I have 3 children — all adopted. They all have different biological parents. They are even different races. There’s one thing they have in common — as they were growing up, they almost never got sick. Sure, we taught them to like vegetables and fruit, but their diet was far from perfect. One thing I did for them, almost from day one, was to give them chiropractic adjustments. Not big popping around like I might do for adults who want that kind of adjustment, but very small, precise adjustments. My daughter would get constipated. I would give her an adjustment and within 2 hours, she’d have a bowel movement.
I know many families who talk about how one child will get sick, then everyone in the family gets sick, including the parents. We never experienced that. If someone started to not feel well, I’d get them in alignment and before they could pass their virus along, they would start to recover. It was almost unheard of them to miss school due to illness. So, why was that? One may ask what chiropractic has to do with not getting sick. After all, it’s rare that a child would say they have low back or neck pain, which is what most people associate with chiropractic.
Chiropractic isn’t just about musculoskeletal issues and discomfort. It works with the nervous system. Perhaps a vertebral misalignment (subluxation) doesn’t actually have a vertebra pinching a nerve, as we used to think of it. However, it does affect the spinal nerves (nerves going from the spinal cord to the body, including some going from the neck back up into the head). It also affects the connection between the body and the brain. The nervous system controls every part of the body. To be more specific relative to the immune system, an upper cervical (top of the neck) adjustment directly affects the brainstem, which manages the immune system. Therefore, when there’s a subluxation in either of the top two vertebrae, which is common, including with children, it can weaken the person’s immunity and make them more susceptible to illness.
As my children were growing up, all I knew was chiropractic, which was very powerful. Since then, I’ve acquired other knowledge and skills, including how to clear allergies. So now, I’m able to provide more than just chiropractic adjustments. For instance, in working with babies, I often have the opportunity to help them with colic. Colic can be associated with issues with the nervous system or with food allergies or intolerances. Babies can be allergic to milk or to something that the mother is eating or drinking. Chiropractic adjustments can help to stabilize and improve children’s nervous systems, which affect their digestive system. Also, we are able to treat their allergies with muscle testing and energy work.
Children respond very well to chiropractic and energy work. With proper care, they can grow up happier and healthier. If you would like to bring in your child for evaluation, call the office at 801-607-2599. We also do energy work remotely. Part of my approach can include the Vital Balance Technique. If you would like to know more about it, see the book on Amazon.
I have had many wonderful experiences helping patients with both chiropractic and energy work for many years. I have never been one of the pseudo-medical practitioners who believe that chiropractic is just for treating joint pain and dysfunction. I believe in the original chiropractic philosophy in that it’s all about the nervous system and the proper functioning of the body for optimal health.
What are your priorities? In other words, what are the things that are most important to you? Although they could include sports, games, and other leisure activities, most likely your responses would include spouse, children, career, education, income, and or religion. When life is going smoothly, it can be easier to maintain your priorities, although a common problem is that people tend to get lazy and start slipping away from the things that are really important toward the things that are more fun or easier. When things aren’t going so smoothly, when times are turbulent and stresses mount, there are two common responses. For some people, it brings their priorities into sharp focus. Especially when we feel threatened, we cling to the things that are the very most important to us. For other people, they can sometimes go into panic or survival mode and completely lose sight of the priorities.
I’ve written before about how the purpose of life is to have joy and that happiness can be gained in a variety of ways, especially with expressing gratitude. Since we’re all looking for happiness, it’s normal to associate happiness with particular people, places, events, foods, etc. This can sometimes be helpful. When we start to lose our way on the path to joy, they can be an anchor – something we can return to that reminds us of happier times, thus enabling us to re-experience that feeling of happiness. Sometimes however, these associations can be destructive. Perhaps the most common of these are sweet foods. People frequently get into a cycle where they eat to feel happy (comfort foods), but then they gain weight. When they see the weight gain, it causes a degree of sadness and disappointment. So where do they go for comfort? Sweet, fatty foods. Then they get into that downward spiral. I knew another guy who was a clean freak. He would spend so much time cleaning that he would often fall short on other important responsibilities. That would make him feel guilty. How did he deal with the feelings of guilt? Clean some more.
Dr. Whittaker's Blog 