Happy Haloween, everyone!

I just had the pleasure of seeing about 800 children walk past my office this morning on the yearly Haloween Walk, sponsored by our business association.

Besides goodies for the kids, we have handouts for all the moms about the benefits of chiropractic.

And that always makes me think about the dangerous side-effects of medicine, also known as iatrogenesis or iatrogenic injury.

Many of these poor little children have been given unnecessary antibiotics.

I hope you will find both these information pages as useful resources in advising your patients who have children.

Very interesting study reported in the December 8th 2008 issue of

Lasers in Surgery and Medicine I guess H1N1 has the stage for now. Seems MRSA has been all but forgotten by some since the emergence of H1N1?

Here’s a link to the full abstract:

Lasers Surg. Med. 40:734-737, 2008

The following is taken from TheScientist.com’s Blog entry from Friday (09/18/2009) Posted by Margaret Guthrie:

“The book presents detailed nutritional information on food plants, including insight into hybridization and genetic modification, such as genetic engineering to reduce cell-wall softening in tomatoes, one of the world’s most popular “vegetables.” …… Details of vegetative components are given, along with analysis of “other biologically active substances” like antioxidants, flavonoids and tannins.

Not given over entirely to facts, charts and tables, The New Oxford Book of Food Plants also contains quirky passages that entertain as they illuminate. For example, nestled into the entry for spinach: “[Spinach] was reputed to have very high content of iron but this is a myth due to the incorrect placing of a decimal point in the calculations of Dr. von Wolf at the end of the nineteenth century, although recalculated in the 1930s.”

All in all, The New Oxford Book of Food Plants is an essential and engaging reference for everyone from casual readers and curious cooks to nutritionists and food writers. The book is due in bookstores on September 25.

The New Oxford Book of Food Plants, 2nd Edition, by J.G. Vaughan and C.A. Geissler, Oxford University Press USA, 2009. 288 pp. ISBN: 978-0-199-54946-7. $39.95.”

The cervical spine provides structural stability and support for the cranium, and a flexible and protective column for movement and balance adaptation, along with housing of the spinal cord and vertebral arteries. It also allows for directional orientation of the eyes and ears. Nowhere in the spine is the relationship between the osseous structures and the surrounding neurologic and vascular beds as intimate or subject to disturbance as it is in the cervical region. Whether induced by trauma or not, cervical subluxation syndromes may be reflected in total body habitus.

Intervertebral foramina (IVF) insults, and the effects of articular fixations can manifest throughout the motor, sensory, and autonomic nervous systems. Many peripheral nerve symptoms in the shoulder, arm, and hand will find their origin in the cervical spine, as may numerous brainstem disorders.

You may review this full monograph on Cervical Spine Trauma by Richard C. Schafer, DC, PhD, FICC, our profession’s most prolific published author.

This is just one of 28 free monographs donated to our website by Dr. Schafer.

You may also enjoy our Whiplash Page for the extensive review on all things cervical.

Editorial Commentary:

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has been begging conventional medicine to stop overprescribing antibiotics for decades. Even so, a recent study in the Journal of Hospital Infections found that 37% of 600 antibiotic prescriptions were considered unnecessary and another 45% were considered to be inadequate.

Considering that antibiotic use in infants has been associated with doubling the incidence of asthma, and other studies have revealed that 76% of adults who visit a primary care physician because of a sore throat are given an antibiotic, even though viruses (that are not affected by antibiotics) are the primary cause for upper-respiratory-tract infections.

The problem is twofold: patients want their doctor to *do something* when they are sick (magic bullet) and don’t always appreciate hearing that they need to drink fluids and rest while their body heals itself. So often they press the doctor for antibiotics.

The second problem is that many doctors *cave in* and provide useless prescriptions for antibiotics. Some MDs have admitted that they do this because the patient pressures them, or are fearful they will lose a patient. Understandable. However, this is what contributes to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Perhaps it’s time that medicine *grows a spine*, and elevate themselves to the same evidence-based standards that they demand from our profession.

You will find many more articles like this at the Antibiotic Abuse Page.

There’s a lot more info like this in the Section

You may enjoy reviewing this FULL TEXT article from the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, because Chiropractic scored the highest in reducing pain of 16 different modalities that were tested.

The authors wrote: Pain is a symptom that most clinicians would not typically associate with chronic Neuromuscular Disease (NMD). Most major texts on NMD do not list pain as a symptom of these diseases. However, and consistent with previous research in other samples of persons with NMD our findings indicate that pain is a common problem in many patients with NMDs.

This paper is an eye-opener because it found that it found that chiropractic scored the highest in pain relief (7.33), scoring higher than nerve blocks (6.75), opioid analgesics (6.37), muscle relaxants (5.78), massage (5.48), acupuncture (5.29), ibuprofen (5.22), and hypnosis (5.00).

The complete list of the 16 techniques they tested is available.

Editorial Commentary:

I think, before we go forwards with any healthcare plan, America needs to answer some basic questions.

The real issues we must answer are:

Once we have *decided* these issues one way or another, the solutions should be pretty obvious.

IF we believe we should have socialized medicine, then cut out ALL the Insurance Companies (and the profit motive), and hire doctors on a fixed income, and fill the hospitals with the required numbers of providers. That should include ALL forms of care, medicine, chiropractic, acupuncture etc. It will be much easier and cost-effective to research the benefits of any form of care once they are institutionalized.

Will doctors and insurance companies appreciate the loss in income? Sure, but so what? Let them eat cake! There will be plenty of new doctors who will appreciate a fixed income and the chance to help sick people. It’s do-able.

And of course, prevention needs to be emphasized. It’s a LOT easier to stay well than to *get well*. Until Wellness is promoted, we will remain a sickly, fading empire.

What is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a chronic syndrome that occurs predominantly in women and is marked by generalized pain, multiple defined tender points, fatigue, disturbed and nonrestorative sleep, and numerous other somatic complaints.

Diagnosis of Fibromyalgia

To meet the fibromyalgia criteria for medical diagnosis, patients must experience:

Widespread pain in all four quadrants of their body, for a minimum of three months, and,

At least 11 of the 18 specified tender points (see sketches below)

The 18 sites used for the fibromyalgia diagnosis cluster around the neck, shoulder, chest, hip, knee, and elbow regions. The finger pressure that must be applied to these areas during a “palpation” exam is roughly equivalent to the amount that causes the finger nail bed to blanch or start to become white. Over 75 other tender points have been found to exist, but are not used for diagnostic purposes.

Tender Points may occur at nine bilateral locations:
Thanks to About.Com for access to these pictures.

	Front of the Body: Low Cervical Region: (front neck area) at anterior aspect of the interspaces between the transverse processes of C5-C7. Second Rib: (front chest area) at second costochondral junctions. Lateral Epicondyle: (elbow area) 2 cm distal to the lateral epicondyle. Knee: (knee area) at the medial fat pad proximal to the joint line.
	Back of the Body: Occiput: (back of the neck) at suboccipital muscle insertions. Trapezius Muscle: (back shoulder area) at midpoint of the upper border. Supraspinatus Muscle: (shoulder blade area) above the medial border of the scapular spine. Gluteal: (rear end) at upper outer quadrant of the buttocks. Greater Trochanter: (rear hip) posterior to the greater trochanteric prominence.

Chiropractic care has been found to help reduce pain symptons and to increase activity levels. You can learn more about that by reviewing the Fibromyalgia and Chiropractic Page

There is a growing body of literature suggesting that early (infant) antibiotic use (and perhaps vaccination) is associated with increased incidence of adolescent diseases like asthma, and other atopic diseases like hay fever and eczema.

You may also want to review the Antibiotic Abuse Page for the many other complications associated with antibiotic overuse, and the Iatrogenic Injury Page for more information about the dangers of other medicines (like NSAIDS) which are commonly prescribed by medical doctors.

After enjoying John’s posting on the Canadian BCA/Singh case, I feel it’s time to pour some gas on the conversation, to heat things up a bit.

First, you can review the articles under consideration at the Chiropractic and Infantile Colic page.

Then, read Anthony Rosner, PhD’s delightful article “Fables or Foibles: Inherent Problems With RCTs“, as he points up the issues of testing “manual medicine” by RTC.

Finally, you can review previous “failures” in developing a truly inert sham adjustment.

I don’t envy researchers who must overcome these obstacles, but in the mean time, there’s no shame in relying on Case Studies and retrospective treatment reviews to help ground us in reality while we design a treatment plan.

Patient Satisfaction Surveys going back to the late 1980s show that patients with neck or low back pain, headaches, and a variety of other physical complaints rate their satisfaction with chiropractic care much higher than they do conventional care provided by physical therapists or medical doctors.

Now let’s discuss the amazing results chiropractic can provide for pain relief. A 2005 study, from the prestigious medical journal Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, titled Chronic Pain in Persons With Neuromuscular Disease interviewed patients on the pain relief they derived from a variety of procedures and medicines.

Pain relief was rated on a 1 to 10 scale (where 1 = none, and 10 = the highest relief). The highest rated score was for chiropractic manipulation (7.33), rating higher than Nerve Blocks (6.75) and Opioid Analgesics (6.37). There you have it…chiropractic is better than drugs, not to mention the fact that drugs wear off, while chiropractic correction has been shown to sustain for prolonged periods.

You will find many more articles like this at the Patient Satisfaction With Chiropractic Page.

Radiculopathy is characterized by motor and/or sensory changes in the neck and arms, or the legs and feet, which result from extrinsic pressure on the nerve root(s). Chiropractic is very effective in reducing that pressure on the nerve roots (oftern caused by edema), and as the nerve recovers, those down-stream symptoms abate.

Come explore the Radiculopathy Page and learn more about radiculopathy, and chiropractic approach to management.

Modafinil is a popular drug used by people who want or need to stay alert. It has become a popular stimulant, used by soldiers to stay awake and by citizens looking for a safe brain boost, including one in 10 researchers. The FDA issued their “Approved” stamp for it to be used for treating narcolepsy and sleep disorders in 1998. At that time, scientists claimed that it did not change levels of dopamine in those who took the drug. Increases in dopamine levels are considered a chemical signature of possible addictiveness to a drug. Since its FDA approval, modafinil is now being used “off-label” to treat depression, Parkinson’s disease and fatigue.

However, the March 2009 issue of JAMA published this study;

Volkow N, et. al., Effects of Modafinil on Dopamine and Dopamine Transporters in the Male Human Brain., JAMA, Vol. 301, No. 11, March 18, 2009.

You can read more on this report at the Wired Science Blog.

Do you make nutritional recommendations as part of your Care Plan? Do you recommend supplements? Do you carry supplements in your office?

Many chiropractic schools only provide a 3-credit class in nutrition, so students have to study on their own to develop confidence in offering recommendations.

Our Nutrition Section is an information rich and non-solicitous resource for you to learn more about supplementation and diet modification. The first section (Supplements) discusses specific vitamins and herbals.

I hope you will find this a useful resource!

Do you use acupuncture in your practice? If so, you may want to review our Acupuncture Section.

This page compiles recent studies on acupuncture, as well the principal World Health Organization guidelines and reviews. It also contains a variety of acupuncture charts for your use.