I Don't Think Upper Cervical Care Is For Kids

Children and Upper Cervical Care

by uppercervicalcare.com

Some adults may wonder why more and more children are starting to see Upper Cervical Doctors. That’s a good question and the answer is simple: whether we have a large spine or a small spine, if that spine is creating nerve distress then our bodies will not be able to operate properly.

The Nervous System is the Master Control of the Body

The nervous system is the master control system of our body and the messages exchanged between the brain and body (through billions of nerves) guide the transformation of a newborn child into an adult. Each message provides instructions to the child's growing body to provide for growth and repair of tissues, coordination of muscle activity, immune function, respiration and digestion among others.

As with adults, an upper cervical (neck) misalignment can have significant effects upon the nervous system’s ability to transmit information to and from a child’s body. If communication channels become fuzzy, distorted or damaged then we experience all sorts of communication errors. For babies and children, this ineffective communication may play out as colic or irritability, an inability to suckle and breastfeed, poor sleep and immunity, frequent ear infections, developmental delays, digestion issues, asthma, behavioral problems, low energy, inability to concentrate, headaches, etc – the list is endless. In fact, regardless of what the end result or symptom may be, all roads lead back to the body’s ability to self-regulate and function at a peak level.
While upper cervical care may be able to help with a number of health issues, our focus is not treating conditions; rather, our focus is on ensuring the nervous system has every opportunity to work efficiently and effectively.

How Do Children get Nerve Irritation?

Nerve irritations (or vertebral subluxations) occur as a part of normal daily life. They result from physical, chemical and emotional stressors or ‘insults’ to our health, such as knocks and falls, bad posture, prolonged postures, stomach sleeping, poor food choices, dehydration, exposure to chemicals and toxins, and stress and anxiety.

Even before these lifestyle stressors have an impact, nerve irritation can occur in the uterus from awkward positioning, restriction of movement, and exposure to toxins, and from birth complications such as long labors, very fast labors, forceps or cesarean delivery. Even during the gentlest of births, presentation of the baby’s head through the birth canal requires physical pressure exerted by the mother. This can force the baby’s neck to twist or bend causing misalignment of the upper cervical vertebrae.

A study published in the Journal of Manual Medicine revealed that nearly 80% of all children are born with blocked or reduced nerve impulses due to a misalignment of the top bone in the spine called the Atlas. Dr. Gutmann, the medical doctor who performed the research, concluded that the blocked nerve impulses can cause motor and developmental impairments, as well as lowered resistance to infections, especially ear, nose and throat infections.

If the newborn makes it through the birthing process unaffected, the inevitable tumbles and falls of childhood increase the risk of injury to the upper cervical spine potentially compromising brain-body communication.

When we appreciate how important the nervous system is and how easily it can be hindered and impaired it makes sense that more parents are having their child’s spine and nervous system assessed.

10 Reasons Parents Take Their Children to See Upper Cervical Doctors

1.   To maximize the child’s brain and nerve development (neural plasticity).

2.   To enhance their child’s overall health and well being.

3.   To strengthen immunity and reduce the incidence of colds, ear infections and general illness.

4.   To help with colic and irritability.

5.   To help with asthma, breathing difficulties and allergies.

6.   To improve spinal posture.

7.   To improve their child’s ability to concentrate.

8.   To assist with behavioral disorders and enhance emotional well being.

9.   To help alleviate digestive problems.

10. To assist with bed-wetting and sleep issues.

Because the upper cervical spine is the most mobile area of the entire spine, it is particularly vulnerable to injury, making it the most common location for spinal problems to occur. Get your children checked for head/neck misalignment today!

(Editor's note: Remember the objective of upper cervical care is to correct head neck misalignment that is interfering with proper brain/body communication. When this is corrected the body functions at a higher level and can often correct other problems more efficiently on its own. Please do not confuse upper cervical care as a treatment for any condition, disease or symptom.)

How Bad Is Head/Neck Misalignment?

One of the most difficult concepts to get across to the public is the potentially devastating effects of head/neck misalignment. We could show you all kinds of diseases and say the interference to the nerve system from head/neck misalignment causes those diseases. But that would not be quite honest. That would be like saying that being a couch potato and not exercising regularly causes heart disease. It is undoubtedly a factor but there are other factors also. No one can possibly say what is the major factor or the cause. In addition to that, upper cervical doctors do not want to focus on a negative like disease. We would rather be proactive, to talk about getting checked periodically to maintain your health and reach your full potential in every area of life. But unfortunately, some of us are only motivated by fear, the fear of being sick or dying from some horrible disease. So for those people let’s take a minute to talk about just how bad this thing called head/neck misalignment (HNM) really is.

When there is HNM your digestive system may not work at its full potential. You body cannot produce the exact quantity and quality of chemicals necessary to digest the food that you eat. The food will not be absorbed into your body as it should because the cells involved in absorption are not working as they should because the food is not being broken down properly. Those organs, tissues, and cells involved with changing absorbed foods into flesh and blood will not work properly without a good nerve supply. When there is HNM, your immune system may not be working as it should. The organs and cells involved in keeping you resistant to viruses and bacteria are working at less than their potential. When you have HNM you may not be able to think as well, your coordination can be lessened, energy levels could be decreased. The interference in the nerve system from HNM literally affects every part of your body because every part of your body in one way or another is dependent upon a properly function nerve system.

This nerve interference affects the entire body. In this day and age when there are so many stresses upon the body, chemical, physical, and mental we cannot afford to have an improperly function nerve system. We cannot be sure about the quality of the water that we drink or the air that we breathe. We cannot know for sure that our body is getting all the nutrients that we need from our food sources. We cannot help being exposed to microorganism, many of which are more powerful than ever because of their ability to adapt to attempts to destroy them with drugs. But by keeping our nerve system free of interference from HNM, we can be sure that any potential that we have will be expressed as well as possible.

With so many chemicals, toxins and poisons in our food, air, water, not to mention those we purposely put in our bodies because we “enjoy” them we must keep our elimination system working as close to perfect as possible. The bowels, the kidneys, and other organs of elimination cannot work properly with interference in the nerve system.

Hopefully by now you realize how devastating HNM and the resulting interference to the nerve system can be. It may not be the most dramatic negative effect on the body. Surely, getting hit by a truck is worse. But there is probably no other single entity that can have such widespread negative effects on your body. Keep it free of interference by seeing an upper cervical doctor periodically.

Head/Neck Misalignment May Cause What?

When the upper neck is out of position, certain nerves may be affected. If those nerves cannot supply your body parts (organs, glands, muscles, bones, etc.) with energy and information, they may not work properly and various conditions may result.

While there's not a 100% correlation between head/neck misalignment and a particular health problem, over a century of clinical observations have revealed that a wide range of conditions seem to be associated with it.

Your first bone in the neck is called C-1 but it also has a special name: the "atlas." Why? Because it holds up the globe of your head just as the Greek god Atlas held up the globe of the heavens. The second bone in your neck or C-2 also has a special name: the axis. That's because it's involved in turning, twisting and tilting your head.

Nerves in the upper neck area affect your head, face, upper neck, inner & middle ear, sympathetic nerve system, optic nerves, sinuses, mastoid bones, tongue, forehead, heart, eyes, auditory nerves, pituitary gland, scalp, brain and more! So many nerves are in this area that when the upper neck is corrected nerves all over your body, your spinal cord, brain, brain coverings (meninges) as well as your entire spine from top to bottom may be helped.

What can head/neck misalignment do to me?

Head/neck misalignment and the accompanying irritation to the nerve system has been related to headaches, migraines, nervousness, insomnia, head colds, nervous "breakdowns", anxiety, difficulty concentrating, ear infections, hormonal problems, menstrual difficulties, depression, "brain fog", low IQ, low resistance to disease, low overall brain function, digestive problems, sinus troubles, allergies, crossed eyes, deafness, eye troubles, fainting spells and seizures as well as many other conditions..

Upper Cervical Doctors are able to locate and correct those of your upper neck: your atlas and axis (C-1 and C-2). What can cause C-1 and/or C-2 to go out of place? Stress is often the culprit. Sometimes a difficult or even not-so-difficult birth can misalign the upper neck and cause body malfunction and health problems for someone for the rest of their lives. That's why it's especially important for these areas to be checked by an Upper Cervical Doctor as early as possible.

Other causes of head/neck misalignment include falls, accidents, getting knocked around playing sports, emotional traumas, chemical stress such as junk food and anything that overcomes your natural tendency to stay balanced.

By the way, there are many different ways of working with this area but Upper Cervical Care provided by an Upper Cervical Doctor will in most cases yield a precise and lasting correction to this area with NO forceful twisting, pulling, or popping of the neck.