Brain Health Chiropractor In Manahawkin, NJ

Our brain is the control center of everything. It is the boss of our entire nervous system. We must provide our brain with superior care from in utero through each stage of our life.

People are living longer, but are they living better? Are they aging with vitality? The story of living longer and striving to be a centenarian is a worthless feat if the quality of those lives is compromised because of substandard health and loss of autonomy. No one wants to grow old and lose their independence! People don’t realize that brain health begins at a very young age.

Brain health is “the state of brain functioning across cognitive, sensory, social-emotional, behavioral and motor domains, allowing a person to realize their full potential over the life course, irrespective of the presence or absence of disorders.”

To ensure that people can do what they value and live a longer and healthier life, it is essential to be made aware of contributing factors to brain health and how these things can affect someone’s capacity to express their highest level of health.

We can’t first look at the management of a condition once it surfaces. Instead, we must look at the epigenetics of a human being and understand the impacts of life events from birth, including:

• Birth traumas,
• The involvement of the brainstem, and
• How chiropractic care affects the trajectory of brain health for a lifetime.

Over the past two decades, chronic illness has risen at an alarming rate. In kids alone, we’ve seen ADHD and behavior problems, anxiety, depression, overall mental illness in kids, and staggering autism rates. The presence of ADHD and behavior problems in kids is currently 10-15%, anxiety is 11.6%, depression at 8.5%, overall mental illness is now affecting 1 in 6 children, and autism has increased by 241% since the turn of the century, equating to 1 out of every 44 children!

In adults, we see more strokes, migraines, dementia, meningitis, and epilepsy. Parkinson’s disease is the fastest-growing neurological disorder. Some say it’s because of “aging,” but we know better…

The presence of neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions is way too high! Why?!

Ok, back to the brain.

1. Birth Traumas

No one talks about the neurological trauma that babies endure when they are born. Or the neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions they can develop if those traumas are left unaddressed (complicated by medications and other management, but that’s an issue for another day).

We are trained to just blame genetics, toxins, and poor diet, but the reality is that birth is traumatic for both baby and mama. This first begins with maternal and prenatal stress during pregnancy, including physical stress and fear of anything going wrong during the process.

Add things like induced labor, scheduled c-sections, forceps, vacuum, and manual assistance. How about the contractions of the uterus that help the baby into the birth canal for delivery? Those contractions are strong enough for mama to be unable to walk or talk. Imagine the force being applied to the baby during this time!

Babies sometimes don’t entirely turn around with their heads down for delivery. Too many people don’t realize that chiropractors use the Webster Technique, which, when applied to the pregnant mama, can help release the round ligaments, which in turn relaxes enough to allow the space within the pelvis to expand. When this happens, the baby can fully turn because there is sufficient room.

While Webster is not a 100% guarantee, it has helped so many women be able to have a vaginal birth. Many women are robbed of a natural birth because they are simply unaware of this technique and instead opt for a cesarian section. They didn’t know they had another option! Facepalm!

Sometimes babies are delivered despite being fully turned upside down with the head at the birth canal. They can come out face up or sideways, with a broken clavicle or hip dysplasia, to name a few. Their bones aren’t fully ossified, so it’s not hard for the baby to suffer trauma during birth.

Most importantly, if there is trauma to the brain or spine during the birthing process, it can have everlasting effects. The brain and spine protect the central and autonomic nervous systems. One physical injury or alteration to the bones of the skull, neck, or entire spine can be detrimental to that child for life because the function is altered from the very first moments of being earth-side.

Let’s start to tie all of this together…

2. The Brainstem

The brainstem is the “tail” of the brain that passes through the top bone of your spine, called the “atlas.” That bone is significant because it supports the weight of your skull and, along with other structures, is responsible for holding your head upright over your shoulders. It is also the bone that allows your head to move up and down.

Why the heck is this important?

Well, because the brain stem is responsible for controlling the vital functions of life. This is where the autonomic nervous system lives and accounts for heart rate, digestion, sleep, consciousness, and breathing!

If there is damage to the central nervous system or the brain stem proper during birth, that may affect the muscles and nerves that control:

• Breastfeeding
• Digestion
• Draining fluid from the ears, sinuses, etc.
• Immune system and inflammatory cascade
• All sensory processing — eyes, auditory, smell, touch, etc.
• Motor development, milestones, tone, balance, coordination, etc.
• Speech development and function
• Initial brain communication and coordination — social, emotional, behavioral, memory, decision-making, etc.

The atlas can also be out of proper alignment after the birthing process and put pressure on the brainstem that shouldn’t be there. Even the slightest pressure produces neurological changes.

If there is significant damage to the brainstem, a condition called dysautonomia can follow. Dysautonomia refers to a multitude of health conditions that are caused by problems with the autonomic nervous system.

3. Chiropractic Care

The trauma begins with birth and then goes through five stages:

Fussy, colicky, constipated, sleep-challenged infant
Sensory, constantly sick, challenging baby to toddler stage (meaning antibiotics and steroid-based anti-inflammatory medications over and over)
Regularly wound up, sensory overwhelmed, hyperactive, impulsive, emotional, “stuck” child
Focus, concentration, organization, social, and emotional regulation challenged grade school child
Exhausted, angry, anxious, depressed teenager
Let’s get to the solution! I know you’re eager to feel relief here.

This is a neurological issue from a physical subluxation. Subluxation is a term that means there is an interference with nerve communication pathways.

Subluxation present from birth (or even in utero with a breech presentation) alters movement and motor milestones, which are the most important in a child’s brain development.

Chiropractors are trained to detect and correct subluxations. It is imperative to have your child checked as early as possible. We recommend it while still in utero and after that throughout their lives. Even if your child is older now, it’s time to get them checked. It is imperative to be checked for subluxation at any age, even as an adult, because any presence of subluxation will deteriorate the brain and decrease its capacity for overall health.

The beginning of brain health truly starts with the beginning of life. No amount of detox or diet can replace what is lost during this earliest time of our lives.