How are Computers Affecting Your Children?
Recent literature is advising against the overuse of computers for children.
“What’s good for his/her education may not be good for his/her growing body. Poor posture, repetitive motion and other harmful usage patterns
can lead to aches and pains in the short term, and possibly more serious effects
in the long.” The Canadian Pediatric Society has found that “63% of
children between the ages of 6 and 11 aren’t getting enough exercise.”
There are changes that can be made to the workstation to make it more comfortable,
but children still need to get “at least an hour of exercise each day.” This
generation of children has become sedentary and parents need to be more proactive
about doing physical exercise as a family.
Although technology has its obvious advantages it comes with some less apparent
negative effects. The fact that the average Canadian child watches between
4-7 hours of TV or video games a day is unbelievable. This sedentary
lifestyle has immediate and long-term health effects. The human body
is not designed to sit for many hours a day, especially in less than optimal
postures. For children whose bodies are still developing, this can have a
tremendous impact on their health.
Chiropractic is concerned with the structure of the spine
and the function of the nervous system. The nervous system
is the master control in the body. Changes in function of
the nervous system leads to changes in your health. Most of these changes
are silent and asymptomatic as the body goes through a process of dis-ease
(out of balance) before disease and symptoms occur. The three main
causes of nerve disturbance or subluxations are physical, chemical
and emotional. Hours spent at a computer especially at poor workstations causes
postural changes thus affecting the nervous system. As a family chiropractor,
I feel it is essential that parents make the effort to ensure their children
are physically active. Healthy lifestyle factors including
exercise, diet, sleep and regular chiropractic adjustments are very important to help you and your children perform to your fullest potential.