What we offer makes a difference

- Jeanne Ohm, DC Originally Appearing in Pathways to Family Wellness Magazine Issues 23 & 69

Many parents bring their children to chiropractors asking them to treat their ear infections. The purpose of chiropractic care is not the treatment of conditions or diseases; rather, it is the restoration of normal body function. Chiropractors work with the nervous system via gentle spinal adjustments. The reduce stress-related interference to the nervous system, thereby enhancing overall body function.

All systems of the body — muscular, glandular, respiratory, circulatory, digestive, eliminatory, hormonal, and immunological depend on the optimal function of the nervous system. With chiropractic, a focus on nervous system function helps to enhance all the body’s systems. As parents, we have some choices to make. We can either treat the ear infection, or not — that’s our right as a parent. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a watch-and-wait approach, because the evidence-based research about antibiotics is showing that not only are they ineffective at treating ear infections, but they may actually lead to repeated episodes in your child.

As a parent, we can choose to treat or not to treat. If we do choose to treat, we again have some options. We can treat the ear infections allopathically (the typical medical/drug route) or naturally. If we choose to go to a pediatrician, she may take a watch-and-wait approach. More likely, she will prescribe an antibiotic.

If, however, we would prefer to treat the ear infections more naturally, there are several options to consider. A naturopath will explore herbs and nutrition; a homeopath will assess your child for a specific remedy; an acupuncturist will work with specific meridian points for healing.

It is so important that you as a parent realize you have choices, and the right to make these choices for your family.

Regardless of the choices you make, the chiropractic approach will improve your child’s inherent ability to function. Doesn't it make sense to have your child functioning at an optimal level for healing no matter how (or if) you choose to treat? Chiropractors will assess your child’s spine, make the necessary adjustments to improve nerve system function, and offer lifestyle suggestions to reduce nerve system stress for your child. They will also support any decision you make in your choices to treat the infection or not. This is your right as a parent, and we need practitioners who stand behind informed choices.

It is important that parents realize the role chiropractic plays in whole-body wellness. So, too, is it important for parents to know, when reading the following testimonials, that chiropractic adjustments have allowed these children to express a greater state of health and wholeness, and that their system were able to overcome repeated episodes because neurological function was restored.