‘Tis the season for sickness that can sideline your little one from all the joys of being a kid. With germs circulating everywhere, it’s unsurprising that kids are walking Petri dishes, being exposed to an incalculable number of microbes daily.
One of the most common infections that kids get is croup, an upper airway infection primarily affecting young children, especially those between 6 months and 3 years old. Symptoms of croup include a barking cough, hoarse voice, and labored breathing, which tends to worsen at night.
More Than Germ Exposure
So what causes it? Croup cases aren’t solely due to exposure to germs but are related to your child’s ability to handle those germs. If your child went through a non optimal birth, had feeding difficulties, sleep challenges, and spinal misalignments, all of those factors can weaken their immune system and make them more susceptible to croup.
How Is Croup Diagnosed & Treated Conventionally?
Croup is diagnosed by doctors or other medical professionals through observation of a child’s breathing and listening with a stethoscope. Diagnostic tools like neck or chest X-rays and pulse oximetry to check oxygen levels may also be used. Traditional treatment involves corticosteroids, which can decrease inflammation and reduce swelling in the larynx and respiratory system.
Even though these medications can be life-saving, they come with some severe short-term and long-term side effects for your child. Drugs also mask symptoms versus getting to the root cause.
Relieving Croup Naturally With Chiropractic Care
The good news is that pediatric chiropractic care can effectively and naturally soothe your child’s croup symptoms, ease their discomfort, and make those stressful, toss-and-turn nights a thing of the past.
How does chiropractic work? Because a subluxation or misalignment can disrupt the communication between the brain and the immune system, your child can have a weakened ability to fight off infections, making them more prone to conditions like croup. Chiropractic adjustments restore proper communication and enhance the body’s natural defenses.
Here are some benefits:
- Improved drainage
- Better sleep
- Shorter illness duration
- Reduced medication use
Focusing on your child’s nervous system, chiropractic care helps ensure their body’s innate healing mechanisms function at their peak.
Home Care Tips
In addition to taking them to a chiropractor for care, it’s a good idea to keep your child calm and comforted. Ensure they get plenty of rest and stay well-hydrated. We also recommend using humidifiers and alternating between warm and cold air to alleviate symptoms.
Whether your little one has croup, a cold, flu or other common childhood illness, we want to help them enjoy a robust immune system so they can stave off sickness and just be a kid. Call us today to book an appointment with Eden Prairie chiropractor Dr. ShaRhae Matousek!
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