Nervous-System Based Chiropractic Care
We address areas that influence the spinal cord and its position, tone and tension by working primarily in spots where your spine and spinal cord connect, namely at the very top and bottom of the spine. This is where your body has the most connections to self-regulate and self-heal, so an adjustment in these areas can affect many secondary misalignments. Patients are amazed at how muscle tension and joint pain in an areas we didn’t even touch can shift by these small adjustments.
What to Do When Your Brain and Body Can’t Calm Down
f those hacks aren’t getting to the root of your sympathetic dominance and you or your child’s body is still feeling both tired and wired, we look to the nervous system. To simplify for today, the part of the nervous system we try to upregulate or switch back on is the parasympathetic nervous system, which lives in the very upper portion of the neck and the nerves that exit just below the skull. That includes both the spinal nerves, as well as a very important cranial nerve called the vagus nerve, aka the wanderer. The vagus nerve sends information to and from the heart, lungs, digestive system, and many other places, either telling the system to ramp up to meet demands, or helping everything calm down. The gentle craniosacral therapy and adjustments we do in the office directly affects these body-balancing nerves, which is why I regularly get texts from happy moms telling me that their baby or toddler is now finally sleeping, pooping, or staying calm!
Does your Child or Baby Stay Stuck in GO-GO-GO Mode?
Many of us have nervous systems that are amazing at flooring the gas: we can push through fatigue to perform well, stay up late to finish those last tasks, and ignore those small signs our body gives us that it’s time to slow down.
If our nervous systems have the engine of a racecar of your choice, it seems like our “brakes” are more like those of a golf cart. Meaning the parasympathetic nervous system has trouble coming online so that our bodies can rest, digest, and heal.
An Alternative Approach for Ear Infections
In a recent study, 93% of all ear infections improved for children under the age of five who were supervised under a chiropractor’s care. 43% of the children improved within one to two visits, and 75% were better within 10 days or fewer.
Your Baby’s Body Tells the Story
NONE OF THESE signs point to a “difficult baby”. All of them are the story the body tells about how they arrived.
Thankfully, this is a story we can rewrite. Dr. Erin has 20 years experience after being trained in the gentlest touches to create ease.
“They’ll Grow Out of It”
In my almost 20 years of experience, colic or reflux is almost always related to tension in baby’s body; either from oral tethers, or from misalignments related to birth or in utero positioning. The discomfort in infancy looks very different than an adult in pain - arching back, screaming at the breast or troubled latch, painful gas, tight jaw, head or neck stuck in one direction, an arm or leg that can’t relax.
SOOO, if that nervous system stress goes uncorrected, baby is bound to grow INTO it.
The Vagus Nerve and its Connections
How do we know when the vagus nerve isn’t sending a good signal to the tongue? Babies may look asymmetrical, with one side twisting or pulling. Babies will likely dislike tummy time. While asleep, baby may prefer an open mouth posture, indicating a related airway issue that can cause sleep apnea, snoring, or sinus and adenoid problems. Their suck will also likely be inefficient or they may prefer bottle feeding. When looking at the infant’s face, you may notice that their jaw is not very prominent, or that their jaw opens more to one side than the other.
Postpartum Support: Don’t Let your Well Run Dry
The frequent nursing and near-constant holding of baby makes your muscles work so hard - it’s like you’ve become a weight-lifter when your body is at its most vulnerable time! After your core and pelvic floor have been so stretched out, your body may feel less stable. These rapid changes can feel like a lot... whether your pelvis feels wonky or you have a case of “mom back” - sore shoulders and neck from staring at your little sweet one's face. Fill up your own cup, and care for yourself.
Why does my baby have a weird head shape?
So many parents envision a very different experience than the one they get with their newborns. Instead of the relaxed, cuddly baby who just eats, sleeps, and poops, did you get a baby who arches, scream, and struggle to feed? Does your baby's head look asymmetrical - long, or tall, or with a flat spot? Is it difficult to emotionally connect, to get enough rest, or do you feel like all your energy is going to just getting another ounce or two on your baby?
Infants with Oral Ties in North Arlington, TX
While it would seem that this would affect only matters of feeding and eventual speech, the ties also create pulling in the soft tissues to which they attach. This tugging can affect almost every aspect of a small infant’s life: tightness in their jaw and cheek muscles means baby sucks in extra air which can look like reflux, digestive issues, and excessive crying or colic. The tethering of the tissues affect the shape of the inner part of her head and can cause restrictions in the airway (this can look like mouth breathing, sinus/adenoid issues, and baby snoring). Your baby may prefer to turn their head only one way (torticollis) which can create imbalances in the head (plagiocephaly) if he or she is constantly lying in the same position.
Blog Post - Colic & Chiropractic in Viridian
Your tummy hurts. Your head aches. It is impossible to sleep and you’re irritable. One more thing: you can’t ask for help because you’re only four weeks old! So you cry. And cry. And cry.
And your parents feel exhausted, frustrated, helpless.