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Why Nervous System Repair Must Come Before Regulation

Family Wellness

Before investing in another ashwagandha supplement, booking a wellness retreat to Sedona, or purchasing an infrared sauna for your home, there’s something crucial you need to understand about your family’s nervous system.

The conversation around nervous system “regulation” has exploded recently, and that’s genuinely wonderful news. Providers, parents, and experts everywhere are finally talking about ways to support and “hack” your nervous system. But here’s what most people don’t realize: like most hacks, these approaches only scratch the surface. They rarely dive deep enough to truly HEAL and REPAIR the nervous systems of the families who need help most desperately.

Please don’t misunderstand. We’re huge advocates of nervous system regulation practices, functional medicine, targeted supplementation, detox protocols, diet modifications, and thoughtful fitness programs. These approaches have tremendous value. But here’s what we hear from parents almost daily: “I’ve tried everything, and none of it seems to be working.”

The brain fog persists. The anxiety remains. The exhaustion won’t lift. And for your children, the sleep struggles continue, sensory challenges intensify, and behavioral issues seem stuck in an endless, frustrating loop.

The Truth Most Parents Haven’t Heard

Here’s what most parents and even many healthcare providers don’t yet realize: you can’t regulate a nervous system that needs to be repaired first.

Until we address the foundational problems at their root, everything else becomes just another surface-level band-aid that eventually peels off without delivering lasting results.

You’re Not Alone in This Struggle

Let’s look at some eye-opening statistics. Depending on which research you examine, between 60 to 75% of US adults are living with at least one chronic illness. The numbers for children aren’t much better, with 40% to over 50% facing chronic health challenges according to various studies.

Whether we’re discussing chronic digestive issues, autoimmune conditions, or neurodevelopmental challenges like autism, the rates of nearly every condition have exploded in just a couple of generations.

This means we can’t simply blame genetics or attribute it to better diagnostic tools. Instead, we must acknowledge the real culprit: a chronically stressful, chaotic, toxic, and overmedicalized environment and lifestyle that’s impacting our families from day one.

We witness this pattern every single week in clinical practice. Parents arrive after trying everything imaginable. They’ve consulted multiple specialists. They’ve invested thousands in every therapy, protocol, and program available. They see temporary improvements—maybe a few good weeks—but then everything resets. The anxiety returns. The digestive issues flare up again. The developmental progress stalls.

It’s not that these approaches don’t work. The problem simply runs deeper than surface-level interventions can reach.

Understanding the Critical Difference: Repair vs. Regulation

Nervous System Repair

Nervous system repair addresses the actual dysfunction within the nervous system itself. The interference and disruption caused by past trauma and accumulated stress that leads to something called subluxation and nervous system dysfunction.

Think of it like repairing faulty wiring in your home’s electrical system. No matter how many high-end appliances, 4K TVs, or premium sound systems you try to plug in to make your house more awesome, they’ll just overload the system further until everything breaks down. The problem isn’t with the equipment you’re trying to add. It’s with the foundational power supply that needs to be repaired.

Nervous System Regulation

Nervous system regulation includes practices that help an already-intact nervous system shift into calmer, more balanced states. This encompasses breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, cold therapy, supplements, and various wellness practices.

The Critical Distinction

Here’s what you need to remember: repair is fixing the engine; regulation is learning how to drive it smoothly. You can take all the driving lessons in the world, but if the engine itself is broken, you’re not going anywhere.

The Body Keeps the Score—And It’s Stored Deeper Than You Think

According to the groundbreaking book “The Body Keeps the Score,” trauma isn’t just processed and filed away in our minds. It’s stored in the actual tissues, structures, and nervous system of the body, often far below our conscious awareness.

This entire system is known as the Somatic or NeuroSpinal System. This is why you feel all sorts of stress. Whether from physical exertion, environmental toxins and chemicals, or long, stressful, and emotional days. The stress fully lodges in your neck, between your shoulder blades, in your low back, and other parts of your body.

When your body encounters overwhelming stress or trauma, it goes into protection mode. This response is brilliant for survival in the moment, but that protective state can become locked in, creating patterns of dysfunction that persist long after the initial threat has passed.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: you simply can’t talk your way out of trauma that’s stored in your neurospinal system, brainstem, and vagus nerve. Similarly, you can’t breathe away physical subluxation patterns that have been locked into your nervous system since birth trauma or early childhood stress.

There’s a fundamental principle in neuroscience that every parent should understand: you can’t be in growth and protection at the same time. When your nervous system is stuck in that sympathetic-dominant, survival-oriented state, all the meditation and supplements in the world won’t create the lasting change you’re desperately seeking.

The Perfect Storm That Requires Deep Repair

While we all know modern life is incredibly stressful for us as adults. What most parents and providers don’t yet realize is how early the stress, toxicity, and medicalization of our current lifestyle begins. Even for our children. We call this “The Perfect Storm”. 

Most children today experience a series of stressors that create cascading neurological dysfunction:

Prenatal Stress: When mothers experience high anxiety or take certain medications during pregnancy, it affects the developing nervous system of their baby.

Birth Interventions: C-sections (now occurring in 1 in 3 births), forceps delivery, vacuum extraction, or induction place profound physical strain on an infant’s delicate brainstem and upper neck.

Early Childhood Stressors: Colic, reflux, and constipation aren’t just normal infant struggles. They’re early warning signs of nervous system dysfunction that too often get dismissed or only treated symptomatically.

The Antibiotic Cascade: When these issues lead to frequent ear infections and repeated rounds of antibiotics, the damage deepens. Research shows that repeated antibiotic use in children under age 2 significantly increases their likelihood of struggling with allergies, asthma, and gut issues later in life.

The level of stress and trauma most children experience locks the neurospinal system into such a deeply stuck state that surface-level interventions simply can’t penetrate through to create meaningful change. It’s not that other approaches are wrong—the dysfunction is just too severe and too deeply embedded for them to address on their own.

Why Your Regulation Tools Keep Failing

When subluxation creates constant interference in the system, and the vagus nerve is dysfunctional due to early trauma, regulation tools are like trying to change the thermostat when the furnace itself is broken.

What are the clinical signs that repair must come first?

  • Therapies and interventions don’t stick or provide lasting results
  • Gut health protocols work temporarily, then plateau
  • Constant relapses after periods of improvement
  • High reactivity to small triggers
  • Quickly resetting back to a stressed state, even after calming activities

What Changes When the System Is Repaired?

Once the system is repaired and in a “ready state,” something remarkable happens:

  • Breathwork becomes significantly more effective
  • Supplements are better absorbed and utilized by the body
  • Dietary changes create more significant, lasting impacts
  • The body’s innate healing capacity can finally activate and do what it was designed to do

Your Family Deserves More Than Surface-Level Solutions

At RCW, we understand that nervous system repair opens the door for all those regulation tools to finally work as intended. Your family doesn’t need more health hacks or another stack of supplements. You need the right foundation.

We practice specialized Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care and can measure and restore nervous system function using advanced scanning technology and gentle, effective adjustments. This approach helps release years of built-up stress and tension so your child’s body—or your own—can finally shift from protection mode to healing mode.

So, if you’re exhausted from trying intervention after intervention without lasting results, please reach out to RCW today!

Your family’s healing journey doesn’t have to feel this hard. Sometimes, you just need to start at the right place—the foundation.

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Why You Should Get Adjusted Postpartum

Prenatal

While most pregnant mamas spend months preparing for pregnancy and birth, the postpartum period often remains surprisingly overlooked! Despite lasting far longer than labor and delivery, this critical phase receives just a fraction of the attention and support. Why isn’t anyone talking about this phase of life?! 

It is estimated that approximately 10-20% of mothers experience postpartum depression (PPD), highlighting its significance as a public health concern. 

New mothers typically feel unprepared for the physical and emotional challenges that follow childbirth. Medical care usually focuses on a brief six-week checkup, but the postpartum adjustment period actually lasts much longer—sometimes a full year or more. It really isn’t fair the type of care we receive as postpartum moms. Just a simple 6-week check up?! And don’t get us started on if you had a c-section! Major abdominal surgery just looked over?! It’s not okay!

The reality is that birth is just the beginning. Both mother and baby undergo profound physiological changes during the postpartum period.

What many parents don’t realize is that these challenges often have a common root cause: nervous system dysregulation. The physical trauma of birth can create subluxation (neurological interference) and dysautonomia (nervous system imbalance) in both mother and baby, leading to issues from breastfeeding difficulties and sleep problems, to mood swings and colic.

Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care offers a gentle, effective approach to addressing these root causes rather than just managing the signs. By restoring proper nervous system function, it can significantly improve recovery and adaptation for both mother and baby during this critical transition.

What is Postpartum Chiropractic Care and Why Is It So Important?

The postpartum period extends far beyond the conventional medical definition of six weeks after birth. From a neurological perspective, this phase represents an extraordinary transition where both mother and baby’s nervous systems are adapting to insane changes. 

For mothers, the nervous system must recalibrate after the intense physical demands of pregnancy and birth, while simultaneously adjusting to dramatic hormonal fluctuations. For babies, the developing neurological system is working overtime to process a flood of new sensory information after leaving the protected environment of the womb.

This neurological recalibration can be significantly disrupted by what we call subluxation—areas of neurological interference where communication between the brain and body is compromised. The physical strain of pregnancy and birth can create tension in the neurospinal system, particularly in the upper neck, pelvis, and low back. These areas of subluxation can alter proprioceptive input (body position awareness) into the brain, creating stress and dysfunction throughout the nervous system.

When subluxation persists, it often leads to dysautonomia—a state of imbalance in the Autonomic Nervous System. The Autonomic Nervous System has two main components: the sympathetic “fight or flight” branch and the parasympathetic “rest, digest, and regulate” branch. During the postpartum period, dysautonomia commonly turns into sympathetic dominance, where the body stays stuck in a heightened stress response. And once stuck in sympathetic dominance for too long, the body becomes exhausted. This can lead to:

  • Difficulty relaxing and sleeping, even when exhausted
  • Persistent anxiety, irritability, or mood swings
  • Digestive problems and constipation
  • Challenges with milk production and let-down during breastfeeding
  • Heightened pain sensitivity and delayed healing
  • Increased inflammation and immune system irregularities

For babies, birth-related subluxation often affects the structures of the upper neck and cranium. When these areas are compromised, it impacts the function of the vagus nerve—the master regulator of the Parasympathetic Nervous System. This can contribute to common newborn challenges such as difficulty latching, colic, reflux, constipation, and irregular sleep patterns. Since a baby’s nervous system is still developing, addressing these issues early is crucial for optimal neurological development.

The Neurological Impact of Birth on Mom and Baby

Birth is truly a marathon—both physically and neurologically—for mother and baby alike. For mothers, labor and delivery demand extraordinary physical exertion, with the body producing complex hormones while experiencing intense pressure, stretching, and sometimes tearing of tissues. 

What many don’t realize is that birth is equally demanding for babies. During delivery, a baby experiences significant compression and twisting forces as they navigate the birth canal. The baby’s head must mold to fit through the pelvis, with cranial bones overlapping and the neck often rotating to accommodate passage. Not to mention if their are other forces interfering with baby such as manual assistance, forceps, vacuum, etc. Studies have documented that this process can reach pressures of from 120 to over 500 mmHg on a newborn’s head and neck—an extraordinary amount of force on such small and delicate structures.

These  emotional and physical stressors during birth can create subluxation, where communication between the brain and body is compromised. For mothers, subluxation commonly occurs in the:

  • Pelvis and sacrum, which can affect recovery, bladder function, and future fertility
  • Lumbar spine, contributing to postpartum back pain and core weakness
  • Upper cervical spine, impacting the function of the brainstem and vagus nerve
  • Thoracic spine, affecting rib motion, breathing, and breast tissue function

For babies, birth-related subluxation most frequently affects the upper cervical spine and cranium, where the vagus nerve and other cranial nerves emerge from the brainstem. When irregular neurodevelopment occurs, it can interfere with vital functions like sucking, swallowing, breathing, and digesting—all essential for a newborn’s transition to life outside the womb. Depending on the birth, we see many babies with subluxations in other areas of their nervous system too. 

Birth interventions, while sometimes medically necessary, can significantly increase the risk of subluxation for both mother and baby. Cesarean deliveries involve surgical trauma to the mother’s abdomen and uterus, creating significant strain on the nervous system. Interventions like forceps or vacuum extraction can exert additional force on the baby’s delicate head and neck. Even common interventions like induction, epidurals, and directed pushing can alter the natural biomechanics of birth, potentially increasing stress on both nervous systems.

This birth-related subluxation often becomes the first component of what we call “The Perfect Storm“— stressors that can overwhelm the developing nervous system. When birth trauma creates subluxation and nervous system dysfunction from the very beginning, it sets the stage for challenges that may extend far beyond the immediate postpartum period. 

Addressing these neurological imbalances early through neurologically-focused chiropractic care can help prevent this storm and support optimal recovery and development for both mother and baby.

Postpartum Hormonal Shifts and the Nervous System

The postpartum period brings one of the most dramatic hormonal shifts a woman will ever experience. Within 24 hours of birth, estrogen and progesterone—hormones that are elevated during pregnancy—plummet. 

Meanwhile, research shows that prolactin rises to support milk production, and oxytocin fluctuates with breastfeeding and bonding. This abrupt hormonal transformation is often described as “falling off a cliff” hormonally, and it profoundly impacts the nervous system.

What many don’t realize is that these hormones don’t just affect reproductive functions—they directly influence neurotransmitters in the brain and the balance of the Autonomic Nervous System. Estrogen regulates serotonin and dopamine, which are crucial for mood. After birth, the drop in estrogen and progesterone leads to a rapid decrease in serotonin levels. A dysregulated nervous system can be associated with “baby blues” and more severe postpartum mood conditions.

Why You Should Get Adjusted Postpartum | PX Docs

This hormonal flux can significantly be impacted by the Autonomic Nervous System, leading to dysautonomia. When the nervous system becomes dysregulated and created hormonal shifts, it can lead to:

  • Difficulty sleeping, even when exhausted
  • Anxiety, racing thoughts, or feeling constantly “on edge”
  • Heart palpitations or chest tightness
  • Temperature regulation issues like night sweats or chills
  • Digestive disruptions such as constipation or reflux
  • Heightened sensitivity to stimuli like noise, light, or touch

The vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve and key component of the Parasympathetic Nervous System, is essential for mediating the body’s hormonal responses. It activates “rest, digest, and regulate” functions, promoting calmness, supporting digestion, reducing inflammation, and aiding emotional regulation. 

The Mother-Baby Neurological Connection

The connection between mother and baby goes far beyond the emotional bond—it’s a profound neurological relationship where each nervous system directly influences the other. This concept, known as co-regulation, is especially critical during the postpartum period when a baby’s immature nervous system relies heavily on the mother’s more developed system for stability and organization.

A newborn’s Autonomic Nervous System is still developing and lacks the self-regulation capabilities of an adult. Instead, studies indicate that babies depend on close physical contact with their mothers to regulate their heart rate, breathing patterns, body temperature, and stress hormones. This regulation occurs through a remarkable process of physiological synchronization, where the mother’s body literally helps train the baby’s developing systems through skin-to-skin contact, heartbeat, breathing rhythms, and vagal tone.

When a mother’s nervous system is regulated and balanced, her baby tends to settle more easily, feed more effectively, and develop more securely. Conversely, when a mother experiences nervous system dysregulation due to subluxation, stress, or hormonal imbalances, her baby often exhibits signs of distress.

This neurological connection creates both vulnerability and opportunity. If left unaddressed, dysregulation can create a challenging cycle where mother and baby continuously trigger each other’s stress responses. However, when a mother receives Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care that improves her nervous system function, the benefits can naturally extend to her baby through this co-regulatory relationship.

Common Postpartum Challenges and Their Neurological Roots

Many postpartum challenges that are typically viewed as separate issues—breastfeeding difficulties, sleep problems, mood conditions, physical recovery complications—actually share common neurological roots. Understanding these connections allows for a more comprehensive approach to postpartum care.

Breastfeeding challenges often have direct ties to nervous system function. The let-down reflex, which releases milk from the breast, depends on optimal Parasympathetic Nervous System activation through the vagus nerve. When a mother experiences subluxation that affects vagal tone, milk transfer may be compromised despite adequate milk production or an overproduction. 

Sleep difficulties—a nearly universal postpartum challenge—are deeply connected to Autonomic Nervous System balance. A nervous system stuck in sympathetic dominance (fight-or-flight mode) makes it difficult to relax into deep, restorative sleep, even when exhausted. This can create a frustrating cycle where a mother is desperately tired yet unable to sleep when given the opportunity. 

For babies, neurological dysregulation often looks like:

  • Shortened naps
  • Frequent night waking
  • Difficulty transitioning between sleep cycles.

Postpartum mood challenges represent perhaps the most significant intersection of neurological, hormonal, and psychological factors. While traditionally viewed through a purely psychological or hormonal lens, vagus nerve dysfunction—plays a crucial role in these factors. 

Physical recovery complications like persistent pelvic pain, incontinence, diastasis recti, and headaches often have neurological components that extend beyond simple tissue healing. Subluxation can disrupt the nerve signals needed for proper muscle engagement, coordination, and pain regulation.

How Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care Helps Postpartum

Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care offers a unique approach to addressing postpartum challenges by focusing on the root cause—nervous system dysfunction—rather than simply managing the signs and symptoms. This care begins with a comprehensive assessment that includes detailed neurological INSiGHT Scans, which provide objective measurements of Autonomic Nervous System function, stress patterns, and areas of subluxation.

These advanced scans serve as a “window” into the nervous system, allowing doctors to pinpoint exactly where and how subluxation is affecting neurological function. This precise information guides the development of personalized care plans tailored to each mother and baby’s specific needs, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.

Why You Should Get Adjusted Postpartum | PX Docs
Why You Should Get Adjusted Postpartum | PX Docs
Why You Should Get Adjusted Postpartum | PX Docs

For mothers, postpartum chiropractic adjustments offer numerous benefits:

  • Restoring proper pelvic function after the physical demands of pregnancy and birth
  • Reducing neurotension in the upper cervical spine to improve vagus nerve function and parasympathetic tone
  • Enhancing nervous system communication to support hormone balance and regulation
  • Improving sleep quality and duration through better autonomic balance
  • Supporting proper muscle engagement for core recovery and reduced back pain
  • Promoting optimal breast tissue drainage and nerve supply for breastfeeding
  • Support co-regulation

For babies, gentle pediatric adjustments can help:

  • Release neurotension in the upper neck and cranium from the birth process
  • Improve cranial nerve function for better sucking, swallowing, and breathing coordination
  • Enhance vagus nerve function for improved digestion and colic prevention
  • Support proper head shape development and potentially avoid torticollis and plagiocephaly 
  • Establish balanced nervous system patterns during this critical developmental window

Pediatric adjustments especially, the pressure of an adjustment is often compared to testing the ripeness of a tomato—light and precise. These adjustments work by stimulating specific neurological receptors, providing the brain with updated information that allows it to reestablish proper regulation and function.

Honoring Your Postpartum Journey Through Neurological Support

The postpartum period is not just a brief phase to “get through”—it’s a profound neurological, physical, and emotional transition that deserves dedicated support and care. By understanding the central role of the nervous system in this journey, mothers can make informed choices that support optimal recovery and development for both themselves and their babies.

Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care offers a unique and valuable approach to navigating the postpartum period by addressing the root causes of common challenges rather than just managing traits. By restoring proper neurological function through gentle, specific adjustments, this care can help create a foundation of balance and regulation that supports healing, bonding, and thriving during this critical time.

If you’re preparing for birth or currently in the postpartum period, consider incorporating Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care into your support plan.

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Why Your Whole Family Needs Nervous System Support (Not Just Your Kids)

Family Wellness

Picture this: It’s Thanksgiving dinner. Your kids are having complete meltdowns, grandma’s anxiety is through the roof, dad’s jaw is clenched from work stress, and you’re trying to hold everything together while your eye won’t stop twitching. Sound familiar?

Here’s what you need to know: This isn’t just holiday chaos—this is your family’s nervous systems playing tug-of-war with each other.

The Truth About Stress No One’s Talking About

Stress is contagious. And I don’t mean that metaphorically—I mean neurologically, scientifically, measurably contagious.

When one family member’s nervous system gets stuck in fight-or-flight mode, it creates a ripple effect that impacts everyone in the house. Your baby picks up on dad’s work tension. Your toddler mirrors your overwhelm. Even the dog starts acting differently when the family stress peaks.

We keep trying to fix individual problems—anxiety medication for mom, sleep training for baby, behavior charts for the five-year-old. But we’re missing the bigger picture. You can’t heal in isolation when you’re neurologically wired to co-regulate with the people you live with.

What the Research Really Shows

Research reveals that up to 15% of infants experience regulation difficulties in their first year. However, what that statistic doesn’t capture is that those babies are usually born into families where their parents are already dysregulated.

The data gets even more compelling. When mothers experience chronic stress during pregnancy, their cortisol levels can directly program their baby’s developing nervous system. That baby grows up with a nervous system pre-wired for stress. They become anxious kids, then stressed adults, who have babies of their own.

The cycle continues.

During the holidays, when three or four generations gather, you’re not just sharing turkey—you’re sharing nervous system patterns that have been passed down like family recipes.

Understanding Co-Regulation: Your Family’s Invisible Connection

Your nervous system doesn’t operate in isolation. It constantly reads and responds to the nervous systems around you through a process called co-regulation.

Think of it like this: just as an air traffic controller coordinates multiple planes, your nervous system is trying to coordinate with every other nervous system in your home.

Kids are especially tuned into their parents’ nervous system states. They detect stress through your tone, your touch, and even your heartbeat from across the room. When dad comes home stressed from work, the entire family’s nervous systems shift toward sympathetic dominance—fight or flight mode—within minutes.

Studies using Heart Rate Variability (HRV) measurements show that the stress patterns of family members often synchronize, creating either a cycle of calm or a storm of chaos.

Why Treating Just One Person Doesn’t Work

Here’s the hard truth: caring for your anxiety while your partner stays dysregulated is like trying to remodel a house on a cracked foundation. You’re building on an unstable base.

Sending your child to therapy while the home environment stays stressed? That’s like pushing a car with the parking brake on. Progress will be slow and frustrating.

The “Perfect Storm” isn’t individual—it’s environmental, generational, and collective, affecting everyone under the same roof.

When one family member gets adjusted or receives care while everyone else remains dysregulated, it’s like having one instrument tuned in an orchestra where every other instrument is off-key. The discord remains.

The Holiday Amplifier Effect

Ever wonder why family gatherings feel so exhausting? It’s not just the cooking and cleaning.

Holiday gatherings amplify nervous system dysregulation because multiple stressed systems converge in one space. Grandparents bring their lifetime of patterns, you bring work stress and parenting overwhelm, and your kids absorb it all—creating a perfect storm of nervous system chaos.

This explains:

  • Why kids “act out” more during holidays
  • Why you feel completely drained after family time
  • Why everyone seems to get sick after big gatherings

It’s not the tryptophan making you tired—it’s nervous system overload from trying to regulate with multiple dysregulated people. Your nervous system can only handle so much input before it trips like an overloaded circuit breaker, leaving everyone feeling fried.

The Path Forward: Healing Together

Here’s the empowering truth: when you understand how your family’s nervous systems are connected, you can actually do something about it.

When families receive neurologically-focused care together, their HRV patterns begin to synchronize in healthy, balanced ways. You create what we call a “regulation field” where everyone’s nervous system supports rather than stresses the others. Just like that umbilical cord that connected you and your baby, your family stays neurologically connected—and healing happens best when you heal together.

What You Can Do Right Now

Start by acknowledging the connections. Notice how your stress shows up in your kids. Pay attention to how one person’s bad day affects the mood of everyone else. You’re not imagining it—these patterns are neurologically real.

When you prioritize whole-family nervous system support, you’re not just helping your child with their sleep issues or anxiety. You’re rewiring your entire family’s capacity for calm, connection, and resilience. You’re breaking generational patterns and giving your children a different neurological foundation than you inherited.

Your family deserves better than survival mode. So don’t wait to reach out to Rochester Chiropractic and Wellness today to schedule a consultation!

Now that you understand how deeply you’re all connected, you can take charge and create real, lasting change—together.

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What To Expect in the Scan Room 

Uncategorized

If you’re like most parents, you want answers. Real answers about what’s going on with your child’s health—not just guesses or “wait and see” approaches.

Maybe your little one struggles with sleep, digestion, or frequent ear infections. Perhaps your school-aged child struggles to focus or sit still. Or maybe your teen is battling anxiety that seems to come out of nowhere.

Here’s what we’ve learned after working with thousands of families: these seemingly different challenges often share a common thread—a wound-up, dysregulated nervous system that’s stuck in overdrive.

And here’s the empowering part: when you can see what’s happening in your child’s nervous system, you can finally address the root cause instead of just managing symptoms.

Why the Nervous System Matters More Than You Think

Think of your child’s nervous system as the control center for their entire body. It manages everything they don’t have to think about—breathing, heartbeat, digestion, immune function, sleep-wake cycles, and even how they respond to stress.

When the nervous system is functioning well, your child can adapt, learn, grow, and thrive. But when it’s stressed or dysregulated—whether from birth trauma, falls, illness, or accumulated daily stressors—it’s like driving with your foot stuck on the gas pedal with no way to tap the brakes.

The result? A body that can’t rest, digest properly, fight off infections effectively, or regulate emotions and behavior.

Enter: Neurological INSiGHT Scans

This is where modern technology meets proactive parenting. Neurological INSiGHT scans are completely safe, non-invasive tools that allow us to see exactly where stress may be “stuck” in your child’s body.

These aren’t guesses. They’re objective measurements that create a personalized roadmap for your child’s care—and yes, they make pretty cool pictures for the fridge, too!

Let’s walk through the three types of scans and what they reveal:

1. NeuroThermal Scan: The Autopilot Assessment

This thermal scan compares temperatures from one side of the spine to the other, showing us how well the autonomic nervous system is functioning.

Remember, the autonomic nervous system operates on autopilot—controlling breathing, heartbeat, digestion, immune responses, and more. (Okay, now that we mentioned breathing, you’re probably thinking about it.)

When we observe temperature imbalances, it indicates where the nervous system is working overtime—and where it requires support.

2. Surface EMG Scan: The Tension and Energy Map

This scan maps out how yours or your child’s neuromuscular system is functioning and where their body is holding energy or storing stress.

Think of it as a stress blueprint. It shows us tension patterns, areas of hyperactivity, and regions that may be exhausted or uncoordinated.

This scan is especially revealing for:

  • ADHD and focus challenges
  • Sensory processing struggles
  • Seizure disorders
  • Motor coordination issues
  • Fertility challenges (for parents!)

When kids can’t sit still or seem constantly “revved up,” this scan often shows us why—their nervous system is literally stuck in a high-energy state.

3. Heart Rate Variability (HRV): The Stress Resilience Test

You may have heard of HRV if you use a device like the Oura ring, Whoop, Garmin, or Apple Watch. While those devices track certain aspects of HRV, our clinical technology gives us the complete picture.

HRV measures how well yours or your child’s body handles stress and whether the “gas pedal” (sympathetic) and “brake pedal” (parasympathetic) of their nervous system are working together in harmony.

What healthy HRV means:

  • Good stress resilience
  • Ability to calm down after activation
  • Better sleep quality
  • Improved focus and emotional regulation

What low or dysregulated HRV reveals:

  • Chronic stress patterns
  • Stuck in fight-or-flight mode
  • Poor recovery and adaptation
  • Vulnerability to illness and burnout

From Scans to Solutions: Your Child’s Personalized Care Plan

Here’s what makes this approach so powerful: these scans, combined with your child’s health history and your insights as a parent, give us the objective information we need to create a truly customized care plan.

No cookie-cutter protocols. No guessing games. Just targeted, nervous system-focused care designed specifically for your child’s needs.

What the Scan Experience Is Actually Like

We understand that bringing your child in for something new can be a source of uncertainty. Here’s what to expect:

When you arrive for your first visit, our team will greet you warmly, and give you a quick tour of the office.

The scan room itself is designed to be comfortable and non-intimidating. The scans are:

  • Completely painless (no needles, no invasive procedures)
  • Quick (usually completed in minutes)
  • Safe (no radiation or harmful exposure)
  • Appropriate for all ages (from newborns to great-grandparents)

Many children find the process fascinating—especially older kids who love seeing the colorful scans of their own nervous system!

We start with the HRV scan. Depending on their age, we will either use an ear clip for our little ones, a finger sleeve sensor for our big little kids, and our older kids and teenagers will be able to use the finger pad like the adults. This is the longest scan and will take 3 minutes. The stiller they can sit the better! But rest assured, this scan is designed with kids in mind and factors in for movement and activity being present.

Next will be the thermal scan. You or your child will be given a gown for this one if they’re willing to wear it. If not, no worries! Our scan techs are amazing at adapting and can always lift their clothing if needed. They have a handheld device that they will roll up the back and neck, and behind the ears.

The last scan, the EMG scan, is for everyone ages 5 and up. If your kiddo is 3 or 4 and having lots of struggles like ADHD, SPD, or seizures, we may try and do this scan as well. This one the gown will stay on, and another handheld device will be held for a few seconds at a time at different levels of the back and neck. This one can be a little cold!

That’s it! Worried your child won’t cooperate? Our scan techs are amazing and meeting kids where they’re at and doing everything they can to make the experience fun and successful.

Taking Charge of Your Child’s Health Starts With Information

As parents, you know your child better than anyone. You notice the patterns, the struggles, the moments when something just feels “off.”

But without objective data, it’s challenging to know where to start or whether the path you’re on is actually working.

These scans provide the missing piece. They validate your parental instincts with measurable evidence and provide a clear starting point for addressing the root cause of your child’s health challenges—not just covering up symptoms.

The Bottom Line

Whether your child is dealing with colic, chronic ear infections, ADHD, anxiety, sensory issues, or you simply want to optimize their health and development—it all comes back to nervous system function. When the nervous system is balanced and regulated, the body can heal, grow, and thrive the way it was designed to.

These scans are your window into understanding what’s really happening beneath the surface. They’re your tool for making informed decisions. They’re your roadmap for getting your child back on track.

Ready to see what’s really going on inside your child’s nervous system? Reach out to RCW to schedule your scan today and take the first step toward truly understanding—and transforming—your child’s health from the inside out.

You deserve more than “let’s wait and see.” You deserve answers. And your child deserves a nervous system that supports their best, healthiest, most vibrant life.

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Do Infants Grow Out of Colic?

Pediatric Chiropractic

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.

The Truth About What Happens After Colic

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.

Why Everything You’ve Tried Hasn’t Worked

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.

The Real Root Cause Goes Deeper Than Digestion

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.

  • Baby gets stuck in the birth canal during delivery
  • Stress gets stuck in their nervous system
  • Digestion gets stuck
  • Your baby stays stuck in distress

The Hidden Trigger No One Discusses: Birth Trauma

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.

The Progression Every Parent Should Know About

Here’s the timeline that plays out for countless families when the underlying nervous system stress isn’t addressed:

  • Colic (0-6 months): Crying, digestive issues, sleep problems
  • Chronic ear infections (6-18 months): Repeated infections requiring antibiotics
  • Speech delays (18-36 months): Late talking or unclear speech
  • Sensory processing issues (3-5 years): Over-sensitivity to sounds, textures, or environments
  • ADHD/anxiety (5-10 years): Difficulty focusing, emotional dysregulation

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.

What Your Baby’s Body Language Is Telling You

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.

Taking Action: What Parents Can Do

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 Child Deserves More Than Labels and Management

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.

The Bottom Line for Parents

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.

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You’ve Tried Everything for Speech… Here’s What Everyone Overlooks

Pediatric Chiropractic

You’ve been there. Sitting in yet another speech therapy appointment, watching your child struggle through the same exercises you’ve practiced countless times at home. You’ve followed every recommendation, invested thousands of dollars, and dedicated hours each week to speech drills and muscle exercises. Yet here you are, months or even years later, with your little one still struggling to communicate clearly while other children their age chatter away effortlessly.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone—and more importantly, you’re not missing anything as a parent. The gap isn’t in your dedication or your child’s effort. The missing piece is that nearly 1 in 12 U.S. children ages 3-17 experience voice, speech, language, or swallowing disorders, and the vast majority are receiving the same traditional approach that focuses on the “output”—the speech muscles and sounds—while completely missing what’s happening “upstream” in the brain and nervous system.

The real problem isn’t that your child needs more speech drills or muscle exercises. The problem is that stress and interference within their nervous system is disrupting the very foundation of how speech develops and functions.

Meet Coen: When Everything Changed

Let us tell you about Coen, whose transformation perfectly illustrates what we’re talking about. Before finding neurologically-focused chiropractic care, Coen had a severe speech delay with difficulty initiating sounds and very little sound production. His parents were exhausted, searching everywhere for answers beyond traditional speech therapy because everything they read stated that “Coen’s struggles were neurological in origin.”

They kept asking themselves, “There must be some way to stimulate his nervous system!” When they finally found a PX Doc trained in neurological care, the scans revealed exactly what they suspected—there was a disconnect with how Coen’s nervous system was processing information and coordinating actions like movement and speech. His parents said, “Looking through his scans and talking with the doctors, it all made sense why he was struggling and why progress had been very slow.”

Then came the breakthrough. About two months into neurologically-focused care, “it seemed like a switch flipped for Coen. He started producing way more sounds than before. He began initiating sounds and words on his own without prompting from others… lately, he has just been talking away!”

Today, Coen has gained about three years of progress in just three months and has finished speech services, having met all his goals in record time.

Understanding How Speech Actually Works: The Three-Step Process You Need to Know

Here’s what most parents (and even many providers) don’t understand: speech production is a complex, sequential 3-step neurological process.

Step 1: Input

First, sensory and auditory signals are received by the brain. This includes hearing sounds, feeling the position of the tongue and mouth, and processing visual cues from watching others speak.

Step 2: Integration

The brain processes and integrates this information, creating a plan for how to coordinate all the different muscles needed for speech.

Step 3: Output

Finally, the brain sends coordinated signals to speech muscles to produce the desired sounds and words.

Here’s the crucial insight: While most people assume speech delays stem from muscle problems in the output stage, the real issues typically occur “upstream” in the brain and nervous system’s input and integration phases.

When subluxation and nervous system dysfunction interfere with these early stages, no amount of muscle exercises or speech drills can fully compensate for the neurological breakdown happening in the brain. This is why your child can work so hard in speech therapy but still struggle—you’re working on step 3 when the problem is in steps 1 and 2.

The Real Culprits: Understanding Subluxation and Its Impact

Subluxation refers to misalignment and neurological interference within the nervous system that disrupts brain-body communication pathways. This interference:

  • Affects nerve signals controlling speech muscles
  • Leads to difficulties in motor planning (apraxia)
  • Creates abnormal muscle tone and coordination issues in the mouth, face, and respiratory muscles

The connection to birth: Birth interventions like forceps, vacuum extraction, and C-sections can physically injure the delicate upper cervical area and brainstem regions that house critical nerves controlling speech and communication. Even “normal” births can create stress on these vital areas.

The Vagus Nerve: Your Child’s Communication Highway

One of the most critical—yet often overlooked—factors in speech development is the vagus nerve. This nerve controls the vocal cords through its recurrent laryngeal branch, and when it’s not functioning properly, it leads to:

  • Problems with vocalization, pitch, volume, and speech clarity
  • Difficulty with the precise coordination of breathing and swallowing required for clear speech
  • Dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system keeps children stuck in “fight or flight” mode

When the vagus nerve is not working properly, it keeps your child’s nervous system in a stressed state, which further exacerbates speech and communication problems. Your child literally cannot access their full communication potential when their nervous system is stuck in survival mode.

Why Speech Delays Signal Deeper Developmental Issues

As a parent, it’s important to understand that speech is a complex function that develops only after more foundational milestones have been achieved. These include:

  • Nervous system regulation
  • Gross motor coordination
  • Gut-brain health
  • Basic sensory processing

If your child’s brain and body are still working on these foundational “projects,” they simply don’t have the neurological resources available to focus on higher-level functions like speech, socialization, and emotional regulation.

This explains why many children with speech delays also struggle with:

  • Digestive issues
  • Sleep problems
  • Sensory processing challenges
  • Missed gross motor milestones

It’s all connected through the nervous system. Recognizing this connection empowers you to address the root cause rather than just managing symptoms.

Taking Charge: A Different Approach to Your Child’s Speech Development

Understanding the neurological foundations of speech development puts you in the driver’s seat of your child’s health journey. Here’s how a neurologically-focused approach addresses the real root causes:

Step 1: Identifying the “Perfect Storm”

This begins with examining your child’s case history, particularly birth trauma and early life stressors that create neurological dysfunction. You know your child’s history better than anyone—trust your instincts about what might have contributed to their challenges.

Step 2: Advanced Neurological Assessment

Specialized INSiGHT Neurological Scans can precisely locate and measure subluxation and nervous system dysfunction that conventional providers cannot detect. These scans provide objective data about how your child’s nervous system is functioning.

Step 3: Gentle, Specific Care

Through gentle, specific neurologically-focused adjustments, proper nerve function and brain-body communication can be restored, allowing your child’s natural speech development to finally unfold as it should.

Your Role as an Empowered Parent

You are your child’s best advocate. If traditional speech therapy isn’t producing the progress you know your child is capable of, trust your instincts. You have the right to:

  • Ask questions about the neurological foundations of your child’s speech challenges
  • Seek providers who look at the whole child, not just the symptoms
  • Explore care that addresses root causes rather than just managing effects
  • Expect real progress, not just slow incremental changes

Your child’s struggles are not a reflection of your parenting, their effort, or a lack of trying hard enough. They may simply need a different approach—one that addresses the neurological interference preventing their natural abilities from emerging.

Moving Forward with Hope and Purpose

Every child has an innate drive to communicate and connect. When that drive seems blocked or delayed, it’s often because something is interfering with their nervous system’s ability to coordinate this complex process.

At Rochester Chiropractic and Wellness, we understand that the neurological foundations of speech development doesn’t mean abandoning speech therapy—it means ensuring that your child’s nervous system is optimized so that traditional therapies can be more effective.

The breakthrough your family has been searching for may be closer than you think. It might just require looking at your child’s speech challenges through a different lens—one that honors the complex, incredible connection between the nervous system and communication. So if you’re ready to dive into the true root cause of your child’s speech delays, please reach out to RCW today!

Remember: You know your child best. Trust your instincts, ask the deeper questions, and don’t settle for “this is just how it is” when your heart tells you there’s more to the story.