Cell phones, once considered a luxury item, are now a mainstay of modern life.  Most parents see them as a crucial part of keeping kids safe as they can contact or be contacted day or night.  While this solves some problems, it raises others.

For today’s teen, using their phone to send text messages is a way of life.  Because text messages are seen as less intrusive than phone calls, many teens would rather text than talk.  They rely on it as instant communication when talking is taboo and email too slow.   In short texting is very popular.

Consider these  recently posted facts by Christina Warren on the Mashable Blog,

“75% of teens have cellphones, up from 45% back in 2004.
Thirty-three percent of teens send more than 100 texts per day.
Teenage boys send an average of 30 text messages per day and girls send an average of 80.”

Because so many teens are texting, it is becoming common for them to experience joint problems at young ages.  Warn your child about the dangers of continuous texting.  Let them know that if they have pain or swelling in their joints, it is serious.  In addition to obvious problems with hands and wrists, Chiropractors are noticing serious spinal changes as well.  The forward head position that most people assume as they use electronic devices puts considerable pressure on their spine and over time can change the curvature of their neck.    Did you know that each inch of forward head posture can increase the weight of your head on your spine by an additional 10 pounds?  That means if your teen looks down as he texts, it adds 20 to 30 pounds of pressure on his neck.  Over time, this added pressure can flatten or reverse the normal C curve in his neck leading to decreased immune function, neck pain, headaches, shoulder pain or numbness and tingling in his arms.  Even worse, this deformity in the spine pulls the rest of the spine out of alignment affecting every system in the body.  Clearly we need to warn our teens about what they are doing to themselves.

No one expects teens to give up their phones but parents should ask them to think about  how much they are using them and consider cutting back.  They should also think about their posture and how it might be affecting them over time.  Our world has changed and we have to learn how to be safe as we adapt to it.

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We all know about the falls and bumped heads toddlers experience as they learn to walk, run and play.  Most of these cause little damage as his joints are still very soft and flexible.  Unfortunately, some of them cause misalignments in his spinal column putting pressure on his delicate nervous system.  You may not realize it but it can manifest as such things as sleeplessness, bed wetting, asthma, ear aches, problems nursing or even an irritable, fussy child.  If your child is experiencing such things, you owe it to him to see a Pediatric Chiropractor.  Many parents are amazed at the results a gentle manipulation can yield and your child will be healthier and happier.

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Leaving the shot controversy for another time, simply checking to see if your child is growing according to a normal mark on a chart is not enough to produce optimal health.  There are many cases where children meet all the bench marks of normalcy while still suffering such things as asthma, allergies, eczema, breast-feeding problems, irritability, scoliosis, ear infections, poor coordination, ADHD, autism and such. Many times the simple adjustments a Pediatric chiropractor makes can bring relief without drugs or other invasive treatment.

Toddlers live a rough life.  Born with a single curve to their spine, around six months of age, the second cervical curve begins to develop.  Tummy time, crawling, developing stronger muscles and even prolonged looking upward, cause this curve to become more pronounced.  As the child begins to stand and walk, the third lumbar curve develops.  While all of this is going on, he is climbing up and falling down, often hitting his head in the process.  Later on he begins running around often falling down as well.  While his body is able to absorb most of the shock such falls bring, sometimes they result in subtle misalignments that put pressure in his delicate nervous system.  This pressure affects whatever organ that particular nerve serves and over time can cause such symptoms as are listed above.

If you have found yourself returning over and over to the pediatrician’s office seeking relief for your child’s ailment, or simply want to improve your child’s overall health, you should visit a Pediatric Chiropractor.  While there, your child’s spine will be checked and adjusted to allow the free flow of life giving signals along his spinal column and you will be advised on other ways to promote optimal health for your family.