It Was Never “Just A Phase”
Provided By The ICPA
Most parents sense it long before there is a label. Their baby cries for hours and cannot be soothed. Their toddler barely eats, cannot poop regularly, or never seems rested. Their preschooler melts down over “tiny” things, dreads transitions, or seems constantly “on edge.”
Years later, that same child may be sitting in an office hearing words like ADHD, anxiety, depression, OCD, Tourette’s, or “sensory processing disorder.” What if these are not separate problems, but different chapters of one story—the story of a nervous system under too much stress for too long?
This article is about that big idea: that early struggles like colic, poor weight gain, reflux, and constipation are not just “phases” to survive, but early warning lights on the dashboard of the autonomic nervous system— and how chiropractic care can support healthier trajectories for body, brain, and behavior.
One Nervous System, Many Ages, Many Names
Think of your child’s nervous system as the master “regulation system” for everything: sleep, digestion, heart rate, immune function, movement, emotions, and attention.
A key part of this system is the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which has two main modes:
- Fight-or-flight (sympathetic)—wired for survival, defense, and speed
- Rest-and-digest and social engagement (parasympathetic/vagal)—wired for growth, healing, connection, and learning
In an ideal world, children move fluidly between these states. They get activated when needed, such as running, playing, coping with everyday stress, and then easily settle back into calm, connected, “ready to learn” mode. That flexibility is a sign of a healthy, adaptable nervous system. But many kids do not live in that perfect world.
Birth stress, early adversity, sleep deprivation, inflammatory foods, toxins, screens, and chronic stress in the home all add load to a baby’s fragile nervous system. If the stress is greater than the child’s capacity to adapt, dysfunction happens.
Ready to read on? Click here!
For Wellness,
Dr. Shannan McCormick