Chiropractic Work and Kids

I am starting a new series focusing on health for the family and am so excited about today's post.  I work on keeping my whole family healthy and use a lot of various method which I will be sharing about from time to time.  Today I am sharing out our AMAZING chiropractor, Dr. Tucci, and why we take The Brothers to a chiropractor. 

We started taking Shane to see Dr. Tucci around the time Shane was 14 months old. I had never considered taking my baby boy to see a chiropractor but I was referred by my pediatrician because of Shane's chronic ear infections. Shane had 7 ear infections back to back from October to March and it seemed we were constantly at the doctors getting antibiotics. By the 7th infection we were given the option of seeing an ENT or trying some alternative medicine. Brian, my husband, suffered from chronic ear infections as a child and had several sets of ear tubes so we were prepared for the same with Shane because he was following the same pattern. However, cold and flu season was ending and I was told that an ENT would not quickly give Shane ear tubes because of the time of year, his age, and the number of infections he had. Additionally, I was not as comfortable with surgery for my baby if there was another way to help him. Thus, we started to explore the idea of alternative medicine and one choice was seeing a chiropractor. 

Brian and I were already established patients with a practice that we liked so we were comfortably taking Shane there. A husband and wife team run the practice and offer massage therapy and physical therapy services along with chiropractic work. I instantly connected with Dr. Tucci and had also seen her husband Dr. Holt whom I highly recommend. We talked with Dr. Tucci ahead of Shane's appointment and learned about how adjusting a child differs from an adult appointment and what the benefits were in terms of preventing and treating ear infections.  

As a mom, I was not prepared to have Shane lay on a table and get his neck adjusted with a quick movement because I was worried it would scare him. That is the image I had in my head but I was so wrong. An adjustment on a child is drastically different. Keith had an appointment as a newborn and only slight pressure with fingers was used. As a toddler, Shane had a tool used (seen in the picture above) but it was set to a very low pressure along with slight pressure with fingers and Dr. Tucci explained EVERYTHING to Shane. She took the time to get to know him, talk to him, and let him practice using the tool on her so he was comfortable with what was going on. The adjustment for my boys was stress free, pain free, educational, and beneficial.

The game plan with Shane was to get adjustments several times a year, specifically every time he got sick because he always got an ear infection after. Adjusting his neck allowed Shane's narrow eustachian tubes to properly drain and not make a wet and warm breeding ground for bacteria to grow. We followed the plan and the next time Shane had a cold he went in for an adjustment and he had no ear infection. Over the next year Shane had only two ear infections which we treated with antibiotics and adjustments that allowed his body to work like it should and gave him an immunity boost which is a great benefit. Past ear infections for Shane often took more than one round of antibiotics or came back but when coupled with adjustments I saw his infections were less severe or avoided all together! As a mom who had spent months rocking her baby at night, taking his temperature, going through rounds of antibiotics, and taking him to the doctor time after time I was so happy find a new plan that allowed my son to be healthier!

    In short, I don't think chiropractic work is a replacement for medicine but I do believe in the health benefits of it both for preventative care and treatment for the whole family. Brian and I have physically benefited from chiropractic work. I utilized treatment during my pregnancy for sciatic pain and had immediate results allowing me to comfortably walk and go about my daily activities again. Brian has seen improvement with his lower back pain that comes and goes from his job. My entire family stays healthier by making chiropractic adjustments part of our health care and I am blessed to have such a wonderful doctor!