The ADHD Generation

One in nine kids has ADHD in the United States. I think this is more alarming than COVID-19! We need to be more worried about these stats. At Imagine Chiropractic we see many children that have been diagnosed with ADHD and we see great results with these kiddos. When I was a child in school there were barely any kids who had behavioral or attention issues but we continue to see more and more kids that are diagnosed. When we go through these children’s history in the office we notice a pattern; a hard labor and delivery(sometimes with forceps or vacuum), colic, poor sleep, difficulty nursing that turns into formula, chronic ear infections leading to many rounds of antibiotics, a higher vaccine schedule, a toxic environment, junk food, too much screen time etc. These stresses on the body all lead to a higher probability of being diagnosed with ADHD. Children are under 3 types of stress: physical, chemical, and emotional. Physical stress is pretty easy-falls on the playground, learning to walk, basically everything you see on Funniest Home Videos. Chemical stress are the foods and chemicals in the home that the child is around; highly processed foods, home cleaners, sugars/dyes etc. Emotional stress such as bullying in school, stressful home environment, and even the label of ADHD can add more stress on the child.

Chiropractic is not about neck and back pain like most of the public may think, we actually affect the nerves to help the brain perceive the environment and coordinate the behavior of all cells in the body. Which sounds a lot like a kid who is having a hard time focusing-they can’t seem to perceive their environment and coordinate themselves properly. There is abnormal energy that the body and brain are dealing with that prevent the child from being able to focus. I think of it as blasting ACDC at the same time I’m trying to talk to you. Would you be able to focus on what I was saying or directions I was giving you? This is what happens with today’s kids, they can’t focus because there is too much abnormal energy that the brain is focusing on. We have really cool technology in the office which shows us this abnormal energy. Specific chiropractic adjustments help to decrease this abnormal energy and help the nerve system to calm down thus helping the child calm down.

There is a child in the office-lets call him Mike for privacy sake, and he came into the office after his mother had attended our Sensory, Focus and Behavioral Workshop. Mike was in 5th grade and having troubles focusing in school. He was on Ritalin(an ADHD medication) but was still having issues in school. Mike told us he didn’t really like to interact with his siblings. After several adjustments Mike stated “I’m smiling again.” Mike’s mom told us she lessened the amount of Ritalin he was taking and eventually we was able to stop taking it all together. During his conferences his teachers were making remarks on how well he was doing in school. Chiropractic works to improve the sensory-processing system and can improve not just a child’s life but the whole family. Mike continues to come in to keep his body in balance and is doing great!

If you’d like more information please follow our Facebook page and look for upcoming workshops that discuss this topic!