Live Well, Be Well

Australian Children Face Adverse Reactions to the Flu Shot

2010-08-30T07:58:00.001-07:00

Australian doctors have been warned not to administer the flu shot to children under the age of five because of several severe adverse reactions to the vaccine. These reactions range from trembling to vomiting, but only about 30% of the children that experienced these symptoms were under the age of five.

Peter Collignon, professor of infectious diseases from the Australian National University states that the shot has 3 components – one of which is swine flu – may be causing the reaction because of the second exposure. The children’s bodies that were exposed to the swine flu previously already have antibodies to fight off the virus, so a second exposure causes the body to defend itself more than it needs to by producing even more antibodies and white blood cells.

Professor Collignon says that health authorities need to better weigh up on the effects of the vaccine rather than administer it to everybody when it can do more harm than good.

Chiropractic and Sports Medicine

2010-07-26T06:06:00.000-07:00

Though there have been few research studies that prove the value of chiropractic treatment for sports injuries, Chiropractors have a history of treating musculoskeletal injuries caused by sports. A randomized clinical trial (RCT) published in April 2010 helped to fill the void of information surrounding chiropractic treatment for sports injuries. The researchers followed two groups of male semi-elite Australian football (rugby) athletes and matched them in many ways and randomly placed them in one of two parts of the study. Both groups received the usual management and medical care. Half also received chiropractic care which consisted of both soft tissue and high velocity spinal manipulation. The research evaluated several outcomes. The group that received chiropractic care saw a significant reduction in lower limb strain injuries, time missed from knee injuries, lower incidence of back pain, and an improvement of overall health.

Chiropractic Care and Oxidative Stress

2010-07-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

There is growing evidence that Chiropractic care may reduce health care costs, improve health, and enhance quality of life. In a study published by the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, chiropractors collaborating with researches at the University of Lund found that chiropractic care could influence basic physiological processes affecting oxidative stress (the aging of cells) and DNA repair. These findings show a scientific explanation for the positive health benefits reported by patiends receiving chiropractic care.

"Oxidative stress, metabolically generating free radicals, is now a broadly accepted theory of how we age and develop disease," Kent continued. "Oxidative stress results in DNA damage, and inhibits DNA repair. DNA repair is the mechanism which fixes the damage caused by environmental impact."

Chiropractic adjustments help the body to adapt to stress. Oxidative stress results in DNA damage, which may cause aging, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. Other ways to avoid free radicals include avoiding cigarette smoke, processed foods, and other environmental toxins.

Cancer Link to Common Heart Drugs

2010-06-18T09:05:00.000-07:00

An analysis of data from trials of angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) found one extra case of cancer for every 105 patients treated. Researchers said evidence from the nine trials should prompt an investigation, but advised that patients not stop taking the drugs unless they discuss it with their doctor.

ARBs are mainly prescribed for conditions such as high blood pressure and heart failure, being used by millions of people around the world.

7 years ago, a trial of an ARB drug found an increased risk of death from cancer but it was unclear if the finding was significant. In the newest analysis, researchers looked at all data and found information on lung, prostate, and breast cancer for 68,000 patients, new cancer diagnoses for 61,000 patients, and cancer deaths for 93,000 patients.

The researchers discovered that taking ARBs can cause a significantly increased risk of a new cancer diagnosis compared to other heart medications. The specific cancer that researchers found was most prevalent was lung cancer.

Dr. Ilke Sipahi, study leader from the University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, said because the drugs are so widely used, it potentially adds up to many cases of cancer. He also stated that before anyone acts on the findings, drug regulators need to look more closely at outside variables such as age, smoking history, and duration of use to clarify the risk.

Do Vitamins/Supplements Only Give You Expensive Urine?

2010-06-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard that taking vitamin supplements only gives you expensive urine? Sure you have. You still will. Websites such as dietitian.com and American chronicle.com, and even the BBC have reported that vitamin consumption higher than the lowly RDA is just a waste of money.

Urine is the waste of your body that is left over after your kidneys purify your blood. If your urine contains extra vitamin C, then vitamin C was in your blood. If the vitamin was in your blood, it absorbed just fine. The absence of water-soluble vitamins in urine indicates deficiency. If there are vitamins in your urine, you have vitamins to spare, which is good.

Thomas Levy, MD, JD, a board-certified cardiologist, says “There’s a popular medical view that taking vitamin C just makes expensive urine. Some of it is lost in urine, but the more you consume, the more it stays in your body.”

MD’s fail to look at the cost of all the pharmaceuticals and chemotherapy drugs they’re giving to their patients. Those drugs are excreted through the urine, and when you add up the cost of those, just the financial cost, not even counting the cost in devastating side effects, they far outweigh the cost of eating healthy foods and taking supporting supplements.

During WWII, GI’s treated with penicillin had to save their urine so the penicillin which had been excreted in their urine could be recovered and then used to treat other CI’s with life threatening wound infections. Good nutrition saves lives. The therapeutic use of vitamin supplements, to both treat and prevent serious diseases, has tens of thousands of scientific references support it.

Dear Over-Treated American, More Medical Care Isn't Always Better!

2010-06-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to believe, but more medical care actually makes you sicker. As Americans, we are raised to believe that we are to do anything and everything to stay healthy—take antibiotics, get surgeries, even wash our hands with antibacterial soap. A new study suggests that one-fifth to one-third of medical procedures are unnecessary. But this isn’t just about spending more money than we need to, unnecessary medical procedures can cost you your health.

Overtreatment starts at birth—Monitors that signal a baby is in trouble when everything is fine, and unnecessary injections, like Vitamin K. Throughout the life span we are given “easy-fix” drugs that actually do us more harm than good.

Many children who suffer from viral infections, such as the common cold, are given antibiotics, which actually do nothing for viruses. There is no cure for viruses other than to wait it out or to take a natural immune booster, such as Vitamin C, which can help the fighting power of your immune system to ward of viruses before they take hold of your health.

The over-prescriptions of antibiotics are not only hurting yourself, but hurting those around you. When you take an unnecessary antibiotic, the bacterium that cause the certain strain try to get past your immune system by rapidly reproducing and mutating, causing resistance to the antibiotic that you are taking. These bacterium will spread, and newer and more powerful antibiotics will have to be invented in order to keep the sickness at bay, causing the cycle to start over again.

Back pain is the No. 1 over treated condition. About 1 in 5 people who get back surgery will have another in the next decade. Cases of back pain can be treated by chiropractic, a more cost-effective and natural alternative to surgery.

Americans are the most radiated patients in the world. Thousands of patients shell out thousands of dollars for CT scans “just in case,” but in reality, the patient is upping their risks of cancer because there is a huge amount of radiation in a CT scan, as much radiation as 100 mammograms, about the same amount of radiation as the nuclear bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. It’s important to receive a CT scan if your family has had a history of cancers, but it’s not necessary to get a “check-up” scan if you’re in perfect health and have no reason to believe that you are at risk for cancer.

Over treatment is the biggest contributor to runaway healthcare costs. “Physicians get up every day with the good intentions of wanting to do what's best for their patients," said Dr. David Goodman of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy. "We also live in environments where there are strong financial incentives to deliver certain types of care. We get well-paid for doing procedures. We get paid relatively poorly for spending time with patients and helping them make choices."

Not all Medical treatment is bad or unnecessary. It’s important that patients are educated and are investigative and skeptical about their diagnosis. Though patients feel that the doctors know best, “…I think no one…would go to the car lot and say, 'I'm going to let the dealer figure out what car I want or need…'” said Dr. Michael Barry of the nonprofit Foundation for Informed Medical Decision-Making.

Why is America's Life Expectancy the 42nd in the World?

2010-06-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

We live in the richest country in the world, spending the most on healthcare—why is the life-expectancy rated 42nd in the world? Only two decades ago were we at the 11th place. Andorra, a small country between France and Spain, had the longest life expectancy at 83.5 years, according to the Census Bureau. It was followed by Japan, Maucau, San Marino and Singapore. The shortest life expectancies were found to be clustered in Sub-Saharan Africa, an area that has no doubt been affected by HIV/AIDS.

Why is this happening? We’re one of the richest nations in the world, and that’s exactly our downfall. Many of us have never had to worry about where we were going to sleep at night or what we were going to eat. In many cases the hardest decision is between steak and lobster. Many of us live inactive and unhealthy lifestyles because it’s the easy choice. It’s easy to grab a frozen meal and put it in the microwave for a few minutes and even easier to drive to work rather than walking or riding a bike.

There are some statistical factors that can contribute to the fall in America’s standing. The Census Bureau has added more countries to the surveillance, but America is still one of the richest countries. Healthcare may be to blame, suggests Dr. Christopher Murray, head of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. “The starting point is the recognition that the U.S. does not have the best health care system. There are still an awful lot of people who think it does.”

The fact is, americans have a stigma that they don't have to worry about sicknesses when they are healthy. When people think of chiropractic, they believe that chiropractors only treat back pain, but chiropractors actually treat the nervous system. Anything that your body experiences is noticed and mediated through the spine.

Antacids vs. Chiropractic Care

2010-06-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

The FDA warns that use of popular Antacids, such as Aciphex, Dexilant, Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, Protonix, Vimovo, and Zegerid increase the users risk of bone fracture. These antacid drugs are the third highest-selling class of drugs in the US each year, with doctors writing 113.4 million prescriptions for the drugs. These drugs are meant to be used for severe cases of Acid Reflux, but they are frequently taken for simple cases of heartburn.

Researchers have discovered that Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) are linked to bone fractures in adults, mostly in patients over age 50. US Researchers have also discovered that PPIs may increase the risk of a diarrhea-causing bacterium, C. difficile. The warning of possible bone fractures is now required by the FDA, but will that really stop patients suffering with Acid Reflux to discontinue the use of medication and search for alternative, healthier methods?

If there are misalignments in the spine causing pressure on nerves that regulate the acidity and enzymatic activity of the stomach, one will feel this through “heartburn” or acid reflux symptoms. Chiropractors can relieve the pressure on the nerves by adjusting the vertebrae, causing the stomach’s acidity and enzymatic activity to return to normal. Betaine, HCl, and natural enzymes are also natural alternatives to PPIs.

Asthma and Children

2010-06-01T15:24:00.000-07:00

With over an estimated 300 million people suffering with Asthma today, it is no doubt a large health concern for children, accounting for the most hospitalizations than any other childhood disease. Over the past 20 years the incidence of asthma has doubled. In 1993 alone, there were almost 200,000 hospitalizations for asthma. Mild persistent asthma is classified as instances of mild attacks that happen occasionally. Chronic, or severe, asthma includes instances of severe and frequent attacks. Mild and Chronic Asthma attacks have the same symptoms, such as wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and/or tightness in the chest. Common triggers of attacks include pollen, pet dander, mold, dust, and air pollutants.
In a study conducted during May and June of 1996 by the Michigan Chiropractic Council (MCC), a panel of doctors performed an out-come assessment study to test the effectiveness of chiropractic care on children with asthma. Over 500 parents seeking alternative health care for asthma contacted the MCC to get their child involved in the study.

The average age of the participants was 10 years. “After 30 days of chiropractic health care, patients averaged only one attack, whereas prior to the study they were experiencing more than four attacks,” said MCC Dr. Bob Graham, who directed the study. “Medications, which can be costly, were decreased by nearly 70 percent.” More than 70 chiropractors from 62 cities in Michigan studied more than 80 children suffering from asthma.

Recent articles in publications such as “The American Chiropractor,” and “Today’s Chiropractic” describe strong links between people who suffer from these conditions and nerve interference from subluxation. Subluxations are the result of pressure of vertebrae on nerves, causing abnormal nerve function. An article in the “Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research” also demonstrated the positive effects of chiropractic care on children with asthma.

According to Richard Pistolese, research assistant for the International Chiropracitc Pediatric Association, "Based upon information currently available, chiropractic care represents a safe, non-pharmacological health care approach that may be associated with a decrease in asthma-related impairment, reduced respiratory effort, and a decreased incidence of asthma attacks." Pistolese goes further to say, "The correction of vertebral subluxation is a non-invasive procedure, which could reduce or eliminate the need for medication, and potentially ease the severity of the asthmatic condition."