Doctors of chiropractic are experts in functional neurological disorders; it makes sense to treat ADD and ADHD, which are neurologically based disorders, with chiropractic. Chiropractic care addresses the underlying cause of ADD and ADHD by identifying and eliminating subluxations (spinal misalignments) that lead to neurological dysfunction.
The symptoms related to these conditions (such as hyperactivity or impulsivity) indicate a disturbance in brain stem function. The correlation between brain stem function and chiropractic is interesting because subluxations in the upper cervical (neck) area may be at the root of brain stem dysfunction.
Input from the upper cervical area is required by the brain stem before neurological functions can be performed. If the quality of the input to the brain is altered (because of subluxations in the upper cervical area) the output from the brain stem will also be distorted. It’s important to note that information from the upper cervical area is the most important spine-related source of sensory input to the brain stem.
From the moment of birth, children are vulnerable to subluxations in the upper neck area as well as anywhere else in the spine. With traumatic birthing practices (including an increase in caesarean sections), falls from beds or cribs, tumbling while learning to walk, or any other damaging experience, babies and children can develop spinal and neurological issues. Chiropractic works to resolve these problems.
