The Tribune

By DR KELLY KRAMP

“Chiropractic care for my child? Why? His back doesn’t bother him.” How often chiropractors have encountered parents who appreciate the importance of regular checkups for their children’s teeth, hearing, eyes and ears but draw a blank when it comes to a spinal check-up. In fact, a spinal check-up could be one of the most important checkups your child will ever have.

Your child’s spine is his or her lifeline because running through it is the spinal cord, containing billions of nerve fibres that send messages and energy from the brain to every part of their body. If there is a blockage of any of the nerves along the spinal cord, any nerve damage at all, then a state of “dis-ease” will develop. Dis-ease means dis-harmony in the body that will cause generalised weakening of your child’s body, lowered resistance to disease, and consequent body malfunction and sickness.

Blockages of nerves in the spinal column are usually caused by tiny fixations and misalignments of the spinal vertebrae that are called vertebral subluxations. Only chiropractors are trained to detect and correct subluxations, much like only a dentist finds cavities. The birth process can cause subluxations, as can the very physical childhood activities of running and jumping, falls and accidents.

Because your children (and you) may have spinal subluxations and not know it, all children need periodic spinal checkups. There are certain warning signs indicating that the spinal column may be out of alignment: one hip or shoulder is higher than the other, hyperactivity, frequent falling, a foot turned in or out (foot flare), neck tilt, one leg shorter than the other, chronic fatigue, “noisy bones” or joint aches, headaches, skin conditions. Some other indicators are increased allergies, colds and flu, asthma and ear infections. A recent study of 332 children showed that chronic ear infection sufferers under chiropractic care had no more infections in 80 percent of the cases.

No matter what health concerns you or your children may have, you can benefit from a healthy spine. Spinal health can be as important for your overall healing as proper nutrition. Are you and your family carrying vertebral subluxations in your spines? A healthy spine is absolutely essential. It can make the difference between a life of health, strength and vitality or a life of disease, weakness and disability.

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