Q: My neighbor recently had a baby and she stopped at her chiropractor’s office on the way home from the hospital, even before seeing her relatives. She told me she had done this with her other two children and it made her feel secure that the newborn was getting off to a good start. Why would she be so emphatic about getting her newborn checked immediately by her chiropractor?

A: Chiropractors check for subluxations which are tiny misalignments of the spine, cranium and pelvis which cause upset to the functioning of the baby’s nerve system. These subluxations are by their very nature harmful and no other health professional is trained to detect them. Subluxations in the young do not result in pain. They can go completely unnoticed by the parent or they may express themselves subtly (as in a decreased immune response or decreased alertness) or they may express themselves overtly (as in the case of colic or ear problems).

Subluxations detected and corrected early will benefit not only the function (physiology) of the child but also the actual growth of the tissues and organs. The body remodels itself to stressors placed on it. As the newborn grows he or she will grow around or adapt to these early stresses. Some subluxations, if not corrected in the first year of life can never be fully corrected. At birth, there are supporting membranes within the cranium. These can be distorted by abnormal molding of the cranium caused either by unbalanced forces on the cranium before birth or by forces introduced during the birthing process. The reality is that these membranes grow into solid bone about the time of the baby’s first birthday. If the corrections are not made in the first year, it will be impossible to fully correct the problem later.

All subluxations should be detected and corrected as soon as possible because if they are not, permanent damage to the joints themselves will occur.

Even if your baby had a very uneventful birth and looks and acts in a perfectly healthy manner, you should get your child checked by a chiropractor for the previously mentioned reasons and these; babies have very heavy heads relative to the strength of their neck muscles and this predisposes them to neck subluxations. All babies statistically have a 50% chance of receiving a macro-trauma in their first year. Many times these accidents occur without your knowledge while your child is being watched by a baby sitter or relative. Babies also receive micro-trauma which is the culmative effect of dozens of small jars and upsets that occur in learning to crawl, to sit, to stand, etc. Finally, the birth process itself is always a stress on the child’s structure and therefore the main reason your neighbor was so bright and responsible to have her newborn’s spine checked immediately after birth.

Quote of the week: One good wish changes nothing. One good decision changes everything.

Anonymous.