Theresa has been a wellness patient since 1998. In her early 60’s, she has always been the epitome of health: exercise, good nutrition, loving...
At Balance Atlanta, Dr. Caroline does what no practitioner does for kids in difficult situations: she addresses physical structure, neurological integrity, brain function, and body chemistry to restore optimal health.
Balance Atlanta is located in the heart of Buckhead, an area of Atlanta well-known for affluence—million-dollar homes, elite private schools, gleaming high rises, serene country clubs, luxury retail stores, fitness studios on every street, organic food emporiums, medical facilities, and every type of alternative healing practitioner you can imagine.
One would think this is the most fertile soil imaginable for growing healthy, productive, and inspired children into successful, fulfilled, and balanced adults. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Money, education, and opportunity do not guarantee health. Ironically, quite the opposite is true.
Kids are buckling under the burden of stress at rates never seen before in decades gone by. Whether we are in Buckhead or any other area of the country where the bar is set high, the expectations of kids to perform at exceptional levels are nearly unrealistic for many. The pressure to keep up with academics, athletics, social standing, material acquisitions, and community involvement leaves little room for freedom – to just be a kid, to dream, to rest, to explore.
No longer do children and teens simply go to school and become involved in a few extracurricular activities. Now, it’s a matter of “proving yourself” with relentless fervor to parents, teachers, coaches, colleagues, and peers. This track does not stop as the push later turns to careers, marriages, parenting, material gain, and personal fulfillment.
It is common for kids to be on no less than five prescription drugs at a time for a myriad of conditions – asthma, allergies, anxiety, ADHD, anorexia, bulimia, constipation, cramps, cutting, depression, headaches, insomnia…and we’re not even halfway through the alphabet!
As Dr. Caroline’s mentor noted, “There is a spiritual and emotional connection to every physical disease.” Otherwise said, if we are not getting our needs met, if we are not slowing down, and if we continue to place unreasonable demands on our children, there comes the point where the psyche and body can no longer tolerate the pressure and dis-ease (a lack of ease) will follow. Anyone can turn on the TV and know there is an epidemic of heroin, prescription drug abuse, binge drinking, eating disorders, social isolation, and mood disturbances rocking our kids at every socio-economic level.
Two types of parents bring their kids to Balance Atlanta.
The first type recognizes the importance of a wellness-based model of health care, and they include chiropractic, nutrition, exercise, and other avenues into their regimen. They understand our society does very little to prepare kids to handle stress effectively, therefore it is best to promote balance of mind and body from an early age. The services offered at Balance Atlanta are included in the family budget and weekly schedule.
On the flip side, the other category includes those parents whose kids are amid the damaging effects of out of control stress:
Eating disorders, night terrors, cutting, drug and alcohol use, theft, violence, internet addiction, underperforming at school, mood swings, not getting along with peers, apathy, and isolation, for example. These situations are kept hush-hush so as not to disrupt outward appearances, but the prescriptions and appointments with medical doctors, rehab centers, counselors, and school administrators tell another story. Quite often, the dynamics between parents, the child exhibiting worrisome behavior, and the other siblings are enough to tear the family apart.
At Balance Atlanta, Dr. Caroline does what no other practitioner does for kids in difficult situations: she addresses physical structure, neurological integrity, brain function, and body chemistry to restore optimal health.
Aside from chiropractic, lab testing, functional medicine, stress management skills, BrainCore Therapy, nutrition, and other services she offers, Dr. Caroline becomes the confidante kids need—someone to trust (who is not the parent, teacher, or counselor), someone who will listen without judgment, the type of adult who focuses on positive solutions.
Rather than dismissing the issue as a lost cause or a temporary phase, she recognizes unmanaged stress’s significant impact on family dynamics, academic achievement, income potential, personal safety, staying on the right side of the law, social integration, and most importantly, self-esteem. Therefore, a whole mind-body approach is urgently required – it’s easier to heal stressed children than damaged adults. Dr. Caroline is the advisor to families where a scientifically sound method to integrate balance is established for lifelong personal happiness.
For those parents who are sick and tired of difficult situations, who have sought help repeatedly without results, who don’t think more pills and therapists are the only options, and who have the commitment level to drop excuses and try again, Balance Atlanta may be the answer.
Statistics
- Domestically, over1/3 of American children are overweight or obese.
- Because of these alarming obesity rates, this generation of children will be the first to live shorter lives than their parents.
- 25% of US children spend 4 hours or more watching TV daily instead of being physically active.
- Bullying about body size and appearance is the most common form of bullying in schools.
- 81% of ten year-olds are afraid of being fat. 42% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner.
- 86% of people with eating disorders report onset of an eating disorder by age 20.
- One out of every eight children has or will have an anxiety disorder.
- The percent of 13-14, 15-16 and 17-18-year-old children with an anxiety disorder was not statistically different. Each of these groups averaged around 25.1% of the population. NIMH states that “5.9% of 13-18-year-old children have a severe disorder”.
- Females are more likely than males to develop an anxiety disorder in their lifetime. 30.1% of females and 20.3% of males develop an anxiety disorder.
- Between 10 to 15 percent of teenagers have some symptoms of teen depression at any one time.
- Most teens with depression will suffer from more than one episode. 20 to 40 percent will have more than one episode within two years and 70 percent will have more than one episode before adulthood. Episodes of teen depression generally last about 8 months.
- Depression increases a teen’s risk for attempting suicide by 12 times.
- More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, COMBINED.
- 30 percent of teens with depression also develop a substance abuse problem.
- Depressed teens usually have a smaller social circle and take advantage of fewer career and educational opportunities.
- Depressed teens are more likely to have trouble at school and in jobs, and to struggle with relationships.