Explore our blog that focuses on holistic care for any and all ages - pediatric well-being, pre/post-natal health, and adult vitality.

What do fussy babies and kids with ADHD have in common? The answer might surprise you—and empower you to take action.
If you’re a parent dealing with a colicky baby, you’ve probably heard these words from well-meaning healthcare providers: “Don’t worry, they’ll grow out of it.” But here’s what no one is telling you—babies don’t just grow out of colic. They grow into other challenges.
The endless crying, the back arching, the sleepless nights that leave you questioning everything you’re doing as a parent—these aren’t just difficult phases that magically disappear. They’re your baby’s way of communicating that something deeper is happening in their nervous system.
Every week, parents walk into healthcare offices with seven-year-olds struggling with sensory issues, ADHD, or anxiety. When practitioners dig into these children’s histories, there it is—they were colicky babies. The same stress that caused endless crying at three months old is now causing meltdowns at seven years old. The labels changed, but the underlying problem never left.
You’re not imagining the connection, and you’re certainly not failing as a parent.
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve already tried everything—eliminating dairy from your diet if you’re breastfeeding, keeping detailed food journals, trying every colic drop and remedy on the market, adjusting feeding schedules, and following countless pieces of advice from family, friends, and online forums.
You’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and probably wondering what you’re doing wrong. Here’s the truth: You’re not doing anything wrong. You’re just missing the most important piece of the puzzle.
Most people think colic is purely a digestive issue—gas, indigestion, food sensitivities. While these symptoms are real and distressing, they’re only part of the story. The digestive system is completely controlled by the nervous system.
Think of your baby’s nervous system as their internal air traffic controller. This system coordinates every function in their tiny body. When that controller gets stressed and overwhelmed, everything starts backing up—digestion, sleep, emotional regulation, and development.
The vagus nerve, often called the “master nerve,” travels from the brainstem all the way down through the neck, controlling the esophagus, stomach, and intestines. When birth trauma or stress affects this nerve, digestion literally gets stuck.
This is why we need to change how we think about colic. Instead of seeing it as a mysterious condition your baby will “grow out of,” understand it for what it really is: STUCK.
Here’s a pattern that’s impossible to ignore: nearly all colicky babies have experienced some form of birth intervention—C-sections, forceps delivery, vacuum extraction, or labor induction. These interventions, while sometimes medically necessary, create physical stress on the upper neck area where crucial nerves originate.
But the stress often begins even before birth. The umbilical cord acts like a direct connection, transferring your stress during pregnancy to your baby’s developing nervous system. If you experienced anxiety, physical discomfort, or stress during pregnancy, your baby’s nervous system was already on high alert before they even arrived.
The physical tension from birth gets stuck in two key places: the upper neck area and the middle back. This explains why colicky babies arch their backs and stiffen their necks—they’re literally trying to stretch out the tension, just like you might do after sitting at a desk all day.
Your baby is communicating through their body language that the problem isn’t in their stomach—it’s in their spine and nervous system.
Here’s the timeline that plays out for countless families when the underlying nervous system stress isn’t addressed:
Each stage involves the same stuck stress pattern affecting your child’s nervous system—it just shows up differently as they grow and develop. The colic didn’t disappear; it transformed into new challenges.
Making matters worse, all those antibiotics prescribed for recurring ear infections can disrupt gut health, while other medications may increase nervous system stress. Now you have a child heading toward emotional and behavioral challenges, and traditional therapies may feel like pushing a car with the parking brake still on.
When your baby cries inconsolably and arches their back, they’re not just expressing discomfort—they’re giving you valuable information. That back arching isn’t about gas or reflux; it’s your baby’s instinctive attempt to release tension in their nervous system.
Just as you might stretch your neck and back after a stressful day, your baby is trying to relieve the physical tension stored in their spine and nervous system from their birth experience.
Understanding that colic isn’t something you have to just “wait out” is the first step to helping your child heal and thrive. Your baby isn’t broken, defective, or unusually difficult—they’re stuck in a stress pattern that can be addressed.
The earlier you address nervous system stress, the faster children heal. This is because of neuroplasticity—the brain’s amazing ability to form new connections and patterns, especially in infancy and early childhood.
Trust your instincts. You know your baby better than anyone. If something feels off, don’t let anyone dismiss your concerns with “they’ll grow out of it.”
Look for practitioners who understand the nervous system connection. Seek providers who look at the whole child, not just individual symptoms. Ask about their approach to addressing nervous system stress and birth trauma.
Consider the birth experience. Reflect on your pregnancy and birth experience. Were there interventions? Stress during pregnancy? Extended labor? This information can provide valuable clues.
Think beyond quick fixes. While symptom management has its place, focus on finding practitioners who want to address root causes rather than just managing symptoms.
Document patterns. Keep track of when your baby is most distressed, what seems to help, and any family history of similar challenges. This information can be valuable for healthcare providers.
Your baby doesn’t need more labels, more medications to manage symptoms, or parents who feel helpless and exhausted. They need their nervous system to shift from a stressed, stuck state to a balanced, thriving state.
When that stuck tension from birth gets addressed properly, families often see remarkable transformations. Babies who once cried constantly become content and happy. Sleep improves. Digestion settles. The whole family dynamic can shift.
You are not failing, you are not overreacting, you are not “just anxious new parents.” You are advocates for your child, and your instincts matter.
Your child isn’t broken—they’re stuck. And with the right approach, they can get unstuck. At Rochester Chiropractic and Wellness, we understand that colic is often a nervous system issue masquerading as a digestive problem, and we know how to address it appropriately. Hope, answers, and help are available, and we want to provide that for you, so don’t hesitate to give us a call today!
The earlier you take action to support your baby’s nervous system health, the better their outcomes will be—not just for colic, but for their overall development, learning, behavior, and emotional regulation as they grow.


Here’s a fact that will blow your mind: within the first year of life, your baby’s brain will double in size, and form over 1 million neural connections every SECOND. This makes the first twelve months the most critical period for neurological development your child will ever experience.
Yet when you take your baby to routine checkups, your pediatrician focuses primarily on whether your little one hits basic milestones within broad timeframes. While this is important, it completely misses a crucial question: Is your baby’s nervous system functioning optimally?
If you’re a parent who senses something isn’t quite right with feeding, sleeping, or development—or if you simply want to ensure you’re giving your child the strongest possible neurological foundation from the very beginning—this is for you.
According to the Harvard Center on the Developing Child, the first year of life represents when neuroplasticity is at its absolute peak. It’s one of the most rapid periods of brain development in the human lifespan. During this extraordinary time, your baby’s brain undergoes neuroplasticity with peak synapse formation, creating the fundamental architecture that will influence every aspect of their health for the rest of their life.
But here’s what’s happening in pediatric offices across the country: parents express legitimate concerns about feeding difficulties, sleep issues, excessive crying, or developmental quirks, only to be told these are “normal variations” or advised to “wait and see” if their child outgrows them.
This approach completely misses the critical window when neuroplasticity is at its peak, and gentle interventions can have the most profound impact. A baby can technically “pass” their developmental screening while compensating for underlying neurological dysfunction through tension patterns, asymmetrical movement, or skipped developmental stages that will impact them for years to come.
Let’s dive deeper into what your baby’s early milestones are really telling you about their neurological development:
Your baby’s ability to breastfeed effectively is actually their first major neurological assessment. Successful feeding requires coordination of multiple cranial nerves, upper neurospinal alignment, and precise timing between the nervous system and neuromuscular coordination.
When you notice feeding difficulties like shallow latch, frequent popping off, gasping during feeds, or a baby who becomes excessively exhausted while eating, these aren’t just “feeding issues”—they’re often early signs that the nervous system needs support.
Head control development between 8-12 weeks indicates proper cervical spine and deep neck muscle development. When you see challenges like persistent head turning to one side or difficulty with tummy time, these can signal early neurological dysfunction that deserves attention rather than a “wait and see” approach.
The most neurologically significant milestone is crawling between 7-10 months. This cross-pattern movement stimulates balanced development of the corpus callosum—the bridge connecting the left and right brain hemispheres—building essential foundations for later skills like walking, coordination, and even reading.
When babies skip crawling or show asymmetrical movement patterns, it’s not just a preference—it’s valuable information about their neurological development.
Multiple stressors can accumulate and overwhelm your baby’s developing nervous system, creating patterns of dysfunction that persist long after the initial stressors have passed. Understanding this concept can be empowering for parents who’ve been told their concerns are unfounded.
Chronic stress during pregnancy affects fetal brain development in ways we’re still discovering. Your body’s stress response during pregnancy doesn’t just affect you—it influences the neurological development of your growing baby.
Birth interventions like induction, forceps, vacuum delivery, and C-sections, while sometimes medically necessary, can place significant pressure on your baby’s delicate head and neck structures. Positioning issues during delivery can also contribute to neurological stress patterns.
Environmental stressors continue to impact your baby’s nervous system after birth. Disrupted sleep patterns, overstimulation, early antibiotic exposure, and ongoing feeding challenges can stress an already vulnerable nervous system. Pushing babies into sympathetic dominance where they get stuck in “fight or flight” mode.
This isn’t about blame or guilt—it’s about understanding that your baby’s nervous system has been through a lot, and recognizing when it might need support.
Your pediatrician might check off that your baby can roll over at six months, but they’re typically not assessing whether that rolling movement is symmetrical, coordinated, or built on proper foundational development.
Conventional pediatric care consistently overlooks the assessment of subluxation (spinal misalignments that interfere with nerve function) and dysautonomia (imbalances in the autonomic nervous system)—the neurological interference and imbalance that can develop from “The Perfect Storm” of stressors.
These functional problems rarely show up on standard tests, but can profoundly impact how well your baby eats, sleeps, develops, and regulates their emotions and behavior.
There’s a growing field of healthcare providers, including RCW, who take a neurologically-focused approach to infant development. Instead of waiting for problems to develop, our approach supports optimal nervous system function from the very beginning when neuroplasticity is at its peak.
We use advanced scanning technology called INSiGHT Scans that can assess your baby’s nervous system function through gentle, non-invasive measurements of heart rate variability, muscle tension patterns, and temperature regulation. These scans provide a clear picture of where stress and dysfunction exist in your baby’s nervous system, showing balanced, symmetrical patterns in healthy infants or highlighting areas that need support.
So, if you sense in your gut that something isn’t quite right with feeding, sleeping, or development, trust those instincts. You know your baby better than anyone else, and we want to help. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Rochester Chiropractic and Wellness today to schedule a consultation.
The first year is too important to simply “wait and see” when you have concerns. By understanding the hidden neurological story of the first year, you’re giving your child—and yourself—the best possible start.


Has your child been to countless doctor appointments, endured multiple rounds of blood work, and maybe even expensive MRIs or other tests, yet you still don’t have real answers about what’s causing their chronic health struggles? You’ve been told everything looks “normal” on their labs, but your child is still dealing with sleep issues, digestive problems, behavioral challenges, or developmental delays.
Meanwhile, your pediatrician keeps saying “They’ll grow out of it” or offers another medication to manage the symptoms. You’re left feeling frustrated, unheard, and desperate for answers that make sense.
You’re not alone, and more importantly, you’re not wrong. There’s something crucial missing from your child’s healthcare journey – an assessment that could finally reveal the real root cause of their health challenges.
What if there was a crucial examination that reveals the true source of your child’s health challenges – one that most doctors never perform? An assessment so advanced it can detect hidden dysfunction that traditional medicine misses, yet it’s completely safe and non-invasive for children as young as one day old.
This isn’t wishful thinking. It’s science-based healthcare that looks beyond symptoms to find answers.
Here’s a reality that should concern every parent: traditional medicine relies primarily on symptoms and looks for obvious pathology through standard exams like blood work, MRIs, and EEGs. Yet these tests often come back “normal” even when children are clearly struggling with significant health challenges.
What’s missing from this approach is an assessment of the most critical system that determines whether your child is healthy or not – the central nervous system.
Dr. Bruce Lipton, a renowned cell biologist, explains it perfectly:
“The function of the nervous system is to perceive the environment and coordinate the function of all other cells.”
This means while you’ve probably invested considerable time, energy, and resources trying to improve your child’s gut health, immune system, and motor development through various therapies, most healthcare providers have completely overlooked the one common thread that ties them all together – the nervous system itself.
Think of your child’s nervous system as the “air traffic control” for their entire body. It coordinates every internal function with every movement, thought, emotion, behavior, and cognitive process. When this system isn’t functioning properly, it affects everything else – which is why you might be seeing multiple, seemingly unrelated symptoms.
Consider this: your child’s brain doubles in size during the first year of life and continues rapid development throughout childhood. During this critical period, nervous system assessment is far more important than knowing where they sit on a height and weight chart. Yet how many healthcare providers have thoroughly evaluated this system?
Advanced neurological scanning technology, specifically INSiGHT Scans, can detect nervous system dysregulation. These three completely safe, non-invasive assessments provide a comprehensive picture of your child’s nervous system function:
This scan identifies regional effects of subluxation and dysautonomia affecting your child’s digestive system, immune function, hormones, and sleep regulation. It helps explain conditions like colic, reflux, constipation, chronic ear infections, and allergies that traditional medicine treats as separate, unrelated issues – when they’re actually all connected through nervous system dysfunction.
This measures neuromotor system function and is vital for investigating conditions like autism, sensory processing disorders, ADHD, and anxiety. It can detect three key patterns:
This assesses your child’s adaptability and resilience, revealing whether their nervous system is healthy and balanced or stuck in chronic stress mode. It’s the key marker that determines if they can properly adapt to daily physical, emotional, and environmental challenges.
Here’s something that might surprise you: INSiGHT Scans reveal why children don’t actually “grow out of” early problems like colic and tantrums. Instead, they often “grow into” more serious conditions like ADHD, anxiety, sensory processing challenges, and chronic illness as they age.
These scans detect subluxation and dysautonomia – the real root causes creating three major problems in your child’s nervous system:
Unlike the guesswork often involved in traditional symptom management, this technology provides precise measurement and tracking of nervous system dysfunction. This allows for personalized care plans that address the actual cause rather than just managing symptoms with medications or therapies.
Finally, you can get real, root-cause answers instead of just “managing symptoms” forever.
As a parent, you know your child better than anyone. Trust your instincts when you feel something isn’t right, even when tests come back “normal.” You have the right to:
At RCW we understand that the nervous system controls everything in your child’s body. When it’s not functioning optimally, neither is your child. We would love to help you identify and address nervous system dysfunction, giving your child the foundation for true health and optimal development.
If you are ready to advocate for your child’s optimal development and long-term wellbeing, give us a call today to schedule a consultation!
Your child’s health journey doesn’t have to be a mystery. Sometimes, looking deeper reveals exactly what you need to know.
