What is colic?

This is best defined as a long period of uncontrollable crying in infants lasting more than 3 hours and happening more than 3 days a week, which disrupts their sleep and optimal health development.

Research tells us that colic affects 1 in 4 babies based on standard criteria, however it is likely that it is higher when factoring in infants who struggle with the following:

• Frequent periods of crying
• Discomfort 
• Reflux
• Indigestion

Here are some challenges that your babe may be experiencing:

• Intense crying that may seem more like screaming or an expression of pain
• Crying for no apparent reason (rather than hunger or diaper change)
• Extreme fussiness even after crying has diminished
• Predictable timing - more often in the evening or shortly after eating
• Facial discoloration
• Body tension, stiffening, arching, cranking or throwing their head and neck backwards
• Burping often or passing a lot of gas
• Active grimacing or a ‘painful’ look on their face
• Presence of reflux and/or constipation

Even your older kiddos who struggled with colic may have grown into other things such as:

• Constipation
• Ear infections
• ADHD
• Anxiety
• Depression

How can Pediatric Chiropractic help?

Colic has become more apparent with the increase in prenatal stress and birth intervention. Babies are more stressed out than ever! With so many traumas, toxins, technology, and negative thoughts increasing in the world, babies are UNCOMFORTABLE.

What causes colic? The answer is simple: stress on the brain and nervous system. Neurologically-Focused, Pediatric-Trained chiropractors have a specific analysis to find where their stress is being held and are able to remove it so they can move from fight or flight mode to growth and development. This will allow them to calm down and regulate their stress instead of absorbing it all.

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What is torticollis?

Torticollis is a stiff, stuck, and twisted neck where the child’s head is continually bent to one side, making it difficult to turn and rotate their head and neck in both directions.

In my experience, most cases of torticollis are easily overlooked and missed. Parents are typically told that “it’ll get better with time” and their infant will “grow out of it.” However, truth be told, they don’t grow out of it. Kiddos actually grow into a whole load of other issues.

They’re more susceptible to ear infections and respiratory infections like croup, chronic cough, and even RSV. Severe forms of torticollis can lead to plagiocephaly (flattened skull due to repeated pressure).

What causes torticollis?

It is diagnosed as congenital if it is caused by abnormal positioning of the fetus while still in the womb. This could be due to malposition like being breech or lowered amniotic fluid. It could also be considered congenital if it is caused by a genetic condition that affects the muscular system.

However, the most common form is acquired. The most common cause of acquired torticollis is birth trauma. The amount of pulling and twisting on an infant's head, neck, and spine that occurs is significant and many times leaves the child with a subluxation, or misalignment, that then contributes to the torticollis. This is significantly worse if there was a birth intervention, such as: forceps, vacuum extraction, and c-section.

The more severe and apparent the torticollis, the more severe the subluxations patterns likely are for the child.

Here are 3 steps to help it change quickly!

1. Get is assessed and measured by a Pediatric Chiropractor

2. Make sure baby has plenty of tummy time

3. Don’t get them walking or into walker equipment too soon

The post What is Torticollis? appeared first on Delta Health.

Why should my infant be checked by a chiropractor? 

A baby can encounter their first misalignment, or subluxation, in utero, but more often than not it happens during the birthing process. Birth can be stressful for your newborn. Regardless if it was a vaginal birth or c-section, there is a lot of twisting and pulling on the baby’s spine, not to mention the most important part, their head and neck. That’s where their brain and brainstem (houses consciousness, heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and sleeping) live!

Chiropractic looks at the body as a whole. This isn’t just fixated on a symptom. We focus on the child’s nervous system to help calm it down, rebalance it, and regulate it. Stress during pregnancy and birth trauma are the number one causes of neurological interference in children.

Neuro-muscular tension and misalignments can result in colic, digestive issues,  poor sleeping, difficulty with latch, immune issues, excessive grunting or arching, and so much more!

When should I bring them?

There isn’t a perfect answer for this. I have seen mamas and their new babes on the way home from the hospital less than 24 hours after the birth, I have seen them 2 weeks after the birth. I really leave this in your court because I want you to be as comfortable as possible. However, I suggest it being sooner rather than later. We want to make sure that the transition Earth side is as smooth as it can be and the baby can function at an optimal level.

Adjusting infants is different from adults. It is very gentle. No popping or twisting occurs. I have specialized training that allows me to competently assess your child and deliver the most safe care. The pressure used is the same as checking the ripeness of a tomato. To be honest, most babies sleep through their first adjustment!

Here are some indications that chiropractic care may be beneficial for your baby:

• Birth trauma: fast or long labor/pushing time, vacuum/forceps delivery, bruising, misshapen head
• Troubles feeding: not able to latch, painful latch, leaking and/or clicking with feeding, only feeding on one side, reflux
• Elimination issues: constipation, bedwetting
• Neck/back issues: favoring head to one side, arching of their back, colic, flattened head
• Neurological issues: ADD, ADHD, sensory processing disorder
• Illness: ear infections, respiratory infections, sinus congestion

The post Pediatric Chiropractic: When and Why? appeared first on Delta Health.

Tension Headaches are the most common type of headache. They are also the most common type we treat in our office. Tension headaches typically present as a dull ache across one or both sides of the forehead. They generally only last several hours per episode and can be treated with over the counter, prescription medication or with chiropractic care.

Migraines are the second most common type of headache. They typically present as a throbbing or sharp pain in the face or neck, likely on one side. This pain can be accompanied by light sensitive, visual disturbances  and nausea. Due to the severity of these symptoms it is wise to visit a chiropractor or MD to determine if you are experiencing migraines or something more serious. The symptoms can last from several hours to a few days.

Sinus headaches are also very common.
pain in the sinuses, eyes, ears, or face are common symptoms. Congestion, itching, runny nose, fever are signs that a sinus headache might be in your future. Treating the cause of the sinus issue will likely reduce the frequency or intensity of your sinus headaches. A well trained chiropractor or massage therapist can also show you some pressure points that help release some sinus pressure.

Cluster headaches are somewhat less common but can be intense. Symptoms include severe pain on one side of the head, usually behind or around the eye, possibly a drooping eyelid and a smaller pupil. Running nose and tearing in the affected eye are also common with cluster headaches. The duration of cluster headaches is variable; but tend to come and go over several months. Prescription medications tend to help treat cluster headache symptoms. Melatonin and magnesium also have some research showing relief of symptoms. 

Check out this video where Dr. Brett gives his 3 tips to get rid of headaches once and for all

The post Four main types of Headaches appeared first on Delta Health.

The one downside of staying the same that I want to focus on, and which I put the most weight on, is the lack of growth. When things don’t change, you don’t grow. It’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. It’s like a plant, if you never change the pot that the plant is in it will never grow and get bigger. It’s the same with our chickens at our house. When they were chicks all 10 lived in a small 2’X3’ cage for 2 months. The week we moved them into their new BIG home we noticed how much they grew in literally 10 days. No lie, they were almost double in size!  In other words, we were holding them back by not giving them a larger place to grow into. The lack of change deprived their ability to grow.

By now I hope this is sinking in that this analogy could be used in your life. You are the chicken!  Your life can become the small little comfortable cage that looks a lot better than the big, new chicken house. The problem is that the bigger chicken house will be much better for you long term if you are willing to give it a chance.  As they say, comfort is the enemy of growth. I would completely agree.

A good exercise to work on to help yourself get more “comfortable” with change is to start small. Change the route to work. Change your underwear.  (just seeing if you are paying attention) Change your friends you hang with. Change your living room up. Change the books you read. Change how you talk to yourself. You understand what I am saying, pick one thing in a week and do 4 new things in a month. The key is to start getting used to change. Make it a habit. You won’t regret it.

Dr. Brett

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