Clinical Management of Infants and Children

By - Karen Bilgrai Cohen, D.C.

See pages XX on how to order.

Not long ago a television news magazine presented what I feel was a pretty distorted picture of a chiropractor who performed cranial adjustments to aid children with learning disabilities. While it claimed to be unbiased, it was obvious that the aim of the story was sensationalism; so the audience was treated to the agonized screams of children being "tortured" by the maniacal chiropractor. Just what we need.

The result of the story was the creation of a negative feeling towards chiropractic care for children -- particularly cranial adjusting. This is a tragic consequence, for craniopathy is a vital form of health care that should be indigenous to chiropractic.

Cranial adjusting goes back a long way in our profession with Nephi Cottam, D.C., being considered by a few the "discoverer" of cranial adjusting. Most, however, credit William Sutherland, D.C., with the founding principles upon which modern cranial techniques are based. Most of the chiropractors I have seen adjusting the cranium have used rather primative and forceful ways to move the cranial bones while the osteopathic approaches that I have witnessed were far more subtle. This is an important point, for the manual developed by Dr. Karen Cohen uses the latter form of cranial expression as both a diagnostic and therapeutic tool.

Clinical Management of Infants & Children covers the full spectrum of cranial technics needed as therapy for the fragile components of the infant skull. We are not talking about adjusting the cranium but molding it with soft manual suggestions.

The text is about this but a great deal more, for it ventures into the broad spectrum of natural therapeutics that can be offered by the chiropractic physician. Page after page is filled with interesting information on the diagnosis and treatment of most of the major, and many of the minor, health problems related to the infant and growing child. With a concise flow of ideas Cohen expresses the gentle nature of her approach which should gain not only the reader's interest, but respect as well.

The text is divided into four parts -- the first concerns the needs of the infant, the second the child, the third is concerned with the adolescent, and the fourth addresses the indications for adjusting. This is not a book about cranial therapy; it's equally about homeopathy, and applied kinesiology, and all manner of adjusting procedures. It's about diagnostic procedures and nutrition and exercise -- it's about children and happens to pack more useful information in its 106 pages than any comparable attempt I have ever seen.

I have long felt that chiropractic, as a maturing profession, needs to place greater emphasis on its specialty practices. One that has been neglected, if not ignored, is pediatrics. It is hoped that efforts such as Cohen's will increase not only our knowledge but our interest in this vital area of chiropractic care.

There is that very old saying that "As the twig is bent, so grows the tree." Dr. Karen Bilgrai Cohen appears to be a master "bender" who is willing to share her considerable knowledge with her colleagues. We should take advantage of this offer and move toward becoming the complete physician our patients have the right to expect us to be.

RHT