We’ve all experienced kiddos having a meltdown about something that seems minor to us. These behaviors can make it difficult to go to public places in fear of what may happen if your child has an episode.
To understand why your child is experiencing anxiety, tantrums, or meltdowns, we must first realize that these issues often arise from dysfunction in their nervous system and abnormal sensory input to the brain, which alters the way the brain functions and results in abnormal output—like a massive meltdown over something insignificant.
Subluxations
Subluxations can often be the underlying cause of many health conditions, including those that affect us mentally. A subluxation describes a vertebra that has lost its normal alignment in the spine, creating fixation between the joints and tension of the surrounding soft tissues, as well as neurological imbalances caused by irritation of the nerves in the area.
The first subluxations typically occur during the birth process. Most commonly, big hands twist and pull our babies out of the womb and into the world by their head or neck. The stress that occurs with medical interventions like forceps, vacuums, or c-sections is even worse, causing more damage to this very delicate and vital part of the baby’s spine. Whether your child was born naturally or with interventions, research shows that the majority of children suffer birth trauma that results in subluxations and interference in their autonomic nervous system.
The Sympathetic Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system is composed of two divisions, the sympathetics and the parasympathetics. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the stress response in our body and the “fight or flight” mechanism, which puts us into a state of guard and protection, ready to do battle. The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the wellness cycle in our body, including growth and development, rest and digestion, and relaxation and healing.
When there is stress on the upper neck region of the spine due to subluxations, as we commonly see after the birth of our babies, it shifts their bodies into a sympathetic or “fight or flight” dominant mode. This can create a sense of constant fear and anxiety in our children. When this system is running the show, the parasympathetic system and its functions take a back seat. This affects our child’s ability to grow, develop and function optimally.
The sympathetic state is meant to be temporary, just long enough to react to whatever danger or stress triggered the fight/flight response. The parasympathetic state is where children should be most of the time, as they have so much growing and developing to do, and those activities are controlled and supported by the parasympathetic nervous system.
The Amygdala
You can think of the amygdala as the part of the brain that is the headquarters for our emotions, specifically fear and anxiety. When our nervous system is in a sympathetic-dominant state, it’s the amygdala that takes charge. When we are stressed out, the amygdala will overshadow other parts of the brain like the hippocampus, which is responsible for factual learning, memory, and situational awareness, and the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for cognitive functions. The result is that we are quick to snap and can tend to let our emotions overwhelm us.
Anatomy of a Meltdown
When your child acts out, has a tantrum or melts down uncontrollably, it is quite likely that their brain and nervous system are being controlled by the amygdala due to the fight or flight response of the sympathetic nervous system. And the underlying cause of all this is often a subluxation in their spine, commonly in the neck.
Addressing the Problem at Its Root
In order to alleviate the problem, we need to address it at its root, by adjusting and correcting the subluxations. At Evolved Chiropractic, we utilize INSiGHT™ nervous system scanners to thoroughly analyze the neuro-spinal connections and determine exactly where the problems are originating and how severe they are.
Armed with this information, we can be confident about making the appropriate adjustments in the right places to correct the subluxations in your child’s spine. These gentle adjustments decrease and unwind the stress that has built up, allowing the body to reorganize itself more properly and create greater balance and ease within the nervous system.
As the sympathetic activity starts to calm down and the parasympathetic activity increases, the brain will be better able to process the information coming in, thus allowing your kiddo to have more appropriate output, improving their ability to properly regulate their emotions.
Schedule Today
Contact us today to book an appointment for your child so we can help restore optimal balance and function to their nervous system and help quiet down their “noisy” brain.