Dr. Rachel Yeary

Calming Autism Naturally

The most memorable patient I’ve had was a little 5 year old boy. He had several health issues, such as having a hard time using the restroom away from home, sleeping throughout the night, eating a full meal, and wetting the bed. The boy also had Autism, which presented other obstacles.

Children with Autism often stay in “fight or flight” mode rather than “rest and digest” due to their nervous system being agitated by varying causes. This means their baseline is typically very stressed and overstimulated, which was clear to me when he first stepped into the office.

After seeing him struggle with being comfortable, my goal was to remove his tension and return him to a relaxed baseline from a stressed state. We completed his examinations and tests, then began to work very slowly while minding his boundaries. During his first full spinal adjustment, I noticed severe tension in his low back and neck so I took extra precaution.

A few appointments later, his demeanor seemed to change for the better. He was much calmer, more talkative, had less issues going to the restroom, and started to sleep the entire night. The more we saw him the less tears and tantrums there were. They were now replaced with wonderful smiles.

His mother reported that he became more pleasant and his comfort with us started to reflect into his other doctor appointments. They’ve experienced many issues with him doing hearing tests because of the process’ overstimulation. However, they were able to finally complete his tests after several months of trial.

This news was proof that his nervous system was exiting the “fight or flight” mode and it reminded me that the impact of an adjustment is more than musculoskeletal. The adjustments had a direct impact on his nervous system which drastically changed his personality and demeanor.

Witnessing the little boy’s progress made a huge impact on me as a chiropractor. It’s my personal goal to always get patients to be and feel like themselves again.