Understanding Chiropractic Care for Kids

A growing number of families in the U.S.—both parents and children—are discovering the benefits of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), including chiropractic care.

The good news is that

you’re never too young or too old to benefit from

the types of therapies a

skilled chiropractic physician can provide. 

Today’s state-licensed chiropractors generally have the training and experience to work with patients from early childhood through to advanced age. However, some practitioners also choose to focus on the unique needs of specific types of patients.   

Many chiropractors who specialize in pediatrics are members of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) and have attended postgraduate courses that focus on the care of pregnant mothers, infants and children.

The ICPA is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1986 by Larry Webster, DC.  The association offers advanced training workshops and seminars for healthcare professionals, in addition to its chiropractic certification. It also has a referral service for parents and publishes a wide variety of materials designed to educate the general public about chiropractic medicine for children and adults.

How Children May Benefit From Chiropractic Care

As children enter school and begin interacting more with other kids in a different setting, they become susceptible to having their spine and nervous system compromised. From poor sitting posture in the classroom to heavy backpacks in the hallways and rough-housing on the playground, there are a variety of new health risks. Chiropractic care can help address these sorts of risks as well as others that may seem less obvious.

For instance, there is evidence that chiropractic care may help prevent or relieve many common cold and allergy symptoms, including sneezing, coughing and itching or watery eyes. This is not to say that a visit to the chiropractor will “cure” the common cold or that the underlying illness will be eliminated, even temporarily.  However, the research suggests that spinal manipulation and other therapies frequently used by the chiropractor may help to strengthen a child’s immune system over time.

Treating Infants

Chiropractic treatments are tailored to every child according to their specific circumstances, including their height and weight. There is no minimum age and even newborns may safely benefit.  In fact, chiropractic care is encouraged for babies as a chiropractic physician may be able to detect spinal problems that could lead to colic, ear infection or asthma. Early detection may help prevent the development of these conditions and other complications while improving a young patient’s quality of life.
Communicating with Members of Your Child’s Healthcare Team

As both adults and children are turning to alternative medicine as a way to prevent or treat common ailments, there is an increasing need for patients (or their parents) to communicate effectively with members of an expanded healthcare team.  In most cases, your child’s  primary care doctor (usually a pediatrician, general practitioner or chiropractic physician) will play a key role in coordinating care.

Remember that a good chiropractor will always tell you when a particular condition may be outside his or her scope of practice and will refer you to other specialists as appropriate.

Studies have shown that children who visit the chiropractor on a regular basis are likely to grow up with better posture and have fewer illnesses than their classmates. 

If you’d like to find out more about children and chiropractic care, please call Dr. Wintermute at (949) 559-7999 today to make an appointment.

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References
 
Fysh, Peter DC (December 16, 1994) Upper Respiratory Infections [Electronic version] Dynamic Chiropractic, Vol. 12 No. 26; Retrieved August 30, 2011
 
International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) homepage (2010) Retrieved August 30, 2011: from http://icpa4kids.com/about
 
Palevsky, Lawrence M.D. (October 8, 2008) Holistic Approaches to Asthma, Retrieved August 30, 2011; from http://icpa4kids.org/Wellness-Articles/holistic-approaches-to-asthma.html

What are Trans Fats?

Stay on the Lookout for Trans Fats

You’ve probably heard that trans fats are bad for you. You may even be looking for them on product labels. But what about all the foods that don’t have nutrition labels on them, such as French fries or doughnuts?

When it comes to these foods, trans fats may be hiding in plain sight. That’s why it is important for you to have a basic understanding of where you are most likely to encounter them. By knowing a little more about trans fats, you can make more informed food choices.

Trans fats, also known as trans fatty acids, come from the hydrogenation of polyunsaturated oils and are used in place of healthier oils in many foods. Say what? Unless you majored in chemistry, that probably makes zero sense to you, so allow me to explain.

Naturally occurring vegetable oils – such as canola, sunflower, or corn oil – don’t contain any trans fats. People have to intentionally create trans fats. So if we know they are bad for our health, why do we do it? There are several reasons – all of which serve the needs of the food industry, not individuals. Trans fats:

• Increase the shelf life of products
• Make vegetable oils more suitable for repeat use in deep fryers
• Decrease product refrigeration requirements
• Are less expensive than butter or lard

Have you ever noticed that butter is stocked in the refrigerated section of grocery stores, but packaged baked goods like muffins aren’t? Yet the muffins still resist spoiling. Why? It’s because the kinds of pure vegetable oils and butter we cook with at home are often substituted with trans fats when foods are prepared on a commercial scale.

The trans fats come from adding hydrogen atoms (partially hydrogenating) to unsaturated fats. This process raises the melting point of the fat – so that it will be more solid at room temperature and won’t require refrigeration to hold its shape.
Up until 2006, food manufacturers were not required to list trans fats on product labels.

Now the FDA requires food manufacturers to list the presence of trans fats.  And although the FDA did not set any limits on the amounts of trans fats that are allowed to be present in our foods, they did say that it should be “as low as possible.

Experts believe that there are nearly 50,000 products on the market that contain trans fatty acids. While the term “trans fats” might not specifically appear on the nutrition label, you will see terms such as shortening and hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil. The closer to the top of the nutrition label these trans fats appear, the higher the percentage that are present.

Consumer health groups have begun to pressure food manufacturers to remove trans fats from their products altogether. Some have gone so far as to file law suits demanding that a particular product be removed from the shelves unless trans fats are eliminated from the ingredients.

While that battle is fought at the highest levels, individuals can take control of their own health by recognizing the types of food likely to contain high levels of trans fat. Stay on the lookout for trans fats in fried foods, in unrefrigerated baked goods and in snack foods such as cookies and crackers.

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Bibliography
 
Dietary Fats Explained MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved 9 5, 2011, from MedlinePlus Health Information from the National Library of Medicine: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000104.htm
 
Trans fat. (n.d.). Retrieved 9 5, 2011, from Wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat
 
Trans fat definition Cholesterol Information Produced by Doctors For Patients Experiencing High Cholesterol Levels. (n.d.). Retrieved 9 5, 2011, from MedTerms.com: http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11091