Dr Alyson Murray – Chiropractor for Babies and Children

Welcome, my name is Dr Alyson Murray and I created Chiropractic for Babies & Children, a space setup to cater exclusively to all things relating to babies and small children. My background working with children is extensive and spans greater that 25 years. I hold qualifications in Midwifery plus Paediatric Nursing and continue to work with sick children at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. This keeps me up-to-date with evolving paediatric treatment modalities and allows my practice to benchmark with current medical practice.

At Chiropractic for Babies & Children the health and wellbeing of my little clients and their families is fundamental to everything I do. My approach is holistic and I incorporate very gentle chiropractic methods combined with nutritional advice, plus allergy/intolerance management, to achieve results.

Why did I choose to become a chiropractor?

Throughout my career working as a nurse, I became aware of a large gap in the health services that we provide to our little clients and their families. The gap lies with those babies and children that do not fit the medical criteria of being acutely unwell, yet repeatedly present to health professionals with issues that are causing the parents concern. Babies commonly present with poor sleeping, difficulty feeding, excessive vomiting and prolonged periods of crying. This commonly leads to an assumptive diagnosis of “colic” (a term used for babies that cry excessively for no apparent reason), “first time mum” or “over anxious parent”. Large proportions of these babies are sent home with something for the “silent reflux”, yet in most cases it works for a week or two and then they regress.

I believe that chiropractic offers a gentle, effective and drug free approach to children’s healthcare. This was the driving force behind my return to university to complete the 5 years of full time university study, required to qualify as a chiropractor. My sole purpose being to continue working with babies and children, having gained new skills that could help the issues/conditions not adequately covered by mainstream medicine. Since this time I have undertaken several years of comprehensive post graduate chiropractic training exclusive to paediatrics.

Why am I different to other chiropractors?

As a chiropractor that works exclusively with babies and small children, my extensive background in midwifery and paediatric nursing offers a unique skill set and level of experience not seen in the chiropractic profession. Children are not just “little adults” and care should be provided by practitioners who have extensive hands-on experience and knowledge of how children’s systems differ from adults. All chiropractic practitioners who choose to work with babies and small children should be extensively trained in normal growth and development plus have established expertise in the different paediatric conditions that commonly present. In this practice we have established referral pathways with GP’s and paediatricians, and will refer if required.

Why do parents choose to bring their precious newborn baby to a chiropractor?

Parents commonly find me when they have trialled all other mainstream options with no success. The most common statement parents make is “I know something is wrong with my baby but no one will listen to me”. “My baby cries too much” or “My baby doesn’t sleep enough”. I am repeatedly asked “Why did no-one refer me earlier?”, “Why were we not told about this service?”. Second time parents have been known to drop in for a check-up on the way home from the hospital, to prevent the issues they had with their first. My aim of treatment is to ensure your baby or child receives the most comprehensive and best care available allowing them to be happy and reach their full developmental potential. I am yet to meet a parent who instinctually was not 100% correct about concerns for their baby.

On occasion, individual issues that children present with may require input from multiple paediatric health specialists. In these situations I am very happy to work in a collaborative model. This includes paediatricians, speech pathologists, podiatrists, physiotherapists, behavioural optometrists, audiologists, paediatric orthotists and occupational therapists.

My Qualifications are as follows:

• Master of Clinical Chiropractic (Award for Academic Excellence)
• Bachelor of Applied Science (Complimentary Medicine)
• Graduate Diploma Paediatrics (Paediatric Critical Care)
• Bachelor of Health Science
• Certificate Paediatric Chiropractic
• Registered Midwife
• Registered Nurse
• Infant Mental Health Training – RCH
• Paediatric Continence Care – International Children’s Continence Society

If you have any questions about my services, please check my FAQs page or feel free to Contact Me.