Why Your Child's Progress Stalled (And Why That's Actually Good)

Are you feeling frustrated or even disheartened because your child seemed to be making incredible progress with their neurological challenges, and then suddenly... everything stalled? Maybe you've even noticed some regression - behaviors returning that you thought were gone forever, sleep disruptions creeping back in, or emotional regulation challenges resurfacing.

If you're wondering if the care plan is failing or if something's wrong, I want you to take a deep breath and hear this: plateaus and even regressions are often a normal and necessary part of the healing process.

The neurological healing journey is rarely a straight line. In fact, it's more like a rollercoaster with its fair share of ups, downs, and unexpected twists. But here's the thing parents often miss - those plateaus aren't signs of failure. They're actually evidence that your child's nervous system is working through deeper layers of dysfunction and adapting to a new level of organization.

You're Not Alone in This Journey

As a neurologically-focused chiropractor, I see this pattern daily in our practice. Nearly every parent who brings their child for care will experience what research refers to as "non-linear healing progress." Research on neuroplasticity shows that the brain has the ability to reorganize itself, forming new connections and, in some instances, even generating new neurons.

Children typically experience periods of rapid advancement followed by consolidation phases where skills are integrated. The same pattern applies to neurological healing, where the "two steps forward, one step back" progression isn't a failure – it's actually the brain's natural way of reorganizing and creating lasting change.

Understanding the Five Main Causes of Healing Plateaus

Let me walk you through the most common reasons why your child might be experiencing a plateau, so you can understand what's happening and feel confident moving forward.

1. Growth Spurts and Developmental Milestones

When your child is growing rapidly or mastering new developmental skills, their body's energy and resources may be directed toward physical growth and neural integration. During growth spurts, your child's body is working intensely to lay down new bone, muscle, and neural tissue, requiring tremendous energy that may temporarily be diverted from other healing processes.

This can show up as:

• Increased moodiness

• Disrupted sleep patterns

• Temporary regression in other areas as their nervous system focuses on integrating these physical changes

Remember that these growth-related pauses are ultimately signs of progress, not setbacks. Each time your child's nervous system successfully integrates a new skill, it becomes more resilient overall.

2. Immune Challenges and Their Healing Effects

Here's something that might surprise you: fevers and illnesses aren't simply obstacles to progress - they're sophisticated neurological responses that can actually accelerate healing in the long run.

When a child has a fever, their immune system triggers the hypothalamus's thermoregulatory center, leading to an increase in body temperature. This activates immune cells and creates an environment that's inhospitable to pathogens. During this process, the nervous system diverts resources to orchestrate the immune response, which can temporarily manifest as lethargy, irritability, or a seeming disconnection.

But here's the fascinating part: the fever process stimulates the release of neurotrophic factors - special proteins that support neuronal growth and plasticity - potentially accelerating neurological development after recovery. This is why we often see major breakthroughs following an illness, though there may be a brief regression immediately after.

3. Environmental Factors: The Hidden Disruptors

Children with pre-existing neurological challenges often have nervous systems that are already dysregulated, making them more sensitive to environmental toxins. From pesticides and heavy metals in food to flame retardants in furniture and VOCs in cleaning products, these accumulated toxins can disrupt normal neurological function.

Mold exposure, whether from hidden leaks or poor ventilation, releases mycotoxins that can lead to cognitive impairments and neurological symptoms. These environmental stressors can contribute to temporary plateaus in progress as the body works to process and eliminate these substances.

4. Emotional Stress and Life Changes

Major transitions like starting a new school year or subtle shifts in family dynamics can trigger the sympathetic "fight or flight" response in children with neurological challenges. This stress response releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which can quickly become overwhelming for children with pre-existing nervous system dysregulation.

Over time, this chronic state of stress can contribute to developing subluxation - areas of dysfunction within the nervous system that further perpetuate the cycle of dysregulation. This is why we often see regressions during periods of change or high emotion - the nervous system is allocating resources to manage the perceived stress rather than continuing to make developmental progress.

5. Medication and Therapy Overload

Many medications are designed to suppress or override the symptoms rather than resolve the root cause of neurological dysfunction, acting like a "mute button" for symptoms the body is still struggling with underneath. When we begin true healing by restoring brain-body communication and balancing the nervous system, it's like the body begins to "wake up" again, sometimes temporarily resurfacing underlying patterns.

The nervous system has a limited capacity, which is why we recommend prioritizing nervous system regulation first and then gradually layering in additional therapies.

What This Means for Your Family

At Live Well Family Chiropractic, we understand that, most of the time, plateaus are simply one or more of these outside stressors putting a bit of a headwind in play. Once that stressor passes and your child builds up additional resilience and adaptability, they'll blow right past it and be right back on the path to progress and breakthrough once again.

The key is understanding that healing is non-linear. It's a lot of "two steps forward, one step back" at first! Growth spurts, immune stress, environmental toxins, emotional changes... all of these can cause temporary plateaus or even regression as your child's nervous system works hard behind the scenes to integrate and level up.

Moving Forward with Confidence

That 3-week sleep regression, the return of meltdowns, the clinginess that came out of nowhere - it's not a sign that care isn't working. It's actually one of the clearest signs that your child's nervous system is unwinding and releasing! Just like cleaning out your closet or pantry, it gets a little messier before we can reorganize it all into pretty containers.

You're doing better than you think, and their nervous system is too. Trust the process, stay consistent with your care plan, and remember that these apparent setbacks are often evidence of your child's nervous system working through deeper layers and preparing for the next breakthrough.

If you are ready to take the next step in your child’s neurological healing journey, or if you’re experiencing these plateaus and want some guidance, please reach out to Live Well Family Chiropractic today! If you are not local to us, check out the PX Docs directory to find an office in your area.

44% of Teens Feel Hopeless—Here's What Doctors Are Missing

As a parent, watching your once full-of-life teenager transform into someone withdrawn, constantly overwhelmed, and struggling with anxiety or depression can be heart-wrenching. You've likely consulted various healthcare providers, tried different approaches, and perhaps even considered medication—yet your teen's struggles continue.

What if I told you that the root cause might not be the "chemical imbalance" that most conventional doctors continue to blame these rapidly increasing teen challenges on?

The Crisis Our Teens Are Facing

The United States is facing an unprecedented mental health crisis among adolescents. According to recent CDC data, 44% of American high school students report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Even more alarming, nearly one in three teenage girls report having seriously contemplated suicide—twice the rate of boys.

What's particularly interesting is that during this same period of rising mental health challenges, we've seen some positive trends for young people—including reduced alcohol consumption and fewer teen pregnancies—yet anxiety and depression have continued to surge across all demographics.

Beyond the Chemical Imbalance Theory

While traditional medicine typically addresses these challenges with medications aimed at correcting presumed chemical imbalances, many parents find these approaches merely mask the symptoms rather than address underlying causes.

The truth is, the 'chemical imbalance' theory behind anxiety and depression isn't as scientific or proven as most people believe.

What's really happening? Our teens' nervous systems are stuck in 'fight or flight' — constantly dysregulated, exhausted, and overwhelmed. They're trapped in stress mode 24/7, often chasing constant stimulation just to cope.

Understanding the Neurological Foundation

From a neurological perspective, anxiety and depression are often connected to imbalances in the Autonomic Nervous System—specifically between the sympathetic "fight or flight" response and the parasympathetic "rest and digest" functions.

This neurological imbalance, called dysautonomia, represents a crucial but often overlooked root cause that can leave teens stuck in a persistent state of stress and emotional dysregulation.

The Critical Role of the Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve is the primary component of the parasympathetic nervous system and plays a crucial role in emotional regulation, stress recovery, and social connection.

This "wandering nerve" connects the brain to vital organs and helps regulate heart rate, breathing, digestion, inflammation, and emotional states.

Research shows that lower vagal tone is significantly linked to challenges in managing emotions and a heightened sensitivity to stress—exactly what we see in teens with anxiety and depression.

When vagus nerve function is compromised due to subluxation and nervous system stress, it affects your teen's ability to calm themselves, process emotions, and maintain balanced mood states.

The "Perfect Storm" Leading to Teen Mental Health Issues

This neurological dysfunction often begins early in life, what we call “The Perfect Storm”:

• Maternal stress during pregnancy can affect the developing fetal nervous system through stress hormones that cross the placental barrier.

• Birth interventions like forceps deliveries or C-sections can cause subtle injuries to the upper neck and brainstem regions, potentially affecting the vagus nerve and leading to subluxation.

• Early childhood factors continue building the foundation for later challenges, including repeated infections, frequent antibiotic use, disrupting the gut-brain axis, environmental toxins, and physical injuries.

• Modern lifestyle factors significantly amplify these neurological imbalances—including digital technology, sleep disruption, decreased physical activity, and poor nutrition affecting the gut microbiome and vagal function.

Many researchers have noted that the sharp rise in teen mental health issues coincided with the widespread adoption of smartphones around 2012, pointing to digital technology as a significant factor—but the full picture is much more complex and begins much earlier in life.

Recognizing Signs of Nervous System Dysfunction in Your Teen

If your teen is struggling, look for these signs that may indicate neurological imbalance:

• Physical signs like sleep disturbances, appetite changes, digestive issues, continually getting sick, fatigue + exhaustion, and restlessness often reflect an underlying neurological imbalance.

• Emotional indicators such as persistent sadness, excessive worry, irritability, and loss of interest stem from an Autonomic Nervous System stuck in sympathetic dominance.

• Behavioral changes including social withdrawal, declining academic performance, and increased sensitivity to criticism frequently signal nervous system dysregulation rather than just "typical teen behavior."

There Is Hope: Finding the Root Cause

Simply put – it's NOT easy being a teen in today's crazy world.

Thankfully, teens have a remarkable ability to bounce back and become resilient, adaptable, and joyful once again! The teen brain and nervous system are going through so many changes all at once, and once we get the stuck sympathetic stress, tension, subluxation, and exhaustion out of the way for them – it's programmed for healing + recovery!

At Live Well Family Chiropractic, we use advanced technology, called INSiGHT Scans, which can help us identify specific areas of dysregulation and dysautonomia and provide critical insights into your teen’s autonomic function.

Based on these assessments, we can then create personalized care plans, including specialized approaches designed to release excessive sympathetic "fight or flight" activity while stimulating the vagus nerve and parasympathetic function.

By addressing these neurological imbalances, we help restore proper communication pathways between the brain and body, creating the physiological foundation for improved emotional health and mood regulation.

Renewed Hope for Parents

Parents often tell us they feel renewed hope after learning about this nervous system-focused approach to healing! They're relieved to discover there's a different path they can take — one that doesn't rely on potentially dangerous medications with long-term side effects, but instead focuses on restoring proper function to the systems that naturally regulate mood, stress, and emotional well-being.

If your teen is struggling with anxiety or depression, it's likely their nervous system is imbalanced and dysregulated – and there is hope for healing. The teen brain is remarkably resilient when given the right support. So please don’t wait to reach out to Live Well Family Chiropracticto schedule a consultation today! If you are not local to us, check out the PX Docs directory to find an office near you.

Your teen's story isn't over. There's so much healing ahead. Let's take the first step together.

Understanding Fevers: Why Your Child's Fever Might Actually Be a Good Thing

It's the middle of the night, and you're jolted awake by your child's warm forehead and flushed cheeks. Your heart races as you scramble for the thermometer, confirming what you already knew – your child has a fever. Like most parents, your instinct might be to immediately reach for fever-reducing medication. But what if everything we've been taught about fevers is actually incomplete or even incorrect?

The Misunderstood Healing Response

Did you know that fever-reducing medications might actually prolong illness in some cases? What if that elevated temperature isn't an enemy to be fought, but an intelligent healing response orchestrated by your child's brain and nervous system – one that's actively fighting infection, activating the immune system, and doing a very important job!

Fevers account for approximately one-third of all pediatric office visits in the United States. That's millions of worried parents rushing their children to doctors each year, often unnecessarily. What's even more concerning is that many parents administer fever-reducing medication for temperatures below 100.4°F, which isn't even technically a fever!

What a Fever Really Is

A fever is not simply an elevated temperature—it's a sophisticated response produced by your child's brain and nervous system. Specifically, the hypothalamus which acts as the body's thermostat.

When your child's immune system detects pathogens like viruses or bacteria, it releases chemicals called pyrogens that signal the hypothalamus to raise the body's temperature via prostaglandins. This creates a controlled, intentional increase in temperature that's quite different from dangerous overheating that occurs in conditions like heat stroke.

From a neurological perspective, a fever is actually a sign that your child's nervous system is regulating properly, actively coordinating a complex immune response to eliminate pathogens and restore health.

The Powerful Benefits of Fevers

Here's what's happening when your child has a fever:

1. Slowing down pathogens: Many bacteria and viruses replicate optimally at normal body temperature. Even a modest increase in temperature can inhibit their reproduction and spread.

2. Enhancing immune function: Higher temperatures actually accelerate white blood cell production and improve their mobility and effectiveness. Research indicates that fevers increase the number of circulating neutrophils, a type of white blood cell.

3. Activating the healing process: The fever is literally your child's immune system kicking into high gear, creating an internal environment where healing can happen more efficiently.

When Fever Patterns Indicate Deeper Issues

A child's fever patterns—whether they spike high fevers easily, struggle to develop fevers when fighting infections, have prolonged low-grade fevers, or never develop a fever when they should—often indicate there might be dysfunction within their neuro-immune system.

If your child's fever response is consistently excessive OR suppressive, it could be a sign of underlying nervous system dysfunction, sometimes triggered by early life factors like:

• Prenatal stress

• Birth trauma (especially from interventions like forceps, vacuum extraction, or c-sections)

• Frequent early antibiotics

These can disrupt proper neurological development and affect how a child's body mounts fever responses.

When Fevers DO Warrant Medical Attention

While fevers are generally beneficial, certain situations require professional care:

• Any fever in infants under 3 months

• Fever above 102.2°F in children 3-6 months old

• Persistent fever above 102.2°F for more than two days in children over 6 months

Watch for accompanying signs like lethargy, difficulty breathing, severe headache with neck stiffness, refusal to drink leading to dehydration, or a rash that doesn't fade when pressed.

Remember that even when medical intervention is necessary, this doesn't invalidate the premise that fevers themselves are beneficial. The goal is to approach them with understanding while recognizing situations that truly require attention.

Supporting Your Child's Fever Without Suppressing It

Instead of immediately reaching for medication, consider these supportive approaches:

1. Focus on hydration: Offer room temperature water, diluted electrolyte drinks without artificial colors, herbal teas for older children, or homemade popsicles.

2. Create a healing environment: Ensure extra rest, a comfortable room temperature, lightweight clothing, and light blankets that can be easily removed.

3. Consider tepid sponging: If your child is uncomfortable, try sponging with lukewarm water, but avoid cold baths, which can cause shivering and actually raise core temperature.

4. Get your child checked for nervous system dysfunction (subluxation): Consider having your child's nervous system checked by a neurologically-focused chiropractor to ensure proper communication between the brain and immune system.

From a neurological perspective, these supportive measures create an optimal environment for the vagus nerve and parasympathetic nervous system to function properly, leading to more effective fever patterns and faster recovery.

Empowering Your Approach to Childhood Illness

At Live Well Family Chiropractic, we understand fevers from a natural and neurological perspective that transforms how we approach this common childhood experience. Rather than fearing fevers, we can recognize them as evidence of a well-functioning neuroimmune system organizing an intelligent healing response.

If you are ready to schedule a consultation, please reach out to us today!  If you are not local to us, check out the PX Docs directory to find a PX Docs office near you.

When we support rather than suppress this process, we honor the body's innate wisdom and help our children develop resilient, self-regulating immune systems!