Wednesday Q & A with Dr. J. J. - Should You Adjust a Baby?

I get asked this question a lot, and the simple answer is, yes!  Babies and children respond amazingly well to Chiropractic care.  I even adjusted my daughter, Lilly, within the first hour of her birth. In my opinion, it is essential to adjust newborns at birth because, quite simply, birth is by far the most traumatic event you will go through your entire life.  It makes sense considering the baby, which is roughly the size of a watermelon, is squeezed through a hole about the size of a lemon during birth.  That has to be traumatic!  The beautiful part?  We are designed to do just that, but it does create problems with the cranium and spine.   In my perfect world, every baby would be adjusted shortly after birth. There are so many reasons to adjust a child.  First, it helps the immune system.  My son, T.J., was sick a few weeks ago and was running what I considered to be a highish fever, around 101 degrees.  We didn't freak out, though.  Instead, I gave him a few Homeopathic remedies and adjusted him. One of the adjustments was a cranial adjustment and immediately after his temperature dropped.  Within about 5 minutes after the adjustment, he was up playing and no longer laying in his mom's lap. I've found the main reasons moms bring in babies is either colic, eczema or ear infections.  Most of the time all three of these can be traced back to the type of formula the baby is eating.  If the mother is breastfeeding, it usually traces to something she's eating that the baby is sensitive to, such as, eggs or wheat.   Applied Kinesiology is great because it allows us to have the tools that find the exact cause and solution to the problem.  Then, balance can be restored for the baby and their immune system, possibly avoiding the need for medications.  The other main culprit in colic and ear infections can be subluxations or misalignment of the spine.  Even without the birth trauma, the first couple of years of life is pretty damn stressful.  I know if I fell as much as TJ does on a daily basis, I would be one beat up person.  Also, walking on your hands and knees really isn't comfortable, yet babies do it all day long. Another great benefit to an adjusted baby, is that they're usually calmer, more secure, confident, and a better sleeper!  I've found babies and children also respond very quickly to adjustments.  Usually only a simple adjustment is needed, along with a tweak or two to the diet, and a homeopathic remedy, and they are set and healthy.  It really is one of the most rewarding parts of my job when I see a kiddo get well, knowing I have helped them set the path for a better immune system for their entire life. I hope you found this week's Q & A helpful.  Please pass it along and, if you have any questions, please send them to [email protected]