HOW CHIROPRACTIC HELPS:
- ASPERGER’S SYNDROME
- BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS
- BEDWETTING
Holly McManis (Connor’s Mom)
“Connor was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome by a Pediatric developmental specialist. His speech was delayed and his behavior showed classic symptoms of high-functioning autism. I suspect some of this was triggered by a vaccine he received at 18 months for Varicella (Chicken Pox).
“We spent the next year paying for speech therapy and prozac prescriptions. We also had to meet with our school district to place him in a pre-school program for children with learning disabilities.
“Last summer, we started seeing a lot of aggression and bedwetting from Connor. We scheduled an appointment with our family physician to make sure there were no medical reasons for this behavior. Another doctor was filling in for our doctor – This doctor had an autistic 15 year old and suggested we double the prozac dosage. After the first double-dose, Connor became violent and angry. I really felt that he was trying so hard, but just couldn’t tell us what he felt or deal with his feelings.
“We weaned him off prozac and sought help from a Pediatric Behavioral Psychiatrist (recommended by the school). She would not talk methods or treatment with us, but immediately suggested we put him on clonadine – a heart-medication that has not even been approved by the FDA for anyone under 18. There were many severe side effects listed – including sudden death. I was so frustrated that I began to cry. I kept thinking – this is the choice? She assured me that if clonadine did not work to calm him down, then she had a list of anti-psychotic drugs we could try. I assured her that we would not be coming back to her practice.
“I have been a high-school coach for 8 years and I know that drugs like this do not solve anything – they delay the process of children learning to deal with their emotions. I wanted to give my son the tools and ability to calm himself down and learn appropriate responses.
“A friend of my mother’s recommended Inner Spirit Chiropractic. My first thought was that it can’t hurt him to try this. His initial evaluation revealed pressure on his bladder nerves (bedwetting) and a lot of nerve pressure in his neck. His range of motion for turning/rotating his neck was only 40 degrees. Normal is 80 degrees. He was very misaligned. As we started treatment, Dr. Nicole also advised us to watch Connor’s nutrition – so we set out as a family to get the junk out of our diets – McDonald’s is not healthy – even the salads have sugar in them.
“At his first exam to check progress, his range of motion has doubled, the bedwetting has pretty much stopped and the school is very impressed with his behavior. His general health overall has improved. He had a sinus infection in December and was adjusted. He bounced back almost immediately. He is completely off all medications and his behavior is very affectionate and helpful. He is truly starting to be a normal 7-year-old. I have waited a long time for this. This was the first Christmas my son could actually sit and open presents and be excited and express joy in a way everyone could understand.
“I would highly recommend Dr. Nicole Lackner. She is really amazing with children and can truly help them begin to reach their potential. Everyday, Connor is improving and opening up. It’s like watching a flower bloom. I am very thankful we found Inner Spirit and Dr. Nicole.”