Primitive Reflex
Integration

When babies are born, they don’t have to learn everything from scratch. They come into the world with certain reflexes, which are automatic actions that their bodies do without thinking. These reflexes help babies survive and grow.

It's like their bodies have a set of built-in “programs” to help them out in the early months and years of life.

Some examples of these reflexes are:

Moro Reflex (Startle Reflex): When a baby hears a loud noise or feels like they’re falling, they suddenly fling their arms out and then pull them back in, almost like they're hugging themselves.
Rooting Reflex: If you gently stroke a baby’s cheek, they will turn their head and open their mouth, like they're looking for food to suck on. This helps babies know where to find the breast or bottle to feed.
Grasp Reflex: If you place your finger in a baby’s hand, their fingers will automatically wrap around it tightly, like they’re holding onto something.

As babies grow older, their brain gets stronger and learns to control movement.

This means these reflexes usually disappear as they start using their muscles on purpose to do things like reach for a toy or sit up.

Sometimes a reflex doesn't go away when it should.

This is called a retained reflex.

If a reflex sticks around for too long, it can make it harder for the brain to learn new things or control movement. It’s like trying to drive a car while the parking brake is on – it makes things harder than they need to be.

For example, if the Moro Reflex stays active even after childhood, you might get startled or anxious easily, even if nothing is actually wrong.

If the grasp reflex sticks around, you might have trouble letting go of things when they need to.

These retained reflexes can cause problems with things like:

Balance and coordination
Focus and attention
Learning

Fortunately, your body is extremely adaptable, and through specific light, vibration and movement therapies, those reflexes can be integrated even into adulthood. It's never too late to improve how your brain processes information and change how you experience the world.

Cold Laser Therapy

In our office we use cold laser therapy when addressing primitive reflexes that are retained.

Cold laser therapy, also known as low-level laser therapy (LLLT), uses specific wavelengths of light to stimulate healing in tissues without generating heat. It’s called "cold" because it doesn’t cause any warming sensation, unlike traditional lasers. The light penetrates the skin and is absorbed by the cells, which helps boost energy production within the cells (specifically in the mitochondria). This can improve circulation, reduce inflammation, and promote tissue repair.

It’s commonly used for pain management, reducing inflammation, and speeding up recovery from injuries like strains, sprains, or even post-surgical healing, but is very useful for retained reflex integration as it reinforces brain pathways and builds neural plasticity.

Because it's a non-invasive treatment (no surgery or needles involved) that works with the innate healing abilities of the body, it fits right into our chiropractic clinic and philosophy of care.

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