The immunization schedule in this country keeps growing ever more complex as time goes on. (Or, we might say, as “Big Pharma” finds more and more ways to make a profit.)

Thirty years ago, infants were only vaccinated against five diseases – diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, rotavirus and polio. Now, according to standard immunization schedules, healthy infants are scheduled to receive immunizations against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b, varicella, and pneumococcus.

The CDC’s recommended vaccination schedule now states that American children should receive 25 to 30 vaccines before they are 5 years old. But look at the grid for these immunizations: When your tiny, helpless baby is just 2 months old, he or she could visit the doctor and be immunized for – all in one day – Hepatitis B, rotavirus, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Haemophilus influenza B, pneumococcal and polio. At 12 months, the list is even more horrible.

And while an adult may have more strength with which to fight back, the assault does not stop. What vaccines would the CDC recommend for healthy adults? The Singer Health Report writer, an exceedingly healthy female of 58 years, consulted the CDC’s quiz, What Vaccines Do You Need? (http://www2.cdc.gov/nip/adultImmSched). Answering the questions (not living in a nursing home, don’t plan to travel internationally soon, etc.) the writer found that she needs a booster of Tetanus, Diptheria and Pertussis and a seasonal flu shot. By receiving these shots, she would receive 50 mcg. of thimerosal, and doses of aluminum, hydrochloric acid and formaldehyde!

Next, the quiz was consulted for an extremely healthy 45-year-old male who travels internationally for business and who lives with his mother-in-law from Venezuela. He would need the following vaccines: Measles, mumps and rubella, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, seasonal flu, Meningococcal and the Tetanus, Diptheria and Pertussis booster. This healthy person, if he caught up on his vaccinations before his next international trip, would receive 75 mcg of thimerosal plus multiple doses of aluminum, hydrochloric acid, monosodium glutamate and formaldehyde.

To understand this assault on health from this multiplicity of vaccines, it would be necessary to go much further than just an analysis of the effects of thimerosal. The effects of all the other additives and the forms of the viruses themselves – and the sheer volume of confusing and challenging material to the immune system – must be examined in detail before this subject is put to bed.

Source: National Academy of Sciences, Infant Immunizations Not Shown to Be Harmful to Children’s Immune Systems, February 20, 2010, http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=10306

Source: Centers for Disease Control, Recommended Immunization Schedule for Persons Aged 0 Through 6 Years, 2010, http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/child/2010/10_0-6yrs-schedule-pr.pdf

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, What Vaccines Do You Need?, January 12, 2010, http://www2.cdc.gov/nip/adultImmSched/

Source: Institute for Vaccine Safety, Thimerosal Content in Some US Licensed Vaccines, February 23, 2010, http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/thi-table.htm

The common cold holds down the number one spot for office visits, but it might be a surprise that following close behind in the number two spot are sports and exercise related injuries. Sports injuries have long been moving up the list of the most common reasons that Baby Boomers seek medical attention and have now become more common than anything except colds.

On one hand, there is something positive to be seen in this statistic. It means that Baby Boomers are actually exercising with greater frequency. On the down side, encouraged by doctors to follow an exercise program of three to five times per week, the now mainly middle-aged boomers (78 million of them born between 1946 and 1964) are experiencing injuries in record numbers, too.

The types of injuries sustained and the medical treatment prescribed for them is becoming all too common in society today. Boomers are getting knee and hip replacements, surgery for cartilage and ligament damage and treatment for a whole slew of stress fractures, tendonitis, bursitis and arthritis, as well as endless prescriptions for pain killers, anti-inflamitories and muscle relaxants.

In addition to the cost of doctor visits, hospital stays and surgery, lost time in the workplace totaled 488 million days of restricted work among middle-aged Americans as early as 2002 as provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Costs associated with emergency room visits have risen sharply in recent years, too.

Chiropractors have long been strong supporters of exercise as part of a healthy patient lifestyle. A recent national survey of Chiropractors showed that the overwhelming majority of Doctors of Chiropractic support a healthy patient lifestyle: 97.8% recommend exercise, 93.6% recommend maintenance and wellness care, and 93.2% even provide ergonomic (equipment design) recommendations.

Unfortunately for Baby Boomers, enough of them are not heeding the advice of chiropractors or are not seeking out chiropractors as their healthcare provider in adequate numbers. In fact, according to a recent survey of Complementary and Alternative Medicine that included 31,044 Americans, only 7.5% of the general population utilizes Chiropractic services.

Americans would be well advised to increasingly seek out the advice of a Chiropractor to put them on the straight and narrow when exercising. They would receive education in how to reduce the growing prevalence of obesity, heart disease and diabetes that is becoming a plague upon the Boomer generation.

Most professional sports teams today have a chiropractor on staff to handle an assortment of injuries and to help in the planning of a team’s total wellness program. Individual Baby Boomers would be wise to add a chiropractor to their medical support team to help them achieve a happier, healthier and more injury-free lifestyle.

Sources: The World Chiropractic Alliance. http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.org/tcj/2006/jun/e.htm

Pain relievers of the addictive class of drugs commonly known as “narcotics,” such as Oxycontin and Vicodin, provide no advantage over non-narcotics for relieving chronic back pain, and additionally carry a high risk of addiction.

A team of 7 physicians and medical researchers analyzed data from 38 previously published studies that looked at the use of narcotics for back pain. Results were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Narcotics, also known as “opioids,” are commonly prescribed for chronic back pain and may be effective for short-term pain relief, the study suggested. Although opioid prescribing rates for back pain varied widely between studies, ranging from 3 percent up to 66 percent of cases, the data from four studies revealed no significant pain-relieving advantage for opioids over either placebo or non-opioid drugs, and an analysis of five other studies showed no significant drop in pain.

Study author Dr. Bridget A. Martell said she and her colleagues did what is known as a meta-analysis, pooling the results of the 38 previously published studies. “The meta-analysis does not show statistical significance that opioids work any better than placebo,” she said, although, “they possibly work for short-term relief.”

Potential for substance abuse

Chronic back pain is statistically the second most common symptom presented to doctors in the United States. Treatments can include simple exercise therapy or over-the-counter painkillers, but can also include powerful non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as well as antidepressants, Acupuncture and electrical stimulation. Many of these approaches to treatment are ineffective. When such treatments fail, doctors often turn to addictive prescription opioid painkillers.

The percentage of subjects with a substance use disorder at some point in their lives ranged from 36 percent to 56 percent. Up to 43 percent of subjects had a current substance use disorder. Between 5 percent and 24 percent of subjects showed “aberrant medication-taking behaviors,” the investigators noted.

Long-term efficacy is unclear, according to the study. Substance use disorders are common in patients taking opioids for back pain, and aberrant medication-taking behaviors occur in up to 24% of cases.

“The findings in this review suggest that clinicians should reconsider treating chronic back pain with opioid medications, and consider other treatments with similar benefits yet fewer long-term adverse effects,” the report states.

SOURCE: Annals of Internal Medicine January 16, 2007

With the nation’s healthcare and insurance payment system in a state that desperately needs to be renovated and improved, the introduction of more chiropractor provider care could offer positive solutions. According to one recent report, cost savings, care improvements, reduced surgeries and less pharmaceutical drug use could all occur when a chiropractor takes the lead as a primary care physician in an insurance provider network.

Healthcare reform has been bantered about in Washington D.C. for many years. Politicians have voiced concerns and some have tried to do something about it. New administrations entering the White House promise to make changes, yet, over 40 million Americans remain uninsured. COBRA insurance rates for those who lose their jobs but want to continue coverage are astronomical with annual fees of over $4,000 for individuals and $12,000 for families. The cost of surgery and a hospital stay is so enormous that even a short stint in a medical facility could financially wipe out the average individual or family.

The question remains; where lies the solution? The answer might be found in putting chiropractors in charge of a person’s healthcare with programs directed at keeping people well and free from drugs or surgeries.

A recent study showed that when chiropractors are in charge of a person’s healthcare, and where complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) solutions are part of their healthcare network, that not only costs but also the number of clinical visits can be reduced significantly. Consider these results collected over a 7-year period that compared a CAM-oriented primary care physician (PCP) network versus conventional medicine alone.

• 60.2 percent decrease of in-hospital admissions.
• 59 percent fewer hospital days.
• 62 percent fewer outpatient surgeries and procedures.
• 85 percent fewer pharmaceutical costs.

The clinical and cost utilization information in the report was based on 70,274 member-months in an independent physician association (IPA) network with a chiropractor as the primary care physician. This study compared results with conventional medicine IPA performance for the same health maintenance organization product in the same area and over the same time frame.

Granted, this is only one study performed by one group of researchers. However, what is clearly demonstrated in this quite extensive survey conducted over a significant period of time is this: CAM-oriented programs that use a non-surgical/non-pharmaceutical approach show significant reductions in clinical visits and costs when compared with conventional medicine networks.

With these amounts of savings and improvements in healthcare available, shouldn’t politicians sit up and take notice? More people utilizing CAM services with chiropractors in charge might be just the items needed to put healthcare on the right track in the United States.
 
Source: Alternative Medicine Integrative Group. “Clinical Utilization and Cost Outcomes Form an Integrative Medicine Independent Physician Association: An Additional 3 Year Update.” May 2007. http://www.chiro.org/ChiroZine/ABSTRACTS/Clinical_Utilization_and_Cost_Outcomes.shtml

A study conducted at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit has linked antibiotics to allergies and asthma in children. Children who received antibiotics within their first six months were at an increased risk of developing asthma and allergies by the age of seven.

448 children were followed from birth to seven years; the children were divided by gender into even groups.

Researchers collected data about all prescribed oral antibiotics; blood tests that measures immunoglobulin E (the antibody that causes allergies); skin reaction tests that determines if a person is hypersensitive to an allergen, and on all clinical visits. Researchers also collected environmental samples from the homes of the children.

The data was collected before birth and then at the first four birthdays. Each child was then evaluated at 6 to 7-years-old by a certified allergist.

Forty-nine percent of the children had received antibiotics by the age of six-months; the most commonly prescribed antibiotic was penicillin. Other finding included:

• Children who received antibiotics by six months old were 1.5 times more likely to develop allergies by age seven than children who did not receive antibiotics, and 2.5 times more likely to develop asthma.
• Children who lived with less than two pets by the age of six months given at least one antibiotic were 1.7 times more likely to develop allergies and three times more likely to develop asthma.
• Children whose mothers had a history of allergies were twice as likely to develop allergies. Those who were breast-fed more than four months, and received antibiotics by six months were three times as likely to develop allergies; the risk of asthma was not influenced by breast feeding and antibiotics.

According to Christine Cole Johnson, PhD, lead author of the study and senior epidemiologist for Henry Ford’s Department of Biostatistics and Research Epidemiology, “…we need to be more prudent in prescribing antibiotics for children at such an early age. In the past, many of them were prescribed unnecessarily, especially for viral infections like colds and the flu when the antibiotics would have no effect anyway.”

SOURCE: Henry Ford Health System press release, Science Daily, October 1, 2003; WCA News,
www.wcanews.com, October 2003; www.newscientist.com, September 30, 2003; BBC News, news.bbc.co.uk.

Spring is here, and along with it in many parts of the country come sneezes, itchy eyes and more. It’s called hay fever, a hyper-reaction of our immune systems to air-borne pollen from blooming plants and trees.

If you have hay fever, you are not alone. More than 26 million Americans suffer from hay fever symptoms, and 14.6 million Americans have asthma, which often accompanies hay fever.

The “hay fever season” is different for different people. Trees, grasses, and weeds produce pollen during different seasons. People who are sensitive to tree pollen may suffer in the early spring when trees are producing pollen. In the late spring and early summer, about half of all hay fever sufferers are affected by grass pollen. From midsummer to late fall, ragweed causes the most hay fever. Some people react to more than one type of pollen, so their “season” can be from early spring to the first frost.

There are many people who suffer from allergic reactions to dust and dust mites, mold and fungus spores, pets, furs, chemicals and a host of other airborne substances that attack their weakened immune systems all year long.

For both seasonal hay fever and year-round allergies, symptoms can include running nose, nasal congestion, postnasal drip, sneezing, itchy reddened eyes, conjunctivitis and sore throat. Allergies can affect the trachea and the lungs, causing shortness of breath, chest congestion, wheezing and asthma. Hay fever can even turn into an infection, and when severe, cause fever and headaches.

Treat the Cause, Not the Symptoms

Conventional therapies call for antihistamines, decongestants, oral steroids, and corticosteroid sprays, bronchodilator inhaler, and allergy injections. All of these just treat the symptoms and many have unpleasant side effects.

A growing number of hay fever sufferers are finding relief from alternative, drug-free approaches, such as Chiropractic adjustments, Acupuncture, and dietary changes to help boost immune systems.

Using a combination of natural remedies and alternative treatments such as acupuncture and chiropractic may be all you need to treat the cause of the hay fever, relieve the symptoms and even find a permanent improvement. The right combination of treatments can diagnose and treat the underlying imbalances that cause the allergies in the first place.

SOURCES: Acupuncture.com, April 2007, http://www.acupuncture.com/newsletters/m_apr07/main2.html;
American Lung Association, http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=35050#seasons

PREMATURE BABY AND RELIEVED PARENTS BOTH BREATHE EASIER AFTER TREATMENT

When a child enters the world prematurely, there is a good chance that some breathing difficulties might surface. However, when Chiropractic is involved, a premature birth does not necessarily mean that a child is going to have to spend many long months with drug and breathing apparatus intervention.

 One such case was recently documented in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research. Here was a case where the child suffered from the condition known as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), which is a lung condition that can be quite serious and results in breathing problems for the premature baby.

 The administration of oxygen is the usual treatment for the newborn child. Treatment is delivered in the hospital’s intensive care unit and is administered continuously for the first 28 days. A 120 day hospital stay is most likely and administration of antibiotics and continued oxygen treatments are required when the child is finally discharged.

 In the case under study, the child who was born 24 days prematurely followed this course of treatment after she was diagnosed with BPD. Oxygen was administered, antibiotics were included, and she was nourished with a feeding tube for 3 months. Finally, after 17 weeks she was discharged and oxygen treatments were continued at home.

 The girl was brought to a chiropractor for examination some 3 months after her release from the hospital. A Chiropractic exam showed that she weighed in at just 12 pounds now some 7 months after her birth. Her condition was described as listless. She had pasty skin and sinus congestion; her breathing was short and rapid, and there was no eye contact reported. Plus, she was constipated and colicky.

 After just one adjustment, the baby’s mother noticed immediate changes. The baby became livelier and was able to use her abdominal muscles to hold her legs up. The colic subsided and she easily passed gas for the first time. The second visit resolved congestion problems and her sinuses began to drain. After her third adjustment, the baby made some loud noises and started to draw air in more easily.

 With such positive results, Chiropractic care continued for a period lasting several months. The changes to the child during this period of time were quite remarkable. Daily improvements were noted – such things as more head control, better facial color, regular bowel movements and a much improved breathing ability.

 The end result was a healthy child who no longer needed any antibiotics. She never needed to be readmitted to the hospital during or following her Chiropractic treatment. By this time, she was able to roll over easily on her own and no symptoms of her BPD returned. Chalk up another victory for Chiropractic treatment with the result being a child who was well on her way to being able to live a happy and healthy life.

 Source: Kid Chiropractic. “Chiropractor Helps Infant with Serious Lung Condition.” March 2008. http://www.kidchiropractic.com/

AUTISTIC CHILD DEVELOPS SKILLS, HAS IMPROVED LIFE WITH CHIROPRACTIC

 The growing statistics on the number of autistic children in our society today are quite alarming. Some reports have it that autism is now occurring in an estimated 1 in 150 births in the United States.

 At the same time, more and more cases where children diagnosed with autism who are being helped by Chiropractic are continuing to be recorded. The study here of a 3-year-old child who was helped by Chiropractic intervention is another such important case as reported by the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research.

 This child had been diagnosed with autism about 1 year prior to her first visit to a chiropractor. At the time of her examination, she had social interaction skills that were below the norm for a child her age. She also had learning difficulties, and her language skills consisted only of communicating by screaming and outbursts of temper tantrums. She was not able to communicate through speech that would be normal for her age.

 The child’s mother was able to offer some information regarding the onset of the child’s autism. It was her observation that the symptoms were noticeable following the girl’s first set of vaccinations when she had reactions that were different than before and after she had slept for 24 hours.

 Testing of the child by her chiropractor included a full evaluation of her spine and her muscle function. It was decided that Chiropractic adjustment should focus on subluxations (partial dislocations of the vertebrae) in her spine and a protocol of gentle interventions were begun.

 In all, the child had 28 Chiropractic visits spread over a 10 week period. Initially, the girl was very apprehensive about her adjustments and didn’t like to lie down on the chiropractor’s table. However, this fear was all but gone by her 5th visit and she was soon lying on the table by herself and was happy to take hold of her Chiropractor’s hand.

 During her 10th visit, her mother said that the child began to verbalize for the first time. Later in the week, she even started to laugh. This improvement continued on throughout the first month of care when the child began to show expressions of joy and spontaneity while being less hyperactive. Meanwhile, her posture was improving, too.

 “This case report illustrates how an improvement respectively in both subjective and objective behavioral patters and nerve system symmetry follow Chiropractic care in a child with autism,” said the authors of the study. And, with the growing evidence that Chiropractic can benefit children with autism, it only makes sense that every child who shows symptoms of the disorder should be examined by a chiropractor to determine if help is possible.

 Source: Kid Chiropractic. “Improvement in a 3-Year-Old Autistic Child Following Chiropractic – Case Study.” April 2008. http://www.kidchiropractic.com/ and the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research. http://www.jvsr.com/abstracts/index.asp?id=345

CHIROPRACTIC BRINGS ADHD RELIEF, OFFERS MUCH SAFER SOLUTION THAN DRUGS!

Evidence continues to mount in favor of Chiropractic intervention having the ability to bring relief from the symptoms that have now commonly been lumped into the label of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This is especially evident cases when an accident or injury has occurred to a child or adult who previously showed no signs of any of the difficulties with concentration associated with ADHD.

 Case in point of this study involves a child of 6 years of age, a person of any age could suffer the same lack of concentration ability following an accident or a severe blow. This could occur through an auto mishap, a slip-and-fall injury, sports contact or even a work-related trauma that is part of daily life. While drugs are now frequently prescribed by the medical community to handle the ensuing “attention” problems, a Chiropractic adjustment may really be all that is necessary for normal function to return.

 A case discussing the events that happened to this child who struck his head while on the playground was recently presented by an Australian-American Chiropractic group. The child was knocked unconscious by the impact and, in the months that followed, his teachers noted his concentration problems, inattentiveness and even disruptive behavior. The boy developed all of the classic symptoms so commonly labeled as ADHD. He was unable to sit still in the classroom and his grades began to plunge.

 Drugs were a main part of the medical prescription for handling the boy. Unfortunately, but expectedly, these did not bring any lasting relief or help to the child. In spite of the powerful drugs, his headaches and neck pains persisted. Finally, 18 months after the accident, his mother brought him to a chiropractor.

  It may seem remarkable, but the boy only required 3 visits to the chiropractor over a 3 week period to put him back on the road to good health and classroom success. The diagnosis was a subluxation, a partial dislocation of the vertebrae.  He continued with regular checkups and after 9 months continued to do very well.

 An accident or blow which involves the head, neck and back being in pain is increasingly being documented as a trigger or aggravating factor to ADHD. This evidence and case studies such as this one can be of great value in spreading the word that drugs are not the universal solution for the handling of ADHD as has become so common in the world today. When drugs are administered, the concentration problems that are not handled can even lead to further accidents and more subluxations. Thus, the drugging solution could lead to a vicious circle that includes more injuries, more subluxations and an continued worsening of the ADHD symptoms.

 However, when the symptoms of ADHD are handled through Chiropractic, tremendous benefits frequently occur. First off, the pain and discomfort is either reduced or eliminated for the patient. Next, the relief provided to the nervous system through the correction of the subluxation are also extremely beneficial. Concentration ability often returns quickly, and the person gets more enjoyment out of life while doing better at school or at work, whatever the case may be.

 Chiropractic adjustments of the person suffering from, so called, ADHD can lead to a better overall state of health and increased productivity without drug intervention. Again, the simple motto for handling such ADHD issues should resound, “Say no to drug and say yes to Chiropractic!”

 Source: Dynamic Chiropractic. “Pain Relief. Safe Behind the Wheel.” January 2008. http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/26/02/15.html

MANY EAR TUBE INSERTIONS MAY BE

UNNECESSARY IN CHILDREN

Parents of children with ear problems should be wary of quick recommendations by doctors to insert ear tubes. A new study found that in many cases ear tubes are surgically inserted too soon, thus subjecting children to general anesthesia for a medical procedure that may be unnecessary.

 Ear tubes, known medically as tympanostomy tubes, are small implants that ventilate the middle ear space to the ear canal through the tympanic membrane. These tubes are often inserted to treat children who have frequent or reoccurring middle ear infections or a persistent flow of fluid in the middle ear even though they show no signs of infection. Attempting to solve these issues with the insertion of ear tubes is a common practice.

 The procedure of inserting the tubes requires that the child be placed under general anesthesia. In the United States alone, over 500,000 children experience this possibly unnecessary surgery every year.

 Researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City were determined to find out if these procedures were absolutely necessary. Study leader Dr. Salomeh Keyhani, an assistant professor in the center’s Department of Health Policy and her colleagues examined clinical data for 682 children who received ear tubes from five New York Metropolitan area hospitals in 2002. Data was collected from pediatricians, otolaryngologists, and hospital charts for each child for the year prior to surgery.

 The persistence of ear infection and fluid discharge is the key to making a medical decision to insert ear tubes. According to a consensus of the American Academies of Pediatrics, Family Physicians and Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, the general recommendation is that children should not receive ear tubes unless the fluid problem continues for at least 3 to 4 months consecutively.

 “One of our key findings is that more than three quarters of children in our study who got ear tubes had fluid for less than a month and a half,” said Dr. Keyhani. Had a medical professional suggested watchful waiting or alternative medical treatment, many of these surgeries might have been unnecessary.

 “Ear infection is the most common illness which children present to the doctor,” she said. “We found that many children are getting surgeries for minor disease and the typical child who gets ear tube surgery does not have a disease severe enough to warrant the operation. If the study findings could be applied to the rest of the country, it would be particularly troubling.”

 Source: The World Chiropractic Alliance. “Most Tympanostomies for Ear Infections Unnecessary.” February 2008. http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.org/tcj/2008/feb/l.htm