The Missing Link in Children’s Health
By Dr. Lindsay Mack
If you are a parent, you have decided to create, love, grow, and guide a human being. With that comes great responsibility – parents are a large deciding factor of who a child becomes. Will our sons and daughters become healthy, thriving, purpose-driven, world-changing adults?
Will they?
In chiropractic, there are countless testimonials about children being freed from digestive problems, dyslexia, ADHD, ear infections, and the list goes on. How does that happen? Chiropractic is a discipline of the nervous system and as a Doctor of Chiropractic, I assess that system through the spine, which shapes 90% of the function of the nervous system – which guides the overall function of the body, the thoughts we think, and the decisions we make. That system is often overlooked, yet for most, it’s bogged down by stress and frequent “fight or flight” reactions, which research tells us we’re experiencing 14 times a day – versus once every two weeks (the amount our bodies are wired for). This can result in the loss of ability to recover from stressful events and can affect the body in many different ways (ie symptoms), given the spectrum of the importance of the nervous system.
What happens to the children with spinal dysfunctions – who were never checked for them because no one thought to look at how their spine influence their nervous system and health – who do not get that opportunity? They often become adults with autoimmune disorders, addiction problems, low self-esteem, depression, anxiety – and unfortunately – that list goes on, too. Childhood illnesses commonly evolve and progress into adult diseases, and sometimes, the dysfunction is enough to create adult disease in children (example: anxiety and depression in an 8 year old). Obviously, it can be a burden on their ability to grow up and be their best.
Considering this, imagine your child being able to handle the common illnesses in daycare or school more efficiently. Imagine them being able to move past the typical struggles they experience with ease. What would that be like? The nervous system controls the immune system, and simply put, an optimally functioning immune system means less sick days and less sleepless nights. It means less stress on parents and happier families. These are common “side effects” of children having their spines and nervous systems checked, and when necessary improved, with Network Chiropractic care.
When a child has a properly functioning spine and nervous system, there’s room to optimize, to be at their best. We can upgrade their spine spine and nervous system to handle the modern stressful world. It is common for flu’s, ADHD, and ear infections become things of the past as the child’s spine and brain function properly and turn towards adaptability, growth, and the opportunity to flourish. As this happens, the questions we as parents ask become different. “What’s wrong with my child?” becomes “How can I support my child becoming the best version of him/herself?” and “Why is my child always sick?” becomes “How am I going to keep up with a child who has this much energy?”
Which raises the question – as parents, do we actually make our health a priority? The horror for any parent is to learn that our over-aroused, stressed-out system affects our children. We must really discover that our health affects theirs – their bodies, their spines, their developing brains and nervous systems, literally shape themselves after what they see in us. Those little “parrots” don’t just mimic the accidental comments we make in front of them – mirror neurons in their brains instantly model the postures, behaviors, and health health patterns they see in us. It’s an understatement to say that it’s common to see the parent’s spinal tensions and patterns in their little ones.
I know seems like a lot of pressure, but that’s how they grow. If we want our children to have happy, healthy lives, we also must develop happy and healthy lives. It’s about “us” – ourselves and them. For them to be their best, we can’t do and believe the same silly crap as before. They do we they see and feel, not what we say. The best way we can take care of them, teach them, and help them to become healthy and strong, is to start by being an example of what we want to see… and by accepting that they are amazing mirrors of those parts of us that we don’t want to see. Through that, we don’t have to be perfect – we just have to “do better next time”. Showing them how we can grow – with humor and determination – can be an even more powerful gift than if we had started off “perfect”.
For our children to become healthy, thriving, purpose-driven, world-changing adults, we must develop higher quality ideas, goals, and health for them and for us. The time is not when they become adults, the time is NOW… and a healthy spine and nervous system is a powerful support for both parents and children in this process. Everything else builds upon this.
Come to our “Why is my kid always sick?” talk to see how you can upgrade your family’s health and life.