When I first started in chiropractic school I had no intention of opening a prenatal and pediatric office. But all that changed after a trip to Nicaragua.
I had the opportunity to join a group of students going to the island of Ometepe to serve the community there. This island had two active volcanoes and was surrounded by shark-infested waters. Very little power or running water, and the volunteer clinic was the island’s only source of healthcare.
On my second day one of the volunteers came to get me because someone had brought in their baby and I had taken a couple of pediatric seminars, which made me the most qualified person there. I expected to see a baby dealing with colic or constipation or something “simple,” but instead I walked into a room with a sobbing mother holding a limp twitching baby.
I don’t speak Spanish and she didn’t speak English, but through a translator, I learned it was a “rough birth” and the baby wasn’t latching. Basically, he was starving to death.
I knew that the most strained area in a birth was the upper part of the neck, specifically at the Atlas vertebra. This is also a very neurologically important area. And sure enough, when I checked his spine he had a major atlas subluxation on the right. So using my pinkies, I gave him a gentle adjustment to correct that.
Seeing this kid’s dramatic reaction made me completely rethink my plans and from then on I dedicated my schooling, research, and practice on helping kids, babies, and pregnant moms live better lives.