Kids' Bad Belly Blues, by Corte Madera chiropractor Dr. Harte

Does your child suffer from all kinds of digestive problems, on and off forever? I had that, too, as a child.

What did I get for my almost continual problems of gas, upset stomach, intestinal cramps? Well, from the relatives, I got all kinds of directives as to what foods not to eat because they were “gassy,” spicy, hard-to-digest, whatever. After a while, my mother took me to various G-I specialists. So, I got tested with the infamous “G-I Series,” upper and lower, at least half a dozen times over the years. What is this? Well, the process begins with a very strong laxative, and then an enema. Then, the victims swallows a “barium” preparation, which is “radio-opaque.” In other words, you can see it on X-ray. Yes, you can see it as it travels through the digestive system.

Radiation exposure? Really bad, in two ways. Firstly, X-rays used to visualize soft tissue (like the digestive tract, or in mammograms) are low energy. So, they bounce around within the body before they exit the body. This is unlike high-energy X-rays for hard tissue, as you would get at the chiropractor, the orthopedist or the dentist. This type has a very low biological impact.

Secondly, the time exposure of the G-I series is extreme. You get an X-ray in my office, or at the dentist, it is for a fraction of a second. Exposure during the G-I series were for 20, 25 MINUTES at a time. (One of the things that I credit to my own personal chiropractic care is that I am not long dead from cancer, from this extreme radiation exposure.)

In the end, each time, they found… NOTHING.

Yes, today they are better at giving each condition a name… diagnosis. Their treatments are extraordinarily aggressive… from immune system-destroying drugs to cutting out pieces of intestine. And none of these treatments will ever get your child well. They can sometimes subdue symptoms for a time, but health will never be the result from these assaults.

Every part of your child’s digestive system depends upon the quality of nerve supply it receives. If there is interference to that nerve supply, what is called Vertebral Subluxation, then that portion of the digestive system cannot function. When interference, Vertebral Subluxation is corrected, then the digestive system will be free to function more normally.

Your child’s digestive problems will not be solved by drugs or surgery. They can be solved by allowing him or her to heal, without interference, from the inside-out. This is done through gentle, specific, scientific chiropractic adjustments.

As an extreme example, I had a young practice member born missing some parts of his digestive system, with some urinary difficulties and extraordinarily bad constipation. Normal now. I did not treat his particular disorders. I corrected interference, allowing his body to heal. It’s as simple as that (no matter what the specialist has told you).

Don Harte, D.C.

Marin Straight Chiropractor

Liberator of Innate

Baby's First Adjustment by Corte Madera chiropractor Dr Harte

I have often been asked, “When, at what age, should chiropractic care begin?” A good question!

Some people are shocked at the idea of chiropractic care for children. Even some of my (very much) lesser colleagues might think or even say, “What do kids need adjustments for? They don’t have backaches.” Well, some kids do, but not typically. Anyway, this misses the point. Chiropractic is about health, about the full expression of

Life… important for everyone… critical for children. Anyone and everyone with a spine, a nervous system and life force needs to be checked for interference to the nervous system, what is called Vertebral Subluxation Complex, or VSC.

What is VSC? It is a misalignment/dysfunction of a vertebra from the one above or below, causing an interference to the function of the nervous system. Most subluxations do NOT involve pain, but every subluxation takes away from the full expression of life.

So, let’s rephrase the question: At what age should anyone/everyone be checked for Vertebral Subluxation Complex (VSC)? Once you become aware of its full health implications, that VSC is THE most serious health risk factor, then the answer is obvious… as soon as one might acquire VSC. When is that?

The birth process, as tough as it is for mom, is tougher, and considerably more dangerous for baby. Abraham Towbin, M.D. found that sudden infant crib death caused by spinal damage to the nervous system (VSC) during the birth process. He noted that 7 of 8 autopsies showed this to be the cause of death in SIDS victims. David Yashon, M.D. confirmed Towbin's findings, and reports that the delivery process is a cause of spinal injury with nerve damage, resulting in  10% of infant death. G. Gutmann, M.D. writes that 80% of the children that he examined shortly after birth, or as infants, were suffering from subluxation of the atlas, the first bone in the neck, causing all manner of diseases. Larry Webster, D.C. declares “Chiropractic care must begin at birth.” He notes that the average pull today (from medical childbirth) is between 90 and 140 lbs.  The spine can be stretched 1/2" before injury.  The spinal cord can be stretched 2 1/4" before injury. A study entitled "Immediate Management of the Traumatized Infant" says "Birth trauma was, nonetheless, the sixth leading cause of neonatal mortality in the United States in 1981." "It is still true that the most dangerous journey some people will ever undertake is that from the womb to the outside world."

Yes, the birth process is generally THE first gross insult to your baby’s nervous system, to your baby’s health… Vertebral Subluxation Complex. Not only do you want your child to be healthy now; you want him or her to grow up expressing his or her genetic potential… physically, mentally and socially. This is why EVERY child should be checked by a straight chiropractor for Vertebral Subluxation Complex, right at birth if possible.

Don Harte, D.C.

Marin Straight Chiropractor

Liberator of Innate

The ALWAYS SICK Child by Corte Madera chiropractor Dr Harte

Does it seem like you’re always at the pediatrician’s? Is your child sick almost constantly… colds, flu, earaches, sore throats?

I understand. That was me as a child, back in the 50’s. I’d get colds that just about ran into one another, most of the year. I’d get terrible earaches, once so bad that I thought that I was going to die. I remember asking my mother to bring me my pet turtle, “Mickey,” so I could say goodbye to him. I had bad digestion, from top to bottom. I was taken to one gastro-enterologist after another, and had many, many “G-I” X-ray series. (It’s a wonder I’m not dead from all of that very serious radiation exposure.)

Strep throat was the most constant of my childhood sicknesses. My mother took me to the doctor. I took the antibiotics, the strep throat went away, and then it came back in a week or two.

Tonsils used to be the culprit, but that operation has been discredited. Then came the tubes in the ears. That has fallen by the wayside too. Popular antibiotics come and go, getting ever stronger and more risky as the years go by. I know. You’re told that they are safe and effective. Better look them up yourself.

I’ve looked on the net to see the latest that the pediatricians have to offer, at least as an explanation. It’s the same old stuff… wash your hands, and “germs are everywhere.” OK, it’s good to wash your hands, but not overly so. All these germicidal soaps end up producing more dangerous bacteria, and some are suspected of being carcinogenic. You are your kids do not need more weird chemicals in your environment.

I’ve seen a lot of natural remedies talked about on various blogs, to help kids who are always sick. Most if not all are safer than antibiotics, but they are not the answer. Why? They are remedies… treatments. They are designed to “stimulate” or “support” the immune system. What about if a child’s immune system is over-stimulated? Then you get into auto-immune diseases like asthma, Type I diabetes, eczema, etc. So, what to do?

Your “always sick” child needs to get checked for vertebral subluxation, interference to his or her nervous system. Why? Because the nervous system controls and coordinates every cell, tissue, organ and system in the body, and adapts that body to the environment. This includes the immune system. “Adapting to the environment?” That includes whatever “is going around.” You get your child checked for vertebral subluxation, and corrected for vertebral subluxation, by a straight chiropractor. (A straight chiropractor is the real thing, from both a historical and philosophical basis. He or she is not concerned with back pain. He or she is concerned with the body expressing as much life force as possible.)

Bottom line? Kids that come to see me barely ever get sick. When my son was in grade school and everybody else had colds, flu, coughing, sneezing, he wouldn’t get sick. At worst, he’d feel a little off and say “Daddy, please adjust me.” Twenty minutes later he’d be better.

Chiropractic does not fight disease. It allows the body to express more health, more life.

Don Harte, D.C.

Marin Straight Chiropractor

Liberator of Innate