Higher Level of Health and Quality of Life in Children Under Chiropractic

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published a retrospective analysis study on August 13, 2018, showing that children who are under chiropractic care since birth are statistically healthier than their counterparts who do not receive chiropractic care.

Although chiropractic is a separate, non-medical health care profession, it is often categorized under the umbrella of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, (CAM). CAM procedures also include many non-chiropractic approaches such as herbal medicine, vitamins, therapeutic massage, acupuncture, homeopathy, yoga and energy healing.

The authors of this study report that prior studies showed that 1 in 9 children received some form of CAM, with chiropractic being the most used CAM health care for children in the U.S. In another earlier study of chiropractors in the Boston area, it was shown that 11% of their patients were pediatric patients.

In this study, a survey was used to gather health data on five children from different families, who had been under chiropractic care since birth. Additionally, their mothers were under chiropractic care throughout their pregnancy. These 5 children were then compared to children who had not been under chiropractic, as well as siblings who had not been under the same chiropractic care since birth. All five of the children in this study were under chiropractic care for correction of subluxations for wellness purposes.

All five of the mothers were under chiropractic care throughout their pregnancy and reported feeling better during their pregnancy with a decrease in symptoms such as low back pain, extremity numbness, and generalized soreness. Only one of the children was born via a cesarean, the other four were born vaginally. All children were breast fed to some degree during infancy. According to their mothers, all children ate a well-balanced diets with plenty of fruits and vegetables, water, and a limited amount of caffeine and sugar.

When compared to their siblings, the parents mostly rated the children who were under chiropractic care as somewhat healthier, or just as healthy as their siblings. The siblings of the children is this study did get chiropractic care, but it was not since birth. Overall, it seemed as if the children under care since birth had a small, but significant health advantage over their siblings.

When compared to children not in the same family who did not receive chiropractic care, the results were much more profound. Each of the parents of children under chiropractic since birth felt that their child's health was much better than their friends and other children of the same age. All the parents reported that their "...children’s friends were constantly getting colds and were all-around sicklier than their children."

In the conclusion, the authors wrote, "Parents in this study reported that their children experienced a higher level of health and quality of life than other children of the same age. These data show the need for continued studies into the health outcomes following long term chiropractic management before, during and after birth."