ADHD: Driving without brakes?
Imagine being in a Ferrari, traveling down the racetrack at 200+ miles/hour. You then think to yourself, I wonder what kind of brakes this thing has? You ask the driver, and he looks to you and asks, “what brakes?”.
Is this how it feels having a child with ADHD? Like there are no brakes, they are always “on” and going as fast as they can? This is probably because they are! Their nervous system is firing constantly, and the brakes aren’t working the way they should.
The Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system consists of two parts – the sympathetic nervous system (gas pedal) and the parasympathetic nervous system (brake pedal). Typically people refer to your sympathetic nervous system as your “fight or flight” response and the parasympathetic as the “rest and digest” system.
Chiropractic care aims to balance out these two parts of the nervous systems by correcting subluxations, or misalignments, of the spine with gentle and specific adjustments.
Think about it – everything in your body is controlled by your nervous system. If there is any kind of nerve interference in your body, the messages from your brain to your body and back are getting their signals crossed. By taking the pressure off of the nerves in your spine, your brain and body are able to communicate effectively.
What causes nerve interference?
To keep it simple, nerve interference can be caused many many things, but we like to categorize them into physical, chemical, and emotional stressors.
Essentially any physical stress you put on your body, whether that’s a car accident, slipping on ice, or the act of being born can impact your spinal alignment. Chemical stressors refer to things like eating highly processed foods, not drinking enough water, and overindulging in sugary snacks. Emotional stressors are exactly that – stress in your life that impacts your emotional well-being. This could be stress/anxiety at work or school, bullying, or difficult home life.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it does give an idea of how your everyday life can impact your body and the way your body carries stress.
How does this relate to my child?
Kids who have been diagnosed with ADHD have a sympathetic nervous system dominance that needs to be balanced by the parasympathetic system.
The sympathetic nervous system lives within the middle part of your spine, while the parasympathetic system is primarily located in the upper cervical and sacral regions of the spine.
All children have experienced at least one traumatic physical stressor in their lives (birth) whether it was a “normal” vaginal birth or an emergency cesarean section. This, in addition to other stressors throughout their lives, can have a massive impact on their developing spine.
Chiropractic and ADHD
If you’re hesitant to start your child on medication for ADHD, it is worth trying a more natural and holistic approach: chiropractic care.
Check out some of the recent research regarding ADHD and chiropractic through the ICPA. Schedule a complimentary consultation today using our online booking site.
To learn more, scroll to the bottom of our pediatric chiropractic page, and please leave any questions in the comments below!