What's so special about Whole Health Clinic?
CHIROPRACTIC TECHNIQUES:
Whole Health Clinic chiropractors prefer to use traditional hands-on adjusting techniques such as:
- Gonstead
- Thompson Drop-Table, and
- Diversified adjusting.
Whole Health chiropractors are also proficient in
- Percussion instrument adjusting, and
- Sacro-occipital (SOT) techniques.
PEDIATRIC CARE:
Dr. Dwyer has completed postgraduate coursework leading to a Diplomate of the International Council on Chiropractic Pediatrics. This is similar to a Board Certification in pediatric chiropractic.
Whole Health is a family practice, including children and infants.
(Parent or Guardian must accompany
every patient under the age of 18).
Why
Chiropractic for Children?
· The first spinal subluxation (misalignment) often occurs during
the birth process. Consider the mechanics of birth: an infant's head is squeezed
through an opening that is barely large enough to admit it. The uterus pushes
and the birth attendant pulls on the infant's delicate spine to get the baby
through the opening (whether the opening is nature's opening, or an incision
made during a Caesarian section). No wonder a baby may need an adjustment!
· Chiropractic is the ONLY treatment that's been shown in a scientific study to help with infantile colic (prolonged, excessive crying).
· The spine nearly doubles in length during a child's first four years of life. Small imbalances can lead to greater problems later: "As the twig is bent, so grows the tree."
· Chiropractic techniques for children are extremely gentle. Usually in infancy there is no "popping" sound. Infants often smile or fall asleep during or after adjustments.
Q: WHAT IS THE CHIROPRACTOR'S EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND?
· Chiropractors complete a four-year degree after their Bachelor's degree. It includes classroom training in basic pediatrics, and clinical training which may or may not include adjusting children.
· Some DC's feel uncomfortable with infants and toddlers, but do well with older children. Those who are certified in sports injuries or orthopedics are able to diagnose and treat teenagers’ sports and dance injuries.
· Chiropractors who have completed postgraduate training in pediatrics are your safest bet. They should be able to diagnose and treat all children's conditions that are amenable to chiropractic care, as well as recognize those conditions that need the attention of conventional medicine.
Q: WHAT ARE THE SIGNS MY CHILD MAY NEED CHIROPRACTIC ATTENTION?
An infant who refuses to
nurse on one side, or who resists looking to one side
An infant whose head doesn’t “unmold” itself within a few
weeks of birth
An infant who is slow to sit, walk, or crawl, and appears uncomfortable trying
A toddler who stops walking and reverts to crawling
A child who is cranky and uncomfortable when there is “nothing wrong”
with him or her
A child with one shoulder or hip higher than the other, or one toe turned out.
A child who seems uncomfortable or uncoordinated when performing movements that
other children do readily (this includes handicapped children as well)
A child of any age with ear infections or colds that never seem to go away completely.
OTHER FAQ'S:
· Q: Is chiropractic care a substitute for medical care for my child?
A: No. Like sunshine, affection, exercise, and good nutrition, chiropractic has wonderful health benefits and can sometimes prevent the need for drugs or even surgery, but it cannot substitute for medical care.
· Q: Do the adjustments hurt?
A: Usually there is no pain, but sometimes adjusting a tender area can be painful. Usually the child will immediately smile through the tears. Fear is more of a problem than pain, but getting down to the child's level and demonstrating the adjustments on a stuffed toy can help a lot!
· Q: My child has ADD/ADHD. Can chiropractic help with that?
A: Many children with ADD/ADHD have difficulty concentrating due to a constant background level of nerve interference. While there's been little research on the subject, improvement in behaviors, coordination, and concentration is often seen. I have seen especially good results incorporating cranial manipulation (gentle molding movements of the bones of the skull) into treatment.
· Q: Is it true that chiropractors are opposed to vaccination?
A: This could be (and is) the topic of a whole book in itself. Most chiropractors are not opposed to vaccination per se. However, vaccinations are not risk-free, and some vaccinations carry greater risk for the individual than the overall risk of catching and suffering from the disease itself. Many of the vaccines given to vulnerable infants could be more safely delayed until brain and immune system growth and development are complete.
Both major national chiropractic associations support freedom of choice in vaccine acceptance and administration. My opinion is, that in our age of information technology, we could be much smarter in whom we vaccinate, when. We would probably prevent as much or more disease with fewer vaccine-related injuries and deaths and a lot smaller expense if we would track disease outbreaks and mobilize vaccination campaigns rapidly.
-Dr. Peri
Screen your child for scoliosis
Pediatric Chiropractic featured in USAToday
Hep B Vaccine triples autism risk
Our mission is to provide the best quality health care possible to each and every one of our patients. We dedicate a substantial proportion of our resources to ongoing staff education and training so we can provide both adults and children with top-notch skills. If chiropractic, acupuncture, and/or massage cannot help you, we will refer you to another practitioner who can.
WHIPLASH INJURIES:
Dr. Dwyer has completed postgraduate courses in motor vehicle acceleration/
deceleration injuries ("whiplash"). Dr. Dwyer's first encounter with
chiropractic was as a college student, when she suffered from painful neck
spasms sustained in a car accident at the age of 16. Her experience was that
the only things that helped were chiropractic and massage therapy (and later,
acupuncture). This caused her to abandon her premedical ambitions and take a
pre-chiropractic route instead. Since becoming a chiropractor, she has
studied with Dr. Arthur Croft at the Spine Research
Institute of San Diego and has served as an expert in over 400 legal cases
involving whiplash injuries. She is qualified as an expert witness in local
county courts and at the Federal level.
IN-HOUSE MASSAGE THERAPY:
Dr. Dwyer draws on her own experience as a
massage therapist and teaching at our local massage school to select only the
very best massage therapists. Gayle Campbell, Whole Health Clinic's massage director, selects massage therapists for knowledge of anatomy, training in deep tissue massage techniques,
sensitive palpation skills, and professionalism. Massage therapy as part of a
care plan at Whole Health Clinic is coordinated with the other therapies we
offer to provide the best possible clinical outcomes.
ACUPUNCTURE
|
Licensed Acupuncture
Physician |
|
The general theory behind
acupuncture is based on the patterns, known as meridians,
of energy flow throughout
the body that are essential for health. Disruptions of this flow are believed
to be responsible for many physical upsets such as headaches and other pain
related symptoms, the flu, colds and fevers, sinus problems, kidney and urinary
tract infections, irregular and painful menstruation, addictions, and several
other common conditions. Acupuncture’s main purpose is to restore and
maintain this energy flow in order to achieve health, health meaning not only
the absence of discomfort as we often think of it here in the West, but also
holistic well-being where one‘s mind, body, and spirit find vitality,
stability, and peace .
Acupuncture can help with: