Hidden Birth Trauma May Cause Your Child's Picky Eating

Are you exhausted from the daily mealtime battles with your picky eater? If you've tried hiding vegetables in smoothies, created elaborate reward charts, or found yourself negotiating "just one more bite" at every meal, you're not alone. As a parent, these struggles can leave you feeling frustrated, worried, and sometimes even like you're failing.

But what if I told you that your child's picky eating likely isn't really about the food at all?

Beyond Behavior: Understanding What's Really Happening

Studies show that up to 22% of children are classified as picky eaters, with 40% remaining picky for two years or longer. While most healthcare providers suggest waiting it out or trying various behavioral approaches, they're often missing a crucial piece of the puzzle: the nervous system connection.

The truth is, picky eating frequently has less to do with stubbornness or behavior and more to do with an overwhelmed nervous system.

Let me share a story that might sound familiar. Leo's family faced significant challenges with his eating habits — there were many days when he wouldn't eat at all. His mom felt completely helpless, especially when their pediatrician kept saying he would "grow out of it." They tried speech and eating therapy but saw little progress.

Everything changed when they discovered that Leo's nervous system was overwhelmed. Once they addressed this root cause, Leo's sensory skills improved dramatically, his meltdowns decreased, and he began eating regularly. He transformed from a struggling picky eater to a thriving, happy toddler.

The Nervous System Connection

To understand what leads to picky eating, we need to look deeper at what's happening neurologically:

Sympathetic Dominance: When Your Child's Body is in "Fight or Flight"

Your child's picky eating likely stems from a neurological state called "sympathetic dominance" — where their nervous system is stuck in a constant "fight or flight" mode. This creates several challenges:

  • Sensory overload makes normal food textures, smells, and tastes feel overwhelming or even threatening

  • A stressed nervous system actually programs the brain to crave simple carbs and sugars that can be quickly converted to energy

  • What seems like a normal mealtime to you feels like a battlefield to your child's body and brain

The Three Root Causes of Picky Eating

1. Sensory Processing Challenges

When there's stress or subluxation in the upper neck and brainstem regions, it creates nervous system imbalance. This leads to heightened sensitivity to food textures, temperatures, and tastes.

What might seem like a normal food texture to you can feel extremely uncomfortable or even painful to your child. That soggy cereal or slightly lumpy yogurt isn't just unappealing — it might trigger a genuine sensory aversion.

2. Vagus Nerve Dysfunction

The vagus nerve is crucial as it controls digestion, appetite regulation, and the gut-brain connection. When this nerve isn't functioning optimally, it disrupts natural eating patterns.

This can cause digestive discomfort, making children associate eating with unpleasant experiences. No wonder they become hesitant at mealtimes!

3. Oral-Motor Coordination Issues

Proper neural connections affecting the cranial and cervical areas impact chewing and swallowing abilities. When these aren't working efficiently, children often prefer soft, simple-to-eat foods.

The struggle with certain textures isn't stubbornness — it's a physical challenge requiring proper neurological support. When your child says they "can't" eat something, they might be telling the literal truth.

Why Traditional Approaches Often Fall Short

Now it becomes clear why hiding vegetables, using reward charts, or creating mealtime rules often don't create lasting change. These approaches focus on behavior modification without addressing the underlying neurological causes.

It's like trying to teach someone to swim while they're actively drowning — they can't learn new skills until they feel safe.

A Different Approach: Supporting Your Child's Nervous System

Understanding these neurological connections is the first step toward real, lasting change!

Remember Leo's story? His transformation didn't happen overnight, but addressing the root cause — nervous system dysfunction — made all the difference. His mom went from feeling helpless to empowered, and mealtimes transformed from battlegrounds to bonding time.

At Pure Chiropractic we use advanced INSiGHT scanning technology to identify specific areas of nervous system subluxation that might be contributing to your child’s picky eating. Our gentle precise adjustments help restore nervous system function, allowing your child’s natural eating instincts to emerge.  Don’t wait to give us a call today and schedule a consultation for your child. If you are not local to us, please check out the PX Docs directory to find an office near you.

Don't let another meal end in tears and frustration. With the right support and understanding, your child can develop a healthier relationship with food, and your family can enjoy peaceful mealtimes together.


Why Your Baby Feels Everything You Feel During Pregnancy

As an expecting parent, you're likely surrounded by advice about baby registries, prenatal yoga classes, folate supplements, and which stroller to buy. While all these preparations are important and exciting, there's something even more fundamental that deserves your attention first: your nervous system. In America, we're often encouraged to focus on the material aspects of pregnancy preparation, but the health of your nervous system should be your #1 priority.

Why? Because your nervous system controls every cell, tissue, and organ in your body, it directly impacts your baby's development, too.

Your Baby Feels Everything You Feel

Did you know that your baby's nervous system begins developing just 3-4 weeks after conception? That's often before many women even realize they're pregnant! This early nervous system development sets the foundation for everything else—from organ development to immune system function.

But here's what's truly fascinating: the umbilical cord isn't just delivering nutrients and oxygen to your baby. It's essentially the power cord connecting your nervous systems. This means:

  • When you experience stress, your body releases hormones that cross directly to your baby through the umbilical cord and placenta

  • Your baby experiences everything you experience, from moments of calm to periods of stress

  • Your emotional state directly influences your baby's developing nervous system

Modern Life and Pregnancy Stress

Today's pregnant mothers face more sustained, chronic stress than ever before. Between work demands, family responsibilities, financial pressures, and even the constant monitoring and testing of traditional prenatal care, it's easy to become overwhelmed.

This sustained stress can shift both you and your baby into what we call "sympathetic dominance"—essentially a state of constant fight-or-flight. When your body stays in this stressed state, it can affect:

  • Your sleep quality

  • Your mood and emotional wellbeing

  • Your physical comfort during pregnancy

  • Your baby's development

  • Your birth experience

Gabriella's Story: From Overwhelmed to Empowered

Let me share a story that might resonate with you. Gabriella came to our office around 30 weeks pregnant, initially because she had experienced some falls. Her scans showed what we often see—her nervous system was stuck in "fight or flight" mode, leaving her exhausted and overwhelmed.

"I instantly regretted not starting sooner," Gabriella told us about beginning care. After getting her nervous system checked and starting a personalized care plan, she experienced dramatic improvements. Not only did her physical pain decrease, but her mood swings, anxiety, and energy levels changed significantly.

In her own words: "My anxiety, depression, brain fog, and back pain have improved so much... I wake up energized and ready to start my hectic days, when before I dragged my feet. Overall it has been such a blessing."

Measuring and Understanding Your Nervous System

The good news is that we now have technology that can measure nervous system function. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) scans show us exactly how your nervous system is handling stress and where you might be stuck in fight-or-flight mode.

These non-invasive scans allow us to create personalized care plans specific to your needs and your baby's development stage. Think of it as a window into how your body is handling the stress of pregnancy—and a roadmap for bringing things back into balance.

How Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care Helps

Specific adjustments can help activate your vagus nerve and parasympathetic nervous system—your body's "rest and digest" mode. This helps shift your body out of stress mode and into a state of healing and optimal development.

Regular care helps maintain this balance throughout your pregnancy journey, providing benefits such as:

  • Reduced physical discomfort

  • Better sleep quality

  • Decreased anxiety and mood swings

  • More energy for daily activities

  • Optimal conditions for your baby's development

  • Better preparation for labor and delivery

Your Pregnancy Doesn't Have to Be Nine Months of Stress

Just like Gabriella discovered, pregnancy doesn't have to be nine months of stress and anxiety. You have the power to transform your pregnancy experience and optimize your baby's development through understanding and caring for your nervous system.

The first step is getting your nervous system checked with advanced HRV technology. This simple, non-invasive scan can tell us exactly what's happening with your nervous system and help create a personalized care plan for you and your baby.

Don't wait until you're exhausted and overwhelmed like so many parents do. Imagine waking up with energy, feeling connected to your baby, and actually enjoying your pregnancy instead of just surviving it.

Remember what Gabriella said: "Never would have thought chiropractic care would make such a huge impact on me and my family's lives." Your transformation story can start today.

Taking the First Step

If you're pregnant or planning to be in the future, don’t wait to reach out to Pure Chiropractic to schedule a consultation and Neurological INSiGHT Scan. If you are not local to us, check out the PX Docs directory to find an office near you.

Your baby experiences everything you experience. By focusing on your nervous system health, you're giving your baby the best possible start in life—beginning before they even take their first breath.


An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backwards....

Do you ever feel defeated? Do you ever feel like life or your circumstances are pulling you in reverse?

I think we all have experienced that at different times, life can be very challenging. The responsibility of just getting through each day can be a mountain we often feel we don’t even know where to begin the climb. A recent quote I read that inspired me to write this today is by Paulo Coelho and it says,

“An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backwards. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that its going to launch you into something great!”

That thought it so powerful and something we see folks struggle with on a daily basis on their journey to better health. The old saying, if it was easy everyone would do it rings so true in my day to day life caring for people. Health is a marathon not a sprint and we need to give ourselves some grace sometimes. We often see people feel worse before they feel better and while we don’t like that happening we are respectful to the process of healing the body takes. Its one of the many reasons we encourage people to get their body right with us and then maintain that going forward. A well functioning nervous system serves not just our body but our mind as well.

So I encourage you today to be positive in all circumstances, find the good in everything and launch yourself into something great today!

Dr. John