Your Child’s Healthy Brain

Written by Dr. Daniel Kimbley

Almost every visitor we get to our office notices our kids adjusting table, “Leo the Lion”. This usually leads to questions about children receiving care in our office. Our answer is always OF COURSE the care we provide in our office is effective for anyone, especially kiddos.

Parents, grandparents, and even expecting parents have all asked about Leo the Lion. The question always arises: why do you see kids or why would my kids need adjusted?

Birth trauma, environmental toxins, high stress throughout pregnancy and during birth are just a few of the reasons children could need to be adjusted. We know that 90% of the stimulation and nutrition to the brain comes from PROPER movement of the spine.¹ Stress and trauma causes the joints of the spine to stop moving properly which interferes with the brain’s ability to send and receive signals from the rest of the body.

It’s kind of like typing a text message into your cell phone but forgetting to hit the send button, or having Auto Correct change so many words that your text doesn’t make sense. You put the time and effort into writing the message, but the other person never properly received it. The same thing happens in our bodies. Movement of the spine sends messages up to the brain, but when the joints of the spine aren’t moving properly due to stress, the brain may receive the wrong message, therefore interfering with proper development. 

So, what does this have to do with Functional care for children?

In 2014, for the first-time researchers actually measured brain development of newborn babies through the first three months of life. They found that post-natal growth of the brain occurs at a rate of 1% per day in the first 90 days of life. ² This is a critical phase of growth and development that will set a child up for success for the rest of his/her life. The researchers found that the brain reaches half of its adult size in the first 3 months of growth.²

After the first three months of development, the brain continues to grow its pre-frontal cortex, which is the center of the brain that controls decision making, planning, and reasoning. People with a stronger pre-frontal have better self-discipline. This part of the brain doesn’t usually stop developing until about 25 years old.³

By ensuring the joints of the spine are moving properly, and that the nervous system is functioning optimally, you’ll be providing the best opportunity for healthy growth and development through every phase of life.

Making care the core of a healthy lifestyle will ensure your kiddos’ proper growth and development early on and lasting success throughout life.

¹Sperry, Roger. Nobel Laureate. 1981

²Holland D, Chang L, Ernst TM, et al. Structural Growth Trajectories and Rates of Change in the First 3 Months of Infant Brain Development. JAMA Neurol.2014;71(10):1266–1274. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2014.1638

³Berger, Kathleen. The Developing Person Through the Lifespan. 2014. 9th Edition. New York: Worth.