Chiropractors

Posted by  | Monday, March 17, 2008  at 12:59 PM  
Just one more addition to the "Helpful Advice We've Received" week. When I posted originally about natural remedies, Terra posted a question about how to combat ear infections. (Click here for the original post and comments.) The discussion turned to chiropractors and I wanted to get an opinion from one. Here is the reply I just received from Dr. Matthew Crilley of Team Chiropractic in Wake Forest, NC:

"First and foremost, chiropractic is VERY safe, for both children and adults. It is reccomended that for children you do find a Chiropractor who has postgraduate Pediatric training, preferably from the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association. I am currently 4 hours away from my pediatric certification from the ICPA.

Current American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for Pediatricians reccomend NOT prescribing antibiotics for the first ear infection, as research indicated that most ear infections resolve on their own, and that children who have had antibiotics for an ear infection are far more likely to have a recurrence than those who have allowed the infection to run its course.

As for the statement about Antibiotics being the only way to get rid of a bacterial infection is absurd. The body's own immune system is extremely capable of ridding the body of a bacterial or viral infection. Factors that diminish the immune system are poor diet, processed and refined sugar intake, and stress, including structural misalignment of the spine and interference in the nervous system (Subluxation). Overprescription of antibiotics has been linked to the rapid mutation of many bacteria to being antibiotic resistant.

This is just the start, since it is taking so much time to get back to you I will send this much and continue in another e-mail."

As a side note, for anyone seeking a good chiropractor in the greater Raleigh-Durham area, I cannot recommend this practice highly enough.

7 comments:

Thomas said...

Suffice it to say that it is not surprising to learn that chiropractors believe they are a safe alternative to scientific medicine.

Here are the recommendations from the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics):

http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;113/5/1451

What you will not find in these science based studies is a suggestion that you should take your child to a chriopractor to treat an infection. The AAP made a suggestion to doctors that they evaluate patients carefully before choosing a particular course of treatment (and in many instances no antibiotic is needed). However, I am at a loss to understand how a "subluxation" (or even nerve damage for that matter) would be related to bacterial growth.

Please understand the point of the recommendations. Not all ear infections should be treated with antibiotics. Many ear infections are not even caused by bacteria. What is important is that an actual pediatrician make that determination. A persistent bacterial infection can do tremendous (and irreversible) damage that cannot be cured by an "adjustment".

Children (like all healthy humans) have immune systems. In many instances the body can eliminate bacteria and viruses. However, there is a reason that life expectancies have doubled over the last few hundred years (and average height and IQ continue to rise): medicine and better nutrition. Sometimes the body needs help. We use the gifts God gives us to overcome natural hazards (lions, tigers, bacteria). There is nothing unnatural about science (or the use of mold to kill bacteria). The incredible leaps we've made in health didnt come about by back adjustments. Please trust your child's health to a credible pediatrician.

If you have a back ache see an orthopaedist (and then maybe a chiro). If your child has an ear infection, see a pediatrician and let them make a determination as to the child's need for additional care.

Please do not be scared into believing that bacteria are "mutating." All organisms constantly mutate (including people). What can occur is the development of antibiotic resistance. In other words, bacteria can become immune to certain antibiotics. This does not make them any more virulent (particuarly if you believe the antibiotics are not effective in the first place).

Trust your child's health to medical doctors. A chiropractor will offer little more than a placebo effect.

Thomas said...

More good reading on chiros:

http://www.chirobase.org/01General/skeptic.html

Bekah said...

Our family has had great success using chiropractic to help our bodies work at maximum potential.

My toddlers (ages 4, 3 and 2) have had countless ear infections cleared up with a visit to the chiropractor. I became absolutely sure of this when I recently took my 10 year old daughter to the chiropractor for ear pain. She had a fever and ear ache for 3 days without relief. After she was adjusted and we were getting ready to leave the office she turned to me and commented that she felt a tickly trickle in the back of her ear. Her ear was already draining before we even left the chiropractors office. She has been fever free and had no ear ache ever since.

Additionally, chiropractic is VERY effective in the treatment of colic and/or acid reflux in infants. Many of my friends have seen chiropractic cure their childrens reflux after months of ineffective prescription drugs. My son, Isaac, was 4 months old when he began projectile vomiting after every feeding. After two days of this I took him into the chiropractor and had him adjusted. He never vomited again after that visit.

Jeffrey & Shannon said...

Most people put their belief in what they have studied. Medical doctors study medicine, and chiropractors and naturopaths study other means of healing and wellness. Isn't it wonderful that God has given us such an abundance of wisdom and resources? Let's be kind in what we say and be FOR something, rather than AGAINST something.

Thank you, ladies for sharing. I'm learning a lot!!

Shannon

Jeffrey & Shannon said...

Hey, do any of you ladies have an experience or opinion on using the Airborne preventative herbal tablet, or using it with children?

Rachael Davis said...

There's a class action lawsuit going on against Airborne for making false claims; they're settling in the millions.

Thomas said...

Just to clarify, my comment was not meant to be unkind. I am "for" safe medicine/healing. I am against gimmicks (magic potions, spells, sugar pills, chiropractors, witch doctors, etc).

I would emphasize that there is nothing "unnatural" about modern medicine. Antibiotics are made of naturally occurring compounds. The difference between the two is that medicine relies on testable data and the other relies on anecdotes (and the occasional snake oil salesman). [1 JOHN 4:1]

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