A story about a girl (clinically speaking)

Anabelle being adjusted

Posted with photos to journeytosolidarity.org by Jay Breitlow

This quick post today is a testament to how quickly children can get better with regular Chiropractic care. Annabelle is a 2-year old child with cerebral palsy. She has very little motor control and developmentally, she is eons behind other children her age. I don’t claim that chiropractic can cure CP, however by unleashing the innate of the nervous system she and her parents can certainly have a more enjoyable and fulfilling life. The mother, Sophie is a wonderful woman with a unique zest for life and is always beaming her infectious smile. When Annabelle first presented, she was rarely smiling, was not interacting with people, nor was she eating or sleeping well. Her exam results were unremarkable and within normal limitations given her developmental constrictions (little to no trunk or neck control and soft bone density). With children I do not claim to be an expert, however thanks to a brief stop in Omaha I learned a few ‘tricks’ from a tremendous doctor (Dr. Jerusha) who sees oodles of children. Given that much of my previous experience was with adults and athletes, I am grateful for my time spent with so many loving families in Omaha along with the tutelage I received.

Dr.Jerusha tutored me through the most essential areas to pay attention, 1) Atlas/C1 2) Clavicles and sternum 3) Illio-cecal valve. For those who are not medical pros reading this, the illio-cecal valve is a small muscle/sphincter that separates the small and large intestine. It acts as a one-way check valve for our food to pass into the large intestine for further processing. The proper function of this valve is to open and close upon demand. When this muscle is ‘stuck’ open or closed it can cause a backwash from the large intestine into the small intestine, consequently allowing fecal matter to be bound up. It can even go as far as causing toxicity in the local blood supply. Conversely problems with eliminating waste must also be considered. This muscle, especially in children, can also dictate how much or little they eat.

With Annabelle, she needed all three adjusted and I did so in succeeding days. After a four-day weekend Annabelle and her mom came back and when I asked her how she was doing, Sophie said that not only was she eating and sleeping better, but also her congestion had subsided (a symptom I had overlooked at the time).

Sure a good nights sleep will kill the worst of colds, but to get to that point she needed to be first eating and eliminating waste more efficiently. I am confident that the atlas adjustment relieved the sympathetic nervous system, which in turn allowed for the rest and relation of the parasympathetics to take over. With the iliocecal valve adjusted she began eating and eliminating waste normally.

I have since seen her 5 times and she continues to show marked improvement. I am optimistic that she will begin to regain some of her motor patterns, despite evidence that spells out no cure for CP. At this point just sitting upright would be a major bonus.

Anabelle snugs neatly into her Mom (Sophies) reverse joey pouch

On a side note I can’t wait to be a dad. Why? Well the one of the biggest concerns I had over being a dad was multitasking. In Ghana though that problem is solved. In fact, I even saw a woman in the fishing village pulling fishing nets with both arms while holding her baby. How? Only through the magic of the Ghanaian baby sling. Taking a 6-foot by 2 piece of cloth and wrapping it around the mother while the baby is on the back, you can make this nifty little sling. The child is strapped in better than most of the fancy seat belts back home in the states, and the mom, well she’s free to play cards, eat, or even fish for dinner. (I see no men doing it here, but that’s a cultural thing, and I’m not concerned about that stuff back home, I’m not afraid). Major side bonuses is that 1) the child is usually passed out and sleeping in this reverse joey’s pouch and 2) since the baby is close to the mother for many more hours in the day, the baby develops a stronger bond with the mother.

3) Lastly the development due to mother’s warmth and the position on the back is accelerated versus other babies that are not slung. Note that I have no proof of this, it’s pretty much just accepted anecdotally here, and from what I see there is no mistake of the mother-daughter bond.

There are other success stories coming out of the outreach clinic here in Ghana and I will have the next story ASAP. Thank you for helping to make Annabelle Sophie and many other Ghanaians lives more optimal and enjoyable.

Tags: Chiropractic, clinical, Ghana, iliocecal valve, jay breitlow, journey to solidarity, Service