A Timely Birth: Part 1

The timing of birth has major consequences for a baby. Too early or too late can mean the difference between life and death—or so we have come to believe—and it’s undoubtedly true at the extreme ends of preterm and post term birth...

ADHD and Non-Medical Care

Parents seeking treatment for their child with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) often pursue alternative treatments to those offered by conventional medicine. A study conducted in Australia investigated how many parents with ADHD...

Another Reason for Chiropractic Care in Pregnancy

Many women have successfully utilized the service of chiropractors throughout pregnancy for the relief of back pain and discomfort commonly associated with pregnancy. Since the advent of the Webster technique, many women have started chiropractic...

Beyond School Scoliosis Screenings

Making decisions regarding the health and well-being of their families is an awesome responsibility for parents. With the magnitude of information available, making these critical decisions might seem confusing or even overwhelming. This may be...

Breastfeeding Basics For a Successful Start

This year’s theme for the World Breastfeeding Week is: Exclusive Breastfeeding: The Gold Standard, Safe, Sound and Sustainable. The World Health Organization currently recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months and up to two years with other...

Carrying and Direct Body Contact are Essential for an Infant’s Development

It is generally known (back to medieval or ancient times) that deprivation of sensory stimuli like voice and vision in the early phases of human life will cause irreversible mental retardation in the child. Also the prevention of child play will...

CDC Releases Birth Data for 2003

2003 U.S. Rates Total Cesarean Rate: 27.6% up 6% from 2002 Primary Cesarean Rate: 19.1% up 6% from 2002 VBAC Rate: 10.6% down 16% from 2002 “This whole situation is the result of the A...

Cesarean Section

One striking example of the overuse of technology in childbirth is delivery by cesarean section. In 1993, 22.8 percent of live births in the United States were by cesarean section. In teaching hospitals, the rate is now closer to 25 percent. In...

Depression Drugs Linked to Withdrawal in Babies

Women taking antidepressant drugs, such as Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, and Celexa, may want to talk to their doctors about their medications if they’re pregnant or planning to get pregnant. There’s a chance that such drugs—called selective...

Epidurals May Lead to Unnecessary Treatment in Babies

Women who receive epidurals to ease labor pains may be increasing discomfort for their newborns, according to a study published in Pediatrics. The study says that epidurals can cause fevers in mothers during childbirth, which, in turn, causes...

Eric’s Story

Eric Zack, my 8-year-old son, began seeing Dr. David Spears at Body of Light Family Chiropractic on September 8th of 2004. We met Dr. David at the Lane County Fair at his demonstration booth offering free chiropractic evaluations. Dr. David looked...

Europe Approves TB Blood Test, Forget TB Skin Tests

Tuberculosis skin tests have existed for 100 years to diagnose possible infections. The test is presented as a benign, protective necessity. However, TB tests may not be as benign as purported. A TB skin test, the Mantoux (tuberculin) test or the...

Identifying Causes for Spinal Stress in Children

Physical trauma to the spine and the result of back pain caused by heavy backpacks has been receiving national attention. Parents are becoming aware of spinal stress in their children. In addition to the backpack dilemma, there are numerous...

Learning Through Compassion

Over the years, I have counseled parents on the importance of responding to a baby’s cry. My first article on this subject listed ten reasons for a quick response to tears, and discussed the importance of giving loving messages and emotional...

Letter From the Editor, Issue #05

Doctors of Chiropractic have been working with children since the early days of chiropractic over 100 years ago. Their reliable services have offered parents a safe option for natural health care. The founder of chiropractic, D.D. Palmer, D.C., had...

Nursing Notes

Big Business vs. Breastfeeding A new study in BMJ says more needs to be done to stop big business from exploiting mothers to choose formula over breastfeeding. Tony Waterston, Monitoring the marketing of infant formula...

Obstetric Interventions: Epidural

Epidural pain relief has major effects on the hormones of labor. It inhibits beta-endorphin production(1) and therefore also inhibits the shift in consciousness that is part of a normal labor. When an epidural is in place, the oxytocin...

Our Children's Needs

A human being is pretty much formed and programmed in his or her concepts about himself or herself and the surrounding world by the age of eight. Most of the work, which is done today by psychologists and psychiatrists, is to solve the problems and...

Pediarix 5 in 1 Vaccine

In December 2002, the FDA approved a new combination vaccine for use in children under 6 months of age. GlaxoSmithKline’s Pediarix is for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, and polio. Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, D.O., a nationally...

Take Your Power Back

I spent a lot of time when I found out I was pregnant reading, asking advice, and trying to get my questions answered so that I could do everything right for my baby. I even interviewed pediatricians to find the one I felt comfortable with and who...