All chiropractors are able to treat children, however there are currently only about 60 chiropractors throughout the world who have pursued postgraduate training and testing to achieve Board Certification in Chiropractic Pediatrics and Pregnancy. Dr. Christine Anderson is one of those chiropractors on the frontier of Chiropractic Pediatrics. She chose to pursue the 3 year post-doctorate degree in order to become proficient in the diagnostic and clinical skills needed to provide chiropractic care to pregnant women and children.
Dr. Anderson feels there is a growing need for primary health care providers who use natural methods which are safe, effective, and without side effects, especially for developing children. Many parents turn to chiropractic care for their children. Many more parents are bringing in their children soon after birth to have their spines checked; these babies are not sick! But, these parents realize that the birth process itself may place stress on the developing spine. They don’t want to wait until symptoms develop and there is a problem!
DRUG FREE HEALING, NATURALLY
Instead of using drugs, Dr. Anderson works with children’s bodies to help strengthen their immune systems and heal. She is educated in the common ills of children and knows how to use gentle chiropractic adjustments, cranio-sacral work, nutrition, and sometimes to help regain homeostasis – that fine line between well-being and dis-ease.
WELLNESS CHIROPRACTIC
Dr. Anderson is a big advocate of preventative chiropractic care. You don’t wait until you child’s teeth are rotting before you take them in to the dentist, do you? So why should you wait until your child has a spinal curvature, earache, asthma, or allergies, before you take them in for a chiropractic check up? Prevention is the key!
Because the nervous system controls and coordinates many functions in the body, regular chiropractic care starting at birth (or preferably in utero!) absolutely helps children to grow up healthier and happier! Even “normal” births can cause trauma to the spine, especially the neck and cranium of the newborn. When forceps, vacuum extraction, or cesarean section are used, the trauma increases.
Your baby’s spine will grow 50% in that first year, making it very susceptible to injury. Your child’s spine must also develop curves in the neck and low back during that first year in order to continue growing properly in childhood. After that first year, the child’s activity level increases, which may subject the spine to repeated physical trauma. Look at a child who’s learning how to walk. Can you imagine falling on YOUR butt so many times a day? And have you seen older children playing on the playground? Those repeated stressors can cause vertebrae to misalign and affect spinal health.
REACHING THEIR FULL HUMAN POTENTIAL
We all have high hopes and dreams for our children. Each child is special in their own way. Chiropractic can help YOUR child reach THEIR full human potential, whatever that may be. This includes those children with special needs, such as those Down’s Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and others who are physically or mentally challenged. This may help them grow up healthy – in mind, body, and spirit!
Indications that your OLDER CHILD may benefit from chiropractic include:
* Backaches and Growing pains
* Sports injuries
* Headaches
Dr. Anderson believes children are important enough to have pursued a rigorous diplomate program. All that she asks of parents is to be open to the possibilities of natural healing there are available to help keep their children healthy and happy. She states, “A well-adjusted kid is a child who gets regular chiropractic care!” She should know, being the mother of three, healthy chiropractic kids!