Feature: Does Your Baby Need Chiropractic Care?
Does Your Baby Need
Chiropractic Care?
By Dana Greyson
Birthing isn’t just tough on moms. Emerging from the “ring of fire” is no easy feat for newborns! “We think of babies as being fresh and perfect, but just like us, they can have trouble with their spine,” claims Vancouverbased chiropractor, Roger Barnick. “When a baby is born, hospital doctors and nurses check the heart, lungs, eyes, digestion, temperature. But nobody is checking the spine.”
“We had an idea our baby was going to be fairly substantial [in size],” confesses Vancouver mom, Bethanne York. “It just made sense [his] little bones [might] not be in the ideal position after [his] trip through the birth canal.” So, York sought out a chiropractor who could help. “At one week old, Jethro received his first ‘out-of-thewomb’ adjustment.” There is growing evidence encouraging the practice of routine newborn spinal checks.
Photo courtesy Bethanne York
In the mid 1960s, when doctor of osteopathic medicine, Viola Frymann, examined 1250 newborns: • 88 percent showed some identifiable mal-alignment in the form of cranial bone strain patterns • 73 percent had at least one asymmetry (10 percent had more than one)
Jethro York began receiving chiropractic adjustments at one week old.
In a more recent study of 100 newborns, 99 percent showed at least one sphenobasilar synchondrosis (skull bone) strain pattern.
That strain can impact hormones, which control growth, development, metabolism, reproduction, mood, and other functions. Chiropractic care focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, and their effect on general health. Chiropractors are specialists trained to assess spinal problems; they are generally well-suited to conduct routine newborn spinal checks.
Is Chiropractic Care Effective?
The American Public Health Association (APHA) policy cautiously proclaims, “Scientific evidence makes it reasonable to assume that spinal manipulation performed by chiropractors (and other licensed practitioners) can be a safe and effective service.” While chiropractic care for back pain and related issues is relatively well accepted, it’s also gaining growing acceptance for other infant care issues, particularly for continued on page 24
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Vancouver Family Magazine • www.vancouverfamilymagazine.com • September 2019