7 Tips for Backpack SafetyIncorrect wear of backpacks and bookbags can also contribute to health problems including pain in the back, neck, and shoulders, or the development of poor posture. Making sure that your children wear their backpacks properly can help prevent pain and posture problems. Follow the seven backpack safety tips below to help your children wear their backpacks safely and correctly, and avoid over packing this school year.  7 Tips to follow to Keep Your Child SafeTip #1: Start with a lightweight backpack.
Make sure the backpack is made of a lightweight but durable material. Tip #2: Make sure the shoulder straps are wide and padded. Wide, padded straps provide support and prevent the straps from becoming too tight. Your child’s straps should be snug, but not so tight that they cause discomfort. Tip #3: The back should also be padded. Padding that sits against your child’s back will provide additional support and prevent discomfort. Tip #4: Look for a backpack with a waist strap. A waist strap holds the contents closer to your child’s back, which can help him or her maintain balance. Tip #5: Multiple compartments are a plus. If your child’s backpack has multiple compartments, it will be easier to evenly distribute the weight of the items inside. The heaviest items should be packed low and toward the center of the bag. Tip #6: Both straps should be worn at all times. Make sure your child is always wearing both straps. Wearing both straps can also help distribute the weight more evenly and prevent your child from leaning to one side, which can cause pain in the neck, back, or shoulders. It also makes losing his or her balance less likely. Tip #7: Do not overload! Your child’s backpack should weight no more than 15 percent of his or her total body weight. Anything more can force children to slouch or hunch to compensate for the extra weight. Remove any items that are unnecessary, and encourage your children to carry heavier items in their arms, if possible. If your child complains of back pain or discomfort, be sure to take a look at what is in his or her backpack. Encourage your child to carry his or her backpack according to the steps above. Backpacks with wheels are also an option for children experiencing discomfort. If pain persists, it is recommended you follow up with your child’s doctor. For more information, please visit the kids’ page for backpack safety. Make sure your child has a happy, healthy school year ahead. Visit our office to get checked. It's that time of year again - Back to School!
 Backpack Study: Musculoskeletal pain and school bag use: a cross-sectional study among Ugandan pupils. Mwaka ES, Munabi IG, Buwembo W, Kukkiriza J, Ochieng J. BMC Res Notes. 2014 Apr 9;7:222. doi: 10.1186/1756-0500-7-222. Background Backpacks may be seen as an easy way to carry books and other "scholastic materials".. but schoolbags are believed to contribute to back and other musculoskeletal problems for kids. This study set out to determine the prevalence of low back and other musculoskeletal pains, and to describe their relationship with schoolbag use for kids.   RESULTS
This study involved 532 students from six primary schools, with a mean age of 13.6 years. Only 19% had lockers at school. Backpacks were the most common type of schoolbag and young children carried disproportionately heavier bags. Urban students carried significantly heavier bags, and were less likely to complain about schoolbag weight than the rural students.
Conclusion Urban students carried significantly heavier bags, and were less likely to complain about schoolbag weight than the rural students. The majority of students complained of musculoskeletal pain, of which 35.4% was attributed to the schoolbags. Teaching kids how to pack and carry their backpacks properly can prevent the pain and problems caused by carrying heavy backpacks. Contact our office to set up your visit.  Ear tubes (aka "grommets") – seems like a lot of children getting them, but how necessary are they and how well do they work in preventing future ear infections?
By 3 years old, 70% of all children have experienced at least one ear infection. After all, an ear infection is the most common reason for visits to a pediatric doctor's office. Yet, the insertion of ear tubes treats the symptoms of ear infections, and not its cause. Nonetheless, more than 500,000 children receive this ear surgery each year, making it the most common procedure conducted under general anesthesia for children. The most non invasive and natural approach to fixing the cause of ear infections is to help the inner ear drain fluid and boost the immune system of a child. In babies and young children, the angle of the inner ear is not yet tilting down-and-out of the ear. So fluids tend to drift back into the ear. When this fluid remains in the inner ear, the child is at risk of developing an infection. Not only does a chiropractic adjustment help with boosting the immune system (which helps to prevent an infection in the first place), it can help with the drainage the inner ear of a child by aligning the vertebrae in the upper neck. Chiropractors aren't "treating" the ear infection, per se, but are finding and eliminating the "cause" of the ear infections, and supporting the body in it's natural functions of being vibrantly resilient to dys-functions, infections and dys-eases. Contact our office for more info, and to be checked! See you soon, Dr. Lizie A recent investigation conducted by The Star, a newspaper in Canada, unearthed information about 600 children who had serious, sometimes fatal, side effects of drugs used for the symptoms associated with ADD and ADHD. Each of these children went to the hospital, suffered a disability or life-threatening condition, or died.
The investigators also discovered that ADHD drugs Strattera and Concerta were “the second- and third-highest suspected causes of reported serious side effects suffered by Canadian kids taking any drug in the past 10 years.” According to The Star, this was worse than any cancer drug, any antipsychotic drug for kids with serious mental illness, and “more than nearly 1,800 other drugs reported to have been the suspected cause of a serious side effect in a Canadian child since 2001.” They also found that “in more than 40 per cent of all cases where a youth thought about suicide, an ADHD drug is listed as the suspected cause.” Here are some examples of the side effects that were reported: - 20 kids became psychotic - 40 kids were depressed - 24 had convulsions - 48 had hallucinations, including 11 cases of kids hearing voices (aka ‘auditory hallucinations’)- 20 overdoses, eight of those intentional - 3 had strokes - 28 had heart problems, including heart attacks - 23 cases of liver damage - some also experienced amnesia, mania, cerebral hemorrhage, suicide ideation and suicide attempts, both successful and unsuccessful. Two hundred of the reports were from the last two years, and some of the children were as young as 4 years old. Also, it is widely acknowledged that this type of incident is grossly under-reported. How many of these things are actually going on is anyone’s guess, but some experts believe the number of events being reported to be about 5 percent of what’s actually happening. ADD and ADHD are not diseases, they are diagnoses given to sets of symptoms. Many of the symptoms can be caused by actual physical conditions such as allergies, toxicities, hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, and so on. However, when a child exhibits the symptoms, they are likely to be put on the drugs without a thorough investigation of their physical condition. The drugs do not cure or even address the root cause of the problem. The symptoms can also be caused by a number of other situations in the child’s home, school or social life. If your child has the symptoms of ADD or ADHD, have them checked in our office to thoroughly investigate these problems and find the cause of the symptoms, rather than simply treating them with dangerous drugs.
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AuthorDr. Lizie Pilicy, Chiropractor and Nutritional Specialist, uses innovative holistic approaches to wellness incorporating mind, body, and spirit disciplines to assist with whole-being wellness. Categories
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