{Disclaimer: We were given the opportunity to experience our partners at Seasons Family Chiropractic firsthand. While this post is sponsored, all opinions are 100% our own!}
Three times.
I have two kids and both kids required three rounds of antibiotics during the winter months last year. Six trips to the pharmacy, and we were practically living at our pediatrician’s office. Please God, not again. This year needs to be better. This year WILL be different!
Listen, I’m not all crunchy granola. I love the power of a good ol’ antibiotic as much as the next person, but if there’s something that can help prevent the sickness in the first place (or treat it well in the beginning) I’m totally game. And by totally game I mean I’ll ferment whatever Pinterest suggests and attempt to get my kids to drink it. (Only kidding! …kind of.) The stuff I’m not embarrassed to tell you we’ve tried includes bone broth, homemade elderberry syrup, and a wide assortment of organic essential oils. The stuff I’m too embarrassed to share with the internet, well…
But this year we’re adding a new weapon to the cold battle—a pediatric chiropractor! Our experience with the pediatric chiropractor is extremely minimal, however my niece had chronic ear infections–one after the other for 18 months straight! So when my sister-in-law told me that she’d been taking her kids to the chiropractor to help with colds, and her kids hadn’t been sick since, I was pretty impressed! Though also confused, because how does moving the spine cause your sinuses to drain? It’s not like a bathtub and you wiggling the spine magically pulls the plug, right?
So when I was given the opportunity to take my daughter, who had a cold in August, to Seasons Family Chiropractic in Woodbury, I jumped on the chance to exercise both my intrigue and skepticism of the field.
And can I just cut to the chase because I’m just too excited? It was brilliant! First, Seasons Family Chiropractic is so darn cute. It’s filled with kids’ photos and success stories, a playroom, cartoons on TV, and a special table for kids to be adjusted on. It was chiropractic heaven for kids! But that’s actually not the part I want to talk to you about.
I sat down with Dr. Heather and pummeled her with my questions—how does adjusting the spine drain fluid from your face? Does it really boost your immune system? Should you go regularly or only when you feel sick? What ages can be adjusted? Does it really help with almost everything in the body? After getting a basic course in the anatomy of the spine—her words!—I can confidently say it makes sense.
The immune system is controlled by the brain. Of course you want open and clear communication between your brain and the rest of your body via your nerves. Often times “blockages” (physical stress, chemical stress, or emotional stress) can occur and activate our fight/flight response and cause interference, irritation, or inflammation along the nerves. Getting adjusted helps clear those blockages allowing for your brain to communicate the best with the rest of the body.
So my daughter got several colds last year and a round of that weird strep everyone was plagued with. But her body (and my DIY cold remedies) just couldn’t kick it alone, and we’d end up at the pediatrician’s office with ear infections and sinus infections. Dr. Heather explained that the area of the spine associated with the sinuses and ears are around the neck, so she would suspect that my daughter has some blockages around her neck based on her symptoms. And here’s what makes Seasons Family Chiropractic awesome—they confirm it. Yup. They don’t just guess, they confirm it.
“The Insight Neurological Scan” is a machine that scans the back and it measures how well the brain and nervous system are communicating with the body. Dr. Heather scanned my daughter and sure enough it was awful around her neck. Based on those results, Dr. Heather came up with a treatment plan to help realign the spine around my daughter’s neck. When it was time to adjust my daughter, it was incredibly gentle. No snap, no crackle, no pop. In fact, I needed to ask if she actually did it! She also mentioned that kids tend to sleep better after an adjustment. So when we went home and my non-napping 4 year old took a nap and her cold cleared up, I became a believer.
The only regret I have is that I didn’t get adjusted! A chiropractic adjustment can benefit more than the immune system. Since the nervous system is all over your body, really anything can benefit from being adjusted—teething, sleep issues, bed wetting, asthma, ADD/ADHD, allergies, skin issues like eczema, breastfeeding, reflux, torticollis, even getting adjusted during pregnancy can make labor and delivery easier! Plus, your baby can be adjusted immediately after birth too!
If you’re looking to fight cold season at full strength, check out Seasons Family Chiropractic!
Not in the Woodbury area? That’s okay! Check here for pediatric chiropractors near you!
