Chiropractic, Sick Children and Fever

It can be distressing to watch a child who is feeling sick and has a high temperature. Often the first thing we want to do is 'make it go away' so the child is no longer in pain. Symptoms such as a fever, however disagreeable, serve a purpose.

Suppressing them immediately with medication is not always in the child's best interest. When it comes to the fl u, for example, the viruses that produce the symptoms need the right conditions to grow. A healthy body can often fight the viruses that cause the flu and prevent them from developing.

It is interesting that even in the worst flu epidemics, the majority of people do not get sick. Understanding why people don't get sick can assist in identify ways to develop a natural resistance to disease. Chiropractic is a non-drug approach to health care. It is traditionally opposed to interfering with the bodies systems (for example, the immune system) as this may affect other body systems. Chiropractic is based on respect for the whole body, which is far more complex than any human could fully understand.

What is a Fever?

If your child contracts an infection, the fever that accompanies it has a purpose. The body tries to create extra heat so that the foreign organism cannot survive. Having a temperature helps you fight illness. Fever is part of the body's defence mechanism against viruses or bacteria. Fever indicates the repair mechanisms of the body are working and healing is occurring.

Immediately suppressing a child's fever with medication may interfere with the natural healing processes and delay the child's recovery. A fever should always be monitored and watched carefully. If you have concerns that your child is not getting better or the fever appears serious it is always important to check with your health care professional.

Chiropractic

Chiropractic works by bringing balance to the function of the child's nervous system from the brain down to the nerve endings. Keeping the body in neurological balance in turn balances all of the body's complex systems, including the immune system. This leads to improved health and a greater ability to fight disease and expel toxins.

The use of chiropractic care can assist produce a neurological balance, which along with plenty of sleep, good food and exercise is the best approach to keeping a child's body strong and healthy so it can fight viruses and disease. Dr Philip Incao, MD. reported his research results at the National Vaccine Information Centre

conference in Alexandria, Virginia USA, in April 2000. He noted the following:

"Children who produce higher fevers, strong rashes and good discharges of mucus and pus, are healthier and more robust and have stronger immune systems than children who produce a low intensity of these symptoms.
These robust children vigorously externalized and healed their infections spontaneously, often without antibiotics.

The children who had all their vaccinations, lots of antipyretics and antibiotics, these children never got high fevers and were the ones who were more likely to have allergies and autoimmune problems."

Sick children can often add an extra complication to a busy schedule. Recently, after not having been ill
for a long time, both my children came down with fevers in the same week. Having to juggle my normal
commitments and be home to care for them was very difficult. Often when your child is ill (which is usually unplanned) you want to find the quickest way to help them recover. Giving them medicine can seem like an appealing option to make them well again.

After re-organising my schedule to stay home and care for my sick children I spent the days bring them
water, checking they were comfortable, reading to them when they felt well enough and making sure they
were on the improve. I am sure the time and attention I gave them not only helped them to recover physically but also made them feel loved. Spending this time with them was an opportunity to demonstrate real compassion and care. After all, isn't it unconditional love and care that also grows a healthy child?

How can I help my child feel better?

1. Liquids. Give your child plenty to drink to prevent dehydration (not enough fluid in the body) and help the body cool itself.
2. Rest. A child with a high temperature needs rest and sleep.
3. Body temperature. Dress your child in light cotton pajamas so that body heat can escape. If your child is chilled, put on an extra blanket but remove it when the chills stop. Keep the room ventilated and cool, but not draughty.
4. Care. A sick child may be tired and upset. This is a good time to be around for them. Read to them if they feel up to it and spend time caring for them. It's a good time to show them how much you care.

When is fever critical?

• If your child experiences any of the following symptoms with a fever, call your health care professional.
• Stiff neck
• Affected by bright light
• Hallucinations
• Red rash or blue/purple dots or patches
• Trouble breathing
• Cramps
• Continued vomiting or diarrhoea
• Continued tonsillitis
• Pain when urinating, or urinating more than usual
• Other illnesses
• Cries and cries, without you being able to comfort them
• Doesn't wake up easily
• Has just had an operation
• Doesn't seem to be getting better

Did you know?

The part of the human brain that controls body temperature is not fully developed in children. This means that a child's temperature may rise and fall very quickly and the child is sensitive to the temperature of his or her surroundings.

Disclaimer: The information in this newsletter does not replace informed chiropractic advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems without consulting your chiropractor.

Dr Neil Davies D.C, is the author of Chiropractic Pediatrics A Clinical Handbook (Churchill Livingstone 2000) and developer of the NeuroImpulse Protocol and Adjusting the Child seminar programmes for chiropractors. His passion for improving the clinical skills of chiropractors is well known in international circles and he will be commencing new courses in USA in 2008. The following article: Is Chiropractic Care Safe for Adults and Children can help to answer some of those questions for you. You can read it here: Chiropractic Care Safe For Adults and Children Call our office today in order to set up you or your child's complimentary evaluation. For a limited time, you can find a special Discount OFFICE VISIT coupon on our website that you can download.  You are allowed to use two coupons, so you can use one for yourself and a child if you wish.  Download the Office Visit Coupon Here: Office Visit Coupon Be well!   Dr. Eric Brukwinski and Dr. Stacey Burke  Doctors of Chiropractic   West Coast Family Chiropractic  22 Banks Ave, Hillarys, WA 6025,  AUSTRALIA (08) 9402 8845

More Pregnant Mothers Turning To Chiropractic Treatment!

More pregnant mothers are turning to chiropractic treatments during their pregnancy. Why Do Pregnant Women Need Chiropractic Care?

When a woman becomes pregnant, her body undergoes a variety of physiological and endocrinological changes as the baby inside her womb starts to develop. Due to these changes, the pregnant mother could suffer from cases of misalignment in her joint or spine that results in either one or a combination of the following:

• More prominent curve on her back,
• Enlargement of the abdomen,
• Pelvic changes,
• Changes in posture.

Due to these changes, some women experience chronic lower back pains throughout their pregnancy. For others this might mean having difficulty attaining proper balance and alignment. Hence, chiropractic care will help correct them and enable you to develop a better posture that puts less pressure on your body. Also, misalignment of your pelvis could limit the baby's development inside your womb.

All trained chiropractors have been briefed about using the procedures on pregnant women, hence it is generally safe and gentle.

There are also chiropractors who specialize in chiropractic treatment for pre-natal and peri-natal care for women. Therefore, additional training is required in order to ensure the safety of both baby and mother. Doctors who undergo chiropractic care on pregnant women adjust the intensity of their treatment procedures according to how far into their pregnancy stage the woman is. In some cases, chiropractors suggest stretching and exercise routines that pregnant women can develop for a safer and healthier pregnancy.

Benefits of Pregnancy Chiropractic Care

Before women even undergo labor, the recommendations to undergo chiropractic care helps them in several ways. It includes the following:

• It helps them achieve a healthier pregnancy.

• It will enable women to have better control over symptoms or other conditions associated with pregnancy.

• It enables them to deliver faster and more efficiently.

• It provides relief from pain on the neck, back, or joints.

• It helps women avoid the possibility of undergoing cesarean section.

Its Effects During Labor

Aside from the benefits above, chiropractic care offers several other benefits for women during the actual labor, especially in terms of pain management. If you want a more successful delivery, then try to learn about how chiropractic care will help you achieve that.

Length of Labor

When the human body is subjected to extremely stressful situations, its level of balance and ability to adapt is crucial in determining how the body is impacted by that situation. Most women who undergo Cesarean section during delivery is due to the body's ability to cope with the stress of delivery. Most of it is caused by misalignment on the pelvis that slows down the descent of the fetus towards the mother's birth canal. Limited range of motion also affects a woman's ability to labor more efficiently.

Hence, proper adjustments using chiropractic care enables a woman to address the above problems and significantly reduce the amount of time spent on labor.

Fetal Position

This is another component that will impact labor time. Most chiropractic treatments help adjust the pelvic positioning and in the process correctly places the fetus. That way, it will be easier for the fetus to be delivered easily. Health experts also believe that undergoing chiropractic treatments help avoid the acquisition of any form of back labor.

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Doctors of Chiropractic

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 22 Banks Ave, Hillarys, WA 6025, AUSTRALIA 

(08) 9402 8845

Extreme Back Pain!

Chiropractic May Help Adults Suffering From Attention Deficit

A pilot study, published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research  suggests that chiropractic care may help adults suffering from concentration problems and attention deficit (ADD/ADHD). The study was performed by Yannick Pauli, DC, director of the "Centre Wellness NeuroFit" in Lausanne, Switzerland. Dr. Pauli is a chiropractor specializing in wellness neurology.

"In this pilot study, we used objective outcome measures to evaluate attention in nine adult patients before and after two months of wellness chiropractic care. All patients experienced significant improvement in concentration and 88% normalized parts of the test," explained Dr. Pauli. "Although the results are preliminary and more research is needed, the outcome of the study suggests that patients suffering from attention deficit benefited from chiropractic care."

Research has shown that the ability to concentrate is affected in a number of disorders such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), traumatic brain injuries, dementia, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

In the United States, between 1-6 percent of adults and 3-10 percent of children suffer from ADHD. Problems with attention go far beyond the ability to concentrate. Epidemiological studies have shown that individuals suffering from ADHD suffer greater risks associated with daily living such as higher rates of car accidents, increased risk of substance abuse, greater risk of failing school, increased likelihood of divorce and even greater difficulty managing money.

According to Pauli, concentration problems affect all parts of our life and even possibly our ability to heal. Although most people think of attention as the ability to focus on the external world only, new health paradigms indicate that we can direct our attention inward as well.  The clinical experience of Pauli and his colleagues suggests that our ability to heal is highly dependent upon the ability of our brain to pay attention to what is going in the body.

"Studies done with people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suggest that those patients suffer when parts of their brain become deactivated, such as the prefrontal cortex, while others become hyperfunctioning," Pauli noted." Our hypothesis is that this leads to an inability for the brain to pay attention to the body's internal processes, resulting in decreased body awareness and decreased ability to access healing resources. Our study is part of a first attempt to document whether chiropractic care could be helpful to improve attention, and therefore all areas of life that are dependent upon this crucial cognitive function."

Usually, attention deficit is a clinical diagnosis. But to avoid potential subjectivity, Pauli used an objective measure of attention, called a continuous performance test. "It is a computer-based evaluation that objectively measures various parameters of attention" he explained. "This system is also used by some neurologists and psychiatrists to find the exact dosage of medication they are going to prescribe for attention deficit sufferers. Our preliminary results suggest that attention can be improved naturally with chiropractic."

The connection between attention, a process occurring in the brain, and chiropractic, which is generally associated with spinal health, is not readily obvious to most people. Yet, the research emphasizes the direct link between the spine and brain activity.

"As a chiropractor specializing in wellness neurology, I understand that the spine is as much about neurology as it is about biomechanics" Pauli states.

The articulations and the muscles of the spine are rich in mechanoreceptors, which are sensors that send information to the nerve system. "Each time we work with the spine, we activate neurological circuits in the direction of the brain and bring the nerve system into balance," the researcher says.

Pauli also notes that chiropractors affect, in particular, a small part at the back of the brain called the cerebellum. Studies have shown that this structure is involved in attention. "Higher parts of the brain are also dependent upon the proper balance and function in the cerebellum," he elaborated. "If the cerebellum does not function at par, the rest of the brain becomes somewhat clumsy and by activating the spinal receptors and balancing the cerebellum, we help the brain function better."

According to Matthew McCoy, DC, editor of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, "this preliminary study is exciting. It is part of an increasing amount of research suggesting that chiropractic care may be an effective natural choice for people suffering from ADD/ADHD. It offers the possibility of a new option for millions of children and adults that are seeking to manage their conditions naturally."

The Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research is a peer-reviewed scientific journal devoted to subluxation-centered chiropractic research and is affiliated with the World Chiropractic Alliance, an international organization representing doctors of chiropractic and promoting the traditional, drug-free and wellness-oriented form of chiropractic.

For an abstract of this research, or for more information about JVSR, visit www.jvsr.com.

The following article: Is Chiropractic Care Safe for Adults and Children can help to answer some of those questions
for you. You can read it here: Chiropractic Care Safe For Adults and Children

Call our office today in order to set up you or your child's
complimentary evaluation. For a limited time, you can find a
special Discount OFFICE VISIT coupon on our website that you can
download. 

You are allowed to use two coupons, so you can use one
for yourself and a child if you wish. 

Download the Office Visit
Coupon Here: Office Visit Coupon

Be well! 

 Dr. Eric Brukwinski and Dr. Stacey Burke 
Doctors of Chiropractic  West Coast Family Chiropractic
22 Banks Ave, Hillarys, WA 6025,
AUSTRALIA 
(08) 9402 8845