In today’s world full of varied information, it can feel harder than ever to know the right way to raise healthy, happy families. There is an overwhelming amount of information, and much of it is conflicting. Health is really a spectrum – the things we do or are exposed to that are “healthy” bring us closer to true health, and the things that we do or experience that are “unhealthy” bring us closer to a state of disease.
Today’s “health care” system is failing our children. Pediatric chronic illness in the US continues to rise and is now at the point that 30% of American children have at least one chronic condition. Neuroscientists are observing that Gen Z is the first generation in modern history to score lower on standardized testing than the previous generation.
So, what is the answer when our children keep getting sicker and modern life becomes counterproductive to them reaching their full potential? Often, the conventional answer is to try to ameliorate the problem once it’s arisen – to wait for signs of an issue before taking action. But what if there are ways we can prevent health conditions and diseases from developing in the first place?
We, humans, are biological beings. More and more technology is being integrated into our lives for our benefit and detriment. Just as a healthy plant needs crucial nutritional and environmental conditions to grow and thrive, so do we. There are many basic, foundational health conditions we, as humans, are bound by to thrive. If we can take a proactive approach to our health, we will not only prevent disease but also live optimally.
At the beginning of our lives, our capacity to learn and grow is astounding. If parents can help their children establish healthy habits early in life, they will become pillars by which their children can live for the rest of their lives. Additionally, children learn a significant amount about their environment from their parents and by mimicking what they observe. Your actions have consequences in your child’s developing brain. The more you lead by example rather than dictate, the healthier your family will function.
The most basic foundation of our health arises from our nervous system. In our world, we are exposed to thousands of chemical, psychological, and physical insults. Some things are under our control, such as what we put in and on our bodies, and some are beyond our immediate control, such as the chemicals in our environment. To weather whatever damaging factor comes our way, we need our bodies to be able to regulate even in suboptimal conditions.
The nervous system is the master control center of the body. The brain sends signals through the spinal cord out through your nerves to control every organ, tissue, and cell in your body. Ideally, there is constant communication between the brain and the body, enabling the control system to function optimally. The issue is that sometimes small, repeated stresses or traumatic injuries can misalign the bones of our spine or our posture, which in turn affects how our nervous system functions. The technical term for that is a subluxation.
Chiropractors are professionals who have dedicated their lives to detecting and correcting spinal subluxations. By delivering specific chiropractic adjustments to the spine, they help restore normal nervous system functioning. Just as all children receive dental check-ups early in life, it should also be essential that growing, developing spines be assessed by a chiropractor for subluxations. A simple screening early in life can prevent a lifetime of future issues.
When children present to our office, we perform a thorough spinal, functional, and neurologic assessment to detect early signs of a subluxation affecting their nervous system. Some children may experience spinal subluxation as early as birth or before – prenatally, how was mom’s health, and what was the baby’s delivery like? You can expect these types of questions when you come in for a consultation.
At Rowe Chiropractic Offices, we remain passionate about the health of families because we know that families under chiropractic care are healthier and safer than those without it.
$99 New Patient Special
We sit knee-to-knee for a detailed consultation on your primary concern to get an overall understanding of your health. We’ll assess your neurology, posture, and biomechanics during our thorough spinal discovery examination. X-rays may be taken to further identify the cause of your health issue.
How Our Care Plan Works
1. Freedom of Knowledge
Even in the worst of circumstances, it helps patients to know exactly what is going on. Through one-on-one doctor patient reports and group education lectures we empower our patients with the knowledge and understanding of their specific problem.
2. Freedom of Choice
The fact that you didn’t know you are supposed to care for your spine from birth is not your fault, but it is your responsibility. OUR responsibility is to guide you in the pathway to health. It’s your choice to decide how you want to participate in your health care.
3. Freedom of Health
Your health is your responsibility. Our job is to share our findings with you and lead and encourage you in the pathway to health. It’s your choice to decide how you want to participate in your health care and how you want to show up in life.
Key Pillars of Family Wellness Care in Midtown East, NY
Optimal Nervous System Function
The nervous system is the foundation of health for your whole family. Your brain and nervous system control all of the functions of your body – your digestion, respiration, and movement are all regulated by your nerves. A healthy, functioning nervous system is essential for health. The health of the nervous system profoundly impacts a child’s development. If a child’s brain and body are not communicating properly, numerous serious conditions may arise. A child’s brain is also extremely sensitive to input from the environment. In the first five years of life, about 90% of brain development occurs.
Throughout life, but especially in the early years of childhood, the health of the brain and nervous system is of utmost importance. Optimal growth and development require a healthy functioning brain and nervous system. Your chiropractor is a vital piece of that equation because they are expertly trained to identify and correct any interference with your nervous system. Signs you may notice of nervous system interference in family members might include attention, learning, and speech issues; skin rashes like eczema or allergies; and sensitivities.
Proper Nutrition and Hydration
Our bodies need the right conditions and ingredients to function normally. As a species, we have our own unique set of nutritional requirements, and as individuals with different genetic and epigenetic expressions, we may have different nutritional requirements. Nutrition is a highly researched topic, and parents often get confused because recommendations change over time. The best way to handle nutrition is to look at what our bodies need to thrive.
In today’s food supply chain, it is important to look at not only what food you are eating but also the source of that food. What that plant or animal eats determines the nutritional make-up of that end-chain food. To retain the most nutritional value, local, fresh produce is the healthiest choice. Grass-fed and grass-finished meats are the best source of animal protein. It is hard with so many processed products being advertised and pushed on children, but keeping processed food to a minimum is important. Processed foods are not only nutritionally devoid but can also affect oral development in infants. When looking to consume processed foods, read the ingredients, look for added sugar, food dyes, or other additives, and also check how the product was processed. All of these factors can affect your growing child’s development.
Quality Sleep and Rest
Sleep is a very important aspect of health, and our modern lifestyles often get in the way of good sleep hygiene. While scientists still debate the purpose and function of sleep and sleep cycles, the consensus is that sleep is essential for the repair and restoration of our brain and body. Sleep allows our bodies to remove waste products and improve neural circuitry. It is also important for many body systems, including the immune, digestive, and musculoskeletal systems. The amount of sleep we need changes with our age, with newborns needing 14-17 hours, infants 12-16 hours, toddlers 11-14 hours, preschoolers 10-13hours, school-age children 9-12 hours, and teenagers 8-10 hours.
Common sleep challenges families face include the distraction of artificial light, including screens. Our bodies have an internal clock (our circadian rhythm) that helps us know when it is time to be awake and when to sleep. While the invention of artificial light was a step forward in human productivity, it was a step backward for our sleep health. Artificial, specifically blue-toned, light suppresses melatonin production, which signals sleep. Therefore, it suppresses our feeling of tiredness.
Chiropractic care can improve sleep quality by allowing the nervous system to function more effectively and better align with your circadian rhythm. When there is interference to the nervous system caused by a subluxation, it can affect your body’s ability to reach a rest state required to go to sleep and stay asleep peacefully.
Building Strong Immune Systems Naturally
To confidently face the stressors of the outside world, it is important to have a strong internal defense system to protect against and combat irritants and pathogenic organisms. Our bodies and our environments are in constant exchange and flux. The air and surfaces we come into contact with have their own microbiome, where beneficial and harmful bacteria, viruses, and fungi may reside. And on the parts of our body exposed to the outside world, we have our own barrier systems: the skin and its microbiome. This skin microbiome acts as an initial defense against what we come into contact with and supports the nervous system. If pathogens breach the skin microbiome, it becomes the job of our internal immune systems to isolate and attack those unwelcome microorganisms. It is therefore of utmost importance that we support our immune system so that it can protect us.
More research continues to show the intimate relationship between the nervous and immune systems, to the point that there are now many discussions about the importance of the neuroimmune system. It is still complex with much to be discovered. Still, we know now that the cells of our nervous system have a complex direct relationship with immune cells through biochemical and electrophysiological communication pathways. The health of your spine and nervous system is very important for the efficacy and resourcefulness of the immune system. If your nervous system isn’t functioning optimally, neither will your immune system. It is therefore extremely important to have your chiropractor examine for and correct any spinal subluxations causing nerve interference.
Regular Physical Activity and Movement
Our bodies were designed to move. Body movement is not only important in the sense of a child’s skeletal and muscle development, but also in the development of their brain and nervous system. When babies are born, they have to develop the movements and coordination that we rely on later in life. Parents look for certain milestones in body and cognitive development, and the presence or absence of certain movements and reflexes can indicate stress on the nervous system.
All ages need some form of activity, but that level can vary depending on age and the person. For a newborn baby, that movement may be as simple as tummy time. Toddlers need to be very active (for at least 3 hours a day), and play should ideally include balance and proprioceptive learning. For older children and young adults, the CDC recommends at least 60 minutes of activity daily, and again, that is a minimum. As we head into adulthood, it is important to remember that healthy movement is multifaceted and should include strength, agility, endurance, and balance/coordination. Finding and nurturing family passions for exercise or sports creates healthy habits that children can carry into adulthood.
How We Support Healthy Families In Midtown East, NY
Family Wellness Consultations
The consultation process for families in our practice is really a day of discovery. When families present to our office, we take time to focus on each individual’s symptoms, history, and health goals. Each family member will have unique health needs based on the micro and macro traumas they’ve experienced in their lives. Your chiropractor will ask a variety of in-depth questions, going back to even pregnancy and birth, and will perform a detailed chiropractic exam assessing posture, body function, and neurological health. It is important to address the whole family’s wellness together because family support on your wellness journey helps you achieve your goals more quickly and feel supported.
Pediatric Chiropractic Care
Pediatric chiropractic care is an important component of optimal health in young children. Chiropractors can work on newborns if required, and we use very gentle, precise methods to adjust them. Why would a newborn or young baby need chiropractic care if they aren’t in pain? The key is the body’s functionality, especially in the crucial early stages of life.
Chiropractors are experts at finding and correcting subluxations – misalignments of the spine that affect nervous system function. Even if a baby hasn’t experienced significant perceived trauma yet, there may have been microtraumas that have affected their spine and nervous system. For example, intrauterine positioning, maternal nutrition, and the birth process can cause early subluxations in babies. Early signs of subluxation causing nervous system dysfunction could include: latching/feeding problems, torticollis, colic/gassiness, movement and coordination issues, and unusual skin reactions. By correcting spinal subluxations back to normal alignment, the chiropractor helps the baby’s nervous system regulate and function optimally. The earlier the chiropractor can fix these issues, the easier they are to fix and the more of that individual’s life they can live without nervous system interference.
Prenatal and Postpartum Care
Pregnancy is a normal, healthy part of life for those who choose to embark on the journey of parenthood. It’s also a time in a woman’s life when her body’s health and strength are tested. Pregnancy and any problems experienced in pregnancy can actually provide a window into where a woman’s body is most stressed and challenged. The miraculous hormonal and physical changes that occur to support new life can emotionally, nutritionally, and physically deplete a woman, and the question becomes, how can we best support her?
Chiropractic care during pregnancy is very beneficial for addressing the various areas of stress she may encounter. Chiropractors are experts in finding and correcting spinal subluxations, which are misalignments of the spinal bones or posture that affect the nervous system’s function. Seeing a chiropractor during pregnancy can help your nervous system adapt to the demands of pregnancy as best as possible. In addition, the physical stresses of biomechanical and weight distribution changes in pregnancy can sometimes cause subluxations, which cause pain symptoms. For example, many pregnant women deal with lower back and sciatica symptoms, which can be helped with chiropractic care. Making sure your spine and posture are aligned is not only beneficial for mom but also for baby, and can help with baby’s position, growth, and readiness.
It is important to note that chiropractic care in pregnancy is very safe. Chiropractors will change their adjusting techniques based on your pregnancy status. Our adjustments do not affect your fetus or placenta. Chiropractic care continues to provide benefits postpartum as your hormones, muscles, ligaments, and body structure resume their normal state. Receiving adjustments postpartum can help with pelvic floor discomfort, joint pain, and regulating mood. Being a parent of a newborn is a time when you want to support your body so that you can be there for your baby.
Custom Family Exercise and Movement Plans
At Rowe Chiropractic Offices, we can provide a very detailed assessment of your posture through visualization and 3D scanning technology, from which we can develop a customized corrective therapeutic exercise routine. Exercise is important at every age, and supporting your posture through the demands you place on it is very important to your health and longevity. If there is a misalignment or imbalance in your spine, make sure to do only exercises that help correct it. We often find that postural issues run in families, potentially due to mirroring the posture of those we see most often. Working on posture as a family makes everyone’s nervous systems healthier and helps everyone feel supported as they do the hard work of fixing their spinal postural issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age should my child start seeing a chiropractor in Midtown East, NY?
It is ideal for your child to see a chiropractor as a preventative measure before care becomes a crisis intervention. In an ideal world, your child is receiving chiropractic care in utero to help both mother and child have the best pregnancy and delivery possible.
Is chiropractic care safe for newborns and infants?
Chiropractic care is very safe and effective for newborns and infants.
How can chiropractic care help my family stay healthy?
Spinal subluxations interfere with the function of the nervous system, and chiropractors are the professionals trained to find and correct them. Because your nervous system controls all the functions of your body, chiropractic care helps to improve the health and wellness of your entire family.
What should I expect during a family wellness visit?
During a normal family wellness visit, your chiropractor will be using their tools and experience to examine your family members for subluxations. The chiropractor will then perform a gentle, specific chiropractic adjustment to fix your spinal and postural subluxations. When applicable, the doctor will teach you therapeutic exercises, and you will also participate in spinal traction therapies in the office.
How often should my family get adjusted?
How often your family gets adjusted depends on how severe their spinal and postural subluxation issues are and what your goals are for how quickly you want to correct them.
Does my family need to be in pain to benefit from chiropractic care?
No, ideally, we are seeing your family members before they begin to experience pain. Typically, pain signals arise when spinal issues cause severe enough inflammation to trigger them.
How can I help my family develop healthier habits?
Your family will develop healthier habits first through your example, and then provide empowering ways for your child to take steps to improve their health.
Can the whole family be seen in one appointment?
On a normal visit, the whole family can be seen in one appointment. On your initial visit, the doctor will have to spend more time with each family member, so those visits need to be scheduled separately. If it works better for your family, we often schedule new patient family appointments back-to-back to make the time as efficient as possible.
What are the signs that my child might benefit from chiropractic care?
Wellness care is important to consider for your child. However, the outward expression of symptoms is a strong indication that a health issue needs to be addressed. Examples of common symptoms include breastfeeding problems, irritability, and milestone delays in young children, or motor/coordination, digestive, allergy, or bedwetting in older children.
What role does posture play in children’s health?
Posture plays a huge part in children’s health. Your posture is the window to your spine – when a child has a postural distortion, that means they will have a spinal distortion. Spinal postural subluxations put pressure on the nervous system, causing it to function sub-optimally. By fixing posture, we reduce stress on the nervous system and allow for healthy functioning to return.
$99 New Patient Special
We sit knee-to-knee for a detailed consultation on your primary concern to get an overall understanding of your health. We’ll assess your neurology, posture, and biomechanics during our thorough spinal discovery examination. X-rays may be taken to further identify the cause of your health issue.
