EARLY IN LIFE CHIROPRACTIC EXAMS IMPORTANT!

When should a child have their very first Chiropractic examination? The recommended answer to that would be as soon after birth as possible and then continue to have them adjusted right on through childhood.

A child is susceptible to spinal trauma from the birth process and all the way through their childhood when they take many spills and tumbles during the growing up process. All during this time the child’s spine is growing and developing at a rapid rate – about a 50% increase in length during their first year of life. This is equivalent to a 6-foot tall person growing to 9 feet in just 12 months.

One person who has received Chiropractic exams and adjustments since a very early stage of his life is actor Jonathan Lipnicki, now 17. Audiences of all ages know him from his roles in the Stuart Little movies and as a youngster in the movie Jerry McGuire .

Jonathan’s uncle is a chiropractor and gave him his first adjustment when he was just several months old. “It’s a good way to live,” he said. “You perform at your best, whether it’s academically or physically.” In encouraging early childhood Chiropractic he added, “If you want to perform at your ultimate best, if you want to be the best you can be in sports and in school, mentally and physically, Chiropractic is the way because everything has to do with your nervous system. And if you can clear up any subluxation (partial dislocations of vertebra) in there, you’ll be pretty much OK.”

The next question parents may ask is, “What types of childhood problems might be solved by a visit to a Chiropractor?” An article in Parents and Kids magazine made reference to the common reasons a child should be checked and likely helped. These include: a difficult birth, difficulty nursing, colic, reflux, trouble sleeping, ear infections, frequent colds and infections, allergies/asthma, behavioral problems (Attention Deficit Disorder), postural abnormality, head tilting, high shoulder or hip ailments.

Doctors of Chiropractic have been providing safe and effective care to children for nearly 100 years with published studies in Europe and the United States confirming the effectiveness of Chiropractic for this entire variety of childhood illnesses and structural irregularities. In fact, the scientific evidence continues to grow.

The Parents and Kids magazine article has one final important warning. “Nerve system stress left unaddressed impairs the child’s ability to function in a state of optimal health and well-being.” This can have an effect on the child’s health now and in the future. “Pain and malfunction may not show up for many years,” the article concludes. Parents would do well to have a child examined early for good health and to save potential later life problems.

Source: http://www.chiropracticresearch.org 2006, “Could Your Child Benefit from a Visit to a Chiropractor? and 2005 “Child Movie Star Big Supporter of Chiropractic.”

INDIVIDUALIZED CHIROPRACTIC PROGRAMS PROVIDE

IMPROVEMENTS FOR CHILDREN, TOO!

Why would a parent not take a child to see a chiropractor? The basic answer might come down to no information or incorrect information.

Here are three basic reasons why not: 1. They don’t know about Chiropractic, 2. They don’t know about the potential benefits of Chiropractic or, 3. They think that a Chiropractic adjustment might be too rough for a child and cause pain or damage.

Once a person finds out about Chiropractic and begins to understand its benefits, it is point number 3 that must be understood and dispelled, as apparently, some parents think that a Chiropractic adjustment will be “too rough” for their youngster.

Chiropractors understand that all bodies are different and tailor their adjustments and the amount of pressure required based on the individual they are treating. A big football playing man in his 20s, a little old woman in her 70s and a child of 10, will all be looked at and evaluated for their individual needs.

In this way, it could be said that a Chiropractic adjustment can be as individual as a handshake. A strong man shaking hands with another strong man will give him a lot more pressure than if the same man was shaking hands with his grandmother or the child. When parents realize this and bring their child in for an adjustment, the results can be quite remarkable. Consider this case of a 7-year-old girl.

This child had been suffering from asthma since the age of 4. By the time she came to see a chiropractor, she had been treated medically with 10 different medications. Attacks of coughs and wheezing were daily occurrences. Physical activity was almost out of the question. Emergency room visits sometimes reached 5 per year. A test of lung capacity revealed she was operating at about 50 percent of her lung capacity.

An exam by her chiropractor revealed subluxations (partial dislocations) in the vertebrae at the middle of her spine. An individual program was tailored to handle these restrictions. With just one adjustment, some of the tightness in her chest disappeared and her coughing was reduced. After just 4 weeks of treatment, she was able to put aside her inhaler and get back to participating in swimming and running sports. After 3 months, her lung capacity was just about normal and all medications were stopped.

Had her parents avoided taking her to a chiropractor because of a fear that an adjustment might be too rough and cause her pain, the child might well be on her way to a dozen more medications, further restrictions of activity and even worse breathing problems.

Is Chiropractic for children too? By all means. Miracles can occur each and every day in Chiropractic with the right adjustment, tailored to the individual’s size, age, shape and need.

Source: 

 

Dynamic Chiropractic. “Chiropractic: As Individual as a Handshake.” July 2008. http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/26/14/12.html

GET A JUMP ON COLD, FLU SEASONS WITH IMMUNE

SYSTEM ENHANCING ADJUSTMENTS

 

One of the many benefits of Chiropractic care is that it can provide excellent benefits toward fighting against and warding off the flu. Spinal adjustments provided by chiropractors have an excellent track record in increasing the immune function of the body and helping it to stay healthy – especially during cold and flu season. 

The reason for this success is because Chiropractic works to increase the function of the immune system. It does so by correcting spinal abnormalities known as subluxations (minor dislocations of the vertebra). These subluxations are known to cause interference with the proper function of the nervous system by placing undue pressure on the nerves themselves. As the nervous system controls all bodily functions, including those of the immune system, Chiropractic adjustments go a long way toward contributing to overall health and wellness.

The interaction between the nervous and immune systems has been shown to be positively affected by Chiropractic adjustment. “Through research, we know that Chiropractic has beneficial effects on immunoglobulins (a naturally occurring antibody), B-lymphocytes (these are the white blood cells), pulmonary (of the lungs) function and other immune system processes,” said Dr. Matthew McCoy, who serves as the editor of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research.

 One such study tested the response of white blood cells as important infection fighters. When Chiropractic manipulation was applied to the middle of the back, it was found that white blood cells were present in significantly higher number than prior to the adjustment. What this study demonstrated was that the adjustment provided an “enhanced respiratory burst” that helped immune cells to destroy invading viruses and bacteria. In so doing, they provided greater resistance toward the invasion of the flu virus.

 Another large study examined the overall improvement of people who had experienced Chiropractic care. A wide variety of benefits ensued, showing between 7 and 28 percent improvements to people suffering from spinal discomfort, fatigue, incidence of colds and flu, headaches, allergies and physical pains. Specifically of interest to cold and flu sufferers is that a 15% reduction in colds and flu was achieved by this group of 2,818 individuals who received regular Chiropractic care.

 In addition to providing needed adjustments, chiropractors are concerned with the total well-being of the individual and educate their patients toward positive health and lifestyle practices. Getting ample rest, drinking adequate water, exercising regularly, choosing a proper diet and correctly using multivitamins and minerals are essential to staying resistant to colds and flu.

 

Source: The World Chiropractic Alliance. “Flu Season Wellness Plan Should Include Chiropractic.” 2004. http://www.wcanews.com/archives/2004/nov17b.htm

 

 

RISE IN C-SECTION DELIVERIES REACHES NEAR ONE-THIRD OF ALL U.S. BIRTHS

The number of Caesarean Sections performed in United States hospitals has soared over those performed just a decade ago. Charges by U.S. hospitals for the procedure have netted over $17.4 billion annually for these operations alone.

According to the most recently available numbers provided the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the number of women who now have the C-section procedure is nearing 1/3 of all births. About 1.3 million women in 2005 gave birth through a C-section. This figure represents a 38 percent increase over 1995. That year, about 800,000 C-sections were performed in the U.S.

C-sections have their rightful place in deliveries when complications would be thought to put either the mother or the child at risk. An umbilical cord wrapped around the child’s neck or a breech delivery would be two common reasons for a C-section delivery.

More recently, C-sections are being performed for many other reasons including convenience, a feeling by attending physicians that the procedure reduces lawsuit risk and even the idea that this type of delivery is better for the mom and child than a normal vaginal delivery.

The area of sharpest decline in vaginal deliveries occurred in the case of those mothers who had previously given birth via C-section. Vaginal deliveries of subsequent children dropped 60 percent from 157,200 in 1995 to just 63,300 in 2005. Apparently some doctors and hospitals are not allowing a woman to consider and attempt vaginal delivery following a C-section delivery.

Another major contributing factor to the increase in C-sections would logically be financial. In 2005, hospitals charged a total of $17.4 billion for about 1/3 of the deliveries through C-section.

Hospitals took in just $21.3 billion for the remaining 2/3 of the deliveries. Clearing, the profit lies in C-section deliveries!

Consider the difference in costs based on 2003 figures as provided by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

• Vaginal birth with no complications: $6,239.
• Vaginal birth with complications: $8,177.
• C-section with no complications: $11,524.
• C-section with complications: $15,519.

At about $5,000 more for an uncomplicated C-section and over $7,000 more for a complicated procedure above vaginal delivery, is it really any wonder that the medical profession, as well as hospitals, might like to see the number of C-sections rise even higher in the years to come?

 

http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.org/tcj/2008/jun/j.htm

Source: The World Chiropractic Alliance. “Number of C-sections Soar: Hospitals Made $17.4 Billion on Procedures.” June 2008.

STEROID USE BY STUDENT ATHLETES PRESENTS SERIOUS HEALTH CONCERNS

The use and rumored use of performance-enhancing steroids by professional athletes remains an all too common occurrence in sports today. Plus, with this being an Olympic year, drug testing for performance-aiding substances will likely receive frequent mention. But what about younger athletes? Has the search for better athletic performance found its way into our youth programs? To what extent has the search for heightened ability on the playing field reached the high school level?

According to a 2007 survey of 48,025 students who attend 403 public and private schools in the United States, the use of steroids was deemed to be remarkably high. In this study, 2.2 percent of high school seniors reported that they had used a steroid drug at least once in their lifetime.

Anabolic and androgenic steroids are synthetic hormones that increase a person’s metabolism and are aimed at producing greater muscle growth and strength. Basically, they are simulated sex hormones that cause the body to develop at a faster rate and produce greater physical strength.

While the use of these enhancing substances is banned by professional sports governing bodies and considered illegal in many countries, this does not seem to stop athletes from seeking them out at every level of sport.

“Steroid use among America’s youth who are emulating professional athletes is a serious problem that can lead to serious and often disastrous health outcomes including baldness, acne, nausea, liver damage, even heart disease and stroke,” says Gerald W. Clum, D.C., who is president of Life Chiropractic College West in Hayward, Calif.

Dr. Clum warns student athletes away from taking steroids as youngsters will usually be disappointed that steroid use will not produce the promised results. At the same time, they can have some potentially deadly ramifications. He warns parents to be aware of changes in a child that could signal steroid use.

“It is imperative for parents to be on the alert for signs of steroid use, especially among teenage athletes,” said Dr. Clum. “When teens become overly concerned about physical performance, undergo significant changes in their physical appearance, exhibit serious mood swings or rage-like behavior, these could be signals of steroid use.”

A consultation with a natural healthcare provider about healthy diets and exercise can lead to enhanced performance in a very natural way. Parents who are concerned that a child might be taking measures to enhance their performance would be wise to check with their chiropractor or acupuncturist about the warning signs. Together, they could work toward a solution and offer an educational program that would lead to the performance level the youth seeks, but in a very healthy and safe manner.

Source: The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress. “Steroid Use Among American Youth Alarms Health Professionals.” March 2007.

http://www.f4cp.com/press_releases/SteroidUseAmongAmericanYouthAlarmsHealthProfessionals.htm

COURT FINDS AGAINST DRUG COMPANIES IN MEDICAID OVERCHARGE PRICING SCHEME

For the second time this year, the State of Alabama has won a significant victory in court against powerful drug companies. This time, the litigation involved GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp and with the court awarding a total of $114,247,233 to the state. Earlier this year, the state was awarded a $215 million verdict against the AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical Company.

State Attorney General Troy King initiated legislation against the drug giants for massive overcharges to the Alabama Medicaid Agency. According to the state, both companies overcharged Medicaid for drugs from 1991 to 2005. The companies had allegedly charged the state more for medications than they did other customers. This is against the law as Medicaid is to be charged the drug maker’s lowest offered prices. The state initially sought $800 million in settlement.

“The people of Alabama can be reassured that grave injustices are being made right and that public funds taken by corporate manipulation schemes are being recovered,” said the attorney general. He went on to say that the state will, “hold accountable anyone, no matter how powerful and wealthy, who would take advantage our state and our citizens.”

These cases being tried in Alabama for overcharges to the Alabama Medicaid Agency have become known as “average wholesale pricing” (AWP) cases. The state contends that the pharmaceutical companies misreported and then inflated the prices they charged for prescription drugs resulting in a scheme to overcharge Medicaid. Earlier this year the attorney general filed lawsuits against 79 companies for their participation in this AWP scheme.

The first court award from these lawsuits went against AstraZeneca for a total of $215 million. A judge later reduced the award to a still substantial amount of $160 million. In this current suit, GlaxoSmithKline is to pay $80,989,539 with Novartis to pay $33,257,694.

The attorney general seemed pleased with the court’s decision. “The State of Alabama continues to achieve victories in the important work of recovering what has been stolen from the Alabama Medicaid Agency and those who depend upon that agency for their needed medicines,” he said.

Source: The State of Alabama Office of the Attorney General. “A.G. Announces Second Victory in Drug Pricing Lawsuit.” Press Release. July 2008.

http://www.ago.state.al.us/news_template.cfm?Item=1192

SURGICAL CHECKLIST MAY SAVE LIVES

The World Health Organization (WHO) is finding it necessary to get into the business of trying to make medical surgery a safer happening. According to WHO, some 234 million surgeries are performed globally each year.

This breaks down to about 1 surgery for every 25 people. With studies showing that a significant percentage of surgical procedures result in preventable complications or death, WHO is launching a new safety checklist for surgical teams to use in a major attempt to make surgeries safer everywhere in the world.

The initiative sponsored by WHO is known as Safe Surgery Saves Lives and is done jointly with the Harvard School of Public Health. The surgical safety checklist provided by WHO as part of this program has identified and implemented a set of surgical safety standards that can be utilized in all counties of the world and in all healthcare settings.

This appears to be a much needed measure for the medical community. According to several studies utilized by WHO, major complications from surgery occur in industrial countries in between 3 and 16 percent of inpatient surgical procedures. Permanent disability and death rates are about 0.4 to 0.8 percent. The death rate soars in developing countries to between 5 and 10 percent during major operations. In addition, post operative complications are also a major occurrence and a source of serious concern all around the world. Studies suggest that about half of these types of complications can be prevented, according to WHO.

Three phases of an operation receive focus on the checklist. These are “sign in” before anesthesia is introduced, “time out” before an incision is made”, and “sign out” before the patient leaves the operating room. “Sign in” would include marking the correct part of the body for surgery and checking on allergy conditions of the patient. “Sign out” would included checking to see that all surgical instruments, sponges and needles are accounted for and not left inside the patient’s body.

A pilot program conducted on 1,000 patients at 8 different sites indicates a doubled likelihood that the patient will receive higher, proven standards of care. While the final results are not yet in, WHO says that the complication and death rate in these 1,000 patients shows substantial reductions from the current norm.

The amount of people in the United States alone who die annually due to medical error is slated at about 98,000. If a substantial number of these can be reduced by the WHO checklist, it behooves every hospital, surgical unit and medical provider to implement the procedures as quickly as possible.

Source: The World Health Organization. “New Checklist to Help Make Surgery Safer.” Press Release. June 2005 http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2008/pr20/en/index.html

SURGERY ON THE WRONG LUNG BRINGS LICENSE SUSPENSION TO M.D.

A New Jersey doctor has had his license suspended for operating on the wrong lung and then for trying to conceal his error in an attempt to deceive his patient. The matter was brought to the attention of the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners after Santusht Perera M.D. removed a portion of his patient’s right lung when he should have been operating on the left lung. According to board proceedings, the patient’s lung contained a tumor that was slated for an operation to be conducted by Dr. Perera.

As a result of the Board of Examiners’ investigation, Dr. Perera’s medical license has been suspended for 2 years. In addition, he was fined $30,000 as a civil penalty and reimbursement costs totaling $51,273.10.

“The tragic error which occurred in this case could have been prevented had Dr. Perera simply engaged in the most basic and minimal of actions that should be taken by a surgeon in advance of surgery,” according the Board of Examiners. “We find his failure to have taken those basic actions unquestionably constituted gross negligence.”

As if it wasn’t bad enough that the surgical error occurred, Dr. Perera also attempted to conceal this negligence from his patient. Following the surgery, Dr. Perera told his patient that the right portion of the lung he removed in error contained a life-threatening tumor even though he knew that this was not true. The board also found that Dr. Perera went so far as to alter his office records to show that he intended to operate on the right lung when he was really trying to remove a tumor that was in the left lung.

David Szuchman, Consumer Affairs Director for the State of New Jersey had this to say, “As horrific as the removal of the wrong lung is, the attempted deceit is disturbing in and of itself. Patients must have trust in their physicians and Dr. Perera obviously violated that trust.”

Dr. Perera responded to the board’s finding by filing an application in Appellate Court for a reversal of the decision. This petition was denied. At this point, the 2-year suspension with a minimum of 6 months of active suspension took effect on June 6. Dr. Perera practices medicine at the Hoboken University Medical Center.

Source: State of New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. “State Licensing Board Suspends License of Surgeon Who Removed Wrong Lung.”

Press Release. June 2008. http://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases08/pr20080625a.html

 

 

CONTAMINATED DRUG SALES AND COVER-UP TAINTS AN INDUSTRY AND ITS “WATCHDOG”

It’s a cover-up that happened almost 25 years ago, but it’s the thinking behind it and the ramifications of official actions at the time that still pervade the pharmaceutical industry today. Unfortunately, the organization that is supposed to protect Americans as well as other peoples of the world from injustices and harmful products at the hands of the drugproducing giants is apparently fully immersed in the scandal.

In the early 1980s, Bayer Corporation was involved in the production of Factor VIII, a drug that was used to treat hemophiliacs (a medical condition where the body has an inability to clot blood causing severe bleeding from even a minor injury), mostly children. Unfortunately, a large batch of this drug was contaminated by the HIV virus and was known to be tainted. These facts become widely known in the United States.

Seeing that their large investment in this drug was potentially going to be lost, Bayer officials came up with a solution. They sent this tainted product overseas to be marketed in countries where the news of Factor VIII contamination  had not yet spread. These areas included Spain and France in Europe, several countries in South America, as well as Japan.

Just as had occurred when the drug was in use in the United States, children in these countries began to develop the symptoms of HIV. In Hong Kong and Taiwan alone, it is estimated that over one hundred hemophiliacs contracted HIV after using the tainted medicine.

The problem with the drug came about when Bayer produced the drug-clotting medication using unheated blood concentrates. The drug is made by combining large stocks of blood plasmas collected from many donors. When some HIV tainted blood was included in the mix, the entire large batch was contaminated. After this was discovered, new stocks were subsequently made with heat-treated blood to eliminate the HIV threat.

That’s when the question of what to do with the entire tainted batch was addressed, and this is when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) got into the act. In a report of the story brought to light by the 

New York Times , it’s alleged that our own FDA officials recommended marketing the initial batch to countries that included Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Argentina. In that manner, the company could still reap profits from sales even though Factor VII was pulled from the US market.

Despite the fact that at least two officials in France were subsequently sent to jail for approving the controversial drug in their country, the whole matter was kept under wraps in the US. Here, neither the FDA nor Bayer were subject to any investigation or indictment. The whole situation was handled quietly without alerting Congress, the medical community or the public. Of course, Bayer to this day maintains that the company behaved in a responsible and ethical manner.

For further information on this, take a look at a MSNBC video report on this incident entitled “Pharmaceutical Ethics: Protected by the White House, FDA and Congress,” and you can also visit:

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/377.html. It’s a bit of an eye-opener!

 

Source: The Institute of Science in Society. “FDA in Third World Drug Trial Scandals. HIV Drug Dumped on Developing Countries.” January 2006. http://www.i-sis.org.uk:80/FDAinDrugTrial.php

FDA TO REQUIRE BOX WARNING FOR CIPRO® AND SIMILAR ANTIBIOTICS

It’s taken over 12 years since an original petition was filed, but the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is finally getting around to putting a Black Box Warning label on the antibiotic Cipro *

Back in 1996, the watchdog group Public Citizen initially presented evidence to the FDA in the form of a petition to require stronger warning labels for all drugs containing fluoroquinolone antibiotics due to reported increased risks of patients developing tendonitis or experiencing tendon rupture. These types of antibiotics are widely prescribed for gastrointestinal, respiratory and urinary infections. The FDA honored the 1996 petition, but warnings about the product were buried in a list of possible reactions and considered inadequate.

Public Citizen reviewed the FDA’s adverse events database form 1997 to 2005 and found enough evidence of tendon problems to submit another warning petition in 2005. During this period of time, there were 262 cases of tendon ruptures reported and over 500 cases of tendonitis and other tendon disorders. Ruptures of the Achilles tendon were the most sudden and severe. Other areas of the body affected include the rotator cuff, thebiceps, the hand and the thumb. (Tendons are tough fibrous tissue that connects muscles to joints.)

The reason that fluoroquinolone drugs affect the tendons in this manner is not completely known. One theory is that these antibiotics are toxic to tendon fibers and may cause a decrease in the blood supply to tendons, a part of the body that already operates on a limited blood supply.

The recent FDA action to raise the status of Cipro

Persons who are taking Cipro

Persons who are over 60 years of age are considered to be at higher risk of tendon-related problems. Also in the higher risk category is anyone taking steroids, as well as persons who have had organ transplants, according to the FDA.

The following list of medications are being targeted by the FDA for Black Box Warnings: Cipro® , Cipro XR ®, Proquiin XR®, Factive®, Levaquin®, Avelox®, Noroxin® and generic ofloxacin, also marketed as Floxin®.®  or other fluoroquinolone drugs should be instructed to stop taking them immediately if they develop tendon pain. Symptoms may include swelling, inflammation and tears of a tendon.®  to a Black Box Warning is the result of a suit filed against the FDA by Public Citizen for failing to honor petition requests from over 2 years ago. The FDA will now issue a notice to all manufacturers of fluoroquinolone drugs to add a boxed warning regarding the likelihood of developing tendonitis or experiencing tendon rupture. Manufacturers will also be directed to develop a “medication guide” for patients

and other similar antibiotics.