Does chiropractor for acid reflux in babies work?
Acid reflux is unpleasant at the best of times and can be especially upsetting when a baby is involved – both for the child and the parents. Acid reflux in babies is the phenomenon of a baby bringing back up whatever it has recently swallowed, usually for no apparent reason. Choosing to use a chiropractor for acid reflux in babies treatment may seem counterintuitive, but there are good reasons to choose this course of action.
Acid reflux in babies
It’s not uncommon for a baby to regurgitate food. In fact, the majority of babies up to 7 months old will regurgitate at least once a day, and it’s nothing to worry about.
There are a few instances where it can be a concern. A blockage may cause constant regurgitation, as can allergies, and even certain illnesses. But usually, it’s something far less sinister.
The trauma of birth
One of the biggest moments in an infant’s life is the trauma of actually being born. A whole range of new experiences occur, and the child is suddenly away from everything it has known for its whole life – the comfort and warmth of the womb.
Babies can often be seen arching their backs, which may be due to a slight spinal misalignment that occurred during birth. This is again nothing to worry about, but this misalignment is often the source of the reflux problem.
In some cases, babies are unable to relax fully due to the memory of the birth event. This can cause imperceptible tenseness of muscles, which in itself can lead to spinal misalignment and an increase in the severity of the acid reflux problem. Gentle spinal realignment can help babies to relax these muscles, and soft baby massage can reduce the incidence of such episodes.
Constant acid reflux is not the natural condition for any human, baby or otherwise, and so an effective treatment needs to be found to relieve the issues that your baby may be facing.
The treatment provided by a chiropractor for acid reflux in babies
For every problem there is a treatment or cure, and acid reflux is no different. It is possible to treat the condition with modifications to the baby’s diet, with drugs to suppress it, and so on. However, many parents are uncomfortable with making drastic changes to the food that their child eats, and even more are uncomfortable with the thought of giving drugs to a child that is so small.
Changing your child’s diet can cause further upset as their young digestive system is already used to a particular method of feeding – introducing an entirely different foodstuff too soon may cause the acid reflux symptoms to worsen.
Using drugs to suppress the reflux can also cause other problems – the symptoms don’t need suppressing as it is the root cause of the problem that needs to be found and treated directly. By suppressing the symptoms, the problem still exists – you just can’t see it anymore. Would you want to know that your baby had a problem that you couldn’t see, and it wasn’t being resolved?
The alternative is to treat the problem at the source and ensure that all parts of the body are in alignment to allow an easy flow of food. A misalignment of the spine may only be tiny, but it can certainly cause problems for the rest of the body, especially if the body itself is also tiny.
It may be that due to the misalignment some nerves don’t function quite in the way they are supposed to. The digestive system may be impaired or partially blocked by the misalignment. It is even possible that a spinal misalignment can cause a general feeling of illness and the only way the baby can tell you about this is by crying.
By realigning the spine to exactly the way it should be, full gastric function can be restored. Minor blockages can clear as the route they need to follow is opened up, and acid reflux simply goes away as everything is back in its natural order, fully working as intended.
How does a chiropractor treat a baby?
As babies are so small, the adjustments made to them are made with much less pressure than with an adult – a soft touch is often all that is needed. The small chiropractic adjustments are made in a gentle and very safe way to naturally restore the correct alignment of the spine and the full function of the body.
A gentle realignment of the spine will quickly resolve the digestive problems your baby has experienced. In fact, many babies respond after just a single treatment, giving great relief to both the child and its parents.
Your baby will then continue to grow and develop naturally without far fewer episodes of regurgitation than before.
Is it safe to realign a baby’s spine?
We evaluate every patient before performing any procedure, no matter what their age is. Spinal realignment is safe at all ages as it restores the body to the way it is meant to be – in fact, it is often less safe to leave a spine misaligned.
We’ll make sure that both you and your baby as safe and comfortable before, during, and after the treatment. Undergoing chiropractic treatment is not traumatic and will help your baby to relax and feel more comfortable in their own body.
Our doctors are certified in multiple disciplines to ensure their safety and skill especially where young children are concerned. Every member of our team cares for our patients, and the treatment we provide is safe, natural, and will never cause pain or hurt your child.
We are the chiropractor for acid reflux in babies
We have a passion for working with young children and believe that our natural chiropractic treatments will help your baby recover from many different kinds of illness, not just acid reflux.
To book an appointment or to find out more about pediatric chiropractic services, please visit us or call Ozark Chiropractic Clinic on (225) 927-8160 right now.