The attack usually lasts from a few minutes to half an hour and sometimes longer. The patient is left in a more or less state of exhaustion and the attack may be followed by stupor and coma. Very often convulsions in children over two years of age indicate the onset of some acute condition such as pneumonia or scarlet fever. However, convulsions may mean very little with small children that are extremely nervous. During the first few days of life they may be the result of temporary circulatory disturbances in the brain from prolonged pressure in difficult labor.
Family
All cases of convulsions are in the spasms family no matter with what other conditions they are associated. If there are other complications, and there usually are, the family for the complications will depend upon the functions involved.
Major Adjustment
When a chiropractor is called to see a child that is having convulsions he should make a very careful inquiry into the history of the case and try to find the associated incoördination. This is done for the purpose of determining the combination to be used. The major for location will be atlas or axis, while the combination will depend upon the associated condition. This may be K.P. or it may be S.P. or any other combination which would include the subluxation for condition.
Excellent results are obtained in cases of convulsions. The adjustment should be given as soon as possible. In many cases an adjustment of the atlas or axis will bring the child to consciousness and prevent a recurrence of the attack. The convulsion may be caused by an atlas subluxation with no accompanying condition. This is known as a direct convulsion and will respond very quickly to an adjustment.
NOCTURNAL ENURESIS
As early as the tenth or twelfth month of age the child may be trained to make known his desire to empty the bladder. However, with some children this may not be accomplished until two and a half years of age. If by the third year of age the child is unable to retain the urine for a normal length of time, it is evidence of some abnormality and should receive Chiropractic attention. The child is afflicted with what is known as enuresis, which may take place during the day or night, or both. If it occurs during the day, it is called diurnal; while if it takes place during the night, it is known as nocturnal. It is more likely to take place during the night, since it may be possible for the child to control the bladder during waking hours.
We are most concerned with the nocturnal enuresis, because this form causes the child more discomfort and it is more difficult to control than the diurnal.
We recognize nocturnal enuresis as an adaptative condition. That is, the emptying of the bladder is a perfectly natural process and will always take place under certain conditions. For example, if the sphincter muscle relaxes, the urine will be voided. In this event, we are not concerned in the voiding of the urine, but in the cause for the relaxation of muscle which prevented the bladder from retaining the urine. There are a number of conditions to which nocturnal enuresis is adaptative. The following are the most common: