Pediatric Hay Fever Treatment, Click Here

For New York City children with allergies, the second half of the school year, from January through May, can be the toughest time of the year as the tree pollen starts it’s gradual surge to some of the highest levels for the year – aggravating children in all 5 NYC boroughs.   June’s arrival is met with grass allergies and July, August, and  September,  New York City’s heat and humidity elevates both indoor and outdoor mold levels, which are problematic for children who have mold-sensitive allergies.

Common allergies include Pollen, Grass & Weeds, Dust Mites, Pollution and Foods.  Most reactions arise from your immune system misjudging a harmless substance you’ve ingested and interprets it as a dangerous pathogen. From then on, your system raises its defenses every time it detects particles of the offending substance, or allergen, triggering a bevy of unpleasant side effects, such as wheezing, sneezing, itching and swelling. Traditional treatment for allergies in children typically includes some form of pharmaceutical intervention whether it be over the counter or prescription. While side effects of allergy medications are not common they can be serious. The most common is dizziness and headaches, which for a child may not be a positive trade-off of symptoms and can lead to continued or intensified fussiness and frustration.

While traditional treatments can be effective the field of alternative and integrative medicine has less invasive and more natural approaches with the same and often times better long-lasting results.  A healthy immune system tackles the invasion of foreign substances neutralizing them off before they can do damage.   Be sure to visit our page on our Immune System Boost treatment and Lymphatic Drainage therapy, both of which describe the gentle and non pharmacological manual therapy treatments we offer children in resolving their allergies.  

Keeping your spine aligned is the first step to a healthy immune system. Misalignments of the spine and vertebrae create focal irritations which then sends faulty signals to the nervous system. Allergic reactions and responses occur when this abnormal signal takes (miscommunication) place along the same pathway as environmental messages that are made to distinguish threats versus normal conditions.  Proper communication between the brain and spinal cord is needed to maintain the strength of both the immune and respiratory system and to control and coordinate their functions properly.  When there are interruptions in this communication (misalignments of the neck) immunity can be compromised. Chiropractic care can help restore alignment and open the necessary pathways of communication between the brain and spine by manipulation of spinal joints and soft tissue either through traditional adjustment or craniosacral therapy.

Through chiropractic adjustments and nutritional support studies show significant decreases in allergies of all forms, including seasonal allergies and asthma.   Most allergies involve the body releasing inflammatory producing histamines.  However the body can naturally generate cortisol, an anti-inflammatory hormone produced by the adrenal gland and necessary to combat this.  This is why many allergy sufferers are also found to have weak adrenal gland function. What most allergy sufferers are not aware of is the adrenal gland is fed directly by the T9 spinal level nerve root – and this is how and why spinal misalignments can greatly impact allergic reactions. Thus a chiropractor can help allergy sufferers find relief and lessen reliance on antihistamines by bringing adequate production and regulation of important allergy-fighting hormones.

Allergic Rhinitis or Pediatric Hay Fever Treatment

When allergic rhinitis symptoms occur in Spring or Summer we call it Hay Fever.  However, unlike what the name suggests, a child does not need to be near hay, nor need to have a fever – to have symptoms. Allergic rhinitis is the common diagnosis when a child’s immune system overreacts to irritants (triggers) in the environment that are not problematic for most people.  The irritants or allergens are so tiny that they can easily be inhaled through the nose or mouth. 

While for most children these irritants or allergens are harmless, if  a child has Hay Fever their immune system perceives the allergen as an intruder.  In an act to protect the body, a child’s immune system  releases chemicals (mainly histamines) into their bloodstream to eject the intruding allergens – and in the process causes inflammation of the nose, eyes and throat as the histamines work.

There are mainly 2 types of Allergic rhinitis: seasonal and perennial.  Seasonal allergic rhinitis generally occurs in the Spring and Summer driven by airborne pollen from grass, weeds and trees. Symptoms typically improve with the onset of colder weather.  Perennial allergic rhinitis happens throughout the year and emerges from things found indoors such as animal dander, indoor mold, dust mites, and other chemical triggers.

If your child has allergic rhinitis or Hay Fever, you may notice some of these symptoms:

• Itchy nose, mouth or eyes
• Stuffy nose (nasal congestion) or runny nose
• Frequent sneezing
• Mouth-breathing or snoring
• Red, watery, itchy eyes
• Puffy eyelids
• Dark circles under the eyes (allergic shiners)
• Coughing (particularly at night) from nose drainage going down the back of the throat
• Headaches
• Some loss of smell
• Ears “popping” or crackling of infections
• Feeling tired
• Not able to focus, poor concentration

There are numerous treatments for Allergic Rhinitis or Hay Fever, but most all only tackle the symptoms and reduce their intensity, leaving the root cause unresolved.  Chiropractic care and craniosacral therapy are different in how they reduce stress while reinvigorating the patient’s central nervous system, thereby allowing the immune system to operate efficiently.  This is essential because a stress-free body and fortified immune system is more effective in fending off allergens and without the use of medications.

The respiratory system and immune system both depend on error-free communication between the nervous systems spinal cord and brain for command, coordination and control of the body’s systems and functions.  Subluxations or vertebra that’s misaligned place pressure on nerves, creating more stress on the central nervous system resulting in the body’s high vulnerability to outside stresses. Chiropractic adjustments remove these subluxations and decompress the spine, thereby opening the pathways of communication within the nervous system and allowing the return of a highly functioning immune system, effectively tackling the underlying cause, not simply the symptoms. Researchers at the New York Chiropractic College concluded in a study  chiropractic adjustments are effective in treating hay fever and improving health. 

Craniosacral Therapy can help a child by altering how the child’s body perceives these airborne foreign invaders and effectively reduce the child’s hyper immune response.  When under attack from seasonal allergies, our immune systems ‘sweeps’ out the perceived pollen invaders by releasing Histamine.   It’s the body’s ‘sweeping’ that creates the symptoms, the  itchy/stuffy nose, watery eyes, coughing, wheezing and sneezing – elevating the body’s level of inflammation.

Craniosacral Therapy can help with alleviate Allergic Rhinitis or pediatric Hay Fever by:

• Alleviating shoulder or neck tension allows sinuses to open up and reduce sinus pressure
• De-stressing the central nervous system and alleviating an overactive immune response 
• Reducing inflammation by moving of lymphatic fluid throughout the cranial system
• Boosting your immune system.

Be sure to visit our page on our Immune System Boost treatment and Lymphatic Drainage therapy, both of which describe the gentle and non pharmacological manual therapy treatments we offer children in resolving their allergies.

Craniosacral Therapy is another form of alternative treatment options that can improve and often diminish allergies and allergic reactions by stimulating the self healing, self regulating functions of the nervous system.  Craniosacral therapy and massage in general reduces feelings of stress and promotes relaxation. This is important in combating any stress in your life, as your body will respond to feeling stress by releasing additional histamine. The amount of histamine circulating in your blood correlates directly with the severity of your allergy symptoms.  A relaxing craniosacral therapy session can significantly reduce the body’s hyperactive response to pollen and lessen the severity of your symptoms.

About Dr. Kaminsky & Craniosacral Therapy

Dr. Kaminsky earned his Chiropractic degree in the year 2000 and is licensed to practice in NY. He has since completed close to three thousand hours of continuing education seminars in various healthcare fields.

Since 2015, he is implementing primarily the hands-on techniques of Craniosacral Therapy (CST), a gentle, non-invasive, laying of the hands that brings about reversal and restoration.

The Craniosacral Mechanism is the driver of moving fluid in the body and head called cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF), which is produced by the Choroid Plexus of the brain and encapsulated within the head and spine.

The craniosacral system is the hydraulic mechanism of a human being and is a component of the Central Nervous System (CNS) and (ANS) Autonomic Nervous system.

There is a function inside of your brain that autonomically generates rhythmic impulses that function to pump CSF throughout your body via the craniosacral pathways, regulating your central and peripheral nerves, nervous system and organ systems, musculoskeletal system, etc.

This moving fluid is palpable to a trained craniosacral therapist, like the heart rate, pulse rhythm, breath, that can all be seen, heard or felt, so too can the Cranial Sacral Rhythm (CSR) be palpated and diagnosed for its health.

By placing his or her hands on your body, including your head and sacrum, the therapist can detect, feel and evaluate the SQAR (symmetry, quality, amplitude, rate) of this fluid rhythm.

The health of your body and mind are dependent on the vitality of this fluid. Compromises of your CSR’s rhythmic impulse correlates to CSF flow restrictions in the system which, when the fluid isn’t flowing optimally, your bodily rejuvenation and recovery is affected.

With anatomically correct hand placement on different parts the body during a session, through gentle manipulation and mobilization the therapist guides and facilitates a positive change in that region of the body which brings forth a correction. A myofascial release in a sense.

A craniosacral therapist stimulates and helps your rhythm refocus, allowing for improvement of musculoskeletal tightness and spasms, neurological issues, organ function, many common conditions, pain, and the mind-body re-connect.

Through a practitioners properly focused and individually attuned touch, your body is facilitated to release channels of fluid stagnation and flow restriction, which ultimately breakthrough, overcome and improve your rhythmic fluid and your potential for health improvement.

The existence of the Craniosacral mechanism was first discovered by Osteopath Dr. William Sutherland in the early 1900’s, who called it Cranial Osteopathy. And many years later, renamed to Craniosacral Therapy by Osteopath, Dr. John Upledger.

Dr. Alex Kaminsky is an advanced and certified Craniosacral Therapist, having studied advanced levels including SER, Brain and Pediatric courses. He has built a significant skill-set with many years of experience treating adults, children and babies. To learn more, visit the other pages on this website. Call to schedule your appointment with Dr. Kaminsky.