Breastfeeding

In general, breastfed babies are less likely to have colic than those fed with formula. Some infants may
nevertheless be intolerant to milk. In this case, the problem subsides when the mother abstains from eating certain foods. Sometime avoiding caffeine, garlic, legumes, food spicy and dairy products should can reduce the symptoms of your little one. According to several studies, the protein in cow’s milk is particularly irritating to newborn.²

Babies who do not properly latch on during breastfeeding can swallow excessive air, which in turn causes painful gas after feedings.  If your baby nurses fitfully, or pulls at the breast without getting much milk, you may need to help your baby to latch on properly. A baby who has breastfeeding colic may also need to be burped more often after feedings, just to minimize any potential gas later in the evening.

Formula

If you feed your baby formula, you should choose a hypoallergenic formula that does not contain bovine protein.  You might want to look for a goat milk base formula.  Nutrient content of goat milk is slightly less than cow milk but goat milk is more digestible because the fat molecules are one-fifth the size of those from cow milk — making it easily tolerated by those with compromised digestive systems.

When using a bottle, make sure you choose one specifically designed to prevent formation of air bubbles.  Your baby should be sitting, slightly inclined, to avoid swallowing air and spitting up during the feeding.

Massage

Massage can help babies having a regular sleep cycle. Studies have shown that babies who are massaged 30 minutes before bedtime produce more melatonin (hormone associated with regular sleep cycle).³ The massage helps the infant to coordinate the development of its circadian rhythm (which
manages the sleep-wake cycle) with environmental factors.

Adjustments

To understand the functioning of the digestive tract (stomach, intestine small and large intestine) you should know that these organs are controlled by the brain. When a brain cell sends a message to the digestive tract, a function is performed based on the command sent. After the digestive tract performs the requested function, it sends a message back to the brain cell to inform it of the action taken. Any disruption of this cycle results in malfunction.  The nerve roots of the 6th to the 9th dorsal vertebra control the sympathetic nervous system of the stomach.

A Chiropractic study of infantile colic of 316 children suffering from this problem, published positive results in a percentage of 94% of cases.⁴.Abnormal spinal function called vertebral subluxation complex were identified in all these cases in the dorsal region (D-4 to D-9) and in the upper cervical region (C-1 & C-2).

Note that the spine of a newborn at birth is subject to an important biomechanical stress. This event may, in itself, create instabilities or damage to the spinal nerves and produce malfunction in different tissues and organs.

Even with all these tips, it is important to remember that it is difficult to take care of a baby suffering from colic, but they are not hazardous to their health. During the first months you and your baby, you will gradually discover and learn to live together. Know to live and enjoy each moment.

1, Archives of Disease in Childhood 2000; 83:262-263.

2.Pediatric 2, 1989, 83: 262-266.

3. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics 2002; 23:401-415.

4. Klougart N, Nilsson N, Jacobsen J. Infantile colic Treated by chiropractors: a prospective
Study of 316 case. J Manipulative Physiol withThermaflo 1989, 12 :281-288.

We want to thank our chiropractic family.  Come and celebrate with us.

Tuesday June 15th, 2010

Event includes:

All day Complementary adjustments for establish patients

10 AM Talk: ABC of Raising Healthy Children

Learn tips about raising kids safely and naturally.

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New Patient offer expires June 30th 2010

If wellness is what we want, then we need a cultural shift from a focus on sickness to a focus on wellness.

Most of the research of this century has been focused on the diagnosis and treatment of “disease” with the assumption that treating disease will automatically result in wellness. According to Webster’s dictionary, a disease is: “A pathological condition of a part, an organ, or a system … characterized by an identifiable group of signs or symptoms.” And herein lies the problem. The focus has been on “treating” or suppressing signs and symptoms. If you have a fever, take a drug to bring it down; if you have inflammation, take an anti-inflammatory drug; if you have a weak heart, take a drug to make it beat harder. Clearly the problem with this approach is it is entirely focused on the expression of malfunction in the body not on the underlying cause of the malfunction itself.

So, if the body is self-healing and self-repairing, why would we need chiropractic? Well it is true that the body is self-healing and self-repairing but if this worked perfectly all the time, no one would ever get sick. In Chiropractic, this capacity of your body to self-heal and self-repair is called the “Innate Intelligence” of the body. The innate intelligence of your body is distributed to all the different parts by your nervous system. Subluxations block the flow of this innate intelligence resulting in your body becoming weak and, if left that way for long enough, sick. Let’s look at some studies that show improvements in wellness for people receiving chiropractic care for the correction of subluxations.

One the most distinguishing features of Chiropractic care is its emphasis on wellness, but how do we measure it? In 1997, Professor Robert Blanks and his team (Blanks et al., 1997, Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research) at the University of California (Irvine), studied the effects of chiropractic care on the wellness of 2,818 patients over a 3-year period. Before they could do that, they had to determine a way to measure this thing called wellness and came up with an excellent questionnaire that measures it very well. The remarkable thing they found was that over the 3-year period, patients had constantly increasing levels of wellness with no sign of a leveling off of this benefit over the entire 3 years

Two chiropractic researchers, Drs van Breda and van Breda, made a comparison of the health of 200 children of chiropractors and 200 children of pediatricians. The children of chiropractors were 69% middle ear infection free compared to 20% of the children of pediatricians. They also had fewer allergies, less tonsillitis, and 5 times less antibiotic use. (J Chiro Res 1989 summer: 101-3)

The Italian government funded Professor F Splendori to survey 17,142 patients. He (and his large team!) found chiropractic reduced hospitalization by 87.6 percent and work loss by 75.5 percent. It used chiropractors within 22 medical clinics in cooperation with their universities, and had research scientists (with PhDs) within these clinics to act as independent observers of the result obtained.( Professor F Splendori – Chiropractic therapeutic effectiveness-social importance, incidence on absence from work and hospitalization, Italy, 1988.)

Wouldn’t it make sense that scientists should be busy studying the families who have reduced their rate of illness (in comparison to the population at large) and who have reduced their reliance on drugs? Unfortunately, this is not likely to change soon due to the way the economics and politics are set up to drive research toward drug solutions to symptoms.

Science is a very powerful tool to model the world and answer questions about health and disease. But the quality of the answers can only be as good as the quality questions being asked.

The preferred medical treatment today is prescription oral antibiotics, usually Amoxicillin. However, a Journal of the American Medical Association study concluded that children who took Amoxicillin for chronic ear infections were two to six times more likely to have a recurrence of their ear problem than those who received a sugar pill placebo. Lead author, Erden Cantekin Ph.D. (professor of otolaryngology said, “Children are being abused by the antibiotic treatment in this country.”

Drug-resistant strains of childhood ear infections are increasing rapidly. Health officials say the trend is closely tied to doctors’ misuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics, and patients’ mistaken belief that antibiotics are a “magic bullet” for all that ails them. Up to half of the 110 million antibiotic prescriptions written annually by private practitioners may be “inappropriate” for the illness being treated, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

According to Alexander Tamasz, a Rockefeller University Microbiology professor, “There’s a vast overuse of antibiotics,” he says. “It’s completely crazy.” (4/94 New England Journal of Medicine).

New Federal Government guidelines recommend giving nature a chance with ear infections. Dr. Alfred Berg, co-chair of the federal panel of experts, said that in most cases the condition disappears within 3-6 months without medical treatment. Dr. Berg stated that antibiotics, frequently used in the past, are of very limited value in treating the condition. Dr. Berg also remarked that antibiotics could cause side effects and lead to the development of drug-resistant bacteria that can cause a more serious disease. Antibiotics are not the preferred option in the early stages of the condition.

Dr. Michael Poole, a professor of otolaryngology and pediatrics at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Houston, emphasized that most infants and young children with otitis media do not need antibiotics at all. “Ongoing studies at the University of Pittsburgh suggest that only about one out of seven children with otitis media should receive a prescription for an antibiotic. The disease usually gets well on its own.”

Instead of treatment where the objective is to kill the bacteria or virus, a more natural approach is to restore nervous system function, resulting in normal drainage of the ears and lymphatics.

Progressive parents are turning to their Family Chiropractor for this solution. The Doctor of Chiropractic specializes in restoring normal function to the spine and nervous system, which may reduce or eliminate the tense neck musculature responsible for preventing normal fluid drainage.

Once this interference is removed, the excess fluid in the ear drains, the appealing environment, in which bacteria and viruses grow, is removed, and the infection can heal. After normal drainage has been properly restored, the recurrence of ear infection is greatly reduced or nonexistent.

The chiropractic approach to health care is safer, natural, and can be more effective. In light of these facts, your Chiropractor may be the best doctor to help your child!

]]> http://www.adjustwenatchee.com/?feed=rss2&p=105 1 http://www.adjustwenatchee.com/?p=93 http://www.adjustwenatchee.com/?p=93#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:48:07 +0000 Claudia Ribellia http://www.adjustwenatchee.com/?p=93

As a concerned parent, you want the best for your child, and no doubt you wonder if your child is as healthy as he or she could be. Several factors determine your child’s overall health, including diet, exercise, proper rest, emotional and spiritual support, and a properly functioning nervous system.

A major component for health is the communication between your child’s brain and body. This vital link controls the growth, repair, and function of every tissue and organ. The spinal cord sends messages from the brain throughout the body via billions of nerves. Interference (nerve pressure or irritation) places the body in a state of disharmony. This can lead to decreased immune function and sickness.

Starting with the birth process itself, our bodies are subjected to many spinal traumas. Even the most “natural” childbirth can cause stress and strain to the tiny developing spine. This initial damage can be compounded when the child develops proper head support, learns to sit up, to crawl, to stand, and to walk. During this time of rapid spinal growth, these tiny bumps and falls can be the cause of many unexplained health problems.

The home is the primary site where the young child receives spinal injuries. A study, conducted by the National Safety Council, discovered that nearly 50% of children fall headfirst from a high place (changing tables, bed, etc.) during their first year of life. Many of the consequences of these falls go undetected. Unfortunately, although immediate symptoms may not be noticeable, spinal health can be compromised.

Preschools, daycare centers and other groups are often “breeding grounds” for a variety of childhood diseases. Children with weakened immune function due to undetected and uncorrected spinal injury may suffer from chronic ear infections, asthma, allergies, and other so called “normal” childhood diseases.

School is the most common place for accidents to occur for five to eighteen year olds. A 1990 study from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissioner revealed that almost a quarter of a million children under the age of 15 were treated for injuries related to playground equipment. The majority of these accidents are falls, and approximately 50% of all falls result in head and neck trauma. Bicycles are also a source of childhood trauma. Over 50,000 children per year are treated for head (not wearing a helmet) and neck trauma.

Common childhood activities including surfing, skate boarding, water slides, horseback riding and roller-skating are often associated with falls that can cause pediatric spinal trauma. These types of activities and traumas can cause the spinal vertebrae to lose their normal motion and position. The delicate nerve tissue housed in these bones can be damaged, impairing the brain’s ability to control the associated tissues and organs.

Many adult spinal problems actually began in childhood. If left uncorrected, childhood spinal problems may lead to more serious conditions later in life: “As the trunk is bent, so grows the tree.”

Today, many progressive parents are choosing conservative chiropractic care to help maximize their child’s own natural defenses. Parents of children who receive regular chiropractic care often report that their kids seem healthier than other children and that they get fewer colds and other childhood diseases. Children should have regular wellness visits to their Doctor of Chiropractic. With appropriate chiropractic care, spinal problems can be located and corrected, thereby restoring normal spinal and nervous system function.

The chiropractic approach to health is safe and natural. For these reasons and more, your chiropractor may be the best doctor to help your child! Parents often feel encouraged because they have a Doctor of Chiropractic as part of their health professional’s network.

• Strengthens your heart
• Delays or prevents major diseases or illness
• Reduces blood pressure and the risk of stroke
• Reduces cholesterol
• Strengthens joints and bones
• Helps control weight
• Improves mood and self-esteem
• Contributes to “brain fitness”
• Gives you energy and a good night’s rest
• Relieves stress and worry
• Improves balance and circulation
• Boosts immune system

“Walking is man’s best medicine ” Hippocrates

In December at Ribellia Family Chiropractic

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Like happiness, health does not come by luck. It is true that hereditary factors are important to good health but most people can be healthy in spite of hereditary weakness. Conversely, hereditary strengths will not overcome a failure to take care of yourself.

Most people who come into a chiropractic office indicate a desire to be healthy. Unfortunately, they often do not realize that it will take some effort on their part. The average person’s experience with medicine has led them to believe that they will be made healthy by what the doctor does to them or what he gives them. They can just sit back, do nothing or at most, remember to take their medication every four hours. While this approach may be relatively effective in the treatment of disease, it has virtually nothing to do with health. For the most part, disease treatment is a passive activity. Health maintenance or health improvement is largely an active endeavor. Therein lies the problem. Sitting back and doing nothing will not promote or maintain health. Hoping or wishing for it will not make it happen, it must be actively pursued. A choice must be made. Good, nutritious, health- promoting food is available, but then so is junk food. You must make the decision as to what kind you are going to eat and then make the extra effort to get it. Exercise is not a passive activity. You cannot get it by just watching Jane Fonda videos.

Chiropractic is not a passive activity either. While it is true the person lies on the table and relaxes, it is the body that makes the adjustment. The chiropractor introduces a force to the spine and the body’s muscles actively move the bone to exactly where it belongs. Further, the benefits of chiropractic care occur after the adjustment, like exercise and eating, they are far reaching and unlike treatments, they are not designed for short-term, immediate effects. It is true you may feel good after eating a good meal or after a good workout. You may also feel good right after a chiropractic adjustment, but the real benefits are the long term ones. When the body is working better it can actively promote health and well being and add years to life.

Do you really want to be healthy? Sadly, too many people do not want to pay the price which is time, money and effort. Happiness does not come by accident. Fame and fortune are not a matter of luck. Similarly, you cannot expect to have good health unless you do those things necessary to attain it. Every individual has to establish his or her priorities. Is watching television more important than exercising for your health? Is saving money by eating poor quality food more important to you than spending the few dollars for the nutrients your body needs? Is doing whatever you do that interferes with regular adjustments more important than your health? Only you can answer these questions and how you decide on these and other relative questions could very well determine your health, your happiness and your life. Do you really want to be healthy?

The Gonstead system of analysis has five steps to determine when and where a person needs an adjustment to reduce interference to the nervous system.

Gonstead chiropractors start by looking for clues such as how you walk and your posture.  Gonstead chiropractors also observe your back for visible abnormalities in spinal alignment, muscle tone and balance.  Ladies put a gown on and men remove their shirt.

The second step checks for swelling of the spinal joints.  If you have ever twisted an ankle, you know joints swell and can be very painful.  Well, all joints can be injured and swell.  The swelling is a natural part of healing, but can become part of the problem if it stays too long.

Next the chiropractor will use a nervoscope to check spinal nerve impulse balance.  Nerves exit your spine in pairs (one on the right and one on the left) from the base of your head to the top of your tailbone (sacrum).  Nerve impulses control everything including the temperature of the tissues next to the spine.  The nervoscope detects these unbalanced temperatures.  The nervoscope readings will tell the chiropractor when there is nerve pressure or irritation.

Fourth chiropractor feels the spinal joints as you are moved back and forth and side to side in the seated position.  A swollen or misaligned joint will not move well or at all.

Finally, the Gonstead chiropractor will take pictures of your entire spine.  The exact direction of misalignment and damage from old injuries will show up.   The doctor uses the x-rays to make the most efficient adjustment possible.