Healthy Kids, Healthy Adults
The nervous system is the master control system of the body. Every human experience is processed through the nervous system. This is so important when it comes to the health of our children and their developing neurology.
The truth is, the infant brain is not fully developed when a child is born. It is the only organ that is not fully developed at birth, weighing in at about 12 ounces, which is only about 25% of its full size.
We must grow a BRAIN!
That’s right! As soon as we are born into the world, we are perceiving the environment, and growing a brain. At first the brain is responsible for vegetative functions like eating, breathing, and maintaining a heart rate. As an infant brain grows, I like to think of it like a little ant hill. Specializing cells, growing, developing, and synapsing. The brain develops in a carefully orchestrated way, forming neurons and glial cells at a rate of 1/4 million per minute.
The brain grows from the bottom up, then side to side. The less complex brainstem first, then up to the more complex cortex, which is responsible for our higher thinking and personality.
After birth, the right hemisphere is emphasized. This is the intuitive side, helping the baby interpret the big picture to the world around them.
Around the age of 3, the left hemisphere is emphasized. This is the logical side, helping the toddler explore the details of the world around them. Do you ever wonder why a child around the age of 3 always asks the question: “WHY?”
The brain then continues to develop back and forth until about the age of 10 when it reaches full size.
Understanding this is so critical because, the early developing stages of the brain, neurology and perception of our environment are so critical to achieving proper milestones and having a healthy nervous system.
Even the slightest misalignment in the top bone of the neck can cause an interference to the nervous system and can have long lasting effects later in life. The birth process is one of the ways that an infant can suffer a misalignment of the atlas. Whether c-section, vacuum extraction, forceps, or a natural birth, those traction forces are experienced by the baby and can cause a subtle shift in the top bone of the neck.
Every provider that works with pregnant women and children—OB/GYN’s, midwifes, pediatricians, lactation consultants, doulas, dentists, and others need to understand that the the birth process is a significant physical stress to the nervous system. This traumatic stress, misalignment and fixation, could compromise the neurologic development of a child’s brain.
At Atlas Specific Spine Center, we work with pregnant women and children as young as 1 day old to be sure their nervous system is clear of interference and that it is functioning as optimal as possible during the most formative years of a child’s life and the health of their developing brain.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is NOW.”