We show a “birth video” in our office.  It is a short video demonstrating the extreme violence of the birth process.  When people watch this video, they often cringe and squirm while witnessing the violence.  We call it “natural” childbirth, but it’s far from natural.  Injuries to the baby’s upper neck are common during birth due to the excessive pulling and twisting on the newborn’s neck.  Many die from it, according to Abraham Towbin, MD, of Harvard Medical School.  We may call them stillbirths or SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), but research shows that in many cases, they are a result of damage done to the upper spine during childbirth.

Anyone that’s ever held a very young baby knows that its neck is very delicate and weak, and needs to handled very carefully.  So why do obstetricians pull and twist so hard during birth?  I don’t know.  But I do know that there are more joints in the human spine than anywhere else in the body, and that these joints can be sprained fairly easily.  When any joint in the body is sprained, there is swelling, inflammation and stiffness.  The inflammation attracts scar tissue, which further tightens the joint.

When a spinal joint is injured, the nervous system is also affected.  Like a dimmer switch on a light bulb, the nerves – the electrical system - are affected, and the nervous system – which controls and coordinates every structure and function in the human body – is weakened.  In chiropractic, we call this spinal injury a vertebral subluxation, and it is extremely common and devastating to the life and health of the individual.

So, instead of wondering why your baby is frequently sick, get his spine examined by a chiropractor.  The gentle adjustments may make the difference between a life of weakness and illness, or a life of health and vitality.  And while you’re at it, get your spine checked, too.  You were born, too, weren’t you?