ADHD
ADHD - Don't Get Pilled
Natural Options to helping your child deal with ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder issues.
Many people and doctors look at ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder as a “deficit” or “disorder” but in reality it is neither. Instead it is a brain and central nervous system that has a “Corvette engine” with “bicycle brakes” – thus it is constantly in a state of sympathetic dominance. The sympathetic side of our central nervous system is the fight/flight/stress side where hyperactivity, fidgeting, anxiety and other such things live.
Our sympathetic system is a natural emergency response system that is crucial for survival. But, it is meant to only be turned on for short periods when needed and is not meant to be stuck on at all times. We refer to this side of our central nervous system as the “gas pedal” side, and the “brake pedal” side is the parasympathetic side that is responsible for growth, relaxation, digestion and development. Our bodies should have a balance of these two systems. If we don’t calm and balance out the nervous system then every other form of therapy from nutrition to behavioral to psychological will be fighting an immense uphill battle.
When we test these kids neurologically in our office using technology, we find they are chronically stuck in that fight/flight stage. Excessive sympathetic dominance is the most common component we see with ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorders. This is where the hyper energy, impulse and behavior issued can come from.
Over 75% of the cases (Autism, ADHD, Sensory, Anxiety, etc) that we see in our office have some form of birth trauma (which most parents are completely unaware of) to the head, neck and spine causing a misalignment and fixation. This then becomes the first insult or irritation to the nervous system causing it to move to that state of chronic fight/flight dominance. These misalignments and fixations can even be present prior to birth if the mother had an in-utero constraint issues, most notably breech positioning that would put this stress on the child’s neck even prior to labor.
The artificial approach to controlling symptoms of ADHD is to administer regular doses of methylphenidate. More commonly known as Ritalin®. Ritalin® is a schedule II controlled substance related to, and producing similar effects as, amphetamines and cocaine. The side effects, including personality changes and permanent changes to the brain, cause many parents to look for alternatives. More and more parents are wisely turning to chiropractic.
And that takes us to the chiropractic portion. While many people think of chiropractic as “spine or back” care, few people (even 95% of medical doctors) fail to realize the connection between the spine and function/health of the brain and nervous system. It is much more accurate to think of the spine as not just a collection of bones, muscles and ligaments, but instead as an entire neurological “organ” that is the key communication component between the brain and the body.
I am a part of an Epic group of pediatric chiropractors across the country that study and care for children with these neuro-developmental and sensory processing issues. As pediatric chiropractors we find the stress, misalignments and fixations in the spine and remove it. Gentle chiropractic adjustments, especially to those areas of the spine where misalignment and fixation occur are found to have profound and incredible impact on restoring proper input to the brain, thereby balancing and calming down the nervous system. Restoring balance to the nervous system is the key to a happy and healthy child.
If you are interested in having and Epic child give us a call and make an appointment to have your kiddo scanned.