Call me self serving, because right now, I surely am.  In fact, this selfishness of mine is 100% contrived AND intentional.  I’ve wrapped my family, my house, my practice and its members in a bubble.  I didn’t create this bubble to protect them from germs and viruses because, let’s face it, that bubble isn’t sustainable.  The purpose of my bubble is to assiduously guard my attentional space and my emotional tone.  My bubble is also a round-the-clock reminder that my mindset and of my emotional tone exactly determine the outcomes of my physical health. 

Am I the only one who feels a great deal of concern when I hear ads like the one on NPR this morning and the one I just heard on the PA system at my local grocery store?  Ads meant to remind us that “healthy habits include hand-washing, sneezing into our elbows, wearing a cloth covering over our mouth and nose and getting your flu shots”?  What are we?  Toddlers? Do these “habits” enhance the quality of our health or do they just keep u...

M name is Dr. Anik and I’m a control freak.  I’m particular about how I eat, my fitness requirements, my sleep habits, the supplements I take and the exact way my business operates.  I’d love to pretend that I’m into living by the seat of my pants and that I thrive on the idea of going where the wind takes me,  but who am I kidding…

When I surf, ski, bike and hike.  I’m cautious.  Even though I’m aware that there’s no such thing as control over the ocean, the mountains or even the other cars on the road,  it makes me feel better when I convince myself that I’m in control.

I’m not alone.  It seems that especially now, we’re even trying to take control over the course of nature.  Apparently we’ve forgotten that nature is and has always been the alpha do—all we can do to survive is decide to adapt.

A few weeks ago, I was at a trailhead in Big Sky, Montana, getting ready for a hike.  I was on autopilot, making lunch and unpacking the car.  Out of nowhere and with no notice, I broke my h...

I recently had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Rosen, a Dr. of chiropractic who specializes in cranial work and who has been in active practice for 38 years.  I met Dr. Rosen years ago while studying for my pediatric and pregnancy Diplomate (specialty).  Dr. Rosen at the time taught a specialized cranial assessment and adjusting technique for the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association.  Dr. Rosen continues has written several books and continues to teach his cranial work around the world.

I’ve condensed the interview to the information nuggets that I believe speak to the parents of children with Torticollis.  For the full interview, please watch the attached video.

Dr. Anik:  Do you find that there's a bigger trend toward Torticollis these days compared to say 20 years ago? Is it just that we're looking for it more or has it really become a pandemic?”

Dr. Rosen: I look back at my practice and I've always done pediatrics. It's always been part of my practice pretty much f...

Dr. Anik: Nice to meet you Dr. Hazelbaker. My name is Anik and I'm a chiropractor who  very much pediatric-centered. I work mostly with pregnant women, babies, and younger kids. I've been doing this for about 20 years and as time goes by, it seems that I've become drawn more and more into the world of torticollis. I'm not sure if it just happens to be making its way into my office more than ever, or if there really is a significant increase in occurrence of torticollis. What I do know is that parents are largely misinformed, even though there's a lot of great information for practitioners online, there's not that much information for parents... so I wanted to do some outreach.   I'm creating an online course to help guide parents - not only with information on what to look for and how to properly assess and diagnose torticollis, but be aware of the finding often associated with it.

I also want to include specific resources.   Sending people in the right direction with a list of practi...

When I graduated as a doctor of chiropractic 20 years ago, I knew right away that I wanted to specialize in the care of babies and kids. I resonated with the idea that the spine is the absolute foundation for health, because it houses the nervous system.  Focusing on the spine and nervous system from the moment of birth, is therefore only logical instead of waiting until the presentation of health challenges.

As the twig is bent, so grows the tree. 

Twenty years ago, when I first started doing this work, the rate of torticollis in babies born in the U S was less than 5% .  Today in 2020, it's estimated that 25% (this may be an underestimate) of babies are born with torticollis. There are a few reasons for this, which we very much address in our practice and in our online course.  

Torticollis largely goes unnoticed and unaddressed.  When it is addressed, the way we traditionally go about it is by addressing the aesthetic “look” of torticollis by simply treating it as postural distor...

When I graduated as a doctor of chiropractic 20 years ago, I knew right away that I wanted to specialize in the care of babies and children. I resonated with the idea that babies and children do best when their nervous systems function optimally. The spine and central nervous system are the foundation for life and health of the body. It made sense to me to establish a proper foundation so that the baby would become a child and an adult with the healthiest outcomes.  

The nervous system is directly connected to the immune system, digestive system, respiratory system, hormonal system, sleep and learning pathways.  Every organ, tissue and cell of the body is completely dependent on a well function nervous system.

It's therefore,  imperative to prioritize the nervous system from the moment of conception and at birth.  After all, "as the twig is bent, so grows the tree".  The relationship between the spine and nervous system is necessary to ensure that babies and children can reach the im...

Baby Rowen was born with severe torticollis.  His mother, Bebe, was a patient of mine and had been seen for regular chiropractic care prior to and during her entire pregnancy.  

Bebe's labor was 4 days long.  During these 4 days, Bebe was receiving chiropractic adjustments, where the baby would descend and seemingly engage but, he would then disengage and moved back up with his head "contorted to the side".   She believes that during this time, baby Rowen had significant contact pressure on his head, neck and face.

Immediately after birth, when Rowen began crying, his parents and the midwife "knew something wasn't quite right".  He had a significant facial asymmetry.  When he cried, the lower part of his mouth deviated to the left side.  According to Bebe, the midwives weren't well versed with torticollis and after ruling out trauma to Rowen's mouth, Bebe and her baby were released from care.

Bebe began noticing within a few days that Rowen favored one side more than the other, he d...

Is it just me or is there a contradiction here?  For a posse that’s “all in this together”, it also seems like we’ve never been so divided.  I never thought I’d see the day where anyone would be judged for going to work or fined for surfing.  There’s a herd mentality going on here which is creating a psychological pandemic. 

This road never ends.  It’s our journey.  There is no magic final milepost or finish line with 100% safety and where everyone will be “protected”.  Nature has never needed a “cure” to continue to grow and thrive.  Nature only needs for us to stop interfering with it.  It thrives when we leave it alone.  

I’m grateful that we still have freedom of speech when it comes to what we teach our kids.  Presently, the conversations around our kitchen table are intentional and very purpose driven.

Our recent kitchen table tête-à-tête…

Our words matter.  Think about how we feel when we see (and continue to see) headlines with words like apocolyptic, unprecedented and arma...

Hide in our homes, cover our faces, stay away from others.  Seriously?  This is what we get in our “survival” kit?

I don’t resonate with the emotional soup of apprehension, trepidation and helplessness  associated with this message.  This message is so very incongruent.   There is no doubt that chronic stress and fear are deleterious to the immune system.  Why aren’t they talking about THIS on the news?

Despite the fact that this pause has made space for gratitude, family time and for our planet to inhale and exhale, I hope we’re all wondering what the hell just happened.

There are only a handful of possible outcomes here…infectious disease experts predict that 70% of us will be “infected” with Coronavirus.  Some won’t know they’re infected, some will get mildly sick, some will get really sick and some will die.  The undeniable fact here is that the only factor in how we individually react comes down to how adaptable and strong our immune systems are.  

We hear that everything will...

Pandemonium is upon us.  The Coronavirus pandemic has its tentacles wrapped around everyone on the planet.

The experience we share currently is creating a global culture of unease.  The last time I felt this way was when I watched the Twilight Zone as a kid.  Intuitively, something feels very wrong.

The energy and consciousness of the planet is different and life is unlikely to ever be the same as it was a month ago.

We’ve been snatched up by fear and because of it, we’re literally emotionally paralyzed.

FDR’s proclamation that  “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”  highlights a threat much greater than the threat of a virus.

The most alarming monster in the closet is the current emotional pandemic.  If fear, doubt, worry and shame are the driving herd emotions right now…then we need to check ourselves before we wreck ourselves.

The internet and the media are driven by a unique currency - that of information.   Information itself is undeniably enriching.  It’s when the...