Your Kids, Sore Throats and Their Tonsils

Your child is having a bad day....Difficulty Swallowing? Fever? Swollen Glands? Earache?
Yep…your child's immune system is working overtime. If too frequent, then children’s tonsils are often surgically removed to help treat the symptom.
 
Are There Options to Surgery? 
Let’s first look at recent research.
 
A study of almost 1.2 million patients suggests that children who have their tonsils or adenoids removed before age 9 are at higher risk for respiratory, infectious, and allergic diseases up to the age of 30 years.  Yes, up to 30 years old! That means kids are at higher risk through grade school, middle and high school, college and beyond! 

​"We found that tonsillectomy was associated with a nearly tripled risk of upper respiratory tract diseases, and that adenoidectomy was associated with doubled risk of [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] and upper respiratory tract diseases and nearly doubled risk of conjunctivitis,"
-Dr. Sean Byars, University of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia,
 
Another study in the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics indicated a strong correlation between spinal adjustments and the suppression of ear infections. 
 
Out of the 332 children, ranging in 27 days to 5 years old, 80% of the children did not experience another ear infection in the 6 months following the study. 
 
These children were given an initial series of spinal adjustments and then maintenance adjustments every 4 to 6 weeks. (Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics. 1997; Volume 2, No. 2:167-183.)

What Can You Do?
Locate the root cause. As a last resort, parents bring their children for a spinal examination and meridian scan. I then explain a few things....

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Imbalances in the spine are called subluxations, which result in health problems. 

Spinal or meridian problems may be the root cause why your child’s body can’t defend itself properly through the immune system.

Tonsils are a crucial part of the body's immune system. They are one of the first line defenses against respiratory invaders, bacteria and viruses that enter through a child’s mouth and nose. 

Cutting out the tonsils means to remove an important part of a child’s ability to fight respiratory infections. Mother Nature created tonsils as part of the lymphatic system. This system is important in prevention and healing of illness.

Root Cause?
The ducts leading away from the tonsils travel through the muscles of the neck. 

It’s necessary for those muscles to create a pumping effect on the lymph fluid to help keep the immune system strong and resilient. 

A spinal subluxation in the neck can produce irritation of the nerves, which causes muscles to contract. This restricts lymph flow in the neck.
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In children, the lymph ducts are smaller than those in adults and are more easily blocked and prevented from doing their job of defending the body from foreign invaders and draining the waste products away from the area. 

Result? Sore throat, earaches, etc.

Solution
A subluxation of the neck can cause muscle contractions, which slows lymph flow and reduces the capacity of your child’s immune system to function (and yours too if this is the case). This is a common reason for repeated, chronic illness. 

To help your child heal, when evaluating the neck, it's important to uncover areas of  fixation and immobile area in the spine. Then a meridian scan will help you identify blockage in the neck's meridian system.

My Child Is Sick Today... Should He/She Get Checked For Neck Subluxations?
Yes. To help support the healing process, patients bring kids in to check for subluxations and meridian imbalances and correct them when needed.

Of course it’s best to get checked for subluxations and meridian imbalances as a maintenance family protocol a few times a year or when there has been a bad fall or sport injury.

I recommend integrating gentle spinal and meridian corrections. The use of soft tissue techniques to help return normal function of the neck and related spinal muscles are preferred by most parents.

For meridian treatment needles are a problem with kids. I suggest soft Laser Acutherapy to balance meridian energy flow.

This approach helps restore your child’s body to support the healing Mother Nature intended so they start feeling better...naturally.

What Causes Neck Subluxations and Meridian Imbalances?
In addition to the nutritional issues not discussed here, most children develop spinal subluxations or meridian imbalances simply from the life of being a kid playing, jumping and falling, with all the associated minor accidents and falls which children frequently experience.

Food, toxins and other external factors may also play a role.
A regular check-up with a meridian evaluation and spinal examination is similar to a dental check-up in that Prevention Is Key!

If you have more questions, give me a call or schedule a Meridian Scan and Spinal Examination for your child. 310.734.0951