CHIROPRACTICTECHNIQUE
FUTURE OF NEURODEVELOPMENTAL BASED PEDIATRIC CHIROPRACTIC CARE Monika A. Buerger, DC
her team, have repeatedly shown that adjusting the spine will influence the way that the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) processes somatosensory information. Among a host of critical functions, the PFC He who knows things is considered the “Executive from their beginning Functioning System” of the brain; it also controls our and origins understands social engagement system. them better … In the above noted study, -Aristotle , 4th century BC the preemptive intervention given to reduce the odds of a later ASD diagnosis was that Chiropractic truly is a Science, Art of coaching caregivers on appropriate and Philosophy. When you understand social engagement interactions with the science, philosophy becomes more their children. solid. When philosophy becomes more The future of neurodevelopmentally solid, the science becomes even more based pediatric chiropractic care is meaningful. The two have reciprocal being able to look at what I call the consequences that lead to an increased NeuroMatrix and understanding level of confidence and certainty in WHEN during development did the practice. This is the place where the art insults occur, WHAT those particular of chiropractic then manifests at the insults may have been and WHERE highest energetic level. did the insults potentially leave their According to the Centers for Disease mark on the developing nervous Control (CDC), the current rate of system. Proper social engagement Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in with caregivers is essential for the United States is 1 in 44 children. bonding. It is well known that In a paper released in September of caregiver bonding with newborns 2021 in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers is important in order to establish found that preemptive intervention for a healthy relationship between Autism Spectrum Disorder from age the child and their caregivers. nine months among a sample of infants Bonding is also necessary to foster showing early signs of ASD led to healthy relationships and emotional reduced ASD symptom severity across regulation throughout one's life. early childhood and reduced the odds However, this life altering process of an ASD diagnosis at age 3 years. So, is also important in neurological what was this early intervention? The development. Social engagement answer to this is the framework for the with caregivers, especially with future of pediatric chiropractic from a mom, in the form of eye contact neurodevelopmental perspective. and infantile directed speech, has I believe that in order to understand shown activation within the Medial the answer to the above “early Prefrontal Cortex (mPFC). Evidence intervention”, we should first have suggests that the mPFC exhibits some basic understanding of what is functional activation much earlier known from the current chiropractic than previously thought, suggesting neuroscience literature. Studies done that the mPFC is involved in social by top researchers, Heidi Haavik and information processing from early in 10 | LIFEWEST.EDU/MAGAZINE
life. The mPFC is also known to be important for human social cognition and behavior throughout life. Social engagement, particularly with mom, produces the important hormone oxytocin; also known as the "love drug" oxytocin helps us relate to others and strengthens trust and closeness in relationships. Oxytocin also activates the vagus nerve which is the prime driving force of the parasympathetic nervous system and is responsible for the anti-inflammatory arm of immune system modulation, gastrointestinal regulation, heart rate and a host of other critical neurophysiological responses; all of which are known to be dysfunctional in those with neurodevelopmental disorders. In the world of neurodevelopment and neuropsychiatry, the maturation of the autonomic nervous system, of which the PFC will be the primary regulator, is considered the neurobiology of physical, mental and emotional disease. I see the future of pediatric chiropractic and neurodevelopment intertwined and working alongside (actually leading) those in other professions that understand that regulation of the autonomic nervous system and processing information from our world is the key to health and development. If the chiropractic adjustment helps to modulate processing of sensory information in the PFC, it stands to reason that it may also play a role in the development of proper social engagement and caregiver bonding. Therefore, getting children under chiropractic care from the beginning of life could potentially steer the course of neurodevelopment and turn the tide on a later diagnosis of autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders. Understanding the profound effect that chiropractic care can have on the entire life of a child is one of the most amazing and inspirational things that this profession has to offer!
