Dr Donna Polk |
August 2017 www.drdonnapolk.com |
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Pediatric GERD Relieved With Chiropractic Care  A recent case report published at Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics lends support to the idea that chiropractic treatment can provide relief of pediatric GERD. There have been past reports of chiropractic care relieving GERD in adults. This report suggests that other pediatric patients with GERD may benefit from chiropractic care as well. The study author, Dr. Andrew Chuang (MClinChiro, private practice, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), presents a case report of the treatment of a four month old female with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The prescribed treatment was approximately 8 visits over a 6 weeks period. It consisted of chiropractic adjustments and cranial adjustments. Within three weeks, the patient had no acid reflux or vomiting, as reported by her mother. Dr. Chuang reports that support in the scientific literature for chiropractic treatment of pediatric GERD is sparse. Nonetheless, a 2008 case report by Alcantara and Anderson also demonstrated complete resolution of pediatric GERD. Most chiropractic physicians who treat pediatric patients have witnessed the resolution of reflux symptoms and GERD on many occasions. In my personal experience as a chiropractic physician, the diagnosis of pediatric GERD is not very prevalent. However, reflux and vomiting are is a common problem for infants. While there are many causes, chiropractic care relieves stress from the nervous system, allowing the infant to heal naturally. I recently successfully treated a 2 month old infant who was diagnosed with torticollis, tortipelvis, colic, and GERD. The patient's pediatrician had recommended physical therapy to address the torticollis and tortipelvis. The patient's mother was reluctant to this treatment method. She had good results with chiropractic treatment for her other child's allergies and asthma and chose to try chiropractic care first. Within two weeks of treatment, the colic and reflux symptoms reduced. Within four weeks, the torticollis and tortipelvis had significantly reduced as well. All of her symptoms resolved within eight weeks of care. I attribute these results to removing stress from the nervous system. Many different stresses can aggravate the body's delicate nerves. In infants, even the birth process can cause spinal misalignment that stresses the nervous system. This was the case for my own son. Chiropractic adjustments immediately after his birth were necessary to correct spinal misalignments that resulted from the birth process. This relieved the nerve stress and allowed his body to heal and restore normal breathing. What You Can Do1. If your child has been diagnosed with pediatric GERD, consult with a chiropractor as well as your pediatrician to determine if chiropractic care will benefit your child. 2. If your child suffers from similar symptoms such as reflux, vomiting or colic, then chiropractic care may help. 3. Understand that your health is your responsibility. As a parent, the health of your child is your responsibility as well. Rather than depending on one physician, do your own research and learn how to restore your health naturally as well. |
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