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| Chiropractic
for mothers-to-be? Absolutely! |
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Pregnancy
can be a time of joy and exciting anticipation;
yet for some, the experience is colored
by pain, discomfort, and illness. This
is often because pregnant women undergo
many structural and hormonal changes that
affect the spine, nerves, joints, ligaments,
connective tissues, center of gravity
and stability. The doctor of chiropractic
can ensure that the spinal column, pelvis
and related structures are balanced, moving
easily and free of vertebral subluxations
Free
of vertebral subluxations, the mother-to-be
experiences pregnancy at a greater level
of comfort, health and vitality and can
better handle the stress of childbirth.
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| Drugless
Approach to Health |
| Since
nearly all drugs and medications can cause fetal
damage or malformations, it is important for pregnant
women to avoid them as much as possible. Chiropractic's
drugless approach is another reason why it is
valued during pregnancy. |
| Pregnant
Women Have Special Concerns |
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There
are so many things pregnant women worry about:
staying pregnant; carrying the baby to full
term; morning sickness; the baby developing
normally; backaches; leg pain; and if their
labor will be safe and (hopefully) easy.
Can
chiropractic care help ease their minds? Chiropractic
care has been observed to help pregnant and
birthing women a number of ways. Chiropractors
have been performing spinal adjustments on pregnant
women for over a hundred years and have noted
that chiropractic spinal corrective care may
help maintain pregnancy, control vomiting during
pregnancy, deliver full-term infants with ease
and produce healthier infants.1-6
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Can
Chiropractic Help Breech Presentations?
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| One
of the latest developments in chiropractic prenatal
care has been a method of correcting breech presentations
in which the baby isn't positioned properly for
birth. Developed by the late Larry Webster, D.C.,
of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association,
chiropractors are able to release stress on the
pregnant pelvis and cause relaxation to the iterus
so the baby will turn naturally. Dr. Webster stated
that it is "up to 94% successful in turning
babies in utero so they can be delivered easily."7 |
What
About After Pregnancy?
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| Spinal
care can help the post-partum woman return to
pre-pregnancy normalcy by balancing her spinal
column, realigning her pelvic bones and removing
vertebral subluxations. |
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1.
Stein, K. The value of chiropractic care
in cases of pregnancy. ACA Journal of
Chiropractic, July 1964.
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| 2.
What is the role of osteopathic manipulation
in obstetric care? Journal of the American
Osteopathic Association, Nov. 1974. |
| 3.
Fallon, J.M. Chiropractic and pregnancy.
ICA Review, Nov/Dec 1990, pp.39-42. |
| 4.
Webster, L. Modern day birthing techniques
can produce subluxations in both the mother
and the baby. International Chiropractic
Pediatric Association Newsletter, Jan. 1993. |
| 5.
Burns, L. Vertebral lesions and the course
of pregnancy in animals. Journal of the
American Osteopathic Association, 932(23),
pp.155-157. |
| 6.
Gutman, G. Blocked atlantal nerve syndrome
in babies and infant. Manuelle Medizin,
1987, 25, pp 5-10. |
| 7.
Klougart, N., Nilsson, H. & Jacobsen,
S. Infantile colic treated by chiropractors:
A prospective study of 316 cases. JMPT,
1989, 12, pp. 281-288. |
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