropractic Care May Help Children With Learning Disorders And Dyslexia

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.”

(If you have any questions, please leave a message and I can hopefully help or refer you to a local Chiropractor who specializes with children)