Can Chiropractic Help with Autism?

As a Chiropractor I found this to be very interesting. I came across an article that mentioned how Chiropractic care can help children with Autism. Well, that sparked my interest because I know many who have children with this dreadful problem and find themselves helpless. 

This article was written by a world-renowned chiropractor for children, Dr. Joan Fallon. She stated that more and more parents of children with developmental issues were seeking out chiropractors. She believes, as I do, that many times children with developmental issues, especially children with autism, experience sensory integration problems. Sensory integration disorder is defines as ‘the disorganization of the multi-sensory input into the body.’ People who suffer from this have profound and often dibilitating difficulty with touch, taste, smell, sound or visual input. Which means they have difficulty processing incoming sensory information.

So for instance, when in a mall or playground, most of us can block out sounds and talking that occurs around us. However, a child with sensory integration problems has difficulty filtering out the noises effectively, so it all comes at him/her all at once. Dr. Fallon believes that Chiropractic can help children with these problems, because Chiropractic care can get to the root of the problem by helping correct the imbalances in the nervous system. Imbalances in the nervous system are caused by ‘subluxations’ in the spine.

Chiropractors correct ‘subluxations’ in the spine. What are ‘subluxations’? It is when two or more segments in the spine with the disc between are misaligned or lost its proper position. Subluxation can cause a numerous amount of problems in an adult and in a child it is much worse. As Chiropractors, we determine the areas of subluxations, misalignments and put them in the proper position. When subluxations are corrected, the body is brought into alignment and able to maintain the integrity of various systems within the body, including the nervous system.

Much more research has been done offering hope for children with autism. Chiropractic care believes that healing of the body comes from within. We as chiropractors, maintain the spine in alignment, therefore allowing your body as a whole to function at its optimum level. We have seen children with these same conditions, improve tremendously with Chiropractic care. Give Chiropractic a chance and a child with autism a chance to live a symptom-free and healthier life. 

Say Goodbye to Ear Infections

By the tender age of 2, approximately 65% of children will have experienced at least one episode of middle ear infection, also known as otitis media.  This is a disturbing figure and one that is quite scary.  Frequent ear aches may interfere with a child's language and speech development and in some cases can cause permanent hearing loss. There are 3 types of otitis media:

  • Acute – usually due to an upper respiratory infection and has pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and possibly diarrhea associated with it.  During the upper respiratory infection, bacteria may cause swelling in the ear and surrounding tissues, making drainage difficult.  This inflammation and lack of drainage is exacerbated by the angle of the infant's eustachian tubes, which change in orientation and angle as the child matures.
  • Serous or secretory – this type results when acute otitis media does not resolve fully.  The symptoms related with serous otitis media are obstruction of the eustachian tube, accumulation of fluid in the middle ear and hearing loss.
  • Chronic – may result from acute otitis media or from trauma to the ear drum.  In this condition, the eardrum or tympanic membrane is perforated.

The method of practice by medical doctors when a child is exhibiting any of the above conditions is to prescribe antibiotics.  There are serious repercussions from the administration of antibiotics such as side effects that may include the following:

  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • diarrhea
  • yeast infections
  • with long term use: increases the chance of recurrent, serious ear infections

When antibiotics are not effective or fail to halt the chronic ear infection, surgery to insert ear tubes is the next step. The body eventually rejects the tubes and pushes them out naturally.

Parents are turning to Chiropractors for help as well as their first line of defense for preventing future episodes.  The chiropractic approach to ending ear pain is multifaceted and based on the philosophy of focusing on cause rather than symptoms.

Misalignments of the spine called spinal subluxations interfere with nerve flow.  Many doctors believe that the eustachian tube blockage occurs when a tiny muscle called the tensor veli palatini becomes dysfunctional.  This muscle is innervated by nerves that can be traced back to the spinal cord in the upper neck.  When the nerve is impinged causing a subluxation the symptom may result in ear ache. The Doctor of Chiropractic takes specialized courses on pediatric adjusting techniques and use extremely safe, low-force adjusting methods for children.

Next time your child is suffering from an ear ache, consider a Doctor of Chiropractic. Dr. Sutherland is a Doctor of Chiropractic in Tampa, Florida and specializes in family care, be sure to contact him with any questions or concerns or make an appointment for a FREE consultation.