Chirocast

Functional neurology is the basis of a solid pediatric chiropractic exam. We are not only looking at spine, posture, shoulder & hip height or anterior head carry. We are looking at the child's brain through simple neuro exams that tell us how well that child is connected or disconnected.

Questions haven't really changed over the years. "What are the most important points in a contract?" "How do you find a place to settle?" "How do you know if an office is right for you?" The salient point that runs through all this can be answered with a Zen-like statement: "When it seems right and it goes smooth, you'll know."

Patagonia, valued at $1 Billion, just sold the company, but instead of selling to a person or a group, they sold Patagonia to a 'trust', whose intent is to help save the planet! WOW! Instead of selling for a profit, they sold for a purpose. Now that's commitment!

When someone's been getting adjusted their whole life, they naturally think that everyone gets adjusted. It's so embedded in their lifestyle that it's what they do! It's part of their health habits like exercising and eating right. Do you have kids like this in your practice, who are being raised as chiro-kids?

BJ Palmer asked years ago, "which side of the yellow line are you on?", referring to the double yellow line on a highway. The term diagnosis means "between 2 possibilities." What are you thinking when you examine a child or pregnant momma for the first time? Which side of the line are you on?

A patient said to me a few days ago, "you have the dream job, having all these kids around you all day long." They were right...there is nothing that brings me more joy than looking in an infant, toddler, child on the spectrum, or a pregnant momma's eyes, and seeing the gratitude. How thankful I am that chiropractic found me and that Dr Larry Webster turned me in the right direction!

There is a sense of urgency that exists when you feel that if you fulfill your mission, no-one else will. That was the message delivered to a packed house at the 2022 ICPA Gathering, where pediatric chiropractors from around North America came together with one common purpose...taking care of the kids and pregnant mommas that we have been chosen to serve.

There are actual brain changes in kids with ADHD, according to recent research. This has also been seen in kids with Autism. Why is this so important? Because if there are brain changes, through the power of neuroplasticity, brain-based chiropractic can help rewire their nerve system! Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01706-4

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure..." begins the quote from Marianne Williamson. With our hearts, head and hands, we chiropractors can do incredible work, help change lives, redirect brains that are firing less than efficiently, and reconnect the disconnected kids.

How are you describing chiropractic care? If you are talking about how practice members are feeling vs how they are healing, then you have a more pain-based vs. brain-based chiropractic focus. Chiropractic was originally 'founded on tone' (DD Palmer, 1910) and then added the concept of dis-ease, or disharmony/dysfunction of the nerve system (BJ Palmer & Ralph Stephenson, 1927). Our founders had 'the big idea'!

"When you know your why, you can endure almost any how" is a saying attributed to Victor Frankl (author of Man's Search for Meaning). Having that why we do behind our what we do makes a difference not just in the day-to-day but in the overall outcome. Find your why!

It's not about how much you do, but how little you actually need to do to create positive change. "A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step." Sometimes we confuse quantity for quality. Does "super-sizing" mean better quality, or more of what is not good to begin with? Do less not more, especially when working with neurodivergent kids.

A 12 year old patient recently told me of an assignment from their literature class: find a poem and tell us what it means. This pre-teen choose the poem: "Mutterings over the crib of a child" by James Wright from the 1950's. It is about a parent taking care of a neurodivergent, special needs child, and how they will love them no matter what. Listen on... https://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php%3Fdate=2004%252F12%252F16.html

The 2 most powerful forces on the planet are the power of one cell and the power of water. Both powers have 'infinite patience' and incredible discipline and can take over whatever they want, given the right amount of time. These small subtle forces are the key to building a successful pediatric chiropractic practice.

2022 has been an interesting year in research. An article showing that Autism might be seen in fetal brain MRI's 3 months before they are born...differences in the size of the insula, amygala and hippocampus were noted in their scans. And the massively important study from the AAP regarding changing developmental milestones. Both articles show how much we pediatric chiropractors are needed now more than ever to help the kids!

Lech Walesa, former president of Poland and Nobel Peace Prize winner, said that someday there will come a time when children will be able to sing a different song, but "until that time, we have work to do." We truly have work to do. With everything that is going on in the world, my mission is to serve the kids. Because until they ALL can sing a more positive song, our work is not done...

Not everybody can be like a Dr. Sid Williams and leave behind a chiropractic school and a philosophy behind them. So how do you and I leave a legacy? One person at a time! Every person you meet, whether they are your practice members, the staff at your local restaurant or Kroger, or even people you pass by on the street or in the hallway...what sort of interaction do you have with them? That 1 smile you give them might be the only smile they get all day long! Leave a legacy, 1 person at a time!

Headline: "Medication doesn't help kids with ADHD learn"! Important research showing that ADHD meds do NOT have the benefit everybody thought they did. These meds do help attention but does NOT impact classroom learning. Certain ADHD meds also have a black box warning of potential dependence and possible increase in aggressive behaviors. Hmm... Study links: https://neurosciencenews.com/adhd-medication-learning-20647/ https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2013/010187s077lbl.pdf

How are the 2022 changes in developmental milestones and TikTok related? In the normalizing of pathology! It's now ok if kids don't walk or talk until later and don't crawl at all. On TikTok, kids with certain conditions are developing tremendous followings, and other kids are imitating them, creating what is known as a mass sociogenic illness.

What is your 'extra something'? BJ Palmer coined the phrase, 'the adjustment with that extra something', but I think this applies to more than just the adjustment. It is the ultimate Life Lesson: how can your life be expressed with that 'extra something'?