Chiropractic can benefit Pregnant Women
By: Dr. Donna A. Pontoriero, Chiropractor

Chiropractic for pregnant women? Sure! It is one of the best things for the mother-to-be and the baby-to be. Pregnant women as a group need chiropractic checkups more than any other group.

Pregnant women are taking more responsibility for their bodies by reading more, asking questions, eating better, exercising more and finding healthier ways of taking care of themselves. Chiropractic care should be considered an essential part of the pregnant woman's health care regimen.

Chiropractic is a method of keeping the body free from vertebral subluxations. Vertebral subluxations upset the body functions and disrupt good health. The doctor of chiropractic looks for spinal misalignments and corrects them with gentle chiropractic adjustments. This allows the circulation, nerve impulses and spinal fluids to function normally and maintain a healthier body.

This is all-important for the pregnant woman who needs her body as healthy as possible to handle the pregnancy and childbirth. Chiropractic care will help ensure that the reproductive and other systems essential for a healthy pregnancy receive an uninterfered nerve supply from the spinal column.

Chiropractic also provides drugless health care. Drugs, whether prescription or over the counter can harm the growing fetus. Almost all types of drugs and medications have been linked to fetal damage or malformations. Some substances that can damage the mother and fetus are aspirin, alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana and cocaine.

In the journal of the American Osteopathic Association a number of practitioners commented on the effectiveness of spinal care for pregnant women.

"For normal patients, corrections of vertebral subluxations definitely help normal function and rehabilitation. Manipulation can be of great value in normalizing the body functions of pregnant women."

It is safe and easy for a pregnant woman to receive chiropractic care, and care can be given throughout the pregnancy. Relief of back pain is just one of the many symptoms that chiropractic care can correct during pregnancy. Consult a doctor of chiropractic for a health alternative to a drug free and pain free pregnancy.

Dr. Donna Pontoriero can be reached at 85 Franklin Ave, Nutley, 235-9393.