Our Services
At La Luna Natural Health, we believe a personalized approach to healthcare is essential to identify the unique needs of each patient and design care plans to support each person's individual path to optimal health and well being. We emphasize natural health and wellness techniques designed to identify and heal the underlying causes of health conditions, not just treat their symptoms. While we gladly offer traditional chiropractic adjustments for the whole family, we also offer the following highly specialized care techniques to support all families through pregnancy, early life, childhood, and beyond.
Specialized Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic medicine is based on the idea that disruptions in the biomechanical structure of the body have a significant impact on function. The body and the brain are continually communicating with one another via the nervous system and when this communication is impeded, pain, dysfunction, and disease can occur. Chiropractic treatment is gentle, non-invasive, and may include hands-on manipulation of joints and muscles, lifestyle recommendations, and nutritional advice.
At La Luna Natural Health our chiropractic care begins with a review of each patient's unique history followed by a thorough medical examination, including orthopedic and neurological testing. In addition to traditional chiropractic adjustments, Dr. Karin specializes in the following areas to help families achieve optimal health.
Tongue Tie, Lactation and Breast Feeding Support
Tongue ties and lip ties, also called "tethered oral issues", are quite common and contribute significantly to breastfeeding challenges, colic, sleep apnea, and musculo-skeletal maladaptations. We see a lot of tethered oral issues in our practice due to our involvement in supporting the breast feeding community. There has been recent debate within the medical community regarding the increased diagnosis of tongue ties and lip ties, including even a suggestion that the increase in diagnoses is caused by a social media fad. We believe the diagnosis ties has become more prevalent in recent years due to the awareness of mothers who wish to breastfeed successfully, as well as an increased recognition of the link between ties and other developmental challenges. Perhaps social media has played a role in facilitating increased communication around these issues, but in our opinion these issues and the challenges they create are no "fad".
While the release of a tie must be performed by a skilled clinician, preferably a dentist or medical physician specializing in tongue tie and lip tie treatment, we offer care and treatment to enable more successful function pre- and post-release. Release of a tie doesn't guarantee success because it takes organized movement of the muscles in the mouth to create new suck patterns. This may take some time because if the child was bound during development, a "new normal" in both posture and motion needs to take place for more beneficial outcomes. We support this through a combination of chiropractic manipulations, craniosacral therapy, and recommended homecare exercises.
CranioSacral Therapy ("CST")
Dr. Karin utilizes CST in her treatment of both children and adults. With CST she is able to assess and treat connective tissues throughout the body, most notably the dura mater that surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord and the fascia that surrounds and connects the muscles and organs.
Restrictions within the craniosacral system can cause a myriad of signs and symptoms that are overlooked by most other practitioners. Dr. Karin understands the importance of looking for and addressing these subtle changes throughout the body.
CST is a more gentle therapy than chiropractic or massage, making it a great option for infants and those that are highly sensitive. Although CST is effective for both children and adults, results are sometimes immediate, and almost miraculous, in infants as the cranial bones are much more mobile and their bodies so much more resilient than those of adults.
Infant and Pediatric Chiropractic Care
Being born is serious business. Whether it is by cesarean section or vaginal delivery, a baby's spine, and especially its neck, undergoes a lot of twisting and turning. Not to mention, they are growing for 40 weeks in some pretty tight quarters! Sometimes a baby will become really fussy (colic), not nurse well, or have struggles with bowel movements. Adjusting an infant can sometimes make the difference of a new mama nursing or not. Doing some gentle work on the baby's head, spine, and body, can help the baby nurse better, poop better, sleep better, and reach development milestones on schedule.
Chiropractic care offers gentle, non-invasive treatment alternatives for children dealing with chronic conditions or growing pains. Spinal manipulation and craniosacral therapy are safe for children of all ages, and our chiropractic physicians will work with you to decide the best treatment options for your child. Chiropractic physicians adjust the amount of pressure used in treatment based on your child's age and size, and in most cases, very little pressure is needed to help your child feel better. Assessing your child's spinal health can help ensure that they develop strong bodies and good health habits early on.
Perinatal Care for Prepartum and Postpartum Mothers
Chiropractic care can be an important way to take care of your body during pregnancy. As your baby and your belly grow, more pressure is put on your lower back and spine. In addition, your pelvis changes shape to accommodate the baby. Chiropractic treatment can help to relieve excess pressure on your lower back and to ensure that your pelvis and spine are properly aligned for an easier delivery.
Our physicians will ensure that your baby belly gets safe attention during your treatment. Moms-to-be can lie on their backs or sides for adjustment, and the treatment itself is gentle enough and will never harm your developing child. Specialized pillows are also available for added comfort during treatment. Chiropractic treatment has shown to be effective in treating many different pregnancy challenges, including controlling nausea, relieving back, neck and joint pain, and even reducing the time and difficulty in delivery.
