Here are three basic reasons why not: 1. They don’t know about Chiropractic, 2. They don’t know about the potential benefits of Chiropractic or, 3. They think that a Chiropractic adjustment might be too rough for a child and cause pain or damage.

Once a person finds out about Chiropractic and begins to understand its benefits, it is point num­ber 3 that must be understood and dispelled, as apparently, some parents think that a Chiropractic adjustment will be “too rough” for their youngster.

Chiropractors understand that all bodies are different and tailor their adjustments and the amount of pressure required based on the individual they are treating. A big football playing man in his 20s, a little old woman in her 70s and a child of 10, will all be looked at and evaluated for their individual needs.

In this way, it could be said that a Chiropractic adjustment can be as individual as a handshake. A strong man shaking hands with another strong man will give him a lot more pressure than if the same man was shaking hands with his grandmother or the child. When parents realize this and bring their child in for an adjustment, the results can be quite remarkable. Consider this case of a 7-year-old girl.

This child had been suffering from asthma since the age of 4. By the time she came to see a chiro­practor, she had been treated medically with 10 different medications. Attacks of coughs and wheez­ing were daily occurrences. Physical activity was almost out of the question. Emergency room visits sometimes reached 5 per year. A test of lung capacity revealed she was operating at about 50 percent of her lung capacity.

An exam by her chiropractor revealed subluxations (partial dislocations) in the vertebrae at the middle of her spine. An individual program was tailored to handle these restrictions. With just one adjustment, some of the tightness in her chest disappeared and her coughing was reduced. After just 4 weeks of treatment, she was able to put aside her inhaler and get back to participating in swimming and running sports. After 3 months, her lung capacity was just about normal and all medications were stopped.

Had her parents avoided taking her to a chiropractor because of a fear that an adjustment might be too rough and cause her pain, the child might well be on her way to a dozen more medications, further restrictions of activity and even worse breathing problems.

Is Chiropractic for children too? By all means. Miracles can occur each and every day in Chiropractic with the right adjustment, tailored to the individual’s size, age, shape and need.

Source: Dynamic Chiropractic. “Chiropractic: As Individual as a Handshake.” July 2008. http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/26/14112.htm1

The FDA has received reports that the drug is responsible for causing behavior/mood changes, suicidality (suicide thinking and behavior) and suicide. The agency has issued a warning to healthcare professionals and users of the drug that it is conducting an investigation even though it is not telling people to immediately stop using the medication.

Singulair is a drug that is used to treat asthma and the symptoms of rhinitis including runny nose, itching of the nose, sneezing and stuffy nose. It is also pre­scribed to prevent asthma that is induced by exercise.

Reports to the drug maker have already caused Merck to take action to update pre­scribing information to doctors and usage information to patients. These updates fall under the area of “post-marketing adverse effects.”

Here are the adversely reported effects for which Merck already executed a series of informational updates in the past year for the prescribing of Singular:

• Tremor, March 2007.
• Depression, April 2007.
• Suicidality, October 2007.
• Anxiousness, February 2008.

The FDA has indicated that it may take up to 9 months to determine the results of this investigation. Regardless of the FDA’s position on Singulair, it is warning both to doctors and to users to be alert to the risk of altered behavior and suicidal thinking.

Singular falls into a category of drugs known as “leukotriene receptor antagonists.” (Leukotriene is a compound that works to regulate allergic and inflammatory reac­tions.) Additional leukotriene modifying medications include the drugs Accolate^®, Zyflo^® and Zyflo CR^®.

According to the FDA, “Healthcare professionals and caregivers should monitor patients taking Singulair for suicidality and changes in behavior and mood.”

Source: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Early Communication about an Ongoing Safety Review of Singulair.” April 2008. http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/early_comm/montelukast.htm and http://www.fda.gov/medwAtch/safety/2008/safety08.htmitSingulair

A recent case study presented in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research documented how Chiropractic treatment changed this young girl’s life. Not only did her asthmatic problems lessen beginning with her first adjustment, but she was able to discontinue many of her medications.

The study noted that the girl had been diagnosed with asthma at age 4. Her mom reported that anything from dust to cold drafts could trigger an asthmatic attack. Medical treatment for this condi­tion included using three different inhalers a total of 24 times each day. Additionally, the child suf­fered from a cough and persistent fevers. Medical prescriptions for these conditions required more than 10 other medications in an attempt to manage the problems. Coughing, wheezing and daily asthma attacks were the order of the day and prevented her from participating in physical activities.

The results the girl experienced almost immediately from Chiropractic treatment could be con­sidered nothing short of phenomenal. Following a Chiropractic exam that showed the presence of vertebral subluxations (partial dislocations of the vertebral column), her care began. She received a total of 2-3 adjustments per week over a 3 week period.

The study noted that the girl experienced a noticeable reduction in her symptoms the evening following her very first adjustment when her coughing stopped. Over the course of the 3 weeks of treatment, her wheezing stopped and her chest tightness subsided. By the end of treatment, asthma attacks were no longer occurring. The mother also reported that at the same time the girl was able to increase her physical activity free of the usual asthma symptoms.

Three months following the girl’s start of Chiropractic care, an examination was performed by the girl’s medical doctor who documented her significant improvement in respiratory function. The pediatrician was elated with the progress, giving full credit to the medications. The girl’s mother then explained that several of the medications had been discontinued and that the girl had received Chiropractic treatment. The child’s doctor chose not to approve of the new treatment pattern and ter­minated his care.

In presenting their findings, the study authors encouraged Chiropractic examination for children and adults with these types of persistent health conditions. “Perhaps this case will encourage future testing and screening for subluxations which could potentially cause dyspoiesis (a disorder of this nature), resulting in a variety of symptoms that include asthma.”

Source: Kid Chiropractic. “Severe Asthma with Chronic Cough Helped by Chiropractor, A Case Study,” December 2007. www.kidchiropractic.com and The Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, November 2007. http://www.jvsr.com/abstracts/index.asp?id=319.

The goal of the study was to determine if pulmonary (lung) function could be positively affected through Acupuncture treatment further affecting the portion of the nervous system that controls functions like the beating of the heart, digestion and breathing. This is known as the “vegetative nervous system.”

Seventy-one chronic asthma patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups for the purpose of the experiment. Both groups continued to receive their anti-asthmatic medicine. However, a group of 40 received Acupuncture treatments in addition to their medication while 31 made up the control group and received no Acupuncture.

The researchers were interested in noting both pulmonary function improvements as well as heart rate variability changes as a result of the Acupuncture. Both were tested at the start and conclusion of the study. What they learned was that both lung function and the function of the vegetative nervous system were “significantly superior to that in the control group after treatment.”

From the conclusions of the study, a person suffering from the effects  f asthma may wish to consider the options provided through Acupuncture therapy when seeking relief. Acupuncture could offer significant improvement to the lungs and positively affect the function of the entire vegetative nervous system as well.

SOURCE: http://www.acupuncture.com/newsletters/m_nov06/res.htm