September 2000

Antibiotics for Children With Ear Infections Questionable

The Southern California/RAND Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) performed an analysis of clinical studies conducted on children four weeks to 18 years of age from 1964 through 1998, sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). In this analysis the investigators found, a large percentage of children, nearly two-thirds of those studied,  “with uncomplicated acute otitis media...recover from pain and fever within 24 hours of diagnosis without (antibiotic) treatment...and over 80% recover within 1 to 7 days.”

The Evidence-based Practice Center estimates that over 5 million episodes of acute otitis media occur each year in the US at a cost of approximately $3 billion. In the United States it is routine to use antibiotics as a first treatment approach.  This is in contrast to other countries, such as the Netherlands, where the standard practice is to use "watchful waiting" for one to two days after the onset of an ear infection in children over two years of age. In these countries antibiotic use is only called for if the infection fails to improve during that time.  Because of the difference in antibiotic usage between the US and the Netherlands,  the rate of bacterial resistance in the Netherlands is about 1 percent, compared with the US average of around 25 percent.  This indicates that the US uses antibiotics more than other countries.  Additionally, not only is antibiotic use possibly unwarranted, but questionable in their effectiveness.

 

Chiropractic Patient With Glaucoma Helped By Chiropractic

An interesting case study was recently published in the Journal Of  Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics July / August 2000 edition. In this journal was a case study review of a 25 year old woman who went to a chiropractor for back pain. This woman was also suffering from congenital glaucoma which severely affected her vision.  

Before chiropractic care was initiated, the patient was sent for a comprehensive ophthalmologic examination to determine the severity of her glaucoma.  The result of that exam was that the patient did indeed have severe eyesight impairment due to her congenital condition.

Almost immediately after she initiated her chiropractic care, (one visit), the patient noticed an improvement in eyesight. After four adjustments, the patients monocular visual field had increased from approximately 2% to approximately 20% of normal.  Although the patient would never regain total eyesight the ten-fold improvement in just one week was significant.

Although many other reports of this type have been made by chiropractors, in their practices this case was unique because it was verified by a before, and after, ophthalmologic examination performed by an independent medical ophthalmic surgeon.  This case was also well documented and published in a peer reviewed scientific journal. 

 

Murder or Bad Vaccine

This was the title of a chilling article from the September 2000 issue of Redbook magazine. In this startling feature, several fathers were accused of shaking their babies, when, in fact, a vaccine had caused a reaction that caused the children to have problems. 

In one such case, an anesthesiologist was convicted and is serving a jail sentence for killing his child even though many experts have shown that the brain hemorrhage suffered by his baby was the result of a "hot lot" of bad vaccine.  The article goes on to expose an increasing trend of parents who were falsely accused of child abuse because their children were damaged by vaccine reactions which looked similar to shaken baby syndrome.  In most cases the parents were acquitted of the false charges but they were left with bankruptcy due to legal bills, and a severely damaged child who would require intensive care the rest of their lives.

The Redbook article reports on several families who were heartbroken at the damage to their children from the vaccine, followed by the horror of being arrested and accused of causing that damage.  In the article, Barbara Loe Fisher founder of the National Vaccine Information Center, (www.909shot.com ) stated that the US government spends $1 billion a year to develop and promote vaccines, but only a fraction of that goes to fund independent studies of side effects. Fisher stated, "Vaccine testing is done on a too-small number of kids, and they are monitored for too short a time."  

Unfortunately, reporting of adverse vaccine reactions is voluntary and subject to biased opinions.  The Redbook article reports that between 11,000 and 12,000 reports are made per year about adverse reactions from vaccines.  They also state that surveys have shown that these reactions are grossly underreported.  Some of these studies indicate that only 1 in 10 to as few as 1 in 100 of all actual adverse vaccine reactions are reported.  This means that as many as 1,200,000 adverse vaccine reactions may be occurring each year.

Congressman Dan Burton of Indiana has joined the voices in Government questioning the vaccine issue as he commented, "Federal policy makers are not paying serious attention to the dangerous side effects that are occurring.  We can no longer keep our heads buried in the sand on this issue.  The risks are too great for both parents and children."

 

Golfers Love Chiropractic

The Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ reported a story about professional golfers using chiropractic on a regular basis.  Dr. Tom La Fountain is a chiropractor who travels with the PGA tour and regularly provides chiropractic to the pros.  Dr. La Fountain reports that up to 85 percent of the injuries on the PGA Tour and Senior Tour relate to the spine, and about 70 to 75 percent of those golfers receive regular chiropractic care.

The August 21, 2000 issue of the Salt Lake Tribune reported that senior pro golfer, Doug Tewell was delayed entering the Senior PGA tour due to spinal problems.  Tewell injured his back while playing a round of golf with his son in Oklahoma.  The injury kept him in bed for three days and required the use of a walker for two weeks.  On the recomendation of fellow pro Bob Tway,  Tewell decided to see a chiropractor.  His comments in the Tribune article summed up his reactions,  "the most incredible thing,  just a few little jerks," Tewell said. "I thought I had met Oral Roberts."

Professional women golfers also utilize chiropractic.  Dr. David E. Stude, a chiropractor and associate professor and faculty clinician at Northwestern Health Sciences University, lectures across the country with Lisa Masters, an LPGA golf pro, emphasizing the importance of chiropractic care for golfers.  Dr. Stude states, "Normally, each vertebra in the spine moves independently a certain number of degrees when our whole body is involved in an activity.  If that is not happening, for example, if two or more segments move as a whole unit, rather than moving independently, it can lead to one kind of vertebral mechanical dysfunction."

 

United States Far From Healthiest Country in the World.

From the July 26th 2000 online issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and in the Aug. 28, 2000 issue of the American Medical News, comes some sad statistics concerning the state of health in the United States.  These numbers should be viewed in the light that Americans spend more by far on medical care than any other country in the world.  The United States spends 13.7% of its gross domestic product on medical care.  This is more than any of the 191 World Health Organizations member nations.  Read these statistics and judge for yourself.

In a comparison done between 13 nations in the 1998 Oxford University Press, the United States also showed glaring weaknesses in its health care system. Of the 13 nations in the study the US ranked;

Other interesting facts that came out of the report were:

These statistics reflect a medical system that is in need of revamping, not just creative refinancing. It should be noted that chiropractic care is not calculated into these statistics and therefore is not contributing to the unimpressive US health statistics.

 

Drug Studies May Be False

The prescription drugs many people take may be based on inaccurate and faulty studies.  This concept was based on a new study published in the August issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP).  Researchers at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and the University of California found that 30 percent of volunteer patients in a clinical drug research trial reported that they did not take their medication despite reporting to the clinical researchers that they did.  This trend raises serious questions about the accuracy of study conclusions from drug studies.  

This deceptive practice called "dumping", is where individuals remove or discharge all the medication from the dispensing canister so when it was weighed at the next patient visit, it would suggest that the patient had been taking medication as instructed.  Most drug usage recommendations are based on clinical trials.  These types of trials have been previously regarded as one of the most reliable forms of research, and many practice guidelines for drug use are often based on trial results. The  researchers noted that conclusions drawn from the results of clinical trials are based on the assumption that the prescribed study medication has been taken according to the study protocol.  If a fairly high percentage of testers in these studies are "dumping" the medications, the results from these studies are invalid and the medications, even though they may already be approved, could potentially be ineffective and dangerous.

 

September 18th, An Important Date in History

September 18th is a significant date for all Doctors of chiropractic as this date marks the anniversary of the discovery of chiropractic. It was 105 years ago this Sept 18th in 1895, that DD Palmer,  a self educated magnetic healer who himself was born on March 7, 1845, made the discovery of Chiropractic.  

The first chiropractic patient was Harvey Lillard. He had been deaf for about seventeen years after allegedly falling down and noticing a bump in his back and the simultaneous loss of his hearing.  The second patient had heart trouble and both patients had their health restored through chiropractic adjustments.  This event took place in the heartland of American in Davenport Iowa, along the banks of the Mississippi river.

Today there are over 60,000 Doctors of Chiropractic practicing world wide.  Tens of millions of people around the globe benefit from chiropractic each year. Chiropractic is now the second largest non-medical form of health care today.  And both the numbers of chiropractors, as well of the numbers of chiropractic patients continues to grow.

So lets all remember the humble beginnings the great profession of chiropractic started with and wish it a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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