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Babies on the Brain
Chiropractor Question
My daughter has horrible reflux and I've had several people advise me to try a chiropractor for her. I've never been to a chiro and honestly, I'm terrified of one working on my daughter. I just don't know enough about how they do their work-all I can think of is how it scares me to have them "messing around" with her spine. Does anyone have any experience with taking a baby to a chiropractor? Does anyone care to give me a short lesson on how chiropractors do their job?
We've been fighting this reflux for a long time and nothing is working. I'm just heartbroken that my daughter is in pain all.the.time and there's nothing I can do about it. She has a doc appt tomorrow, but at the last appt 2 weeks ago, they told me that if what we're doing now doesn't work, we'll be referred to Mayo. I'm fortunate to live near such a fantastic hospital, but really, I would be just fine never having to use their services.
Sorry, that kind of took a turn away from the chiropractor questions, but hot chocolate for anyone who made it through that on this dreary, yucky Sunday.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Chiropractor Question
Yes. It's totally safe. I have been under chiropractic care for most of my life (my dad is a chiropractor) and Carter has been getting adjusted since he was born. It can have LOTS of positive health consequences, way beyond the reflux thing.
There are many different techniques used by chiropractors. Some are "manual" (this is where you can often hear "cracking" although I hate that term) and others are "low force" (a much more gentle manipulation of the bones, usually with a small tool that helps gently move the vertebrae back into alignment). My dad only does low force on Carter.
Who knows how related it is, but Carter has only had like 2 colds his entire life. He's the healthiest kid I've ever come across. I really think the early chiropractic care has something to do with it. I could tell you stories that would blow your mind about patients my dad has had and symptoms that have been evidently completely "cured". He even used to adjust our dog... When she got really old she started having problems walking, etc. He'd adjust her and she felt better. It got to the point where he'd click his little adjusting instrument and she'd hear it and come running and stand in front of him waiting to be adjusted.
I know... probably a much longer explanation than you wanted, but it really does work.
You must be in SE MN? I'm from Rochester and for the first 20 years of my life, Mayo was the only medical facility I'd ever used.
My DS has been to the Chiropractor since he was less than 2 weeks old. He was having trouble nursing on one side, and when the chiro adjusted his neck he said he had a kink in it. From then on, he could nurse just fine from that side. He loves getting adjusted and is relatively healthy.
Our chiro doesn't "crack and pop," but instead he uses his hands to manipulate the spine. The cracking and popping is what freaks me and DH out. He uses some tools as well. He recommends going to the Proadjuster website to find a chiro who uses the same tools. If you're not comfortable with the cracking and popping, call a chiro and ask if they do. 95% of chiros probably do, but you'll find some here and there that don't.
I was under the care of a chiropractor when I was a toddler and dealing with fever induced convulsions. My mom had taken me to doctor after doctor who put me on all kinds of medications with some pretty adverse effects. When she got frustrated with how the drugs effected me, we saw a chiropractor who treated me and recommended a routine of vitamins, and before long the seizures stopped.
So, if you can find a good chiro that you feel comfortable with, it is worth a try.
Nope, no way would I send an infant to a chiropractor. There are plenty of other things to help reflux (massage, sleeping and feeding positions, medications, different foods/formulas) that don't have such a high rate of error and a high rate of quackery.
Also, the AAP has dozens of studies posted re: chiropractic care of infants and none of them have good things to say.
Chiropractic is dangerous for infants and children
because, as was stated by the Chief of Pediatrics of Canadian
Hospitals, it is ineffective and useless.4 The keystone
of the practice of pediatrics is to provide scientific
information to parents so that they can properly care for
their children. Chiropractic does the opposite. Pediatric
chiropractic lecturers teach chiropractors how to shift
credibility from the pediatrician to the chiropractor.5,6
The fallout of this exists; we just often do not know
about it. In addition, chiropractic involves excessive and
totally unwarranted use of radiation and is antiimmunization.
As stated by the Chiefs of Pediatrics of Canadian
Hospitals, ?Chiropractic use of x-rays of infants and children
to diagnose so called vertebral subluxations is unscientific
and of no value whatsoever. Without any benefit
to the child, these x-rays can contribute to the risk of
cancers and genetic damage. Parents should never allow
their children?s spines to be x-rayed by chiropractors?4
There are specific actions that should be undertaken.
The American pediatric community should follow the
lead of the Canadian pediatricians and neurologists who
have helped stop almost all government funding of chiropractic
in Canada. All government financial support
for any chiropractic school that teaches subluxation theory
for those in the pediatric age group (birth to 18 years
of age) must be stopped. Although chiropractic schools
have failed to gain university recognition and are privately
funded, the graduates do enjoy use of the title
?Dr? and receive insurance and other payments. Public
health authorities can demand that for chiropractors to
continue to benefit in any way, pediatric chiropractic
subluxation theory must not be taught. Most importantly,
all the chiropractic licensing bodies that endorse
pediatric chiropractic subluxations as an acceptable standard
of care should be investigated by public health
authorities and called on to declare pediatric chiropractic
as being not acceptable.
The fact remains that 95% of chiropractic treatments
of infants and children involve nothing at all being done
except gently turning the head sideways by pushing on
the back, even through the clothing. Although harm has
come to children from spinal manipulation (see the
Neck911USA database at www.neck911usa.com), this is
not where the focus of concern should be. The issue is
much wider and involves direct patient education from
pediatricians? offices on this issue as well as educational
and legislative reform as suggested above.
SAHM to 4 kiddos... K (5/05), N (4/09), C (11/10) and Baby A 1/13/14
LOL
How did I know you'd reply to this thread?
These are generalizations - Not all chiroprators are this way. DD saw one from 18mo to 3yrs. This was after a car accident and an injury from jumping on her mattress. Both times, she was first cleared by her pediatritian (he x-rayed her and nothing was broken or dislocated.) We were told she was fine, however after each incident, DD had a horrible time sleeping and was generally aggitated. After the mattress incident, she wouldn't walk or stand.
My chiro never x-rayed her, simply used his hands to check her spine and hips for mis-alignments. He adjusted her manually, by hand on many occasions. Her mood and sleeping patterns were improved significantly the day of treatment and after. Within a few minutes of adjustment after the incident with the mattress, she stood for the first time in 3 days, and was running around before we left the office. He was pro-vac, had his own kids vacc'd and adjusted his kids from the day they came home from the hospital.
I will say, I have never used chiropractic care to treat anything other than backache/knee pain/headaches, so I have no experience in whether it truly helps things like reflux/infertility/etc and frankly am a bit doubtful that it would.
Thank you all for the responses! Sorry it kind of turned into a post and run, but such is life.
I'm glad to hear some positive stories. I'm just having trouble understanding the relationship between reflux and chiropractic care, but we've exhausted just about every other possibility for treatment.
Lib- I'm not hugely comfortable with x-raying her, but that's the next step the doctors want to take. They've wanted to do it for a while, but I've put it off- I'm always asking for other options. If she does gets x-rayed by the doc, I would not allow a chiro to do it, too. Having said that, we've done all the other things you mentioned. I'm just at a loss. I want it to go away.
That would be an excellent question for a prospective chiropractor.
Honestly, that's the biggest quandary with chiropractic care. In no uncertain terms should a chiro be adjusting an infant or anyone else without first checking (via x-ray) for structural anomalies or other potentially dangerous spinal issues that could be aggravated by adjustment. However, a lot of chiros say it's not necessary or that they can "feel" for areas that need work, and it's a bunch of hooey if someone tells you that. There is no way for a chiro or anyone else to tell if a nerve is misplaced or something else is going on in there.
Have you tried physical therapy or massage therapy? Has the pedi ruled out pyloric stenosis or other structural issues?
https://www.infantrefluxdisease.com/infant_acid_reflux/index.php/home-mainmenu-1 You've probably already seen this but I figured I'd pass it on just in case.
SAHM to 4 kiddos... K (5/05), N (4/09), C (11/10) and Baby A 1/13/14
Baby blog
Photo Blog
See, this is why I'm glad I asked here. I hadn't thought about that and I question the value of a chiro x-ray on the spine when we're talking about reflux. It just goes back to my confusion about the relationship between the two.
No sign of pyloric stenosis, but I am constantly feeling her stomach (even though I don't know what I'm looking for) for anything that feels different than normal. We do massage, but I had not heard about physical therapy. I'll add it to my loooong list of questions for tomorrow.
I'd like to speak to a chiro, but obviously they're going to tell me it's great. I'd like to speak to the doc about a chiro, but I'm sure they'll tell me it's quakery. This is why I come here.
Lib-off subject, but what sort of degree do you have? You're always so knowledgeable about everything! (I hope that doesn't sound like me trying to be snarky, asking where you got your "medical degree." I'm just generally curious. You can tell me to shove it, if you want.)
I'm just on the other side of the southern MN border! I completely understand going to Mayo all the time while living in Roch, but there's such a "stigma" (I'm not sure that's the right word I'm looking for) attached for the surrounding areas-like, "OMG, they had to send him to Mayo" and that just automatically means the situation is bad.
Not to mention the lovely article The Register just ran on Iowans going up to Mayo for routine procedures. I'm really surprised that there was not more of a backlash from patients who wanted second opinions and went up there only to be told they needed something far less invasive or received a different diagnosis completely.
My little brother was told he had a tumor on his thigh, and was sent to Mayo where they discovered that the muscle connecting from the inside of his knee to the outside of his hip had been completely torn and rolled up causing what looked to be a mass/tumor.
A) Your chiro also told you that chiropractic adjustment replaces the need for vaccines. We've already established that anyone suggesting that back cracking replaces vaccination is a quack.
C) There hasn't been a single study since the late 80's that has proven any benefit in using thermal imaging. The American College of Radiology?s position is that ?thermography has not been demonstrated to have value as a screening, diagnostic, or adjunctive imaging tool.?
I know, right?! While it stinks that it's making insurance rates go up (but really, insurance rates are always going up), I cannot fathom going any other place than Mayo when I want a second opinion. I think the fact that Mayo is so close to IA needs to be taken into account.
My degree is in political science and communication. I had a minor in history and religion. None of those really prepped me or taught me much in the way of being "well rounded" , but I was a research assistant for three years in college and also was a competitive public speaker and debater for 6 years (2 HS, 4 college) and then coached/taught a college debate team for another 2 years. The vast amount of research we were required to do for debate and as a research assistant is what sort of carried over.
Between the two I learned how to read really fast (collegiate debate rounds only get 15-20 minutes of prep time for each topic, which could be anything from socioeconomic issues in Africa to oil drilling to comparing the Nikkei and Nasdaq markets for long-term growth) and discern credible info vs. hogwash in a very short amount of time.
I get the stigma. I live 2 hrs from Roch now, and when people say someone has to go to Mayo, it's kind of a big deal. Where when I find out someone's going there, I get kind of giddy that they get to go to Mayo to receive the great care I have received. Of course, I'd rather them not HAVE go to Mayo, obviously. I just really like it there is all.
Lib- That's awesome. You can't beat a love for learning.
Fred- Am I reading it correctly that your daughter took Zantac and Prevacid at the same time? K was on Zantac, but we stopped that when we started Prevacid. Maybe she needs to be on both.
Can I get opinions on this little bit of info---Solids make her reflux worse. We've started and stopped them 3 times now. It doesn't matter how/when/what she eats, there's always significant crying/screaming/arching issues for at least a week after. Most things I've read and heard say that solids should help.
I have not-regular applesauce is as chunky as she's had. I'm going to go do a little research on BLW. Thanks for the suggestion.