Kick the Sick: Unlocking Your Child's Natural Resilience
While seasons are changing, as a parent you may find yourself in a frustrating cycle - your kids are constantly battling colds, coughs, congestion, other illnesses, and now…allergies. You try over-the-counter medications, visit pediatricians, and get prescribed stronger antibiotics, but the cycle continues. What you may not realize is that shutting down symptoms with medications often weakens the body's resilience long-term.
The key is supporting the body to build up its defenses naturally.
At the core of this "kick the sick" approach is addressing dysfunction in the nervous system, the master communicator that controls all cells, tissues, and organs. Any stress or imbalance in the nervous system can lead to widespread issues such as chronic immune problems, sleep disturbances, digestive troubles, behavioral/cognitive challenges, and more.
The Autonomic Nervous System: The Key to Immune Regulation
Neurologically-Focused Pediatric Chiropractors, such as us, specialize in locating and correcting sources of stress stuck on the nervous system, what we call subluxation. The autonomic nervous system, which comprises the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches, plays a crucial role in modulating immune function. The sympathetic nervous system, often referred to as the "fight or flight" response, suppresses immune activity during periods of stress or perceived danger. Conversely, the parasympathetic nervous system, known as the "rest and digest" state, promotes immune function and allows the body to heal and repair.
When the body experiences chronic stress or nerve interference, the sympathetic nervous system dominates, leading to a suppressed immune response. This imbalance can leave the body vulnerable to various illnesses and infections as the immune system becomes less effective in identifying and neutralizing potential threats.
Subluxation can disrupt the normal flow of nerve communication, leading to dysfunction in various bodily systems, including the immune system. Stress gets to the neck, shoulders, and upper areas and creates constriction and congestion, which in turn creates inflammation.
Subluxation can result from various factors, such as birth trauma, physical stress, emotional stress, and chemical toxins. Subluxation is most commonly initially caused by birth trauma and the intense physical/chemical stresses of the modern birth process. If not properly addressed, this subluxation can build up over time, setting the stage for recurring illnesses.
Subluxation during birth can result from the intense forces and instrumentation used in interventions like:
C-sections
Vacuum/forceps deliveries
Induction/epidural
Prematurity/NICU
Cord wrapping
These experiences can significantly injure the vulnerable Vagus Nerve and upper neck region, creating profound subluxation that sets kids up for a host of future problems - setting the stage for what we call The Perfect Storm.
Additionally, things like severe colic, reflux, constipation, and sleep struggles as a newborn could indicate nerve system imbalances stemming from in-utero constraint or birth trauma.
Using advanced technology like INSiGHT scans, chiropractors within the PX Docs Network precisely measure levels of subluxation and associated nerve tension. With scientific analysis and customized care plans, they can then work to reduce that neurological interference and restore balance to the nervous system naturally, without the need for drugs or surgery.
By allowing the body's master healing system to function optimally, countless conditions can improve, including, but not limited to:
Stronger immune function
Better sleep
Improved digestion/regularity
Reduced symptoms of ADHD, anxiety, sensory processing issues
Overcoming developmental delays
Build Up Instead of Shutting Down
Rather than just masking each symptom, chiropractic gets to the root cause governing the body's ability to self-heal and adapt to stressors like seasonal changes, growth spurts, poor sleep/diet, and more. These factors can quickly overload a child's coping ability and trigger illness.
The traditional medical approach is to treat symptoms with medications that ultimately further suppress and dysregulate the immune response. While sometimes necessary for critical situations, overusing antibiotics, steroids, and immune suppressants weakens resilience long-term. Research shows that each course, especially in the first year, increases the risks of chronic allergies, asthma, and more illnesses down the road. We must reserve that direction for last resort and move to drug-free, natural-building, resilience-boosting actions.
So, instead of just shutting it all down at the first sniffle, parents can build their child up through simple steps:
Prioritize rest and reduce stressors when sick (stressors can include sugary foods, highly-processed foods, over-activity)
Ensure proper nutrition, hydration, and movement
Integrate natural immune-boosters like vitamin C & D
Use supportive tools like essential oils
Most importantly, get their nervous system checked!
With a customized chiropractic care plan monitoring and reducing subluxation, many kids avoid the revolving door of sickness. Their bodies can effectively meet seasonal challenges, moving through acute illnesses while building resiliency to prevent bigger problems.
For more information on how to support your child when they are sick, check out our Raising Healthy Kids Naturally Playbook.
The Benefits Become Far-Reaching
When the nervous system is balanced and functioning without interference, the benefits go far beyond stronger immunity. As we know, the nervous system controls and coordinates every cell, tissue, and organ in the body, and by reducing subluxation, chiropractic allows for better-integrated function across all systems.
Parents commonly report improvements in many seemingly unrelated conditions once their child gets on a customized chiropractic care plan. Things like:
Behavioral Issues: Many children labeled with ADHD, anxiety, or sensory processing disorders show dramatic improvements in focus, calmness, and behavior regulation under chiropractic care. The brain-body connection becomes optimized.
Digestive Problems: Frequent stomachaches, constipation, diarrhea, and other GI issues often resolve when nerve interference along the spine is reduced. Better communication allows the gut to function properly.
Bedwetting/Sleep Struggles: The autonomic nervous system controls processes like sleep cycles and bladder function. Restoring nerve tone in these areas can help children overcome bedwetting and achieve higher-quality sleep.
Asthma/Breathing Issues: With reduced tension on nerves impacting the respiratory diaphragm and airways, many asthmatics can breathe easier and use inhalers/nebulizers less once subluxations are corrected.
The possibilities are endless because Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care works by unleashing the body's own innate ability to heal and regulate itself.
No matter the condition, if nervous system dysfunction is contributing, there's potential for so much improvement.
Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care: Restoring Nervous System Function and Immune Balance
For many families, Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care ends up being the "missing piece" that accelerates their child's healing journey. When integrated with other natural therapies and lifestyle factors like nutrition, it provides a comprehensive approach to building up a child's resilience from the inside out.
Rather than covering up symptoms with a barrage of medications, authentic healing can take place. Rather than repeated rounds of inhalers, antibiotics, and over-the-counter meds that weaken vitality over time, kids develop robust vitality to meet life's challenges.
With principled chiropractic support, children can spend less time in the vicious sickness cycle and more time growing, developing, and thriving as they should.
At Invigorate Family Chiropractic, we want to help you and your kiddos thrive! If you aren’t local to us, please reach out to a trained PX Doc on our directory. Our docs want to help change your child’s life for the better, to change their trajectory from chronic illness to kicking the sick naturally.