by Caroline von Fluegge-Chen
American kids are under tremendous pressure to perform well in school. Every year they’re required to take more and more standardized tests, and every year they fall further behind children around the world, particularly in science and mathematics.More is required to do well in school beyond sitting in the classroom and managing to stay awake throughout the day.
Kids by nature want to learn, but somehow this love of new knowledge and new experiences is sucked out of them early on. Teachers no longer teach to broaden the skills and abilities of their students. Instead they teach to the standardized tests. There’s no longer much room for exploring new territory, and kids get bored easily and stay bored if they’re not challenged. How can we help our children when the educational system is not providing much help? Making sure our kids are healthy and well is a very good start. One of the most interesting developments in cognitive science (how people learn) in the last ten years is the importance of physical activity in relation to human performance. 1,2,3 The results are in – research proves that physical activity is highly correlated to learning and academic achievement.
Active kids are explorers. Active kids are alert and interested in what’s going on around them. Active kids have an instinctive desire to grow and develop. What kinds of exercise should our kids be doing? The great news is that the specific type of exercise doesn’t matter. It’s all good, whether a kid is playing soccer, running track, or riding around the neighborhood on her bike. It’s the amount of exercise that counts, not the format of the exercise. Federal agencies recommend that every child get an hour of physical activity each day. This hour can be broken up into small segments or done all at once. What matters is the amount and consistency of the exercise. Chiropractic care can play a big role in a child’s development. Periodic chiropractic treatment can improve the functioning of a child’s musculoskeletal system, and thus help improve their physical performance. And, chiropractic care can help a child recover quickly from activity- and sports-related injuries.
By helping a child continue with fun, enjoyable, and rewarding physical activities, chiropractic care is also helping them improve their academic performance. The result is a much more well-rounded young person, one whose interests may extend from the ball field to the science lab to the music room.
Children are usually much closer to their sources of power than are adults, even though kids are usually not aware of this set of special abilities. For the most part, if a child’s day has been a busy one, filled with activities, she’ll fall asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow. What happens with adults? Often after a busy day, an adult will lie awake at night, reviewing everything that happened, repeating all the conversations, searching for ways to make it all come out better. A child’s brain is filled with much less extra stuff, and they’re able to get rest more easily and efficiently.
Quick recovery from injuries is another skill that kids have naturally. They fall down hard and bounce right back up. If they break a bone, it heals in a few weeks compared to the six weeks it often takes an adult’s body to repair a fracture.
Chiropractic care enhances even further this set of extraordinary abilities. As their healing powers are so much stronger, kids’ bodies absorb the many benefits of chiropractic treatment and immediately put them to good use. If they weren’t feeling well their return to good health is quick, and if they were feeling great, their bodies are now even more optimized. Chiropractic care helps kids maximize the joys of being kids!
1Hillman CH, et al: The effect of acute treadmill walking on cognitive control and academic achievement in preadolescent children. Neuroscience 159(3):1044-1054, 2009 2Ploughman M: Exercise is brain food. The effects of physical activity on cognitive function. Dev Neurorehabil 11(3):236-240, 2008 3Davis CL, et al: Effects of aerobic exercise on overweight children’s cognitive functioning. Res Q Exerc Sport 78(5):510-519, 2007
Caroline von Fluegge-Chen
With an emphasis on family care for more than 24-years, Dr. Caroline von Fluegge-Chen has created a unique program of promoting peak performance found only at Balance Atlanta. She combines specialties of family chiropractic, functional medicine, and BrainCore Therapy to address structural integrity, optimal brain function, and body chemistry balance.
