Accelerate Integrative Family Wellness

Accelerate Integrative Family Wellness We take a whole-body, brain-based approach to healing and wellness.
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Services include chiropractic, functional medicine, speech/language, feeding, myofunctional, and lactation care.

Many times, lip or cheek ties are overlooked. Even if your child’s airway is fine, functional issues may appear as: • Di...
11/19/2025

Many times, lip or cheek ties are overlooked. Even if your child’s airway is fine, functional issues may appear as:
• Difficulty coordinating suck–swallow–breath
• Gagging, reflux, or choking
• Constipation or bowel irregularities
• Neck tension, head-turning preference, or asymmetry

These issues often point to a restricted oral tissue affecting the vagus nerve, which influences digestion, feeding, and overall parasympathetic function.

💬 I want to hear from you: Have you noticed any of these signs in your child? Drop a comment, I’ll personally provide guidance on whether a functional evaluation might help.

11/18/2025

⚠️Did You Know??👇🏻

Vagus nerve is one of the most important cranial nerves influencing:

• Swallowing
• Digestive motility & bowel movements
• Lower esophageal sphincter closure (preventing reflux)
• Overall “rest and digest” function

It travels down the front of the neck with very little space around it—just 2 mm.

If your child has:
• A head-turning preference
• Torticollis
• Plagiocephaly
• Tight neck muscles

…this nerve can get compressed. A restricted tongue or lip can worsen these asymmetries, affecting vagal function.

When the vagus nerve isn’t firing well, children may experience:
• Reflux
• Constipation
• Gagging or choking
• Difficulty coordinating suck–swallow–breathe
• Anxiety or dysregulation

These subtle signs are often overlooked—but understanding how oral restrictions impact the vagus nerve can help parents identify and support their child’s feeding and digestion challenges.

Have you noticed any of these issues in your child? Drop a comment below—sometimes the smallest signs reveal the biggest insights.

Did you know a tiny piece of tissue in your child’s mouth could silently sabotage feeding, speech, and even oral health?...
11/17/2025

Did you know a tiny piece of tissue in your child’s mouth could silently sabotage feeding, speech, and even oral health?

Even subtle lip or buccal ties can have significant, lasting impacts on a child’s development—often in ways that aren’t immediately obvious.

Here’s what parents should know:
• Lip seal & oral posture: Restricted lips can make feeding and swallowing less efficient, leading to fatigue, frustration, or even avoidance during meals.
• Spoon clearing & early feeding skills: Difficulty clearing food from a spoon or cup can affect growth, comfort, and confidence while eating.
• Speech & sound formation: Small ties may influence how a child forms sounds, potentially impacting articulation later in childhood.
• Oral hygiene: When cheeks can’t expand fully, food may get trapped, increasing the risk of cavities, gum irritation, or chronic mouth discomfort.

Even if a pediatrician says the airway is fine, functional challenges can still exist, affecting feeding, digestion, sleep, and overall wellbeing. These subtle signs often go unnoticed but they can have real consequences for your child’s comfort and development.

Observing patterns in feeding, oral posture, or speech can help identify whether oral restrictions may be playing a role.

Awareness and understanding are the first steps in supporting healthy oral and overall development.

Have you noticed any of these feeding or oral challenges in your child?

🙏Share your experiences in the comments, sometimes the smallest signs reveal the biggest insights.

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Most parents hear “lip or tongue tie” and immediately think .But here’s the part no one talks about…The real work start...
11/15/2025

Most parents hear “lip or tongue tie” and immediately think .

But here’s the part no one talks about…
The real work starts long before a laser ever touches tissue.

In my clinic, we begin by looking at what truly matters:
✨ How wide your baby can open
✨ Whether they can latch comfortably
✨ How well their tongue elevates, cups, and moves
✨ How coordinated their suck–swallow pattern is
✨ And yes, how well their vagus nerve is supporting those reflexes

Because two babies can have the same tie… and completely different feeding experiences.
Function tells us the real story.

And just to be clear, I don’t perform tie releases in my clinic.
As a chiropractor and lactation consultant, it’s outside my scope.
When a release is needed, I refer you to a holistic functional dentist with advanced CO₂ laser training (and scissors for older kids or adults when appropriate).

The procedure is quick, usually under 10 minutes, and infants don’t require stitches.
But after-care? That’s where the transformation happens.

At each session, we walk through stretches, wound care, oral motor exercises, and the exact therapies your baby needs right now.
No templates. No cookie-cutter plans.
Every family’s journey is different, and your plan should reflect that.

If you’ve been wondering whether your baby needs a tie release, remember:
A diagnosis is important, but function is everything.

Cheek ties, also called buckle ties, are a lesser-known but important oral restriction in babies. Until recently, there ...
11/12/2025

Cheek ties, also called buckle ties, are a lesser-known but important oral restriction in babies. Until recently, there wasn’t even a classification system—but now we understand how these ties can impact feeding, oral development, and long-term dental health.

Even after a lip tie or tongue tie revision, tight cheeks can restrict a baby’s ability to open their mouth fully. Imagine trying to bite into an apple with the sides of your cheeks pulled in—this is what it can feel like for a baby with untreated cheek ties.

Over time, restricted cheek mobility can cause:
• Food pocketing: Bits of food get stuck in the corners of the mouth or cheeks.
• Dental decay: Trapped food increases the risk of cavities.
• Feeding difficulties: Challenges with chewing and swallowing as the child grows.
• Oral function issues: Limited mouth opening can affect speech, chewing, and overall oral development.

While many dentists and ENT specialists may not address cheek ties, a functional or holistic dentist recognizes their role in helping babies eat comfortably and develop healthy mouths.

Early recognition and treatment can prevent ongoing feeding problems and dental issues, supporting your child’s long-term oral and overall health.

Parents, have you noticed your child struggling to eat or pocketing food in their cheeks? Could cheek ties be the hidden cause?

Think you know everything about your baby’s feeding struggles? Think again!Tongue and lip ties can be tricky—sometimes o...
11/10/2025

Think you know everything about your baby’s feeding struggles? Think again!

Tongue and lip ties can be tricky—sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle. Many parents miss the signs, and myths can make it even more confusing.

❌ Not all tongue and lip ties are obvious at birth—some babies may feed poorly, have reflux, or struggle with solids later.
❌ Formula feeding doesn’t fix tie-related problems—ties can still cause discomfort, reflux, and poor weight gain.
❌ A tie release is safe when done by a certified provider and often improves feeding immediately.
❌ Untreated ties can impact speech development, dental alignment, sleep, and digestion.

🌟 Every baby is different, and subtle signs can easily be missed.
Have questions about your baby’s feeding or development? Comment your questions below and I’ll personally DM you with guidance and next steps!

Dr. Erika
Accelerate Integrative Family Wellness

💔 When your child suddenly changes — and no one can explain why — it’s terrifying.Maybe your once-happy child becomes an...
11/07/2025

💔 When your child suddenly changes — and no one can explain why — it’s terrifying.

Maybe your once-happy child becomes anxious, emotional, or starts new routines overnight.
Maybe their handwriting shifts, or they just don’t seem like themselves anymore.

These aren’t “phases.”
They’re signals — the brain’s way of showing inflammation or immune imbalance.

In conditions like PANDAS, an infection can trigger the immune system to attack the brain, leading to sudden behavior, mood, or motor changes.

You’re not imagining it — and you’re not alone.
At Accelerate Integrative Family Wellness, we help families uncover the root cause, calm inflammation, and restore balance so children can truly thrive again.

✨ It’s not “just behavior.” It’s biology asking for help.

💬 Comment “ ” to learn more about what might really be happening beneath the surface.

🩺 — Dr. Erika
Accelerate Integrative Family Wellness

Have you ever felt like your child’s behavior changed overnight — and you just knew something deeper was going on? 💔Mayb...
11/05/2025

Have you ever felt like your child’s behavior changed overnight — and you just knew something deeper was going on? 💔

Maybe they suddenly became anxious, emotional, or started doing things that felt out of character.
Maybe it all started after a simple cold or infection — and since then, they just haven’t been the same.

These shifts can be more than “just a phase.”
In conditions like PANS or PANDAS, infection-triggered inflammation can affect the brain, leading to sudden changes in mood, focus, and behavior.

🧠 It’s not “bad behavior.” It’s the body’s way of saying something needs attention.

At Accelerate Integrative Family Wellness, we help families identify the root cause, calm inflammation, and restore balance — so kids can truly thrive again.

✨ You’re not alone, and your intuition matters.

💬 Have you noticed changes like this in your child? Comment “$YES” below — I’ll personally DM you with helpful resources and next steps.

🩺 — Dr. Erika
Accelerate Integrative Family Wellness

Address

1257 2nd Street N
Sauk Rapids, MN
56379

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 7am - 11am

Telephone

+13207611666

Website

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ozNSfhfVSjTDssZza8UQz_jBtPfPEsOZ/view?usp=drive_link

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