By Alissa Kron
Pathways to Family Wellness
I had a difficult pregnancy, difficult delivery, and then a baby that didn’t sleep. Lincoln was sick all the time—ear infections, upper respiratory infections, you name it. Just before his second birthday, he broke his leg. He ended up having a bone infection that was difficult to treat. Needless to say, Lincoln had a lot of antibiotics at a young age.
At around 6 years old, Lincoln started exhibiting more difficult behaviors. He had meltdowns; he didn’t listen. I had to remind him over and over again to do things. He struggled with reading and paying attention in school. I was searching and searching for an answer. I was sure he had ADHD. We tried diet changes, essential oils, reward systems, and structured schedules, but we were not getting many results. I took him to a counselor, who helped him with his feelings and how to calm himself.
Finally, with much hesitation, we took him to our pediatrician, who is wonderful. She gave us some options and said we should try medication. We did not want to put Lincoln on medication, but he was really struggling, as was our entire family. After trying three different medications, we found one we could live with. But we kept searching for new ways to help him.
An occupational therapist evaluated Lincoln, and we learned he didn’t need any treatment for sensory disorders. The medication was helping, but we were not satisfied with his taking it. When a friend on Facebook posted about a Facebook Live meeting, “The Perfect Storm”— a presentation about chiropractic and sensory issues like ADHD—I decided to watch. It felt like they were talking about our son.
I was skeptical but decided it couldn’t hurt to look up a chiropractor in our area. Lincoln has been getting adjustments three days a week for around eight weeks now. We noticed about five or six weeks into care that at times Lincoln’s focus was a little better. Then we noticed our morning routine was getting easier and easier. Lincoln was no longer having the meltdowns we’d become accustomed to.
Last week we decided to stop his ADHD medication, and now Lincoln has been doing really well. We still have our moments, but I feel they are more like typical 8-year-old behaviors. I can’t wait to see what the long-term results will be.
Update: It has now been a year since Lincoln started chiropractic. He gets adjustments every other week and is doing well. His meltdowns are very few, and they seem to be much shorter. Lincoln says he feels better after being adjusted. We can all tell when we miss an adjustment and it’s time to go in.
Lincoln is doing very well academically. He still has some issues with focusing and impulse control at times, but they’re manageable. If your family has a child struggling with ADHD and you’re looking for another option, give chiropractic care a chance. Chiropractic has been life-changing for our family.
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