Many parents wonder why their children seem to be sick all the time.   After all, the last place you want your child is to be at the doctor’s office or at home sick.  Are there ways to improve our children’s health? Or are we helpless?

      Decisions we make as parents can make a difference in the health of our children.  From before birth until adulthood, parents make the decisions that influence their children’s lives.  Mothers choose what their diet and exercise will be during pregnancy.  Parents make birth plans and decide who will be their child’s doctor.

     After a child is born, one of the main decisions made is whether or not to breastfeed.  Many factors play a part in our final decision and often parents write down the advantages and disadvantages of breast milk versus formula.   One question that may get asked is how will it affect my child’s health?  Breast milk contains many substances, which have bactericidal and antiviral properties.  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies are breastfed for at least the first year of life.  Research indicates that breastfeeding decreases certain infectious illnesses, ear infections and diarrhea, and may provide protection against allergic diseases, SIDS, and diabetes.  As our children grow up their nutritional needs change. 

     One of the factors that continue to impact our children’s health is their diet.  Not only should children have a balanced diet but also we should look at the individual items they eat and drink.  Most people have seen milk commercials promoting its benefits.  Is milk really that good for you?  Robert Cohen, author of “Milk: The Deadly Poison” says milk is responsible for allergies, colic, colitis, earaches, colds, and congestion in young children.  Milk contains growth hormones, fat, cholesterol, allergenic proteins, blood, pus, antibiotics, bacteria, and viruses.   Research also indicates that the protein found in milk destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas causing diabetes.  After knowing this, can we ignore the importance of a dairy rich diet, when we have the knowledge that it can affect our health in many ways other than nutritional value?

    What else affects a child’s health?  We know that diet and exercise are important as well as proper rest.  Another factor that often is ignored is a properly functioning nervous system.  Our children have checkups for their teeth, eyes, ears, nose throat, but how do you check the nervous system? 

   The nervous system is the master controller of the body.  Current research states that the nervous system is directly connected to and controls the immune system.  If there is an interference with nerve function, this leads to an interference with the body’s ability to properly function.  Part of this function is its ability to heal itself.  Chiropractors detect and correct interference (subluxations) in the spine.  A typical medical birth can cause a subluxation in the baby. Dr. Guntman found that about 80 percent of all children are subluxated during birth.   When forceps are used as much as 90-110 pounds per square inch of pressure is applied to the baby’s neck.  Also, the home is where the normal slips and falls of childhood occur. On the average before the age of seven, your child will fall about 2500 times and before the age of three will have 3 major falls from a crib, changing table or down steps.   All of which can cause subluxations.  Which in effect can decrease the proper function of the nervous and immune systems.  A study was done which supported the belief that chiropractic care boosted the immune system.  One hundred and seven chiropractic patients were evaluated and found to have a 200% greater immune-competence than people who had no chiropractic care.  Studies have also been done showing the differences between children who have only had traditional medical care and children who have had regular chiropractic care.  The children under chiropractic care had been sick less often and less severely compared to those who had no chiropractic care. 

    As parents we may also wonder if our children are sicker because there are more chances for our children to get sick.  Health experts are indicating that drug resistant diseases have been on the rise.  Experts in the New England Journal of Medicine indicate that the overuse of antibiotics is causing the increase of these diseases.  The World Health Organization indicated that the unnecessary use of antibiotics has created a breed of “superbacteria” which are resistant to standard drugs and which can weaken the immune system.  The abuse of antibiotics has been a factor in worldwide epidemics such as Ebola and Aids.  Antibiotics are often prescribed for ear infections, sore throats and other health problems even though they are unnecessary and ineffective in treating the problem.  It is has been shown that these health problems go away in the same amount of time with or without antibiotics.   

    As parents, it is up to us to educate ourselves and determine what is best for our children.  It is our choices that affect our children’s health and well being.  When we ask ourselves questions like  “why are our kids so sick?” then it is our responsibility to investigate and find out how we can improve their lives.  No one else is going to care more about our children than us.

Moms Speak Out

“My child has been adjusted since birth.  Getting sick hasn’t been a household thought.”

                                    T.S.

As a child, our family always got adjusted. Sickness hardly ever occurred and only lasted a day or two.                             

                                 D.F.

For more information call Dr. Sheppard at 753-KIDS.