As parents, we want the best for our children. We want them to be successful in school and excel at sports. We want them to eat healthy foods and keep their growth on track. When they are hurt, we want to heal them. When they are frustrated and upset, we want to be there with the answer that will make everything better.

But what if we can’t do those things? What if your child is unable to tell you why they are crying. What if your son or daughter can’t taste their food, or their sense of touch is so sensitive it hurts to put on clothes?

What if something is just a little bit concerning, like the constant tilt of the head or facial tic that has never resolved? The guilt and frustration at not being able to help your child can be overwhelming. To see them suffer even after countless attempts to find the cause is heartbreaking.

But what if there was another answer. Something you haven’t thought of yet. Like an upper cervical adjustment by a family wellness Chiropractor.

Here are three reasons why parents have been taking their children to chiropractors since 1906.

1. To maximize their child’s neuroplasticity (nerve system development)

The biggest misconception about Chiropractic is that it is just about neck and back pain. But the reason we concentrate on the spine, the upper cervical spine specifically, is that it surrounds and protects the brainstem. For the brainstem to function at its greatest potential the Atlas and Axis vertebral bones must provide the greatest circumferential protection.

The functional information that the brainstem transmits to the body below and the brain above must be able to communicate without disruption. Any disruption in the process of this information can effect the structure and function of the brainstem. A misalignment of the upper cervical spine can disrupt this communication. This is called a vertebral subluxation.

The development of the brainstem, especially at an early age, is linked with a wide range of cognitive and motor functions. Any interference in this developmental process, especially through physical, chemical or emotional stressors, can have long-lasting or permanent effects on neuroplasticity.

What is neuroplasticity? Neuroplasticity is the Nerve System’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new connections throughout life. Neuroplasticity also allows the nerves to compensate for injury and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in their environment.

The greatest amount of postnatal (after birth) neuroplasticity is from birth to age 2, with the greatest peak occurring around the 8th month. A vertebral subluxation at this age can hinder the developmental potentiality of the brainstem and effect cognitive and motor functions throughout our life. With brainstem function dampened, the nerve system is more vulnerable to stressors and can fail to respond adequately.

This less than normal ability to adapt can lower our health outcomes. It is an important goal of Family Wellness Chiropractic to correct this vulnerability of brainstem neuroplasticity, especially during the formative years, to allow for a greater expression of health for years to come.

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

What is health? D.D. Palmer, the Discoverer of Chiropractic, defined health as:

“that condition of the body in which all the functions are performed in a normal degree.”

The overarching job of the Nerve System is to propagate the natural regulation of every bodily action. The Nerve System controls the function of our body and makes sure it performs normally, both in quality and quantity.

For example: the Nerve System not only monitors and controls how much blood is being pumped through the cardiovascular system, it also monitors and controls the proper composition of the blood in the cardiovascular system; correct ratio of oxygen/carbon dioxide, red blood cells/white blood cells, platelets, glucose, etc.

We are only as healthy as our Nerve Systems. A healthier Nerve System equates for a healthier overall functioning body.

Chiropractic helps you achieve a healthier working Nerve System by correcting the vertebral subluxation. A vertebral subluxation interferes with the function of the Nerve System, preventing it from working at a normal degree. Correcting this abnormality allows for a healthier Nerve System function. This, in turn, enhances health.

What is well-being? Well-being is health put to work. This is where we turn potential into actual; dormant health into dynamic health.

For example, say you are baking bread. Health in this analogy is the bread recipe, the set of instructions used for making the bread. Well-being is the actual making of the bread from the recipe.

Can we enhance the ‘well-being’ of the bread? Yes, by enhancing the ‘health’ of our recipe. How ‘well’ the bread turns out is based on the quantity and quality of the ingredients we use. We can, if willing and able, use better quality ingredients to produce a better quality bread. Locally harvested farm fresh eggs and unbleached whole wheat flour will provide more nutritional value to a bread recipe than using factory-made eggs and bleached white flour.

The main ingredient used in our health recipe is the Nerve System. Increasing the quality of the Nerve System function provides a better expression of health. This is what Family Wellness Chiropractic can provide to children. Improving the potential of the nerve system raises health expression which, in turn, increases our well-being experience.

3. To strengthen immunity

Dr. Candace Pert, a neuroscientist, states:

“Chiropractic has a significant effect on maximizing immunity via maintenance of a healthy nervous system.”

Immunity helps provide protection against infection, defense against disease, and assist in functional adaptations, both internally and externally.

The Immune System is controlled by the Central Nerve System. The indirect control is by hormones via the bloodstream; direct control is through nerve innervation and neurochemicals. The link between Nerve System function and Immune System function is so intimate that some scientists label it the “Neuroimmune System.”

We can then deduce from this understanding, that if Chiropractic care improves the function of the Nerve System, we can improve the function of the Immune System as well. Chiropractic helps improve immunity by correcting vertebral subluxations. The Immune System is in constant dialogue with the Nerve System through a sensitive network of cellular communication.

A vertebral subluxation creates a “communication breakdown” which can desensitize the effectiveness of our immune response. It is the goal of the Chiropractic adjustment to correct vertebral subluxations which provide for a better dialogue not only between the Nerve and Immune Systems, but between the Nerve System and all bodily systemic function.

As our Nerve System develops throughout life, the Immune System develops also. Reaching or not reaching pivotal childhood milestones can have ramifications that can last our whole life. Prenatal, postnatal and early neonatal influences can impact the functional capacity of a child’s Immune System for a lifetime. This is why Chiropractic care is so important for everyone, especially infants and their developing health. Chiropractic provides specific positive influences that can amplify every growing child’s potential for health.

- Dr. Jarek Esarco

Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP is a pediatric, family wellness and upper cervical specific Chiropractor. He is an active member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). Dr. Jarek has postgraduate certification in Pediatric Chiropractic through the ICPA. Dr. Jarek also has postgraduate certification in the HIO Specific Brain Stem technique through The TIC Institute. Dr. Jarek is happily married to his wife Regina. They live in Youngstown, Ohio with their daughter Ruby.