Your infant is crying constantly, uncontrollably. Your pediatrician is telling you “to wait it out” or worse – prescribing an acid reflux medicine with alarming possible side effects for reflux and colic. Chiropractic medicine may just be the alternative you’re looking for. Many parents don’t even consider going to the chiropractor for their infants but chiropractic pediatric treatment has been receiving more attention in the last 20 years.
Chiropractors aren’t just for adults with bad backs. There are many chiropractic techniques that can help your infant recover from an arduous birthing process also known as Traumatic Birth Syndrome. During birth, the baby can experience trauma to the spinal column especially if a vacuum or forceps are used. Mothers who give birth lying on their backs hinder the birthing process by decreasing in the size of the cervical opening and not allowing gravity to help the process.
This can cause the delivering physician to have to twist and pull the baby forcefully causing subluxations to the spinal column. Subluxations are areas of interference to the nervous system caused by pressure or irritation from spinal bones. If labor is long, it can increase pressure on the neck of the baby and cause stress to nerves that control sucking and swallowing. When the vagus nerve is affected, colic may result due to poor digestion. Chiropractic medicine corrects subluxations in infants by gentle and subtle manipulations-not the snap-crackle-pop that come to mind with an adult chiropractic adjustment.
Your chiropractor can also suggest natural solutions for colic and reflux due to an immature digestive system. Most offices offer homeopathic remedies that can be an effective alternative to prescription drugs. Make sure to do some research into which chiropractors have the most experience working with infants.