April 2000 Issue
United State Department of Defense Report on Chiropractic Shows Benefits
A report of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) on the Chiropractic Health Care Demonstration Project was finalized by DOD consultants Birch and Davis and was submitted to the U.S. Congress. The report authors, were cautious at best with their recommendations but the results of the study speak for themselves. The following are some of the statistics of patient responses to chiropractic care verses medical care.
No matter what spin is placed on the DOD report, these results speak for themselves.
Study Shows Vaccinated Children Twice as Likely to Get Asthma and Allergies
In a study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics
were findings that supported three previous studies on the same subject. This
study reviewed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey,
which was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics from 1988 to
1994. Parents of 13,944 infants, children and adolescents from 2
months through 16 years old, were interviewed to check their history of asthma
and allergies in relationship to the children receiving the DPT
(diphteria-tetanus-pertussis) vaccine.
The results showed a significant increase in the likelihood of children to get
allergies and asthma after having received the DPT shot. The following
numbers are the increase in chance that a child will have these problems if they
are vaccinated with DPT. Asthma - 2.0 times more likely. Severe
allergic reaction - 1.5 times more likely. Sinus problems - 1.81 times
more likely. Wheezing - 1.23 times more likely. Nose and eye
problems - 2.22 times more likely. Respiratory problems - 1.68 times
more likely.
The authors of the study were quick to point out that their findings were not
unique, and did in fact reproduce findings of other studies. "Six
studies have recently addressed the association between pertussis or DTP
immunizations and allergy-related disease. Our results are similar to findings
reported from three retrospective cohort studies."
Asthma Study on Benefits of Chiropractic
Asthma has become a large health concern for children in recent years. Over
the past 20 years the incidence of asthma has doubled. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that in 1998, approximately 17,299,000
people in the United States, or 6.4% of the population, with cases among very
young children up 160%. As reported in the June 16, 1999 issue of JAMA, the CDC also noted that between 1980 and 1994, the
number of people self-reporting asthma grew 75%.
In a study conducted in 1996 by the Michigan Chiropractic Council (MCC), a panel
of doctors performed an out-come assessment study to test the qualitative and
quantitative effectiveness of chiropractic care on children with asthma. The
high demand of parents seeking alternative care for pediatric asthma was shown
by the overwhelming interest in the study. More than 500 parents called the MCC
seeking to get their child involved in the chiropractic study.
The study, which took place during May and June of 1996, examined the chiropractic
effectiveness in correcting the cause of asthma in patients from birth to age
17. The average age of the participant 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. Finally, patient satisfaction was rated 8.5
on a scale of 10." More than 70 chiropractors from 62 cities in
Michigan studied more than 80 children suffering from asthma.
Diabetes Drug Pulled Off the Market
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on March 22, 2000 pulled the diabetes drug Rezulin off the market. The drug had been used by more than 700,000 patients and been responsible for more than 61 deaths. Dr. Sidney Wolfe, a critic of the FDA for being too slow, said the drug should have been taken off the market long ago. He characterized the drug as, "one of the most dangerous drugs." The problem with the drug was toxicity to the liver. In an interesting response, Warner Lambert, the maker of Rezulin, has voluntarily agreed to stop selling the drug, but they did comment that they felt the benefits of the drug outweighed the risks. I am sure that is of little consolation to the families of the 61 people who died.
Elderly Spend 19% of Income on Medical Care
In the April 2000 issue of Journal of Gerontology, comes an article showing
that the elderly spend a large portion of their income for medical
services. The study showed these expenses to include out-of-pocket
expenses such as health insurance premiums, medical co-payments, and
prescriptions, with more than half of these payments going toward prescription
drugs and dental care.
The lead author, Stephen Crystal, chairman of the Division on Aging of the
Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research at Rutgers
University summed up the findings with a comment, "Nineteen percent is
fairly burdensome for the average elderly person, but the figures are even worse
for those in the lowest income levels, for those with chronic health problems
and for the oldest of the old."
Probably the largest portion of that expense is prescription drugs. According to
the study, prescribed medication costs have grown to account for 33.9%, more
than one-third, of the overall-all out-of-pocket expenses for the elderly.
Presently, there is a push for coverage of prescription drugs by various
programs that cover the elderly. The fears are that if coverage is
obtained both the price and amount of drugs prescriptions will increase.
Smoking During Pregnancy Damages Unborn Lungs
From Reuters News March 22, 2000, is a report on a new study that shows that
mothers who smoke during pregnancy are not only damaging their own lungs but
also the lungs of the unborn. The lead author, Dr. Frank D. Gilliland and
colleagues at the University of Southern California School of Medicine in Los
Angeles write in the April issue of the medical journal Thorax commented,
"Exposure to maternal smoking (in the womb) is independently associated
with decreased lung function in children of school age,"
Results of the study show that children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy
have signs of impaired lung function that is not caused by exposure to
environmental tobacco smoke. The study also suggested that these children
may have a higher than average risk of lung cancer and heart disease in
adulthood.
In case additional incentive was needed, Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, said that a recent study shows that smokers are
four times more likely than nonsmokers to get life-threatening blood infections
or meningitis from a type of bacteria that usually causes pneumonia. The
researchers found that smokers were 4.1 times more likely than nonsmokers to get
these infections, and nonsmokers who were often exposed to cigarette smoke were
2 times more likely than people who did not have such exposure.
Who Is More Dangerous?
An interesting bit of information comes from a story reported by Reuters News dated March 10, 2000. In that article they reported, "Recent studies showing that three times as many people died last year as a result of physician mistakes than by gunshot. This information has Americans split over whether there is a greater need for laws disciplining negligent doctors or careless gun owners. In the February Zogby American Values survey of 1,028 respondents nationwide, 43.1% of those surveyed thought that it was more important to pass legislation holding doctors accountable for their mistakes than the owners of guns used in a crime.
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