Chiropractic Care

“The beauty of Chiropractic is the fact that it works with natural means. It puts nothing new into the body, nor does it take away any natural gland or organ. Chiropractic simply releases life forces within the body, sets free rivulets of energy over nerves, and lets nature do her work in a normal manner.” ~BJ Palmer

Chiropractic is based on the philosophy that life is intelligent and that intelligence resides in the human body. Science calls it Innate Intelligence. Our Innate Intelligence runs our body and connects us to our world. This is why we don’t have to consciously think about breathing, digesting, circulating blood, and the millions of other things that go on inside each and every one of us, including our potential to heal. Science has determined that the nervous system is the energetic communication pathway for our Innate Intelligence; the link between every tissue, cell and organ in our body, including the immune system. Chiropractors call interferences to the nervous system, caused by emotional, chemical (toxins), physical stress that our bodies don’t adapt to, Subluxations. Chiropractic adjustments correct Subluxations.

Doctors of Chiropractic recognize that the body and mind can heal itself to each individual’s potential if it got out of its own way. They practice a hands-on, drug free approach to health care that goes from practice member examination and diagnosis; to adjustments and recommended therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises; to providing nutritional and dietary lifestyle counseling. Chiropractic does not treat or “cure” anything. Chiropractic care assists your nervous system to express itself freely so that you are the best “you” possible.

Dr. Cathy utilizes very specific chiropractic approaches called the torque release technique, activator technique, manual adjusting, the cranial-sacral approach, Webster technique, just to name a few, to ensure that each person, newborn to wise elder, receives the exact care that they need.

Prenatal chiropractic care

The greatest wealth is health.

Chiropractic care in pregnancy is an essential ingredient to your prenatal care choices. A large percent of all pregnant women experience back discomfort or pain during pregnancy. This is due to the rapid growth of the baby and interference to your body’s normal structural adaptations to that growth.

Pre-existing unnoticed imbalances in your spine and pelvis become overtaxed during these times. The added stresses can lead to discomfort and difficulty while performing routine daily activities. Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy can relieve and even prevent the common discomforts experienced in pregnancy. Specific adjustments eliminate these stresses in your spine and restore balance to your pelvis, resulting in greater comfort and lifestyle improvements.

As your baby develops, your uterus enlarges to accommodate the rapid growth. As long as your pelvis is in a balanced state, the ligaments connected to the uterus maintain an equalized, supportive suspension for the uterus. If your pelvis is out of balance in any way, these ligaments can torque and twist, causing a condition known as constraint to your uterus. This constraint limits the space and positioning of your developing baby. Any compromised position for your baby throughout pregnancy may affect his or her optimal development, as well as birth.

Doctors of Chiropractic work specifically with your pelvis throughout pregnancy restoring a state of balance and creating an environment for a more enjoyable pregnancy.

You and your baby’s continued safety and comfort is primary in your care with us.

Postnatal chiropractic care

If you listen to your body when it whispers, you won’t have to hear it scream.

Support, support, support. This is the key to the fourth trimester: The one where you, your life partner and your baby are getting to know each other. Our team feels that this is a period of time that is sacred, and also one where many new families in our area feel alone and isolated. Our hope is to provide a safe and loving space for new and repeat parents to share their experiences, challenges and accomplishments. There are many incredible resources in our area that we can direct you to for support. 

During pregnancy, your spine and the soft tissues of your body undergo the most rapid transformation that they will go through in your entire life. The first part of this change happens over a nine-month period, but the second part of this change (the return to previous form) happens more rapidly, as the weight of the baby is suddenly no longer there. Your body is able to integrate these changes with more ease when you receive chiropractic care. In fact, many of the common symptoms during pregnancy, especially neck pain, back pain, headaches and heartburn, are related to the stress on your nervous system from this rapid change. Remember, the spine encases the central nervous system and when it is misaligned, it can put tension on the exiting nerves and decrease normal function. The same goes for the fourth trimester. Your spine is trying to adjust to the absence of the baby in your belly. Chiropractic adjustments aid beautifully in this process by realigning your spine and pelvis. 

Your spine is also very “soft” at the end of pregnancy. Your body has produced a hormone called relaxin to soften the joints and ligaments and allow for your pelvis to open wide and birth your baby. As you begin to nurse and carry your baby in your arms, you may find that you feel back pain and headaches again because this softness allows your joints to become misaligned more easily. Once again, chiropractic is an excellent way to restore function and reduce pain and discomfort. 

After the birth of your baby, your body must recover from a certain amount of trauma. Even in a “perfect” birth, the body still sustains tissue trauma. The placenta detaches from the uterine wall, leaving a large “raw” area that must heal, and the vaginal tissue is stretched to its fullest state, sometimes tearing or receiving an episiotomy. A C-section birth has incisions to heal. There is significant blood and fluid loss as well, and a tremendous amount of energy is spent. Postnatal chiropractic focuses on supporting the aftermath of this process and bringing the mother’s body back into a state of balance as it works to rebuild the blood, balance fluid levels, and heal the affected areas.

You are a mother now and your body may not look the same, and that’s OK. There is no need to be in a hurry to fit back into those skinny jeans. You do not need to hide the evidence that you’ve just had a baby. Be patient and gentle with your body in your fourth trimester. Learn to look in the mirror and laugh and love the body that made your baby. No matter how you have given birth, you are a brave warrior.

Infants & Toddlers

It’s better to grow healthy kids than fix injured adults.

It is common to get strange looks from people I talk to about taking infants and toddlers to the chiropractor. I know what is going through their heads: Is it safe? Babies don’t have back pain. Do babies get adjusted the same way I do? These are legitimate concerns for any parent, but to answer them I will begin with the most important question: Why? 

Being born is tough work. Birth in its many different forms can be quite traumatic. While each birth is unique, there is always a chance that the baby suffers some sort of strain due to a variety of reasons. Even the most natural births can result in trauma that goes undetected. Left uncorrected, this trauma continues to impact a baby’s spinal growth and development, reducing the healthy function of your baby’s nerve system. This can cause many health challenges later in life that could easily have been prevented. 

A baby’s spine lengthens by 50 percent in his first year. At no other time does this growth happen so rapidly. This is a crucial time period to make sure your baby is in proper alignment, ensuring symmetrical growth and movement, development of the spinal curves for a solid foundation for life and optimal neurological development. The central nerve system consists of the brain and spinal cord, and it processes everything that your body does. Movement, a heartbeat, seeing a baby smile, feeling the sun on your skin, laughing, smelling, creativity—all are coordinated by the brain and spinal cord. 

What can nerve dysfunction from birth trauma look like? 

• trouble breathing 

• reflux/frequent spitting up 

• irritability/colic 

• difficulty nursing (impaired sucking/swallowing or head positioning) 

• balance issues 

• fussiness with “tummy time”

• sleeping difficulty 

• delayed developmental milestones 

• immune challenges

Chiropractors who take care of babies and toddlers look for disturbances in their nerve systems that interfere with healthy growth and development. 

When adjusting a newborn, a skilled chiropractor will only use the amount of pressure that you would use to comfortably push on your eye. The child gets checked by hand, often on Mommy or Daddy’s lap, and gentle pressure is applied. That’s all there is to it. It’s simple, safe, and effective. Many parents, myself included, have their children checked regularly by chiropractors as part of a healthy lifestyle to help them develop to their potential. Chiropractic is a safe, gentle, and effective way to address nerve dysfunction and promote overall wellness in the newborn and growing child. 

Children/Teens

Kids don’t usually grow out of bad posture, they grow into it.

Being a kid can be rough on the body.  Growing is hard work and joint injuries are frequent. Often, kids have health issues that we would not know about without taking them to a Chiropractor: issues that may negatively affect their health later in life.  Falls and bonks, growth spurts, repetitive stress injuries (soccer, dance, etc.), chronic ear infections, learning difficulties, sleep difficulties, stress, ADHD, headaches, pain following orthodontic/dental work, digestive problems, sensory integration disorders and failure to thrive can all affect the long-term health of children—and all can be cared for with Chiropractic and craniosacral therapy. Subtle trauma throughout childhood will affect the future development of the spine leading to impaired nervous system function. Any interference to the vital nerve system will adversely affect the body’s ability to function at its best.

What happens to kids who never get adjusted?  
Some kids have a lifetime of recurrent illnesses, but most kids…they are just “average” kids. There is nothing wrong with a child being average…if that is his or her potential!  

But what if that’s NOT his or her potential? 
What if the child was meant to be something more than average? Even if she or he is meant to be what some may call average, she or he will not even reach that level if his or her brain and body can’t communicate effectively with each other.  I think we all feel that our children are more than average, and that is the ultimate truth. The only way for our children to reach their potential in life is to have nerve systems that are free from interference so that they can adapt to and thrive with all of the physical, chemical and mental stresses they encounter each day. That way, their energy can be used to access higher levels of creative thought instead of just trying to get through the day. 

In other words, our children can have the best possible chance of expressing their unique life and spirit through chiropractic care. Everyone deserves the opportunity to express their greater potential in their own individual way.

We are all designed to be extraordinary!

Neurodevelopment

“The central struggle of parenthood is to let our hopes for our children outweigh our fears.” ~Ellen Goodman

Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ND’s) are essentially a disruption of the brain, which results in gaps, delays, or variations in the way a child’s brain and nervous system develops.  Currently, one in six children in the United States is said to have a neurodevelopmental disorder.  The most common are:  Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD); this includes Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Learning Disorder (LD), Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and Various Psychiatric Disorders.  

Children with ND’s have difficulty processing incoming sensory input to the brain.  This neurological disorganization can occur in three different ways: 

1. the brain does not receive messages due to a disconnection in the nerve cells 

2. sensory messages are received inconsistently; or 

3. sensory messages are received consistently, but do not connect properly with other sensory messages. 

When the brain processes sensory messages poorly; inefficient motor, academic, or emotional output is the result.

Prevention & Early Detection

Dr. Cathy works with typically developing children to ensure that should any deviation from norm occur, it is detected early.  Early detection and intervention play a key role in allowing the nervous system to heal at its maximum functional level. When a child enters our program with atypical development and/or a ND, Dr. Cathy explores all areas and time lines in which the nervous system was disrupted.  Thus, she works to remove the “road-blocks” that were put in place at that particular time and “restore” the nervous system back to health.

Contributing Factors of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

• Birth Trauma: cesarean sections, forceps, suction devices, prolonged or rapid labor, induction, anesthetics.

• Environmental Exposures: pesticides, herbicides, neurotoxins in foods (dyes, preservatives, artificial sweeteners), and household cleaning products.

• Epigenetics and genetics.

• Vertebral Subluxations.

Neurodevelopmental therapy is essential for proper neurodevelopment, which ultimately leads to optimum academic, social, behavioral, and motor learning.  As an adjunct to chiropractic care, our office works with children and adults with Neurodevelopment Disorders including prevention and proper development. These services can include: Neurosensory development assessment with primitive reflex testing, neurosensory Integration and neuromovement home therapy with referral to therapy specialists if necessary.