Health
Ohio baby ‘smiling again’ after chiropractic adjustments, parents say — but is it safe?
A newborn in Columbus, Ohio, has a brand new demeanor ever since being treated by a chiropractor, her parents say.
Lily Freeman, just 2 months old, wasn’t a happy baby, her father, Joseph Freeman, told Fox News Digital.
When his daughter was born, her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck twice.
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About a week after the birth, Freeman and his wife, Stephanie Murdock, noticed that the baby exhibited extreme fussiness, grimacing, clenched fists, and stiff arms and legs.
Murdock, who was breastfeeding, went on a strict diet, cutting out all dairy and eggs, hoping to spark some change.
Stephanie Murdock and Joseph Freeman are pictured with their baby, Lily Freeman. “The only thing that worked was holding her upright. We knew something was wrong,” said the dad about his baby. (Joseph Freeman)
“When she was placed on her back, she would cry uncontrollably,” Freeman said. “The only thing that worked was holding her upright. We knew something was wrong.”
The couple took their baby to four different doctors, who concluded that since she was gaining weight and was healthy, she probably had colic — which would improve in three to four months.
“As her parents, we could not just sit back and wait it out,” Freeman said. “We knew she had invisible pain.”
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The couple posted on social media, searching for answers from fellow parents. Many recommended they see a chiropractor.
“We had no previous knowledge that chiropractors treated children,” Freeman said. “We were extremely skeptical because Lily was only 2 weeks old.”
When evaluating a baby, a chiropractor said the movements of the spine’s joints will help determine where adjustments are needed. (iStock)
Freeman and Murdock took their baby to see Dr. Josh Russell at Ability Chiropractic in Hillard, Ohio. The doctor explained to them that the birthing process can be “traumatic” for mother and child.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Russell said that he and his colleague, Dr. Tyler Morman, often treat babies with colicky behavior.
They typically perform a “thorough exam” and investigate the child’s history, including the details of the pregnancy, labor and delivery.
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“The whole premise of chiropractics is to help the nervous system function the way that it should,” he said.
“When you have a lack of mobility within the spine and tightness in musculature … that interferes with the nervous system’s communication to send signals to the rest of the body.”
A chiropractor compared the pressure of an adjustment to checking “a peach or a tomato for ripeness.” (iStock)
When evaluating a baby, the movements of the spinal joints will help determine where adjustments are needed, Russell said.
When adjusting, the doctor said the appropriate pressure is what might be used to check “a peach or a tomato for ripeness.”
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“It’s a sustained pressure, holding a specific area that needs to move better,” he said. “Once that nervous system interference is gone, we see huge changes.”
Freeman, the baby’s mom, told Fox News Digital after the second chiropractic visit, he and Murdock noticed a “huge change” in their little one’s mobility and demeanor.
Dr. Josh Russell at Ability Chiropractic in Hillard, Ohio, treated baby Lily Freeman. (Audrey Art/Ability Chiropractic)
“She started smiling for the first time since she was born,” he said. “We could place her on her back without her uncontrollably crying.”
He added, “She was able to sleep without waking up every 20 minutes in pain. It was a beautiful thing to witness Lily transform into a totally different baby.”
Some claim practice is ‘overwhelmingly safe’
Russell said he sees family members ranging in age from one day old to 99 years old.
Babies, toddlers and kids who may be having trouble with eating, sleeping or bowel movements could find great benefit from an adjustment, according to the chiropractor.
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For toddlers, Russell claims that chiropractic care can also help with hyperactivity.
Regarding parents’ worries that an adjustment could hurt their baby, he stated that the practice is “overwhelmingly safe.”
Babies, toddlers and kids who may be having trouble with eating, sleeping or bowel movements could find great benefit from an adjustment, according to a chiropractor. (iStock)
“I haven’t had any adverse reactions to chiropractic care,” he said.
“Our protocol … is a thorough exam, very light adjustments. It’s really nothing crazy.”
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Freeman encouraged other parents to “do their research” and consult with a chiropractor before undergoing treatment.
“Knowledge is power, and we had to advocate for Lily,” he said. “You have to be the voice for the voiceless.”
Lily Freeman, pictured at left, changed into a “totally different baby,” her father said. (Joseph Freeman; iStock)
Dr. Lora Tanis, a New Jersey chiropractor who is also the president of the Council on Chiropractic Pediatrics, also weighed in, telling Fox News Digital that she “definitely recommends” chiropractic care for babies.
“Often there are mechanical forces or circumstances that would warrant a spinal evaluation for a baby, and therefore, having a baby evaluated early can potentially avoid future problems,” she said in an email.
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Chiropractors are trained to perform “age-appropriate exams prior to determining if the child is a candidate for chiropractic care,” Tanis added.
Babies who suffer from neuromusculoskeletal conditions will show signs of “greater comfort” following a visit to the chiropractor, she said.
“Many parents report that their baby cries less and sleeps more soundly after chiropractic care.”
“Often there are mechanical forces or circumstances that would warrant a spinal evaluation for a baby, and therefore, having a baby evaluated early can potentially avoid future problems,” one chiropractor said. (iStock)
“Adjustments performed on children are very gentle, precise and appropriate for their age,” Tanis said.
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She encouraged parents to seek chiropractic help for children if they notice abnormal posture or head position, decreased motion of extremities, irritability with movement, or trauma.
Experts warn of risks
Not all experts agree that chiropractic adjustments are safe for newborns.
An observational study published in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), concluded that “serious adverse events may be associated with pediatric spinal manipulation.”
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Beth C. Natt, M.D., system medical director of pediatrics at Atlantic Health System in New Jersey, echoed those concerns.
“I do not recommend chiropractic care for babies,” she told Fox News Digital.
“Although watching a newborn baby get ‘adjusted’ might be a popular video clip on TikTok, the reality is that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other reputable medical organizations do not recommend chiropractic care for infants due to safety and efficacy concerns.”
“Infants are wired to adapt to their environment without external interventions like chiropractic care.”
Claims that chiropractic care can treat conditions like colic, reflux and sleep disturbances are “not supported by rigorous scientific studies,” according to Natt.
Although some believe that infants need to be “realigned” after childbirth, Natt disagreed.
Infants have “delicate and developing bones and joints,” the doctor noted, which makes them “more susceptible to injury from spinal manipulations,” a pediatrician said. (iStock)
“The infant’s body undergoes these natural adjustments and development after birth, and infants are wired to adapt to their environment without external interventions like chiropractic care,” she said.
Infants have “delicate and developing bones and joints,” the doctor noted, which makes them “more susceptible to injury from spinal manipulations.”
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“There have been documented cases of serious injuries, including fractures and spinal cord injuries, after chiropractic care in infants,” Natt warned.
The doctor recommended parents speak with their pediatricians about their concerns before seeing a chiropractor.
Babies’ developing bones can leave the little ones more susceptible to injuries, the pediatrician said. (iStock)
The pediatrician can perform an assessment of the infant and determine whether other, less risky therapies are better for the infant, she said.
Natt added, “At the end of the day, we are all aligned — we want to ensure that we care for the health, safety and comfort of our patients.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the AAP requesting comment.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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