Monthly Archives: October 2023

The journey of parenthood is both beautiful and challenging. As a new parent, you might find yourself asking, “What are the keys to ensuring my infant’s health and development?”  In a world brimming with conflicting opinions, navigating the intricate path of understanding what constitutes genuine and healthy development for your little one is often daunting. 

That is why we aim to bring you clarity and unwavering confidence. In this blog, we will delve into the four fundamental developmental tasks that infants aged 4 months and under must master. These tasks serve as the very bedrock of your infant’s health, growth, and development. Every smile, every milestone achieved, and even the occasional struggle can be traced back to these pivotal elements of development. So, if your baby is struggling with colic, constipation, reflux, sleep issues, or developmental delays, read on to equip yourself with the knowledge to support your child’s well-being. 

The Science Behind Infant Development

In the initial few months of life, infants undergo remarkable transformations. However, encountering issues such as colic, constipation, or reflux can lead to countless sleepless nights, which may make you wonder if your struggles are normal or if others are facing the same challenges. While each infant is unique, has good days and bad days, and develops at their own pace, understanding the typical small behaviors and milestones can give parents the confidence they need to get help for their babies or the confidence to stay the course.

The four cornerstones of infant development are: Eat, Sleep, Poop, and Motor Function. 

These are the pillars upon which your baby’s well-being rests, and mastering them can make all the difference. Below is what each cornerstone should look like for your infant. 

1. Eat (Breastfeeding or Bottle Feeding)

• A comfortable and easy latch during feeding
• A strong suck that doesn’t involve biting or excessive air intake
• Controlled and effortless swallowing, adjusting speed as needed
• Minimal or comfortable post-feeding spitting up

1. Sleep

• The ability to self-soothe and sleep soundly
• Comfort in multiple sleeping positions
• The development of a sleep-wake cycle after a few weeks 
• The ability to sleep in longer stretches of 2-3+ hours at a time

1. Poop

• Efficient food digestion 
• Minimal gas or grunting during sleep
• Regular and frequent bowel movements (the frequency varies but should be multiple times a day during the first 2-3 months)
• Minimal strain or discomfort during bowel movements

1. Motor/Foundation Movements

• Steady head and neck control without external support
• Tracking objects with visual attention
• Responding with smiles upon hearing your voice
• Engaging with hands, including opening and closing them
• Bringing hands to the mouth 
• Comfort and willingness to participate in tummy time and interact with toys and people (typically around 3-4 months)

In contrast, if your baby encounters challenges in any of these areas, you may notice: 

• Frequent stiffening, arching, head and neck discomfort, and excessive crying
• Difficulty maintaining head elevation during tummy time
• Premature attempts to stand with a stiff and tense posture
• Persistent problems related to sleep, digestion (commonly constipation), and immune function
• Excessive crying, distress, reduced eye contact, diminished smiles, interaction, and babbling

Birth Trauma and Its Consequences

When we dive into the underlying root cause behind why your infant might be struggling, a recurring factor we consistently see as a significant contributor to difficulties eating, sleeping, pooping, or movement is birth trauma. This trauma can impact vital brainstem and cerebellum regions, profoundly affecting their essential roles in facilitating these fundamental tasks. 

Factors such as the baby’s position during pregnancy, the duration of the birth process, or medical interventions like c-sections, vacuum extraction, or forceps delivery can exert physical tension on the delicate tissues of the brainstem and upper neck.  These regions play a pivotal role in regulating the autonomic nervous system, coordinating motor function, supporting immune health, and facilitating digestion.  

In essence, if your newborn experienced stress during pregnancy or delivery, it could affect their ability to eat, sleep, poop, and move comfortably. 

How Can Chiropractic Care Help?

As Neurologically-Focused Pediatric Chiropractors at Impact Chiropractic, we possess the expertise in helping infants who have endured birth trauma and may be experiencing struggles related to eating, sleeping, pooping, or movement. 

If your baby exhibits signs of colic, reflux, constipation, or difficulty sleeping or eating, these are all indicators that your infant’s nervous system is involved.  By optimizing your baby’s nervous system function and supporting development, our neuro-tonal chiropractic adjustments can be instrumental in fostering a healthy and thriving baby. 

Don’t be disheartened by the notion they will “grow out of it.”  We are here to offer support for your baby now! 

Have you ever found yourself feeling constantly fatigued, on edge, or easily irritated? Are you struggling to decipher your child’s ever-changing moods and behaviors? If so, you’re not alone. Many families today face the daily challenge of living with nervous system dysregulation – a condition that often goes unnoticed in the world of traditional medicine. In this blog, we are here to empower parents with knowledge about nervous system dysregulation, exploring its nuances, causes, and the steps you can take to help your child or teenager thrive.

So, if you’ve tried multiple diet changes, supplements, or even medications to get your child’s energy, mood, and focus back online and still struggle, it is vital to look deeper into nervous system dysregulation. Discovering whether your child is affected by this and understanding the appropriate steps to take if so. 

The Nervous System’s Remarkable Role

The nervous system is an extraordinary network within our bodies, serving as a dynamic communication superhighway that orchestrates movement, perception, and cognitive processes. It plays a pivotal role in our overall well-being. 

Nervous system dysregulation occurs when this critical system becomes overwhelmed and overstressed, resulting in a state of imbalance, disorganization, and dysfunction. It’s like the body’s internal alarm system, signaling that something isn’t quite right. 

Recognizing the Telltale Signs and Symptoms

The manifestations of nervous system dysregulation vary depending on your child’s age. In infants, it might manifest as difficulty sleeping, soothing, nursing, or digestive issues such as colic or reflux. As your child grows, it can lead to frequent tantrums, sensory processing challenges, focus and concentration difficulties, mood swings, and behavioral issues. For teenagers and adults, symptoms may encompass brain fog, chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression, digestive problems, and more. 

Understanding that dysregulation represents a disruption of normal function, separate from full-fledged diseases, is crucial. However, untreated dysregulation can escalate into more severe conditions. 

Unveiling the Root Cause of Nervous System Dysregulation

Nervous system dysregulation can stem from various factors, including birth trauma, physical injuries like concussions, infections, chronic stress, exposure to toxins, and more. These triggers can set the stage for an imbalanced nervous system for your child. 

Unfortunately, medical professionals often dismiss the early signs of nervous system dysregulation. These subtle indicators are frequently overlooked, allowing the condition to progress unchecked. 

Early detection is key to achieving optimal outcomes.

Through Neurological INSiGHT Scans, it’s possible to determine whether your child has nervous system dysregulation and gauge its severity. Early intervention with drug-free care options, such as Neuro-Tonal Chiropractic adjustments, can effectively address nervous system dysregulation, subluxation, and dysautonomia. 

If you’re ready to take charge of your child’s health and improve sleep, digestion, immune function, mood, and energy levels, we encourage you to take the first step, which is to schedule INSiGHT Scans at Impact Chiropractic.  We want to help you restore your child’s health and quality of life. If you are not local to us, please check out the PX Docs directory to find a Neurologically-Focused Chiropractor near you.

If your child is facing the challenges of ADHD-related behavior and school difficulties, you’re not alone. The early months of the school year can be incredibly tough for families dealing with ADHD. Establishing routines, completing homework, staying focused, and managing behavior can be daunting. With the added temptations of holiday treats and festivities, this time of year can be especially challenging for children with ADHD. 

We want to dig into the neurological aspects of ADHD in children and how these kiddos find themselves in a perpetual state of high alert, akin to a car always having the gas pedal on. This continuous state of fight or flight response leads to hyperactivity, impulsivity, difficulties with concentration, and disrupted sleep patterns. 

This blog is specifically for parents who want to help their child struggling with ADHD thrive without relying on heavy medications. We want to equip you with the knowledge and strategies to help your child find their way to a calmer and more focused state by engaging their innate “brake pedal” mechanisms, through the  Vagus Nerve. We’ll discuss the natural, drug-free solutions and options that can significantly impact your child’s school year.

Understanding ADHD Symptoms and Challenges

To empower your child, it’s essential to understand the five main ways ADHD can negatively impact their school performance.

1. Difficulty Focusing and Sustaining Attention: ADHD children often struggle to maintain focus and attention on tasks, leading to missed instructions and incomplete assignments.
2. Impulsivity and Impaired Decision-Making: Impulsivity can manifest as speaking out of turn and disruptive behavior, hindering their learning and disrupting the class. 
3. Restlessness and Hyperactivity: Some ADHD children exhibit hyperactivity, making it difficult for them to sit still and engage in quiet tasks.
4. Poor Time Management and Organization: Time management and organizational skills are often challenging for ADHD children, leading to missed deadlines and frustration.
5. Emotional Dysregulation: Emotional challenges, including heightened stress responses, can make it difficult for them to manage frustration and peer interactions.

Understanding the Root Causes and Neurological Connection

One of the most frustrating aspects of dealing with ADHD is its ability to manifest in various challenges throughout your child’s daily life, particularly in the school environment. But here’s the empowering revelation we want to share with you – all these challenges stem from a common root cause: an overactive and excessively stimulated sympathetic nervous, often referred to as the “fight or flight” response. 

We liken this aspect of the nervous system to the relentless “gas pedal.” Astonishingly, over 90% of children find themselves stuck in this hyperactive state from the very beginning of their lives. It can start during a stressful and emotionally charged pregnancy, continuing through birth trauma or intervention such as forceps, vacuum, induction, or emergency c-sections. 

If your child struggled with any early childhood challenges like colic, recurrent ear infections, frequent tantrums, and sleep difficulties, those experiences only exacerbate this overdrive.  Importantly, this only suppresses their parasympathetic “brake pedal,” mainly governed by the Vagus Nerve, rendering it incapable of fulfilling its crucial role when needed the most.  

Despite many of these early struggles being labeled as “normal” by the medical system, these stressors and interventions during pregnancy and birth, as well as early childhood challenges, are not something children naturally grow out of. Current research and neurological insights tell us a different story. Instead, many of these children evolve into individuals grappling with neurological difficulties later in life, like ADHD. 

How can Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Help?

So, if your child is struggling this school year and you’re hesitant about medication, there’s hope. Consider exploring Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care at Impact Chiropractic.  Our approach doesn’t aim to treat or cure ADHD, but it activates the “brake pedal” side of your child’s brain and nervous system. This helps regulate the overactive sympathetic “gas pedal” we’ve discussed.

To learn more about drug-free options for ADHD and our care protocols, give us a call today at Impact Chiropractic, and one of our incredible Care Advocates will walk you through it all.

Have you ever wondered why your child melts down and goes into a full-fledged tantrum with the slightest change in routine, new food, or outfit you ask them to try, bright lights or loud sounds? Do they struggle to fall asleep and regulate their emotions in a significant way when tired, which they consistently are?

If you’ve got an overly emotional and exhausted child on your hands nearly 24/7, then it’s very likely your little one is struggling with Sensory Issues or Sensory Processing Disorder, and we’re here to help! 

This blog is for parents dealing with the challenges of raising a child with sensory issues and seeking effective strategies to help their child thrive. We will delve into the world of sensory issues in kids and explore the significance of sensory processing in your child’s life, discuss the prevalence and impact of these challenges, and explain why they are not something children simply grow out of. We’ll break down the different types of sensory issues and explore how they can affect various aspects of your child’s life. Moreover, we’ll uncover the causes, contributing factors, and triggers.

For parents who have already tried various coping strategies with limited success, we have a game-changing natural option to address the root cause of sensory issues: Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care.  

Tierney’s Story of Hope

Let’s start with a story: perhaps your child is similar to Tierney, who faced extreme processing challenges. Her story highlights how even seemingly minor aspects of daily life can become monumental challenges for children with sensory processing issues. You can read Tierney’s inspiring journey here. 

Understanding Sensory Issues

Sensory Issues in kids are not uncommon, with nearly 1 in 6 children being affected, and that number continues to grow. Contrary to common belief, these challenges are not something your child will grow out of. Many medical providers will often overlook and miss sensory issues in kids or will just dismiss them as being ‘normal’ when, in fact, they are significant hurdles for children. 

Types of Sensory Issues

Understanding your child’s sensory challenges is crucial for providing the proper support. Sensory issues in kids can fall into 2 main categories: 

1. Hypersensitivity (overreacting): Your child might get easily overwhelmed by sensory input like noise, lights, or textures. This can lead to strong emotional reactions. 
2. Hyposensitivity (underreacting): Your child might not notice sensory things that bother others. They may engage in sensory-seeking input behaviors like spinning or making noise to compensate.

Understanding which category your child falls into can guide you in finding ways to support them better. Tailoring strategies to their specific needs and sensory profile can make a big difference in helping them navigate their world more comfortably.

We understand that these challenges can affect every aspect of your child’s life, from education to social interactions, family dynamics, and overall health. As Neurologically–Focused Chiropractors, we recognize your child’s uniqueness and want to help you find a tailored care plan to help your child manage their sensory issues. 

Root Causes and Contributing Factors of Sensory Issues

Potential factors contributing to sensory issues, such as prematurity, birth trauma, and environmental triggers, can provide insights into the root causes of these challenges. It’s often a “Perfect Storm” of factors that lead to issues like subluxation, dysautonomia, and vagus nerve dysfunction.  All of this stems from an overly stressed and out-of-balance nervous system. 

Many of you have already tried various coping strategies, from occupational therapy to supplements, with limited success.  That’s why we recommend a more comprehensive approach that focuses on the root cause of sensory issues – Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care. Our sensory test and  INSiGHT Scans can help uncover the heart of the issue, guiding us in creating a personalized plan for your child’s well-being. 

Our protocols do not seek to treat or cure these sensory issues but rather to address the root cause head-on.  Our gentle chiropractic adjustments will help turn on your child’s parasympathetic “rest and relax” side of the nervous system to better process sensory input. 

After learning about the importance of understanding your child’s sensory issues, their impact on their daily lives, and potential causes, it is time to take action! Consider scheduling a sensory test, and INSiGHT scans today at Impact Chiropractic.  These will help you better understand your child’s unique sensory challenges and how to best address them.