Gut feeling

“That gut feeling” is a real thing! Your stomach aches from a stressful situation, or you’ve got knots in your stomach from making a decision. Do you know the feeling we are talking about? You’ve got a little nervous system in your gut, the enteric nervous system, which communicates with your brain through the autonomic nervous system. The millions of nerves that line your gut send signals to your brain that elicit emotional responses and physical responses within your body! We talk A LOT about “fight or flight” responses around here, and your gut can trigger that response. 

The problem is that when your gut can’t send the right signals to your brain, your brain stops a SUPER important thing – the ability to poop well.

Your “gut brain” has a major effect on your poop probs!

Those millions of nerves that line every inch of your gut communicate directly to your brain through your vagus nerve. Imagine it like a constant conversation. The gut says, “hey, brain, it’s time to get rid of this waste that I’ve been working hard to make.” The brain should get the message via the vagus nerve and say, “cool, let’s start a bowel movement.” This sort of conversation should be everflowing between your gut and your brain. 

But sometimes your gut and your brain lose connection

Since the vagus nerve plays a large role in the conversation between your gut and your brain, when that nerve is not functioning the way that it should, it breaks the connection. When this disconnection happens, your gut becomes inflamed. That inflammation does a few things. 

1. An inflamed gut SLOWS or STOPS the communication from the nerves in your gut to the Vagus Nerve 
2. An inflamed gut makes it incredibly hard to use the bathroom 
3. Gut inflammation can also affect your mental health 

So, of course, the ultimate goal is to keep communication flowing between your gut and your brain. But how?

To keep the conversation going between your gut and your brain, your Vagus Nerve needs to be free of interference.

This is where chiropractic care comes in! During an adjustment with a neurologically focused chiropractor, like us, we assess the function of your vagus nerve. At each and every adjustment, we work to restore the function of your nervous system so that your brain can communicate effectively with the rest of your body – especially your gut!

Chiropractic adjustments for vagus nerve

At Blossom Family Chiropractic, we take a neurological approach to chiropractic care. We know how important the vagus nerve is to your entire body and how you feel. When we assess each patient at our St. Petersburg office, we use advanced technology to measure HOW their vagus nerve is functioning. 

With our very specific adjusting techniques, we are able to help your vagus nerve communicate at its best capacity with your brain. Our in-depth scans show us exactly where the miscommunication is so that we can adjust at the precise place. 

If you are in St. Pete, Florida area and are having digestive issues, book an appointment with us so we can help your vagus nerve function at its best!

If you’re reading this blog, chances are you are exhausted. You’ve tried everything you can imagine to get your baby to sleep. You need rest, your baby needs rest, and your entire family needs rest. But no matter what you’ve tried, no one is getting the rest that they need.

We know your story. We see parents every day who walk into our St. Petersburg office hardly able to function – sometimes with tears in their eyes – begging for answers.

Claire’s parents were in your shoes. Before they found Blossom Family Chiropractic, Claire had not slept a single night through. The entire family – including Claire – was exhausted. Claire was not getting the rest that she needed for her body to restore and develop at its best.

Since bringing Claire in for pediatric chiropractic adjustments, she is sleeping so much better!  Since she started getting adjusted,  she has slept 9 nights – 7 hours – uninterrupted. Prior to chiropractic care, there was not one night she slept through the night.

How does Chiropractic care help your baby sleep better?

We are about to get into some super cool science. But we know your mind is exhausted, so we will make it short and sweet.  At the base of your baby’s skull is the root of a major nerve that wanders through their entire body. It’s called the vagus nerve. 

The vagus nerve controls the whole parasympathetic part of the nervous system. That’s responsible for sleep digestion, immune function, growth and development, and relaxation. Still, following? We’re almost done. 

We call that parasympathetic part of the nervous system our brake pedal. And what happens is when there’s irritation in that area or any kind of inflammation, or what we call subluxations in that area, it turns off our brake pedal and puts us full-on gas pedal mode and that fight or flight stress mode. So we’re going, go, go all the time.

Your baby can experience that “go, go, go” feeling just like we can. Except for their little bodies that usually look like trouble sleeping, fussiness, digestion issues, etc.

Pediatric chiropractic adjustments focus on the vagus nerve

Our gentle chiropractic adjustments remove the inflammation around the vagus nerve so that your baby’s body has the ability to find and press its “brake pedal”.  These safe and precise adjustments help your baby’s brain communicate to the rest of the body that it is time to rest and restore. When your baby feels the release of the gas pedal (that go, go, go feeling) they can settle into better sleep, their body can digest food better and everyone gets the rest that they need.

Pediatric Chiropractor in St. Petersburg, Florida

Sleep deprivation will make you feel awful. At Blossom Family Chiropractic, we want to support your baby, and the rest of your family, so that you can all get the restorative sleep that your body needs. 

If you are in the St. Petersburg, Florida area and your infant is struggling to sleep, reach out to us to book an appointment.

Did you know that your MENSTRUAL HEALTH is directly related to your NERVOUS SYSTEM?!

Your menstrual cycle and your hormones move together! During each phase (week) of your menstrual cycle, your hormone levels rise and fall. That shift in hormones is the root cause of the physical changes and mood fluctuations that happen during the month. As hormone levels shift, your body is working overtime to maintain a balance that will keep you feeling your best.

The delicate balancing act is controlled by your nervous system. The intricate system of nerves not only controls muscle movement and reaction, but it also is the communication pathway between your brain and involuntary body functions – like your menstrual cycle. As your nervous system picks up the signals that hormone levels are fluctuating, it tells the body to react appropriately. Your nervous system should adapt to each phase. During menstruation, your body should release the thickened uterine wall. During ovulation, your body should prepare to host sperm.

But what happens when the signals from your body don’t make it all the way to your brain?

Sometimes your nervous system has roadblocks – that we call subluxations. These blocks in the communication pathway stop some signals from reaching your brain. Since the brain is not receiving the signal, it cannot react appropriately. Super science-y, right? Here’s a real life example. We are going to compare “Suzy” who has a lovely period week and “Jessica” who wishes she could fast-forward the dreadful week.

When Jessica enters the menstrual phase of her cycle she experiences a HUGE mood swing. She often feels out of control of her emotions and lashes out. On the day that she begins bleeding, she experiences very painful cramping and symptoms similar to IBS. Her period is full of clots and did we mention, painful?

Suzy, on the other hand, often does not even know her period is coming – she may track it on an app but she experiences no physical symptoms. She bleeds lightly and her cramping is minimal – if at all. Her period does not interfere with her life as Jessica’s does.

Why is Suzy so “lucky”? Her nervous system is able to adapt to each phase of her menstrual cycle. It receives every signal that the body sends and reacts the right way. Her body will say “hey, our period is starting soon, can you make sure your uterine wall is ready to slough off?” and the brain says “Yes! I will make it happen!”

While in Jessica’s case, there is a block somewhere in her nervous system, and when her body says “hey, our period is starting soon, can you make sure your uterine wall is ready to slough off?” the brain literally does not get the memo so it has no way to prepare her uterus to do the work. So when it’s time for Jessica’s uterine wall to slough, her hormone levels are off and it is incredibly painful.

Chiropractic Adjustments for Menstrual Health

At Blossom Family Chiropractic, our focus is your nervous system. We base all of our adjustments on the health and adaptability of your nervous system, which we are able to measure through state-of-the-art equipment.

Meaning, we can look at the scans and measurements and see when your nervous system has those roadblocks that would make your menstrual cycle abnormal.

Each adjustment helps remove those blocks – subluxations – from your nervous system, which allows the signals to flow freely to your brain. When your brain receives all the correct signals, it can respond in all the right ways!

So, if you want a cycle like Suzy, routine chiropractic adjustments will most definitely help!

Blossom Family Chiropractic – Family Chiropractor in St. Pete, Florida

As a practice with a focus on pregnancy and children, we work with women who are ready to support their body’s ability to adapt. Once the nervous system is supported, we often see resolution of infertility struggles – which are directly related to nervous system health.

If you are in St. Petersburg, Florida or surrounding areas and you are struggling with your menstrual health, let’s see if chiropractic care is the missing link! reach out to book an appointment with us!

As a caregiver, your instincts tell you to keep your child safe. That is natural! So when you hear of an alternative treatment to traditional medicine, it is also natural to question if it is the right choice for your kiddo. Chiropractic care for children is a practice that is becoming wildly popular, but many parents question if pediatric chiropractors are safe. Unfortunately, there are articles published online that make drastic claims against the safety of adjustments for kiddos. Back to those instincts… if you see claims that pediatric chiropractic adjustments are not safe for your child, we know it is natural for you to shy away from that alternative treatment. 

While we cannot help you “unsee” what you’ve already seen, we’d like to take a different approach to this question or concern about the safety of pediatric chiropractic adjustments. Continue reading to see the ways that we make you feel secure that your child is safe in the hands of any of the doctors at Blossom Family Chiropractic.

We Evaluate Each Child Before Adjusting Them

Just like a mechanic would not start tearing a Ferrari engine apart without doing a diagnostic report, we will never adjust your child without an in-depth evaluation.  During your child’s first visit to Blossom Family Chiropractic, we will do a series of 3 neurological scans that give us a very clear picture of how your kiddo’s body is healing and feeling. 

The results of these three scans, Heart Rate Variability, Thermal, and Surface Electromyography, give us a data-driven report of how your child’s body is functioning and where there are areas for improvement. You can read about each scan here, and we encourage you to because it is fascinating.

These scans drive every decision that we make for your child’s care plan. There are no blind adjustments made here. Each scan is repeated periodically so that we can see how your child’s body is adapting to the pediatric chiropractic adjustments and you can see the science behind each adjustment that we make.

We Have Extensive Training and Certification in Pediatric Chiropractic Care

While it is true that any chiropractor can adjust children safely, at Blossom Family Chiropractic, our team has received extensive additional education centered around pediatric chiropractic care. Each training brings us deeper into our understanding of your kiddo’s body and how we can help it function at its best.

Adjustments for a child are gentle, specific, and based on the neurological scans or physical symptoms that your kiddo is experiencing. Pediatric chiropractic adjustments are safe. They are nothing like the adjustments that you’d see an adult receive. In fact, we like to compare the pressure that we apply during an adjustment to how you’d feel for the ripeness of a tomato.

During a pediatric chiropractic adjustment, we use specific tools that assist us in making sure that your kiddo is getting the precise adjustment that they need!

These two tools below are of the most common that you’ll find in the office.

The first tool, an activator, delivers quick and precise pressure to a specific area. This tool is used by neurologically focused chiropractors that are able to use scans to see the exact place of misalignment in your child’s body. When your child gets an adjustment with an activator, they’ll feel when the tip of the tool is placed on their body and they will hear an audible “click”. They do not feel the pressure because it is delivered so quickly by the tool. The purpose is to reset the nerve dysfunction exactly where it exists. This tool means that we are not pushing, twisting, or “popping” your kiddo. 

The second tool, a toggle headpiece, allows a precise and low force adjustment to the base of your child’s head. This is where your child’s vagus nerve stems from. The vagus nerve can [and will be!] a blog in and of itself. It is the cornerstone of their nervous system and maintaining its function is a top priority in our office. The toggle headpiece is especially helpful because it can be used while you are holding your little one. We call this tool the “shell phone” and our kiddos LOVE talking to St. Pete’s beaches while they get adjusted.

Chiropractic Care Supports your Child’s Innate Ability to Heal

Every child is born with an innate ability to heal themselves. Human bodies are incredibly designed to have reactions to different factors (like illness, stress, injury, etc) and these reactions dictate how the body will adapt.

Super scientific right? Let’s break it down. Let’s say that your kiddo is in child care and encounters another little one with a cold. We know how kids are… chances are pretty high that your kiddo will have direct exposure to the cold. If your child’s nervous system (remember that Vagus nerve we mentioned above?!) is functioning at its prime, your child’s body will have the appropriate immune response to fight the cold.

It is not abnormal for new patients to ask us “are pediatric chiropractors safe?”

After all, we primarily serve pregnant women, mothers, and children here in St Petersburg. At Blossom Family Chiropractic we take every single step to make you feel comfortable and know that not only is chiropractic care safe for children, but it is also incredibly valuable to their bodies.

We know that your child is your world and you’d go to the end of the Earth to make sure that they are safe. When you have questions, and it is okay and expected that you do, call us. We are here to help you feel comfortable.

If you are in the Tampa or St. Pete area and are looking for a pediatric chiropractor, contact us to schedule an appointment to see those unique scans of your child’s body function and how pediatric chiropractic adjustments can bring their body to balance!

Mamas-to-be, you are amazing! You are bringing life into this world. That’s no small task!  You have a lot of demands placed on your body. Some demands are hormonal stress due to the preparation for birth or physical stress due to the changes you observe in your body.

But, have you ever considered chiropractic care to put your body back into balance and to help you better function while a new beautiful life is growing inside you? There is no better time than now to take the best care of yourself! Yes – there are specific techniques that can help to make your pregnancy go smoothly!

The Webster technique is a unique adjusting technique just for pregnant women.

Here’s what you need to know about this technique, how it works, and how does it help?

Webster Technique for breech babies

The term “breech baby” refers to a baby that is not in the proper positioning to make its way through the birthing canal. If a baby is breech until the time of delivery, a vaginal birth is typically not possible and a C-section may be recommended by your OBGYN for you and your baby. 

A chiropractic adjustment using the Webster Technique can positively impact your baby’s ability to move into a head-down position. Although we cannot actually turn breech babies, with safe and effective adjustments we are able to create more space in the pelvis so the baby is able to turn into a head-down position. This will provide more comfort to the mother and decrease the likelihood of a C-section.

How does the Webster Technique work?

During pregnancy, the pelvis and sacrum are constantly shifting to make space for your growing baby. This can cause tightness in the surrounding ligaments and muscles, making life uncomfortable for you and limit movement for your baby. 

The Webster Technique focuses on relieving the tension in your ligaments, balancing the pelvis by adjusting the sacrum, and addressing any additional tight muscles that connect to the uterus or pelvis. Doing this creates a more functional environment for your baby. In the end, you’ll have a bit more room so your baby can turn with ease.

How does the Webster Technique Help Pregnant Women?

The main goal of the Webster technique is to remove spinal misalignments and alleviate pressure on the uterus. The adjustments also help alleviate the discomforts many women feel as their body changes. By keeping your hips balanced and your posture corrected, the Webster Technique will relieve lower back pain and sciatica.

Spinal misalignments can play a significant role in the baby’s position in the womb. Removing spinal misalignments can relieve the pressure and allow the baby room to move about. 

Adjustments using the Webster Technique will help your body adapt to pregnancy more gracefully and easily. 

Conclusion 

Every mother needs a support network on this journey, and we are proud that so many moms-to-be choose us to be on their team.

The Webster technique is something that we recommend for all of our Blossom mommas. The outcomes, both for mom and baby, are incredible! When you’re ready to create the best environment for your baby through chiropractic care and give your body the ability to adapt during pregnancy, we’re here to hold your hand every step of the way.

As one of St. Petersburg’s Webster Certified chiropractors, we’re always striving to provide you and your baby with the best care and experience. If you are in the Tampa or St. Pete area and are looking for a prenatal chiropractor, contact us to schedule an appointment to see how Webster Technique can help during your pregnancy!