What Works For Us: Chiropractic Care

Marshall was an excellent sleeper as a baby.  He followed all the predictable schedules and routines and slept through the night at two months old.  Between ages 1 and 2, he started to wake up more in the middle of the night, and would often be awake (but happy) for long stretches of the night in his crib.  We tried just about everything—leaving him, rocking him, giving him milk, changing his diaper, moving his bedtime—it didn’t seem to matter.  We were puzzled, but it wasn’t overly disruptive, so we assumed it was just a phase.

Between the ages of 2 and 4, Marshall slept very poorly. I’ll never forget one of the worst nights of sleep ever—it was the night before my last day of school before winter break.  Marshall was 3.  Joey was 4 months old.  Life was busy and hectic and on this particular night, Marshall was awake from midnight until 5am, and then Joey got up at 5am for the day.  I literally got two hours of sleep.  Wes and I were walking zombies.  That was the day I gave up on “it’s just a phase,” or, “some kids are just terrible sleepers.”  I called my pediatrician, asked about melatonin, and we started giving Marshall some the following night.  I didn’t love giving him something to get to sleep, but it was a necessity. 

For a little while, it was nice to at least have an easy bedtime.  Melatonin helps kids fall asleep, but doesn’t help them stay asleep.  Marshall’s preschool at the time was a program exclusively for kids on the autism spectrum. The program was created in conjunction with our developmental pediatrician, who was right next door.  Each day, we filled out a sheet for Marshall’s school folder that updated his teachers on how his morning had been—had he slept well?  Had he eaten?  How was his mood?  This allowed them to meet him where he was, and to meet a basic need, like food, if a child needed it.  After seeing that Marshall’s sleep was very poor, his teacher mentioned that several of her students had had sleeps issues related to low ferritin levels, and suggested we make an appointment with the developmental pediatrician to discuss this.

One appointment and one awful blood draw later, it was revealed that Marshall’s ferritin level was 18—the target is 50.  We were prescribed a liquid iron supplement and were told that it would take six months to a year for Marshall’s ferritin levels to return to 50. In other words, it would be at least 6-12 months before Marshall would sleep well again.  We were devastated, but a little relieved to have a concrete reason for his sleep issues.  The doctor prescribed us clonidine to help him sleep in the meantime.  I argued against it, but was encouraged that helping him sleep was best for his overall development, and we could wean him off of the clonidine once his ferritin levels reached 50.  I reluctantly agreed, as we were all exhausted. 

After a year of supplementing, Marshall’s teeth were stained from the nasty liquid iron and his ferritin levels returned to their normal state.  But when we weaned him off of clonidine, he still could not sleep. I was enraged.  This whole time, I had agreed to give my child a heavy-duty medication (in addition the melatonin he still required to fall asleep) under the premise that he wouldn’t need it anymore once his ferritin levels returned to normal.  I don’t regret improving his ferritin levels, as I think this important for his health; I was upset that it hadn’t solved our sleep issues.  When we returned to the doctor, we were told that some kids on the spectrum just don't sleep, and that we should continue melatonin and clonidine.

I was not satisfied with continuing the medication without an underlying reason for his inability to sleep. Around this time, by no coincidence, I was repeatedly seeing online testimonials of people whose children had a myriad of symptoms improved by visiting the chiropractor.  There was a specific chiropractor just a few minutes from our new house who specialized in kids.  I read success story after success story, but still was hesitant. Finally, one day a friend of mine posted about her experiences on Facebook, and I knew we needed to look into it.  Her son, too, had been a terrible sleeper, and the chiropractor had changed their lives.

I told Wes about these testimonials and how even this normal friend of ours had taken her son there.  We decided to take some time to think it over and pray about it.  Immediately following that conversation, Wes ran into a friend from high school at the grocery store.  Her son was on the autism spectrum as well, and she mentioned that they had just come from the chiropractor. She told Wes all about how great it had been for them—she said it had changed their lives.  I called the next day and made Marshall’s first appointment.

Marshall’s first appointment at the chiropractor was his first day of preschool at his new inclusive school.  It was a day in late February, and I will never forget it.  Joey was at the sitter, I had taken a day off of work, and Marshall and I went to the chiropractor together.  At age 4, having been gluten free, casein free, and dye free for 7 months, Marshall still could not sit or stand still.  He was in constant motion.  Even if he was standing in one place, he would sway from side to side.  In the waiting room, I struggled to keep him near me as he darted from place to place. Marshall was also a bit lopsided—his right side was significantly stronger than his left, and it contributed to his clumsiness. 

During our first appointment, we sat in a room and one of the employees asked us a series of yes or no questions regarding a long list of symptoms.  It was an extremely extensive list – I couldn’t believe the number of symptoms she asked us about.  Afterwards, she did a thermal scan of Marshall’s spine.  Then, she laid two papers side by side— one was the list of symptoms she had asked about, with check marks next to each of the symptoms Marshall exhibited.  The second was the thermal scan.  It turns out, the symptoms were each listed next to the area of the spine they correlated with.  When she laid the papers down side-by-side, Marshall’s symptoms aligned perfectly with the areas of inflammation.  It was one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen. 

I gained a new breath of hope that day.  Marshall was immediately comfortable in the chiropractor’s office, and was happy to comply with the directions given to him.  He laid down on the table, the chiropractor adjusted him, and off we went.  Marshall actually asked to go back, which I found interesting.  We paid the lump sum and agreed to bring him three times a week for 10 weeks.  It was a commitment, for sure, but I was willing to do whatever we could to try to wean him off of medication. 

Halfway through the agreed upon 10 weeks, another scan was done to show which areas of inflammation had been reduced.  I was encouraged that he was making progress, and we decided to try weaning Marshall off of clonidine.  We weaned him off over a few days, waiting expectantly for a miracle.  Our miracle didn’t come.  He still wouldn’t sleep. 

Feeling discouraged, we continued with the treatment plan.  Over the final few weeks, I started to notice that Marshall was less lopsided—the discrepancy of his right and left side was significantly improved.  He also was doing much better with sitting still for longer periods of time, and had done a beautiful job transitioning to a brand new school with brand new kids and a brand new teacher.  I never would have called Marshall an anxious kid—he was just a 4 year old who struggled with transitions and change—but after 8 weeks at the chiropractor, he was noticeably calmer. 

The other thing that blew my mind was how much Marshall loved going to the chiropractor.  He never once complained, and was always content to wait, even when things got busy in the evenings and our wait times increased.  He also started drawing for the first time.  His first ever drawing was a picture of his grandma (which my mom has framed.) His second ever drawing is pictured above—a picture of Dr. Rick, his chiropractor.  Marshall truly loves his chiropractor, and I can tell the people there truly care about him, too.

When the agreed-upon treatment schedule ended, Marshall had another thermal scan of his spine to show where inflammation had improved.  And for a second time, we held our breath and weaned Marshall off of clonidine.  And you know what? He slept.  He was even able to fall asleep without melatonin.

I could not even believe it.  I still get chills when I think about it.  My sweet boy was healthier by the day, and did not require any daily medication.  I was on cloud nine!  I would be lying if I said Marshall is a perfect sleeper—in fact, changes in routine and diet can still cause him to be up in the middle of the night.  I can tell you based on his behavior that an appointment is coming before I even look at the calendar.  Marshall now sees the chiropractor twice a month to maintain the progress we’ve made, and it is worth every penny. 

I can honestly say that parenting Marshall has taken us down road we never expected to be on.  I am a believer in traditional medicine.  Our kids are vaccinated (more on that later.) But the longer I journey down this path with Marshall, the more I find myself on paths I never expected to take—diet intervention and the chiropractor being two of them.  The chiropractor has truly changed our lives, and that’s no exaggeration.  It’s one of those things I always wonder about—what would our lives look like today if we’d never taken him there?  I’m so thankful for the way the Lord has led us on this path, and I pray that we continue to be sensitive to His nudges along the way.