Yes, trauma from birth...to the Mommy obviously, but especially to the newborn child!
Think about the whole birth process...a 5-8 lb baby is trying to come out of a very small opening, either vaginally or by c-section. There is tremendous pressure on the baby's head (that's why the fontanelles and 'sutures' of the cranium are not fused together yet.
Then the process of the infant entering the world is very challenging, even if it is in the right position. The neck that has yet to develop muscles is also severely challenged, twisted and sometimes pulled.
The OB/GYN can use forceps or a vacuum extractor to 'assist' in the delivery, further challenging the newborn's entrance into the world.
Chiropractic enters into the picture as the science of restoring balance to the delicate neck and head by gentle procedures.
There is a great deal of research on the subject of trauma to the neck of the newborn and its profound effect on the baby's ability to function and thrive. (Go to www.icpa4kids.com for articles and further info.).
Get your babies checked by competent pediatric chiropractors as soon as possible after the birth.
You and your child will be glad that you did.
Dr. Bill
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Friday, December 14, 2007
Drain those sinuses!
For years I have taught people to manually massage the sinuses with their thumbs. A mother came in today and told me an awesome story about her 5 year old doing this at a basketball game.
So, these two mothers and some of their children are sitting in the stands and the one friend complains to the other about her cold and is blowing her nose and all. The cute little 5 year old 'trained' patient of mine, spontaneously reaches over and starts massaging her friends' sinuses to help her.
The mother of the 'massagee' asked the 'massager's' mother "What is your daughter doing to mine?" She then had to explain the sinus drainage technique and the why behind it! Great story or what? Are kids awesome or what?
Here are the basics of the sinus drain technique:
1.Using moderate pressure, use thumbs starting in the middle of the forehead (frontal sinuses) and push laterally or sideways towards the ears, repeat 2-3 times (especially if you feel a lot of 'gunk' or mucus underneath).
2.Start with thumbs on either side of the middle of the nose (maxillary sinuses) and again push sideways towards the ears as in step #1.
3.Start with thumbs under jaw and in front of big neck muscle (SCM-sternocleidomastoid) and push down towards collar bone.
This will help sinuses and eustachian tubes to drain, whether you are 1, 5, or over 50...and even a 5 year old can master it and do it on a friend!
Other sinus-mucus tips:
1.Avoid dairy (adds mucus that you don't want)
2.Do the "C" (vitamin C that is...lots of it...depending on one's size: 500-1000-2000mg at a time
2-3 times a day).
3.Use saline solution and squirt it up the nostrils (not for the faint hearted, but very helpful)
Good luck!
So, these two mothers and some of their children are sitting in the stands and the one friend complains to the other about her cold and is blowing her nose and all. The cute little 5 year old 'trained' patient of mine, spontaneously reaches over and starts massaging her friends' sinuses to help her.
The mother of the 'massagee' asked the 'massager's' mother "What is your daughter doing to mine?" She then had to explain the sinus drainage technique and the why behind it! Great story or what? Are kids awesome or what?
Here are the basics of the sinus drain technique:
1.Using moderate pressure, use thumbs starting in the middle of the forehead (frontal sinuses) and push laterally or sideways towards the ears, repeat 2-3 times (especially if you feel a lot of 'gunk' or mucus underneath).
2.Start with thumbs on either side of the middle of the nose (maxillary sinuses) and again push sideways towards the ears as in step #1.
3.Start with thumbs under jaw and in front of big neck muscle (SCM-sternocleidomastoid) and push down towards collar bone.
This will help sinuses and eustachian tubes to drain, whether you are 1, 5, or over 50...and even a 5 year old can master it and do it on a friend!
Other sinus-mucus tips:
1.Avoid dairy (adds mucus that you don't want)
2.Do the "C" (vitamin C that is...lots of it...depending on one's size: 500-1000-2000mg at a time
2-3 times a day).
3.Use saline solution and squirt it up the nostrils (not for the faint hearted, but very helpful)
Good luck!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
New Massage Therapist
This is Karli Stevens, and her dog Max. She is happy to be on board at the office and specializes in the following therapies:Deep tissue massage
Swedish massage
Injury/Structural Integration
Advanced Cranial Sacral therapy
Shiatsu
Come on in for a massage...it's good for the body and the soul.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Another 'baby' turned in utero!!!
This just in...on Halloween a sweet Mommy came in and said: "Please help turn this baby, and help her to come out today!"
Minor request...reasonable in as much as she was one week overdue. She was at the point that it was fairly safe to guess that she was pregnant...
The baby had turned 'posterior' and that was making life challenging for both the wee one in the womb and for the mom. So, I applied the Webster Technique (see www.icpa4kids.com for complete details), and said a little prayer along with it.
Well, we didn't hear from Mom yesterday or today, so the suspense was killing us. Cheryl my fearless assistant called this Mom's good friend and this was the news:
Yes, she had the baby later that same day, actually at about 3 am Nov. 1st, but less than 12 hours of her visit here at the office AND only in labor for about 90 minutes, AND THE BABY WAS BORN IN THE NORMAL ANTERIOR POSITION!!!
Once again, the body has incredible wisdom if we will simply give it a little help and then get out of the way.
Dr. Bill's current record is 17 for 17 in helping babies to turn in utero prior to birth! The Webster technique has helped thousands of babies to be delivered happier and healthier!
Minor request...reasonable in as much as she was one week overdue. She was at the point that it was fairly safe to guess that she was pregnant...
The baby had turned 'posterior' and that was making life challenging for both the wee one in the womb and for the mom. So, I applied the Webster Technique (see www.icpa4kids.com for complete details), and said a little prayer along with it.
Well, we didn't hear from Mom yesterday or today, so the suspense was killing us. Cheryl my fearless assistant called this Mom's good friend and this was the news:
Yes, she had the baby later that same day, actually at about 3 am Nov. 1st, but less than 12 hours of her visit here at the office AND only in labor for about 90 minutes, AND THE BABY WAS BORN IN THE NORMAL ANTERIOR POSITION!!!
Once again, the body has incredible wisdom if we will simply give it a little help and then get out of the way.
Dr. Bill's current record is 17 for 17 in helping babies to turn in utero prior to birth! The Webster technique has helped thousands of babies to be delivered happier and healthier!
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Scary stuff...flu vaccinations...
We'll throw in a couple of halloween pictures...and then some scary stuff about flu vaccines...
Yes, that is my weak attempt at a 'beatnik'-hippie type guy...with hair! Cheryl is the witch and some weird guy named Erin is the goateed one...
An article from the Lancet just this Sept., talked about the dubious benefit that flu vaccinations are to the elderly.
There is little to no evidence that the flu vaccinations are of any benefit to the elderly, but that they may be in fact difficult for their aging immune systems to handle.
A misleading statistic is how many people die each year from the flu. It has been reported as high as 30-40,000 people a year. On a closer look, the actual numbers were only 257 and 753 in 2001 and 2002 respectively. (Flu Deaths Outrageously Exaggerated to Increase Vaccine Sales; Lew Rockwell.com, Oct. 9, 2004).
Think at least twice before advising anyone to get the flu vaccine...or it will be scary Halloween time for real!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Parenting without medicines?
Yes, it is possible to parent without medicines and drugs. There are some children who may in fact be medicine dependent (maybe less than 5%), the rest of the OTC (over the counter) and prescription medications are by and large unneeded and even harmful.
The classic medicinal 'chase' is for ear infections. Antibiotics are used, that actually lower the body's immune system and weaken the person's ability to fight the disease on its own. Often, this cycle of infection-antibiotic-weakened immune system is repeated time after time with multiple side effects.
Another classic is chasing away a fever (which is usually there helping the body fight off an infection of some kind) with a tylenol, aspirin, or some other anti-pyretic, (anti-fever). This lowers the temperature of the body in direct opposition to what the body is actually attempting to do!
Forgotten is the axiom, 'Let the body heal itself.' We are a self-healing magnificent-miracle making machine. Our body is working to heal itself 24-7. It needs some decent nutrition, cardio-vascular exercise, sleep, hydration and then it can do most of the rest on its own...it simply needs no interference.
Interference can come in many forms: physical, chemical, emotional, spiritual, etc. Physical can include traumas or injuries, and also subluxations or misalignments in the spine (the work of we chiropractors). Chemical can be medicines, bad air, bad water, bad nutrition. Emotional and spiritual are self-explanatory...
Trust the body not the OTC crud or the pharmacy. (Did you ever think that it's really not in pharmaceutical industry's best interests to get people well?). Don't rush to the medicine cabinet (or better yet, have one filled only with first aid stuff and homeopathic remedies), or to the ER.
You and your children will be glad that you did.
The classic medicinal 'chase' is for ear infections. Antibiotics are used, that actually lower the body's immune system and weaken the person's ability to fight the disease on its own. Often, this cycle of infection-antibiotic-weakened immune system is repeated time after time with multiple side effects.
Another classic is chasing away a fever (which is usually there helping the body fight off an infection of some kind) with a tylenol, aspirin, or some other anti-pyretic, (anti-fever). This lowers the temperature of the body in direct opposition to what the body is actually attempting to do!
Forgotten is the axiom, 'Let the body heal itself.' We are a self-healing magnificent-miracle making machine. Our body is working to heal itself 24-7. It needs some decent nutrition, cardio-vascular exercise, sleep, hydration and then it can do most of the rest on its own...it simply needs no interference.
Interference can come in many forms: physical, chemical, emotional, spiritual, etc. Physical can include traumas or injuries, and also subluxations or misalignments in the spine (the work of we chiropractors). Chemical can be medicines, bad air, bad water, bad nutrition. Emotional and spiritual are self-explanatory...
Trust the body not the OTC crud or the pharmacy. (Did you ever think that it's really not in pharmaceutical industry's best interests to get people well?). Don't rush to the medicine cabinet (or better yet, have one filled only with first aid stuff and homeopathic remedies), or to the ER.
You and your children will be glad that you did.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Are Vaccinations safe? Should I give them to my child?
Recently, the subject of vaccination safety and the link from vaccinations to autism is getting a great deal of press. There are still naysayers that state that there couldn't be any possible connection, (weren't there pretty adamant 'flat-worlders' at the time of Columbus as well), but the evidence continues to pile up.
Barbara Loe Fisher, president of NVIC (National Vaccine Information Center), continues to sound the alarms for parents to be informed, and to carefully consider this potentially life changing event of vaccinations.
Fisher has stated: "We have to do the scientific studies to really determine whether a policy of using 48 doses of 14 vaccines before age 6 is a wise policy."
The NVIC also recommends that parents ask themselves at least these eight important questions before allowing their children to be vaccinated:
1)Is my child sick right now? 2)Has my child had a bad reaction to a vaccination before? 3) Does my child have a personal or afamily history of vaccine reactions, convulsions or neurological disorders, severe allergies or immune system disorders? 4) Do I know if my child is at high risk of reacting? 5)Do I know how to identify a vaccine reaction? 6)Do I know how to report a vaccine reaction? 7)Do I know the vaccine manufacturer's name and lot number? 8) Do I know that I have a choice?
___________________________________
What are the risks vs. benefits? What is the proof that vaccinations actually help in the first place? What is the evidence that vaccinations might be mildly to fatally harmful?
I was recently called by someone who had looked at my website. This father was rather desperately attempting to find 'mercury-free' vaccines. I wished him well in that search but also cautioned him to look at all of the possible side effects of vaccinations, not just the mercury.
Conformity to an idea or a practice in and of itself has little to no merit. To quote Eric Liddell from one of my favorite movies of all time, Chariots of Fire: When asked how far his pride would take him in defending his belief of not running track on a Sunday, he responded: "Just as far as my conscience dictates."
Get informed, look for resources, make a stand.
Dr. Bill L.
Barbara Loe Fisher, president of NVIC (National Vaccine Information Center), continues to sound the alarms for parents to be informed, and to carefully consider this potentially life changing event of vaccinations.
Fisher has stated: "We have to do the scientific studies to really determine whether a policy of using 48 doses of 14 vaccines before age 6 is a wise policy."
The NVIC also recommends that parents ask themselves at least these eight important questions before allowing their children to be vaccinated:
1)Is my child sick right now? 2)Has my child had a bad reaction to a vaccination before? 3) Does my child have a personal or afamily history of vaccine reactions, convulsions or neurological disorders, severe allergies or immune system disorders? 4) Do I know if my child is at high risk of reacting? 5)Do I know how to identify a vaccine reaction? 6)Do I know how to report a vaccine reaction? 7)Do I know the vaccine manufacturer's name and lot number? 8) Do I know that I have a choice?
___________________________________
What are the risks vs. benefits? What is the proof that vaccinations actually help in the first place? What is the evidence that vaccinations might be mildly to fatally harmful?
I was recently called by someone who had looked at my website. This father was rather desperately attempting to find 'mercury-free' vaccines. I wished him well in that search but also cautioned him to look at all of the possible side effects of vaccinations, not just the mercury.
Conformity to an idea or a practice in and of itself has little to no merit. To quote Eric Liddell from one of my favorite movies of all time, Chariots of Fire: When asked how far his pride would take him in defending his belief of not running track on a Sunday, he responded: "Just as far as my conscience dictates."
Get informed, look for resources, make a stand.
Dr. Bill L.
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