More and more parents are turning to complementary wellness to improve their children’s wellbeing, but if you’re thinking it’s something as gentle as natural herbs or fish oil supplements, think again. These days, children are increasingly having their necks, backs and ankles cracked by a chiropractor, and this is even the case for newborns.
According to a 2010 study from the International Chiropractic Paediatric Association, chiropractics are the most common type of complementary and alternative care for children, with an estimated 86 million paediatric visits being made to chiropractors throughout the United States, Canada and Europe in 2007, the most recent data available. Dr Sean Curry, East Bank Chiropractic, commented, ‘My most rewarding visits are with kids, because they don’t have a lot of scar tissue build up – they respond to care the quickest and the fastest.’
A number of wellness concerns lead parents to bring their children to a chiropractor. The most prevalent reason is an ear infection, but others include cold, flu, asthma, colic, sleep disorders, reflux, ADHD and autism. Dr Jeanne Ohm, CEO of the International Chiropractic Paediatric Association, explained, ‘These kids have gone through the medical protocol and have plateaued. They are not functioning at a level the parents would like – that’s when they go see a chiropractor.’
Dr Tim Erickson, owner of Symmetry Chiropractic and Acupuncture, said that as the number of paediatric chiropractors increases, the number of parents wanting their child to see one does, too. According to Erickson, some parents believe that chiropractics have made their own lifestyle better, and so want the same for their children. Erickson explained that this is known as the “wellness factor,” in which people pursue health enhancement and disease prevention.
However, if you’re worried that the amount of force placed on adults is the same amount placed on children, and are concerned for how safe it is for that small a body, Curry noted that whilst the technique is the same, the approach is different. Sometimes you’re not using more than a finger-touch’s worth of pressure, Curry clarified; ‘It’s a lot less forceful. You don’t have to deliver a lot of force into the spine to get it to react.’
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