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Expert Q&A

	By Bruce Salzinger, D.C., CCSP Chiropractor

Is there any reason why a 5-year-old child should be seeing a chiropractor for fluid in her ears?

Just recently I was referred a 3-year-old young girl who had been diagnosed with fluid in both her ears. Her mother had been following the pediatrician's advice with a drug therapy approach. However, after several frustrating months of poor or no sleep and the child being obviously agitated, the doctor was now suggesting tubes be surgically implanted in the child's ears. The mother let the doctor know "she would think about it and let her know." When the patient presented into the office, I explained to the mother the chiropractic philosophy and approach to this type of problem as I had seen it before.

The child had an obvious cervical postural distortion with sub-occipital palpatory tenderness and swelling common with a chronic cervical subluxation. A subluxation is a vertebra, which has lost its proper independent motion with the segments either above it or below it. When this occurs the ability of the body to exchange its waste products for nutrition become increasing more compromised eventually inhibiting by pressure the normal nerve flow from the brain to wherever that nerve is going.

Eventually, normal physiological function is overtly symptomatic. The symptoms could be anything, but in this case, fluid in the child's ears. After two or three adjustments the patient was sleeping through the night, and her temperament was dramatically improved. After the seventh visit the mother returned to the pediatricians for a follow-up. The doctor reported that the left ear was totally cleared up, but there was still a little problem in the right. She suggested continued use of the medicine and a follow-up a short time thereafter. When the mother told her she had not been taking the medicine and had been only going to the chiropractor the pediatrician become infuriated. I called her two times to explain the approach but never did get a call back.

Subluxation cuts off the life flow from the brain down the spinal cord to wherever that nerve impulse is meant to go. Drugs and surgery certainly have their place in today's healthcare offerings. However, they will not adjust nor correct the subluxation complex. That is why a 5-year-old with fluid in her ears should consider a chiropractic approach."

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