Chiropractic is a great alternative to antibiotics for ear infections as well as breast feeding and discontinuing the use of the pacifier at 10 months!

Summer is here and the kids are out of school! So much stuff is going on – sports camps, family vacations, and going on camping trips. When I was a kid, I was always most excited about staying up late at night and sleeping in the next morning. I’m sure many other kids feel the same way. Even though we all do this, it’s important that sleep be taken seriously, especially in childhood. Sleep is the main way children develop physically and mentally. The younger the child, the more important it is!

Our circadian rhythm, or the sleep-wake cycle, is regulated by light times and dark times. When the sun sets and the sky becomes dark, a hormone called melatonin is signaled that aids in the sleep cycle. This cycle usually doesn’t fully form until 3-6 months old. This explains why newborns have such a sporadic sleep cycle! It may be crazy to think that a child will spend 40% of his or her childhood asleep!

It can be difficult to tell when a child is not getting enough sleep. Signs that kids are ti...

Only a couple generations ago, women were being x-rayed while pregnant. At that time, it was considered protocol and a safe way to monitor pregnancy. Decades pass and the FDA pronounce x-rays to be unsafe and the new way to track a woman’s pregnancy is through an ultrasound. We’ve all seen the pictures. They’ve been proudly posted on the fridge and online. You can even get a 3-D version of these pictures now! But how safe are ultrasounds, really? It was only a short time ago that x-rays were considered safe during pregnancy. Is it only a matter of time before this is renounced, as well?

The first question on most peoples’ minds would be:  has there been research? Studies on ultrasound mostly ended in the 1980s, and animal studies have been dismissed. However, scientists in China have known the harmful effects of ultrasound since the 80’s. A large study involving 100 scientists and 2700 pregnant women determined that even a very low exposure of ultrasound can be detrimental to the human...

The Pacific Northwest is notorious for having cloudy, gray skies, especially in the fall and winter. When spring finally rolls around, most of us are ecstatic that the sun still exists! Indeed, it does, and the sun is actually one of the best ways to obtain the proper amount of vitamin D. The recommended value of vitamin D in an infant into childhood is 400-600 IU/day.

Vitamin D is important for everyone, especially your kids. The right amount of vitamin D in a child can help the body absorb calcium and phosphorus, which helps to build strong bones. You’ve probably heard of rickets – a disease that entails softening of the bones and is usually most common in the first two years of life; all due to low vitamin D. This vitamin can also help prevent chronic diseases later on in life. Problems with the immune system and cardiovascular disease are the big ones.

There are a few ways you can ensure your child has the proper amount of this super vitamin.

• First of all, get outside! It’s spring...