Today we are continuing to explore the complex and fascinating world of child development. In this episode, we dive into the crucial topic of attention in children, addressing the impact of brain waves, sensory processing, and motor skills. We discusses innovative therapeutic approaches, the importance of early childhood development, and the significance of fostering a supportive environment for children's growth.

It’s important of bring attention to the pivotal role of parent-child relationships in shaping a child's development, starting from the womb. The emotional connection and nurturing environment provided by parents significantly influence a child's emotional well-being and overall development. By acknowledging the profound impact of these relationships, parents can actively engage in fostering a supportive and nurturing environment for their children.

Join us as we uncover the connections between brain function, behavior, and overall well-being, and gain valuable insights into supporting your child's journey toward a flourishing and healthy future.

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Today I want to share a case with you of a child who was toe-walking. At first glance, toe-walking might seem harmless. You might think the child just prefers it, but in reality, toe-walking is a sign of a retained reflex - the Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR). The TLR reflex already occurs when a baby is in utero and has to do with flexion and extension of the body. In the case of the child that I mentioned, this child experienced a lot of anxiety or worry and their toe-walking was actually triggered by their emotions.

In this episode I’ll explain more about the TLR and its importance, how we can help our kids integrate this reflex, and how reflexes can reappear even if they’ve been dormant for years. I’ll also talk about the role of parents in getting a child the help they need and why you need to be willing to ask questions, share your ideas, and seek second opinions for your child when necessary. Healthcare providers need to work together because true health is composed of so many little pieces and no one knows all of the answers. Remember, it’s never too late for you to help your child!

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SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode104

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Phone the office: 678-501-5172

Our culture is obsessed with following trends. When it comes to trends, people often follow them regardless of whether or not they make sense. This is true with things like trying to be on point with the latest fashion trends or always feeling like you need to buy the newest and coolest smartphone. Buying into trends is not only seen when it comes to things like fashion and music, but it also happens in the world of healthcare. When it comes to health, many common problems (such as attention issues or a strep infection) are actually normalized because parents just assume that every child will deal with these issues at some point. But just because something is common does not mean it’s normal and as parents and healthcare providers, we need to question these “trends”.

When we become so accepting of these trends, we begin to narrow a path of resolution. Instead of looking at multiple perspectives, we are trapped into a way of thinking specific to what mainstream or traditional healthcare is telling us. However, I believe resolution is possible and that if you give the body what it needs you can turn many things around. In this episode I share some case studies of patients I have worked with personally and how I approached their unique needs. It is never my goal to take away from traditional healthcare. I believe there is a time and place for it, but my desire is to see healthcare professionals collaborating and sharing multiple perspectives in order to really help our patients gain healing and success.

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SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode103

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Phone the office: 678-501-5172

Today I have a special guest on the show! Dr. Richard Aplin is a chiropractor based in Huntsville, Alabama with almost 40 years of experience. He is also the host of the BrainStim podcast and so as you can probably guess, we both love brains! This episode is a bit more casual and relaxed than some of my other episodes. It is really just a conversation where I asked Dr. Aplin to share some of his ideas with us and I promise you, this episode is full of all kinds of tips and some great analogies to help you understand your health, your body, and your brain.

When Dr. Aplin works with a patient on a problem, he always tries to go and look at the process that caused the problem in the first place. There is a big difference between the processing that creates problems and the actual problems. He compared a health problem to a car hitting a ditch. If you find yourself in the ditch, you will do everything in your power to get out of the ditch. However, if you get back on the road and you don’t know why you ended up in the ditch in the first place, you’ll likely find yourself back there time and time again. If you address the process that is actually causing the problem you have, not only will you stop having the problem, but you will also find yourself handling additional problems that stemmed from the same initial process. No matter where you are in your health journey, Dr. Aplin shares some great insight. I’m so glad he could join me today!

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SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode102

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Phone the office: 678-501-5172

Today we’re going to talk about brain injuries. I think this is an important conversation for us to have because often when people hear the term “traumatic brain injury” they think of a really severe injury but don’t think about more mild or moderate injuries. When I talk about traumatic brain injuries, I’m not just talking about severe injuries. I’m talking about everything from a little bump on the head to a head injury that leaves a person in a coma. No matter how severe the injury, your brain will still respond in a similar way and if not taken care of properly, there can be life-changing long-term impacts.

Brain injuries are usually an invisible problem. An individual might seem fine on the outside and they might even think they’re fine without realizing that some of their struggles such as fatigue, irritability, headaches, or trouble focusing are actually a result of their brain injury. Anytime somebody hits their head, their brain literally slams into the inside part of their skull. No matter how severe the hit, this has potential to change or damage the brain. I think that we sometimes take these injuries too lightly because we really don’t understand the chemical changes that occur in the brain after an injury. In this episode I talk about how brain injuries are categorized, long-term effects of brain injuries, and what we should do in order to increase our chances at healing from a brain injury.

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SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode101

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Phone the office: 678-501-5172

Today we have a very special guest joining us. Emily Harris, a biology enthusiast and member of the Connect My Brain team, will be sharing her personal journey of dealing with stress and the surprising ways it impacted her physical health.

Emily's story is one that many of us can relate to, as she found herself experiencing a range of symptoms – from rashes and headaches to dizziness and ringing in the ears – all due to stress. Seeking solutions, she made significant changes to her environment and sought therapy, but it was the discovery of seemingly random things that helped her manage her stress that truly made a difference.

During our conversation, Emily highlights the fact that so many people, especially students, struggle to understand and regulate their bodies during times of stress. We delve into the impact of chronic stress on the body's physiological functions, such as the gut-brain axis and blood flow. It's fascinating to learn how chronic stress can even lead to autoimmune diseases and improper immune responses. 

Join us as we dive deep into the profound impact of stress and trauma on our minds, bodies, and overall well-being. Emily's story, combined with valuable insights and research findings, serves as a reminder of the importance of taking care of ourselves and each other. 

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SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode100

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Phone the office: 678-501-5172

Today’s episode is a little bit different than what I’ve been doing in the past few podcasts. This episode is a bit more casual and instead of trying to teach a bunch of new information, my goal is to connect the dots and piece together some of the things I’ve been talking about. Specifically today, I want to talk about kids who struggle in school and what you can do as a parent if you’re feeling overwhelmed about how to help your kids.

I think it’s extremely unfortunate that our traditional healthcare system makes it seem like once you have a problem or get a label you’re just stuck with it. I believe that healthcare practitioners need to work together and really open our minds to the possibilities of what we can do to bring restoration to our patients. When it comes to school, parents are stressed about how their kids are doing and being told that their kids are holding the rest of the class back and that they need to be medicated for the greater good. I don’t want you to feel stressed or defeated if you hear this. I want you to feel empowered! As a parent, you do not need to feel like medication is the only option for your child. In this episode I’ll share some of the common obstacles that could be impeding your child’s capacity to learn and what kind of help is available if you have a child who is struggling.

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SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode99

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Phone the office: 678-501-5172

In the last several episodes, I’ve been talking about common diagnoses that kids experience, but for the next few episodes, I want to shift our focus to adults, because of course, adults can struggle too and we do have adult patients here at Connect My Brain. Today I am going to talk specifically about attention issues in adults, why they might be experiencing them, and how they can find help.

Many times when I talk to adult patients about things such as attention issues, they are able to look back on their childhood and realize that this is a struggle that they’ve had for their whole life. If this is you, then I’d really encourage you to go back and listen to the episodes on attention issues in children, because I think it is so important to understand why you might be struggling. If you carry these struggles with you without any kind of answers or resolution, it can affect your confidence, self-esteem, and ability to be who you’re really meant to be. In this episode I talk about what kind of support to seek if you’re struggling, how technology use could be a big factor behind why you’re having difficulty paying attention, and how we can use neurofeedback at Connect My Brain to help you learn the skill of paying attention.

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SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode98

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Phone the office: 678-501-5172

When it comes to healthcare, we can approach things in a traditional way or a non-traditional way. While there are lots of good things about traditional healthcare, it often neglects to look at other tools and perspectives. Many parents find they need a mix of both traditional and non-traditional tools in order to really help their children if they are struggling. Today I had the privilege of interviewing a warrior mom, Elaine Jordan, about her daughter Lyla’s journey over the past four years. Lyla has been diagnosed with autism and also shows some of the signs of PANDAS. Lyla started out as a typical baby, but just before her first birthday, was caught in a strep cycle. The doctor kept prescribing stronger and stronger antibiotics, and while Elaine knew that this wasn’t good for Lyla’s gut health, she didn’t know what other options she had. At age two and a half, Lyla still wasn’t talking and was having severe tantrums. Eventually, a friend put her in touch with a holistic nurse and this is really what started Elaine and her family on the path of non-traditional healthcare.

I call Elaine a warrior mom because, as you’ll see when you listen to this episode, she has gone to great lengths to get help and support for Lyla. In our conversation Elaine shared some of the roadblocks she faced in getting support and a diagnosis for Lyla, how she views Lyla’s diagnosis, and her method of attack for helping Lyla function at her highest potential. Elaine also shared about her experience working with me at Connect My Brain and how the program has worked for them even though they are not local to me. Elaine is an inspiration and I’m very grateful she was willing to come on and share Lyla’s story. I love her flexibility and willingness to try new things to see what might work. If you’re a parent of a child who is struggling, I have no doubt that Elaine’s story and advice will leave you feeling hopeful and empowered.

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SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode97

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Phone the office: 678-501-5172

If you’ve been following along with the past several episodes, you’ll know I’ve been doing a series where I take a look at some of the most common childhood labels and diagnoses (including ADHD, anxiety, dyslexia, autism, and PANS/PANDAS) and taking a deep dive into each of them. In these episodes I’ve taken you through the history of each diagnosis and the mainstream narrative surrounding them and my goal was to break down traditional ways of thinking and help you look at these labels (and your child!) from a different perspective. Today’s episode will conclude this series and what I want to focus on today is really the question of, if diagnoses are continuing to climb, what do we need to be doing differently?

In this I talk about learning challenges in a more general sense and focus on cognitive flexibility, motivation, and how the lockdowns of 2020 are still affecting our kids today, much more than you might think. Although I’m sure many of us would rather forget the events of 2020 and the years following, we need to realize that these events changed our kids. Sure, the labels and diagnoses that we talked about in the past few episodes existed before the pandemic started, but these diagnoses are continuing to climb and we would be naive to think that the effects of the lockdowns on our kids are all in the past. This episode will have a strong focus on the far-reaching influence of the 2020 lockdowns, but I also talk about how motivation develops, how technologys is deeply influencing our children’s brains and behaviours, and where to start if you see your child struggling in school.

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SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode96

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Phone the office: 678-501-5172