Attention ADHD Families: Has your doctor ever told you about a Medication Break?!

Hey, parents, are you tired of relying on ADHD medications to manage your child's symptoms? Do you worry about the long-term effects of these drugs on your child's health and development? Have you heard about families taking a "drug holiday" during the summer months in order to help their child's brain and nervous system heal, recover, and get back to balance? If so, you're on the right track because there are, in fact, natural, drug-free options available to help manage your child’s ADHD symptoms.

Did you know that over 6 million children in the United States are diagnosed with ADHD, and many of them are prescribed stimulant medications to manage their symptoms? While these medications may seem effective in the short term, they come with a long list of potential side effects, including sleep problems, decreased appetite, and even heart issues. It's no wonder you may be seeking alternative approaches to support your child's health.

Each summer, we look forward to getting the opportunity to help and support kids struggling with ADHD. Summertime offers a unique environment that can provide quicker healing, with reduced stress from early wake-ups, school routines, and homework pressures. For families looking for a ‘medication break’ during these warm and sunny months, this period is ideal for diving into natural and holistic alternatives that can have a more profound impact compared to the busier, fully medicated seasons. 

The Root Cause of ADHD

The root cause of ADHD is often related to neurological dysfunction and imbalances in the brain and nervous system. Early life experiences, such as fertility treatments, maternal stress, birth interventions, and infant challenges (colic, reflux, constipation), can contribute to its development. A dysregulated nervous system, characterized by an overactive sympathetic (gas pedal) response and an underactive parasympathetic (brake pedal) response, plays a crucial role in ADHD. Subluxation, a state of repeated stress and tension in the nervous system, further disrupts neurological function, impacting bodily processes and neurotransmitter balance.  

ADHD medications do not address these underlying issues; instead, they simply mask the symptoms. By taking a break from these medications during the summer months or holidays, you can give your child's body a chance to reset and heal naturally without the interference of drugs and their side effects.

During a "drug holiday," it's important to focus on lifestyle factors that can support your child's health and development. This includes:

• Ensuring your child gets plenty of sleep

• Eats a nutrient-dense diet 

• Engages in regular physical activity and outdoor play 

• Practice stress-reduction techniques like mindfulness and deep breathing. 

While these lifestyle changes can help calm and regulate your child's nervous system, they may not be enough on their own.

The Power of Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care

This is where Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care comes in. Chiropractic adjustments help restore balance and function to the nervous system, improving sleep, focus, attention, and behavioral and emotional regulation. By addressing the root cause of your child's ADHD symptoms, chiropractic care can help reduce the need for medications in the long term.

As mentioned, the nervous system plays a crucial role in regulating your child's "fight or flight" response and their ability to "rest, digest, and regulate." So when your child struggles with focusing and regulating between the "gas pedal" and the "brake pedal," it's often a sign that their nervous system needs attention. Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care aims to help the nervous system adapt and regulate, so your child doesn't have to be stuck on the gas 24/7.

As a parent, you have the power to take charge of your child's health and well-being.  So, if you’re ready to take a natural approach to managing your child's ADHD symptoms, we can help! 

At {INSERT OFFICE NAME}, we specialize in helping children with ADHD and other neurodevelopment disorders thrive without relying on medication. Our approach focuses on helping the nervous system adapt and regulate, ensuring your child isn’t constantly running on overdrive. Our doctors are trained to identify and address the underlying causes of your child’s symptoms, paving the way for them to succeed both inside and outside the classroom. 

So, if you’re curious how chiropractic care can support your child during a “drug holiday” and beyond, please reach out to {INSERT OFFICE NAME} today!  If you are not local to us, check out the PX Docs directory to find a PX Doc office near you. 

This summer, help your child unlock their full potential and experience a summer they’ll never forget.

Hope for Developmental Delays: Finding Success Outside Standard Therapies

As a parent, it's natural to feel concerned and confused when your child experiences gross motor delays. You may have tried everything from countless physical therapy and occupational therapy sessions to diligently following through with home exercises, only to see little to no progress. If your child struggles to sit up, crawl, or walk despite months of traditional therapy, fatigues easily, slouches constantly, and avoids physical activities altogether, you're not alone. Many parents find themselves in the same situation, wondering why their child's gross motor development seems to have plateaued.

But what if we told you that the root cause of your child's challenges might be something that's often overlooked by traditional pediatric therapies? The real issue behind gross motor delays in kids goes way beyond low muscle tone and a weak core.

The Importance of Gross Motor Skills

Gross motor skills are crucial for a child's overall development and daily activities. These skills involve movements that require the entire body, primarily utilizing the large muscle groups like the arms, legs, and core. However, there's a set of nerves and muscles that are often left out of the conversation when discussing gross motor skills and development: those of the neck and neurospinal system.

Gross motor development follows a predictable sequence, starting with head and neck control for latching and nursing. As your child grows, they begin to develop trunk control through tummy time and learning to roll over. Next, they start activating their core muscles to sit up independently. From there, your child progresses to army crawling and regular crawling, which are essential for brain development. Finally, they learn to furniture cruise and take their first steps.

The Missing Piece: The Role of the Neurospinal System

While traditional therapies focus on strengthening muscles and improving coordination, they often overlook the critical role of the nervous system, particularly the neurospinal system, in gross motor function. If we want to get to the root cause of any neuromuscular or gross motor challenge, we must first address the "neuro" part. This is where Neurologicaly-Focused  Chiropractic Care comes in, as it can access and improve Central Nervous System function in a way that PT and OT cannot.

Subluxation and sympathetic dominance, or increased tone, often set up shop in the neck and neurospinal system. These issues are most commonly caused by breech positioning or birth interventions like forceps, vacuum, induction, or c-section. The resulting hyper or high tone will remain stuck in those regions until adjusted and cleared out of the way. In other words, the original cause of "low tone" or a "weak core" is actually tension and subluxation in the neck and neurospinal system.

A Real-Life Example: Joseph's Story

Let's talk about Joseph, a 12-year-old boy who sought help with his daily challenges associated with autism, ataxia, and chronic constipation. What caught his doctor's attention immediately were his significant gross motor delays and struggles. 

Joseph's mom shared, "He will always find a way to slouch, no matter what we do." Joseph struggled to sit up straight, stand tall, and move around without exhaustion. His body was simultaneously "wound up and worn out," leading him to seek additional movement stimulation through constant stimming and other behaviors. As a result, they had stopped all PT and OT and pretty much "given up" that his gross motor function and posture would ever get back to normal.

However, within the very first week of getting Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care, Joseph's gross motor function and endurance took off like a rocket. He was asking to go to the gym, work out, hit the treadmill, and go to the park to play! Mom was ecstatic, and so was his doctor.

The Path Forward: Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care

If your child has been struggling with gross motor delays and you feel like you've tried everything without lasting results, it's time to look deeper. Subluxation, excessive sympathetic tone, and the lasting effects of birth trauma could still be at play.

At Live Well Family Chiropractic, we can help you find out how your child's gross motor function is doing down to the very core by using Neurological INSiGHT Scans, especially the EMG. Once we have the results of these scans, our doctors can create a customized and fully tailored adjusting care plan made just for your child. This approach can help your little one finally get past that plateau or stuck point and get back on track with their gross motor development.

Remember, you're not alone in this journey. By addressing the root cause of your child's gross motor delays through Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care, you can help them unlock their full potential and thrive. Don't give up hope – there are solutions available that can make a significant difference in your child's life and can help your child overcome their gross motor challenges and achieve the milestones they deserve.

Chiropractic Care For Stressed Out + Worn Out Dads

The Dad Life… 

For so many dads, the busyness of work and family responsibilities has completely taken over their daily lives, and they long ago gave up on taking care of themselves. Their diet has switched to eating fast food at their desk or in the car during their commute, and they consume enough coffee to caffeinate a small village each and every day. 

All of the sugar and caffeine revs up an already hyped-up and stressed-out nervous system.  So over time, the average dad today is not just overweight and out of shape, but may be struggling with chronic health challenges like ADHD, anxiety, allergies, chronic headaches, sleep issues, and continual back and neck pain. 

After being wound up for so long, they then become worn out and exhausted, and while they often think about getting healthy and back in shape again… they’ve got no drive or energy left to actually get that done. Unfortunately, chiropractic care is the furthest thing from their minds.  

Honestly, even for those dads who do work out and try to eat healthy, the demands of the work and family life schedule can still stress their nervous systems to the max, leading to many of the same challenges. 

That was certainly the case for Chris, an incredible rockstar dad who was experiencing bad allergies, migraines, and constant sinus infections before seeking help in our office. He was always on antibiotics, and everything he tried just seemed like a temporary fix. 

He had watched as his wife and kids started chiropractic care and received amazing results, but just wasn’t sure it would work for him. Finally, the stress and tension reached a breaking point, and he made getting into the office for chiropractic care and neurologically-focused adjustments a priority. From there, everything changed in a matter of just a few weeks! 

With each and every adjustment, Chris could feel the pressure and fog lifting, he could move his neck and shoulders more, his allergies and sinuses finally cleared up, and he was finally feeling way more energy as the weeks went on, and chiropractic care became a regular part of his life! 

HOW DOES GETTING ADJUSTMENTS HELP BREAKTHROUGH THE STRESS? 

Unfortunately, far too many people have a limited view of what chiropractic care can do for their health, simply because most medical doctors and even many chiropractors keep their care focused on back and neck pain alone. They fail to understand the absolutely crucial and really quite simple connection between the spine and the nervous system. 

But just ask yourself this question – when you’ve got a nasty headache, tense neck and shoulders, and back pain, how well do you sleep? How’s your mental health and mood when you’re in constant pain? Do you feel like working out and playing with your kids when you’re chronically tense and exhausted? 

Everything in the body is intricately connected and controlled by one thing – the nervous system. The nervous system controls everything, from muscle tension and function to digestion, immune health, sleep, mood, mental + emotional health, focus, and so much more. 

And put simply, in today’s crazy world, the average dad’s nervous system is running on dial up internet while trying to keep up with a 5G fast-paced life. It’s just not sustainable. 

This is where Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care comes in, and serves as the greatest health hack of all time! We say health hack because when looking to help parents get healthy once again, we’ve got to remember one crucial element – they’re insanely busy and have limited time in their schedule. 

That’s the beauty of Neuro-Tonal Adjustments that our doctors use – they’re fast and easy. 

The majority of our patients get in and out of the office in under 10 minutes, yet get as much (or more) health benefit from one incredible adjustment as they would a workout, massage, and meditation session! It’s truly incredible how much change adjustments can make in a short amount of time, which in turn gives you more energy and better function so that you feel like working out, eating healthy, and getting a good night’s sleep! 

Dads that are under care will tell you – chiropractic care is the greatest health hack of all time. 

Once you start getting adjusted, the chart below shows the other kind of results you can expect with your mood, focus and concentration, emotional health, gut and immune, and so much more. 

Dads, if you’re absolutely exhausted and overwhelmed and don’t know where to start – start with Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care and build up from there! 

Perfect For Busy Parents 

Being a busy dad myself, I completely understand the need to figure out a health game plan that can fit in between all the demands of work and family life (aka driving your kids to 862 sports and activities per week). With our specialty in Pediatric + Family Care, we’ve worked especially hard to make sure your adjustments can fit within your busy schedule, and we get you real results in a short amount of time! 

Your first Consult and Exam appointment takes just 20-30 minutes and includes getting your INSiGHT Scans, which will show us exactly where all of your stress and tension is built up and stuck, and how truly worn out your nervous system is. 

Then from there, you’re off to the races! Each adjustment takes literally less than 5 minutes, and leaves you with decreased tension, more energy, improved gut and immune function, and so much more! 

Just Take the First Step

We always encourage our dads and every “wound up + worn out” parent to simply take things one step at a time. Start by getting adjusted, and don’t worry about anything else for the first month. Let your nervous system finally begin to relax, unwind, and recharge… and then take it from there. 

Once you start sleeping better and having more energy, now you can take that momentum and energy into the rest of your life and begin working out more, making better lifestyle choices, and rebuilding your health one step at a time! And guess what, we’ll be there to help guide you and provide support all along the way. 

There are countless benefits to Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care for stressed-out and worn-out dads and busy parents, and we can’t wait to walk you through them all and for you to experience them firsthand. 

Dads, getting adjusted and taking charge of your health has benefits that go far beyond just you. All sorts of studies show that when dads are physically active, keep their BMI and weight under control, and prioritize their health and well-being… so do their kids! 

You can make such an incredible impact on your health and the health of your entire family with just this one step. Give Live Well Family Chiropractic a call, Dad!