Adapt Family Chiropractic

Tummy time + chiropractic

For many reasons, it’s important for babies to spend supervised time on their tummies throughout the day. Tummy time helps develop the neck and back musculature and is also essential for developing a good cervical (neck) curve for life! It also helps prepare baby to meet milestones such as holding the head up and crawling. Tummy time is also important because leaving baby on their back for excessive amounts of time is a risk factor for developing plagiocephaly (flattening of the skull).

Start small with tummy time. At a minimum, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests starting with 3-5 minutes at a time, at least 2-3 times per day and working up to 30 minutes per day by 7 weeks (you can most certainly do more than this, but this is a good starting point). From there, continue to gradually increase the amount of time they spend on their tummy. Make tummy time more fun for them by playing and interacting with them on the floor! (Bonus tip: holding baby against your chest is also excellent to get some tummy time in throughout the day! No need to limit time snuggling chest to chest 😊)

At the beginning, it’s normal for babies to get fussy after a few minutes since their musculature is not yet developed and they will tire easily, but they should gradually develop a longer tolerance for being on their tummies. Sometimes, parents will tell me that their child just does not like being on their tummy no matter how much time and repetition they’ve had in tummy time. This is an indicator that the child would benefit by being checked by a pediatric chiropractor. Restriction in the spine can cause tension and discomfort that keeps baby from being able to extend comfortably in tummy time. Gentle chiropractic care can help to restore normal function to the baby’s spinal column and nervous system and allow them to enjoy tummy time more. I thoroughly enjoy checking children and helping them to get off to a good start!

Questions about tummy time or chiropractic care for children? Feel free to send me a message or call the office at (515)207-5020!

www.adaptfamilychiro.com

Happy Women Chiropractors Day!

Women have long been championed in the chiropractic profession. I have countless wonderful women mentors that have shaped me into the chiropractor I am, and continue to do so. To name just a few of the many, Dr. Brittany Sedar (), Dr. Jenny Leist (.first.chiropractic.dbq), Dr. Kallie Fischer (), and Dr. Pam Troxell.

If you’re a female chiropractor, who are you grateful for that has had an impact on you?

Testimonial of the Month

I have been seeing Jen for four months. Jen is a dear friend and I was excited to start her care when I started my half marathon training cycle! It’s important to know that sleep was not the number one reason I came to Jen’s office, but it ended up being my biggest success story! I had not had good or consecutive sleep for a whole calendar year prior to Jen’s care. It’s important to know that I had lost my husband in a car accident and my nervous system was sounding off in all forms! I just could not sleep. I had zero energy for my two year old daughter Khloe. It was so hard to keep up with her everyday when while grieving my husband and the lack of sleep. Adapt Family Chiropractic was a HUGE reason why I began to FINALLY sleep soundly and through the night. I had tried everything under the sun to cure my insomnia, and although some things would work here and there, there was not a solid remedy that fixed it all together. I tried sleeping aids, medicine, literally all the things! But nothing seemed to kick the cruel insomnia until I started seeing Jen! I would also say my knees and hips have had zero injuries or pain while running since I’ve seen Jen! Both of which used to be injury prone.

If you are grieving, I would 100% recommend getting adjusted by Jen! The biggest thing I have learned from her care is that the mind and body are so intricately and dramatically connected! When your mind is stressed, your body and nervous system are too! It’s worth a shot to start getting adjusted and I promise as things shake out you will feel SO much better!!

-Katlyn

TESTIMONIAL OF THE MONTH

“Chiropractic, specifically Gonstead, is hands down one of the best investments I’ve made in my health”

Prior to beginning care, I was having some pretty intense digestive issues every single day for nearly a year. I tried going to an endocrinologist and had some scans done but from what the docs could see there was “nothing wrong.” I was taking a digestive supplement everyday with basically every meal, which only gave me a little bit of relief MOST of the time. On business trips out of town, it was difficult because my meals wouldn’t stay down sometimes and I always had to be extra diligent. Even when I thought I was being careful with my food intake the condition would still flair up. I had some doubts as anyone would, but I was so over it that I was willing to try anything. I was more skeptical that ANYTHING was going to help as it had been persisting for so long.

Within a few weeks of beginning care I started to notice a difference in digestion. I can now enjoy a meal with people and not fear that I will have any issues. My back and abdominal pain also isn’t present like it used to be. I overall feel more confident and energetic. I still go to appointments regularly as it significantly increases my quality of life each visit.

What I like about the Gonstead system is that it’s so holistic and careful. There’s virtually no guesswork involved (from my perspective). I like the X-rays and scans involved but also the total analysis of symptoms. Additionally, we implemented some diet and supplement changes in tandem with care.
Chiropractic, specifically Gonstead, is hands down one of the best investments I’ve made in my health. I honestly think anyone and everyone will benefit from care.

-Sean

Normal hours this week, but I will be out of office next week! If you need to get on the schedule before then, please call or text the office line at (515)207-5020.

Lots of good things happening around here lately! Children meeting milestones they had struggled with, parents able to better adapt to the inevitable stressors of daily life, and people overall experiencing a greater degree of ease that they had not before. It’s truly a joy getting to help people on their health journey, one family at a time!

Today we celebrate ONE YEAR of Adapt Family Chiropractic! 🥳🎂 Whether you’ve been a patient, supporter from afar, or just followed along and shared our posts, thanks for being a part of it! Here’s to another year of serving our community with specific chiropractic care!

First trimester tips for nausea, food aversions, fatigue and more - Lily Nichols RDN This article on first trimester tips for nausea, food aversions, fatigue and more covers strategies to handle common first trimester complaints with real food and lifestyle changes.

Insurance covered lactation care for prenatal visits too! I like to see you at 36 weeks gestation

Latchia.com

TESTIMONIAL OF THE MONTH

Bryn has been seeing Dr. Jen since November 2023. When we first brought Bryn to see Dr. Jen, she was frequently constipated and wasn’t crawling correctly. We could tell that something was getting caught when she was crawling. We had tried to change her diet and to give supplements to help her constipation. Honestly, I didn’t know if chiropractic would help Bryn with her constipation, but I was super hopeful that chiropractic would be able to help her with crawling. Shortly after beginning care, Bryn started crawling correctly and we could tell that her hips weren’t getting caught anymore [video in comments]. She is now walking and moving everywhere! She also has regular bowel movements.

I had received chiropractic care before and the Gonstead method gives me a lot more confidence in Dr. Jen, but also made me very comfortable in getting Bryn adjusted because Dr. Jen ALWAYS examines Bryn before doing anything. The exam seems to take longer than the adjustment and as a mom, that gives me a lot of faith and trust.

I hope that other parents will see through our experience that there are other methods to try other than medications for their babies and toddlers.

-Kari

“The tenth cranial nerve, the vagus nerve, is the name of the actual tubing and wiring that is a large conveyor of sensory information back to our brain, alerting us that we are, in fact, okay. ⁣
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However, it does also have a motor component (meaning that it sends information from the brain to a group of muscles allowing them to move and do their thing). Where may these muscles be found? In the mouth, the throat, and the vocal cords. ⁣
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In fact, the very wiring that controls and conveys our perception of safety, also controls the mechanisms that allow us to feed and latch, coordinate swallowing, intonate our voices, and ultimately utilize certain muscles of the tongue that are absolutely key players in coordinating what we call ‘suck, swallow, breathe.’”⁣
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That our infants’ feel safe in the world they suddenly find themselves in upon being born is essential. Not only to nervous system function, but also motor function, as these two things are intricately connected.⁣
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Keep reading “Tongue to Toes: The Holistic Way to Resolve Tongue ‘Ties’ at Their Root” by Gabrielle Goldach, DC here: https://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/childrens-health-wellness/tongue-to-toes-the-holistic-way-to-resolve-tongue-ties-at-their-root.html

Did you know?

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! This weekend we'll celebrate the teammates behind the scenes -- the Doctors of Chiropractic helping players perform their best.

Chiropractic & Ear Infections

Did you know that one of the most common reasons parents bring their kids to a chiropractor is for ear infections? Children with ear infections tend to respond favorably to chiropractic adjustments. The goal of chiropractic is restore brain-body communication by taking stress off of the nervous system. When the nervous system is functioning optimally, the body’s innate healing ability is optimized. In addition, when the spine (particularly the upper cervical region) is moving correctly, fluid is able to drain through the Eustachian tube properly. Chiropractic care is safe, non-invasive, and gentle for children. In our office, we utilize the Gonstead method to offer the most precise care possible to your kiddo.

Chiropractic is a family affair 🙂 Whether it’s helping children to meet their milestones or helping grandparents to keep up with them, I love helping families attain their health goals one specific adjustment at a time!

Vitamin D & Pregnancy - Lily Nichols RDN Vitamin D and Pregnancy: Why it matters, why deficiency is common, and how to ensure you’re getting enough. Learn why the RDA is too low and how to test for vitamin D deficiency via blood tests.

I am a chiropractor because…

Chiropractic has changed my life time and time again! Chiropractic care has met me at my worst and always left me better than it found me.

The beauty of chiropractic is that we neither take anything away from the body nor add anything in, we simply restore the body to a state of optimal functioning as it was intended. The thing that I wish I could shout from the rooftops is that some of the things I see people struggling with that our society deems as “normal” such as debilitating headaches, painful menstrual cycles, poor digestion and aches and pain may be very common but they are not normal. I wonder how many people would be living a life of more ease and adaptability to stressors if the root cause of dysfunction was addressed.

I am a chiropractor because I desire to see lives changed the way mine has been. If you have yet to try it for yourself, I encourage you to see what specific chiropractic can do for you. Now through the end of January only, new patient visits are only $75 instead $200 for a consult, exam and x-rays. It’s a great time to get started!

New Year, New Patient Special Offer! 🥳

Now through the end of January, new patient initial visits are just $75! This is a great time to experience the difference that Gonstead chiropractic can make for your overall health! Call (515)207-5020 to schedule or visit https://www.adaptfamilychiro.com/contact-us/ to request an appointment.

The office will be closed on 12/25 and 1/1. Additional office hours are available on Tuesday 12/26 and 1/2 from 3:30-6:00 PM. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 🌲

What would it look like to take a proactive approach to your health rather than a reactive one? In the hustle and bustle of this season, remember to slow down and make your health a priority! Be sure to eat well, move well, think well and stay well adjusted!

“Crawling is SO important for your baby. A normal cross-crawl pattern is expected to develop around 9 months of age. Whenever this starts in your baby, they should continue this habit of locomotion for 3-4 months before transitioning to walking.”⁣
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Click here to continue reading “A Baby’s First Steps” by Sara J Mays DC in the latest issue of Pathways: https://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/childrens-health-wellness/a-babys-first-steps.html

Happy Small Business Saturday!

One easy (and free!) way you can support our small business is by taking a moment to write a Google and/or Facebook review! We would love to hear how your experience has been at Adapt and your review helps to spread the message of what Gonstead chiropractic can do to optimize health!

Google review: https://g.page/r/CYMxc2jJt8cMEBM/review

The Gonstead Method of Anaylysis

Did you know that we use all of the parts of the Gonstead analysis at each visit? The Gonstead analysis is not a one-and-done process at your first visit! Each visit, we check you anew instead of merely assuming that you need to be adjusted the same exact way every time. The components of the Gonstead system are:

Visualization: When you come in, we are assessing your overall presentation and gait from the time you walk into the office. We also assess your posture and skin changes along the spine. This is one of the reasons why gowning patients is so valuable! Actually being able to see the spine gives us so much important information.

Case history: What symptoms do you have going on? Have things been changing? Do your symptoms indicate that things in the body are moving too fast or too slow? This can clue us in to which part of the nervous system (sympathetic vs. parasympathetic) is experiencing interference.

Instrumentation: We run the Delta-T along the spine at every single visit to look for heat patterns that clue us in to nerve and join dysfunction in pinpointed areas. This important tool helps us to compare side to side in the spine but also level to level and also allows us to monitor for change as we progress through care.

Static and motion palpation: We feel the tissues of the spine statically (no motion involved) to look for tissue changes and swelling. This can clue us in to pinpointing problem areas and can also give us information about whether the problem is more chronic or acute. Once we find an area we are interested in using the previously mentioned components, we also use motion palpation to see how that particular joint is functioning. This allows us to derive a listing (or description) of exactly how that joint has misaligned so that we can get it adjusted in just the right direction.

X-ray analysis: The initial x-ray we take gives us a good road map of your spine and allows us to confirm our other findings. We look at this last after using all of the other components of the system! Periodically, we will take an updated x-ray to see how things are changing in the spine and to ensure that we are continually making progress.

Did you know your Gonstead chiropractor is thinking about all of these things each time you come in for an appointment? 🤯 Having so many tools to specifically check each individual person allows us to deliver the best possible chiropractic care to you on a consistent basis.

Spent the weekend at the Gonstead Methodology Institute seminar refining my pelvic bench skills! The GMI community is a family that challenges one another to continually become more precise and specific with our work for better results. Excited to get back to the office to serve patients tomorrow!

This morning, a patient came in for an appointment and was not adjusted! When you come in for your appointment, you are coming in to be checked to see if any adjustment is indicated and will be adjusted accordingly. Sometimes, a patient will come in for a check, and no adjustment is given because they check clear of subluxation. This is something to celebrate! 🥳 As chiropractors, our goal is to make sure your spine and nervous system is working optimally, and when this is achieved it’s a cause for celebration! The Gonstead method of chiropractic is valuable because it gives us a system of analysis to help us analyze patients in a specific and thorough manner and to provide individualized care accordingly.