Kids and Chiropractic

Kids and Chiropractic
by Dr. Jason Plotsky

Dr. Jason Plotsky
Every child needs a healthy spinal column. The spinal column is the framework that supports us throughout our growing years and into adulthood. Remember the saying, “As the twig grows, so grows the tree.” Also of significant importance is the spine’s job of protecting the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves that go out to all the cells, tissues and organs in the body. So let me ask you an important question. Who is checking your child’s spine and nervous system? Most people will bring their child to the optometrist to get their eyes checked, the dentist to get their teeth checked and their family doctor for their annual check-up. Does the optometrist check the teeth? Does the dentist check the eyes? No, each professional has their respective area of expertise and they do the best job they can within their scope of practice. So who should be checking their spines?

Are you aware the body is self-healing and self-regulating? What controls and monitors these body processes? If you’re thinking the nervous system, you are indeed correct. The nervous system is the first system to develop in the body and is responsible for the development of the rest of the cells, tissues and organs. Its job in a nutshell is to communicate information between the brain and the body and vice versa. When the communication is interfered with it can lead to a lack of optimum health. For some kids, this interference may start as early as the birth process and may show up as things like colic, ear infections and asthma.

Most people think of the birth process as a natural and harmless event. We know that many births are difficult and in some cases forceps, vacuums and excessive force are used to get the baby out of the birth canal. The trouble with these situations is that there is often more stress placed on the neck of the baby than what their tissues can withstand. (Remember how you always have to hold and support the head of a newborn baby). Also to consider are the numerous falls and accidents that a baby or infant may have early in their development. These injuries at a very young age can lead to future health problems down the road.

The nervous system also supports and guides the immune system. The immune system’s job is to protect the body from foreign invaders (i.e. viruses and bacteria). There is constant communication between the immune system and the nervous system, which helps to regulate the natural immune response in the body. There is a growing body of research that shows a properly functioning nervous system has an impact on the body’s immune system. A case study from our office included a 10-year-old boy who had a “weak” immune system and last fall and winter had missed 26 days from school due to illness. This year he had almost a 65% reduction in the number of missed days at school! I don’t know that he was happy to be back at school, but I do know he was happy to be feeling so much better!

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It has been interesting taking care of kids in our clinic. They seem to know that we are helping their body function better and they love coming to the office. There are plenty of safe and gentle ways to adjust kids so their bodies are in better balance and so their nervous systems function better. There are literally thousands of cases where a chiropractor has been able to save a child from a path of complicated and invasive procedures.

Chiropractors have been blessed with the opportunity to effect a child’s life in one way or another and it is one of the things that gets us out of bed in the morning! So next time you are visiting your chiropractor, remember to bring your kids with you. They deserve an examination of their spine and nervous system to make sure the master control system is working optimally. Some injuries that we walk around with as adults started at a young age and we would be doing our kids a favour by getting small problems checked before they develop into big ones.

Dr. Jason Plotsky is co-founder of Nova Spinal Care Inc. The doctors at Nova Spinal Care utilize a gentle and precise procedure called NUCCA. This procedure focuses on correcting body imbalance and promoting optimal function of the spine and nervous system. To find out if NUCCA can help you, call (902) 444-6682 and book a consultation with one of the doctors. You can also find out more details about the clinic at www.novaspinalcare.ca