5 Reasons to Take Your Child to the Chiropractor

Are you a parent? No parent wants to see their children in pain, but it does happen from time to time. Children occasionally get headaches, suffer from allergies, get earaches, and have back pain. Basically, the list is endless. As a parent, you know that children are like magnets to injuries, pain, and illness. Although most are minor, care should be sought, but where should you turn? Instead of heading to your child’s primary care physician, head to a local children chiropractor. Why? Here are 5 reasons.

1 – It Is Safe

Chiropractic care is natural medicine. For that reason, it is safe. If your child experiences pain and discomfort, their primary care physician is likely to suggest over-the-counter pain relievers or prescribe prescription medication. This may work, but the pain usually returns. Why? They only mask the problem. Yes, some forms of pain and discomfort may disappear on their own with time and self-care, but there may be a more serious underlying issue. You will not know unless you turn to a chiropractor. Their job is to treat the pain by going directly to the source and fixing the problem.

Chiropractic care involves manual, hands on, therapy. Since medications are not prescribed and the hands provide treatment, it is safe for individuals of all ages, including children.

2 – Most Treatment is Covered by Health Insurance

It is no secret that raising kids is expensive. Add in the cost of medical care, and the overall cost soars. Luckily, many insurance providers extend coverage for chiropractic care. Some will offer discounts for opting for an in-network provider, but you can seek care anywhere your insurance is accepted.

If your family is not covered by medical insurance, there are still benefits to seeking care. Just look for a chiropractor with affordable rates or one who is willing to set up a flexible payment plan.

3 – They Treat a Wide Range of Problems

Many adults mistakenly believe that chiropractors only treat spinal, back, and neck problems. Yes, this is their specialty, but more is offered. For example, did you know that a chiropractor can treat and lessen the onset of earaches and ear infections? They can. Blocked draining pathways cause most ear infections. Chiropractic adjustments and therapeutic massages are used to open up those pathways and promote the proper flow of fluid. Basically, if your child is experiencing pain, no matter how often or severe, a chiropractor can provide relief and that relief is usually long-lasting.

4 – It Is Easy to Find a Chiropractor

If you are unfamiliar with chiropractic care, you may have not given any thought to the offices in your area. You may have driven past one each day on the way to work. Turn to your local phonebook, a standard internet search, online business directories, or your insurance company to find a local chiropractor. If you are in the SF Bay Area, give our chiropractors in Fremont or Union City a call and schedule an appointment for your child. It really is as easy as that!

5 – The Benefits

Last, but not least, there are many benefits to chiropractic care. As previously stated, medications are not prescribed. Treatment is natural and safe. It is also long-lasting, as chiropractors do not mask the pain, they treat it. As a parent, this should be very important. Successful chiropractic care can allow your child to return to their happy normal self. Reduced pain and increased mobility means more fun and less suffering.

Alternative Health Debate

Many people are pretty polarized on the alternative health care debate. They are either completely for or completely against it. On the one hand, there are people who stand with tradition entirely and are unwilling to compromise. They believe that normal medical health is the highest level that the treatment of diseases has ever reached. They don’t believe in any alternative health treatment at all, viewing it as unscientific and probably unhelpful as well.

On the other hand, there are alternative health fanatics. I know some people who will only use holistic health services and nothing else. They won’t even take prescription drugs if they believe they can get better with herbs. They believe that science is overrated and that some things can’t be measured in numbers.

I always try to avoid either extreme in my own practices. I have had some great success with alternative health, and definitely wouldn’t give it up. On the other hand, I think that science is very valuable. Traditional Western medicine has done a lot of great things for us. It has brought us a new understanding of the physical body, excellent drugs and treatment options, incredible scans which allow us to see inside the body, and many other helpful technologies. To throw it all away based on a vague belief in the power of herbs is foolish.

That is why I use both alternative healing and traditional medicine. I think that improving your diet and taking health supplements can do great things for you, and is often a better solution than costly medications with side effects. When you are not treating something severe and acute, you shouldn’t put a lot of stress on your body during the treatment. Otherwise the cure can be worse than the illness. Using herbal treatments can remove the need to strain your body by introducing antibiotics and things like that into it.

On the other hand, I like to keep traditional medicine as an option. Sometimes, things get really bad and you just need a pretty strong treatment. You might not want to start with an operation or even prescription medication, but it might come to that in the end. This is why I have always viewed complimentary medicine as the best approach. It allows you to combine the best of both worlds. After all, the more tools you have, the more options you have for treatment.

How Many Chiropractic Adjustments Will I Need?

The number of chiropractic adjustments varies with each patient and his or her individual health goals. At our Fremont neck and back care center, many patients sense progress within a week or two of frequent visits. Visits become less often as your spine stabilizes. In chronic cases, complete healing can take months or even years.

If you would like more information on chiropractic care, contact Dr. Hans and his Fremont chiropractic staff at 510-797-4796.