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November 15, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
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Organic Produce
August 25, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
Organic and conventional produce vary drastically in many ways. Where traditional farmers apply chemical fertilizers to the soil to grow their crops, organic farmers maintain a strict standard in which they feed and build soil with natural fertilizer. Traditional farmers use insecticides to get rid of insects and disease, while organic farmers use natural methods such as insect predators and barriers for this purpose. Traditional farmers control weed growth by applying synthetic herbicides, but organic farmers use crop rotation, tillage, hand weeding, cover crops and mulches to control weeds.
During production, organic foods are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, additives, preservatives or irradiation to maintain product integrity. In animals, organic products are raised without the use of growth hormones, antibiotics and other toxic chemicals. These animals have not been genetically engineered or cloned. Conventional meat and dairy production commonly uses a combination of these unnatural processes.
Health Benefits of Organic Foods
Higher Nutrient Levels
Many tests have been done to determine if organic food really has more nutrients than the conventional food we find in every grocery store. One study revealed that the mineral level in fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy have declined substantially in conventional foods. If you combine this with earlier picking (pre-ripening), longer storage, and more processing of crops it’s not that surprising that the nutritional value in the conventional grocery store food is depleting. Artificial fertilization associated with conventional crops produces lush growth by swelling produce with more water. On a pound for pound basis, organic food has more “dry matter” which is the actual food which contain more nutrients.
In a 1993 study by the International Academy of Nutrition and Preventative Medicine, they compared the difference between organic foods to commercially store bought foods. They compared apples, pears, potatoes and corn for over 2 years. The organic foods had, on average, over 90% more nutritional elements than the store bought foods!
Lower Pesticide Residue
Consuming organic food certainly isn’t the only way to improve ones nutrient intake, but is one of the safest. In monitoring programs, the tests have shown that around one in three non-organic food samples contain a variety of pesticide residues, with far lower levels being found in and on organic produce. While thoroughly washing your produce helps, it does not remove all pesticide residues.
An Israeli researcher has also linked symptoms such as headaches, tremors, lack of energy, depression, anxiety, poor memory, convulsions, nausea, indigestion and diarrhea with dietary intakes of pesticides. Belgian research had found that women diagnosed with breast cancer are six to nine times more likely to have pesticides DDT or hexachlorobenzene in their bloodstream compared to women without the cancer. Hawaiian researchers following 8,000 people for 34 years have found that increasing consumption of conventional fruit juice (fruit grown with the chemicals) raises the risk of Parkinson’s disease.
No Food Additives
Artificial colorings and preservatives in food and drink are thought to contribute to hyperactivity in pre-school children, and while many still contest this issue, a recent study in UK found that the proportion of hyperactive children was halved when additives were removed from their diets. Many additives- such as preservative, artificial sweeteners, coloring and flavorings, MSG, hydrogenated fat and phosphoric acid are prohibited in organic food production.
Not only is eating organic providing you with substantially more nutrients but it also eliminates many of the toxic chemicals that may produce illness. It’s an obvious choice for you and your family, eat organic.
Cost Effectiveness of Organic Foods
It’s a myth that eating organic is more expensive – both short term and long term. Colleen Huber’s article, Your Family Could be Eating Organic Food for the Same Price as Processed Foods – or Less, demonstrated that you would save $1.22 per person per week eating a healthy organic diet as compared to a typical processed diet. Add up the amount of money you will save in a lifetime without chronic disease – a healthy body is priceless.
Certain foods tend to have higher or lower amounts of pesticides. Visit www.FoodNews.org for more information. Pesticides are extremely important to monitor and consider, especially in kids. Buying organic produce lowers pesticide levels in kids. Please remember that it is still better to eat non-organic vegetables than none at all. If you cannot afford organic or if your only organic options are wilted and rotten, it is better to buy fresh and non-organic.
Top 12 Foods to Buy Organic
Peaches |
Apples |
Bell Peppers |
Celery |
Nectarines |
Strawberries |
Cherries |
Kale/Spinach/Lettuce |
Grapes (Imported) |
Carrots |
Pears |
Red Raspberries |
Cleaner Non-Organic Foods
These foods are lower in pesticides and are safer to buy non-organic
Onions |
Avocados |
Sweet Corn |
Pineapple |
Mangos |
Asparagus |
Sweet Peas |
Kiwi |
Cabbage |
Eggplant |
Papaya |
Watermelon |
Broccoli |
Tomato |
Sweet Potatoes |
Brussels Sprouts |
5 Easy Ways to Be More Organic
- Remember this rule of thumb: Fresh food is always better than frozen, but frozen is better than canned. Buy lots of fresh veggies, they’re usually less expensive than canned versions. If you have the space, grow your own fresh veggies such as greens, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, string beans, etc. Be sure to use them soon after picking before they go bad!
- Attend a Farmer’s Market: Buy directly from your local organic farmers and produce sellers. Many communities have a “farmer’s market” where vendors gather daily or weekly to sell freshly grown organic produce. If they don’t have “organic” foods, you are still better off choosing local foods over store bought produce. Often, locally grown foods are raised according to organic standards at a more affordable price. If all that’s available or affordable is fresh, conventionally grown (store bought) produce … buy it and wash it well!
- Ask organic at your local store The rising demand has created an organic trend and most grocery stores. If you have a specific food that they don’t carry, they will usually provide it for you. All you have to do ask. We prefer to support local, family owned natural food stores like Georgetown Market where the staff is knowledgeable and helpful and can be an excellent resource to expand your healthy lifestyle.
- Talk with local chefs who use organic ingredients Ask the chef at your favorite restaurant to offer organic options. If they already do, ask the chef where they purchase their organic foods. Sometimes you can buy directly from the restaurant.
- Grow your own: Growing your own organic garden may be easier than you think. There are many resources available to help you get started. Check out websites on the subject like www.gardenswebsite.com
- Join a co-op or buy on-line:
pH Balance
July 11, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
Acidity and alkalinity are measured according to the pH (potential of hydrogen) scale. Water, with a pH of 7.0, is considered neutral. Any substance with a pH below 7.0 is acid, while anything with a pH above 7.0 is alkaline.
The body functions best when the pH of most of its fluids range between 6.8 to 7.0 pH. Within the body, different systems have their own optimum pH, with the stomach, for instance, being highly acidic with a pH around 4; the upper portion of the small intestine being an alkaline environment; and the large intestines and colon again being acidic.
All organs and fluids will fluctuate in their pH range in order to keep the blood at a strict pH of 7.35 to 7.45, even if it destroys “less important” body systems. This is the reason that saliva and urine pH levels are used to test the overall health of the acid/alkali system. If there is an imbalance within the body, excess levels can be detected in these bodily fluids as they are rushed to or away from the blood. Proper balance is the key to health.
Cause & Effect of pH Imbalance
When our eating choices are too high in fat, protein, and simple sugars, excessive acid may be produced in the body. To reduce the acid burden, the body links these acids with alkaline minerals (like potassium, calcium, magnesium, and others) and excretes them. Over time this can deplete the body of needed minerals and lead to a build-up of excess acids in your cells. This reduces the efficiency and effectiveness of your cells and tissues, not to mention explains bone loss and osteoporosis! Is it really due to a lack of calcium or too much acidity in the body that steals the calcium to stay balanced?
Our bodies can also produce excessive amounts of acid by being exposed to foreign elements by way of infection, pollution, and improper digestion. This burdens the immune system. When the burden exceeds the body’s reserves, a continuous state of distress can emerge. As a consequence, the chemical messengers associated with stress, like cortisol, adrenaline, and insulin, increase. Chronic elevated levels of stress hormones can be devastating to health.
With excess acid load, the delicate machinery of your body does not work very well. This cellular machinery is delicately balanced to work best within a narrow, slightly alkaline range. The efficiency of energy production in the cells reduce with even slight excess of cell acid. This induces loss of resilience and repair mechanisms, and you become more susceptible to fatigue, illness, and pain. While your body tries to remove excess acid, even more critical minerals are lost as well.
The Dangers of Chronic Acidity
To be too acidic in the body can have far reaching consequences that can wreck the body until blood pH is stabilized. Your body goes through many steps:
- It takes alkaline elements from the enzymes in the small intestine to stay balanced which leaves the intestines too acidic to digest food optimally. The pancreas, liver, and gallbladder are forced to make up for this deficiency. This has a direct bearing on enzyme production, which is literally involved in every biochemical reaction in the body. The result is lowered immune function, fatigue, hormonal imbalances, absorption and digestive problems.
- The bones will leach calcium, the most alkaline mineral. This can lead to reduced absorption of supplemental minerals and bone density problems.
- Insulin levels increase and fat is stored instead of being metabolized. When malnutrition or starvation sets in, the body becomes acidic and as a safety, insulin is over produced so that all available calories are stored as fat for future use. As a result, weight gain is common and weight loss becomes more difficult.
- Electrolyte imbalances occur which have a direct bearing on the “fluid transport system”. Electrolytes are important because they are what the cells, especially the nerve, heart and muscle cells use to maintain voltages across cell membranes. This further stresses the kidneys, gallbladder, pancreas, and other organs.
Eating Raw: The 80/20 Rule
A basic rule of thumb to follow to achieve and maintain pH balance is to eat 80 percent alkaline-forming foods and drinks and 20 percent acid-forming foods and drinks each day. If a pH test indicates that your body is too acidic, you should eat more alkaline-forming foods and omit acid-forming foods from your diet until another pH test shows you have returned to normal. Conversely, if your body is too alkaline, eat more acid-forming foods and omit alkaline-forming foods.
A self test is easy to perform using litmus paper—which can be picked up in our office or at Georgetown Market. We also have a step-by-step instruction sheet on how to properly take your saliva and urine pH that can be downloaded BY CLICKING HERE 
. Monitoring your pH gives you an indication of how well or how hard your body is working to survive your lifestyle.
***For a list of acidic and alkaline-forming foods please reference our
Tips to Maintain A Healthy pH Balance
- Chew your food slowly to fully soak and mix your food with saliva and do not overindulge.
- Do not drink fluids during meals, especially cold drinks.
- Eat a diet of 50% raw foods. Raw foods not only maintain the correct acid/alkaline balance within the body, but they are richer in nutrients that are easily assimilated into the body and neutralize the acidity to reduce acidosis. Check out our Acid & Alkaline Food Chart!
- Do not overcook vegetables, as this makes them lose not only their flavor, but also their nutritional value.
- Eat processed foods in moderation. They are low in nutrients, often contain lots of sodium, trans-fats, and preservatives, and overtax the digestive system.
- Avoid eating late at night, as this makes the body spend its energy on digestion instead of restoration and healing.
- Take digestive enzymes with meals, especially if indigestion is a chronic problem. Heartburn and indigestion are often the result of poorly digested food putrefying in the stomach. If you suffer from heartburn, take 1-2 teaspoons of natural apple cider vinegar in a glass of water. If the vinegar method works, this may indicate that you lack sufficient acid in your stomach.
- Practice deep breathing, especially before sitting down to a meal; postpone eating if you are angry, upset or overly stressed until you have taken time to calm yourself.
- Do a series of Ionic Footbaths to boost pH balance throughout your entire body & help purge unwanted, harmful toxins that keep your body acidic. Contact us for our Specials & Pricing!
- Check your pH levels regularly, especially if you are dealing with a chronic condition.
Immunity
May 24, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
When it comes to the common cold and flu, you will hear the word “immunity” in constant use. However, your immune system plays a vital role in daily health, the prevention of disease, and treatment of serious health conditions. Without your immune system, you have no health. Our goal in the office, and with this article, is to not only educate you in what immunity really is, but ways that you can boost your immune system.
We are not born with a full functioning immune system, unlike most systems in the body. Your immunity is continuously built up during a lifetime of exposure to pathogens. In fact, the most important jump start an infant’s immune system receives is a nice soak in the bacteria-filled birth canal. This is why the natural childbirth is through the woman, not through a surgeon’s knife and hands.
The first several years of life has the strongest impact on immunity. If you were one of the unlucky kids that didn’t get to eat a handful of dirt, chew on cat or dog hair, or get the chicken pox … your immune system was deprived. For current or future parents, please do not buy into the germ theory that animals are bad, vaccines and antibiotics are good, and that you must triple sanitize everything with toxic cleaners before letting your infant suck on it. The evidence just doesn’t support these things.
What is Immunity?
Immunity defined:
Your body’s natural defense against infectious and invading pathogens (like parasites, virus, bacteria and inorganic substances). To the left is a picture of a type of immune cell killing invading e. coli.
Like an army protecting the borders, your immune system protects the internal borders of your body. The higher your immune function, the more likely you are to adapt to the environment. We call this, your adaptive potential. The more likely you are to adapt to your environment, the more likely you are to survive in the environment. Your immune system directly reflects your ability to survive.
Poor immunity = poor health = accelerated aging = premature death.
Scientists agree that our germ-phobia mentality and overdosing of antibiotics and vaccines is contributing to our poor immune function as a whole and explains the drastic increase in cancer and premature deaths.
Where is Your Immune System?
Simply …. EVERYWHERE. It is in your gut, it’s circulating in your blood, it’s your lymphatic system, it’s your nervous system, it’s in every cell, organ, and tissue. It is literally … everywhere in your body.
The majority of the immune system is found in the gut. This is why your body needs the good, healthy bacteria known as probiotics. This is also why antibiotics are so detrimental to overall health – they virtually destroy the immune system because they destroy the necessary good bacteria your body needs for digestion and health. What you put in your body (or don’t put in your body!) directly effects your immune system and health. (For more info, I highly suggest you pick up our “Probiotics or Antibiotics” handout.
Experts in the neuroimmunology field describe the immune system as your “circulating nervous system”. There is a direct link between the function of the nervous system and the function of the immune system. This is the main reason why our patient’s voluntarily continue with “wellness chiropractic” adjustments to maintain a healthy nerve and immune system for better health. Scientifically, it just makes sense.
Another large component of immunity lies in the flow of your lymphatic system. Your lymphatic system is what filters out toxins in the blood stream. Once the toxins are swept out of the blood stream, they are carried through your lymphatic system through a series of vessels and nodes via a clear fluid. Many people are aware of the danger of cancer reaching your lymphatic system as that is a sign that it has or will soon spread throughout the entire body. A clean, fully functioning lymphatic system is crucial to your immunity.
The toxins are pumped out of the lymphatic system through gravity and muscular contractions. However, when it becomes stagnant (due to lack of exercise , subluxations, or too many toxins), the fluid can become thicker, making it harder to circulate out of the body. This is where yoga, massage and exercise play a vital role in immunity.
Stress and Immunity
As I always tell my patients, “it’s not the stress but how well you adapt to stress that determines whether stress impacts health. One’s range of adaptability to stress is governed by the nervous system.” As we stated above, the function of the nervous system directly impacts the function of the immune system. When the nervous system is functioning, your body’s ability to adapt to and deal with stress is significantly improved.
The Biochemical Link of Stress on Immunity and Health
Stress negatively impacts immunity by affecting the hormone cortisol. Cortisol not only effects the production of other hormones and chemicals in the body, but it also effects an enzyme called Telomerase. Before you stop reading, let me put this in English for you. A telomere is part of your DNA. Think of a strand of DNA like a shoelace. The little hard plastic covers at the end of the lace that prevent it from getting frayed and damaged, is the telomere. The telomere basically keeps the DNA and is like the life clock for how long the cell lives. Cortisol decreases the lifespan of the enzyme telomerase, which in turn causes premature aging and death to the cells. In summary:
STRESS CAUSES PREMATURE AGING AND DEATH!
To add on to that, scientists have discovered certain messengers (neurotransmitters and neuropeptides) on the cells of the immune system called monocytes. Neurotransmitters were originally thought to only be present in the brain and nervous system – now they are being found throughout the entire body.
Monocytes are the circulating immune cells found in the bloodstream – so they travel through the whole body and have free access to every cell in the body. Hence, why we said the immune system is everywhere! The immune cells are hardwired with the ability to mirror the nervous system. What does this mean to you? When you are happy, sad, thoughtful, excited, and so on … your brain and nervous system make certain chemicals messengers (neurotransmitters and neuropeptides) that are not only circulating in your brain but are also circulating in your blood through these immune cells called monocytes. So the old saying that “laughter is the best medicine” … is true!
Sure does make you think! These intelligent chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) are not only made by the brain whose function is to THINK, but are also made by the immune system, whose primary role is to PROTECT us! This also takes the connection of stress and immunity to an entirely different level with the mind-body connection.
Strategies to Boost Immunity
A strong immunity is not built from simply adding one of these strategies. Building a strong immune system takes time and takes effort. If you already doing one of the following, try adding one more every couple of weeks. This is an achievable and affordable goal. If you do not currently do any of the following, please do not try to incorporate all of them tomorrow. That is a difficult goal to reach and you may set yourself up for disappointment. You must find the path that is right for you. If we can assist in any way, please contact us and let us know how we can help you achieve your wellness goals.
Get Adjusted |
|
Meditate |
|
Sleep |
|
Nutrition |
|
Water |
|
Probiotics – Not Antibiotics |
|
Exercise |
|
Sunlight and Vitamin D |
|
Massage |
|
Remember … building a strong immune system is a process – just as life and health are both processes. It is impossible to build a strong immune system overnight. Do not get discouraged if you don’t “see” results right away. Every choice you make either builds or destroys your immunity!
Which way are your choices taking you?
Neurotransmitter Descriptions
May 20, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
The following information is from NeuroScience, our reliable, accurate company that not only interprets and reads the testing in our office, but is on the cutting edge of neurotransmitter research and technology. I highly recommend visiting their website for more information at www.neurorelief.com.
Neurotransmitters are broken down into 2 primary categories: INHIBITORY and EXCITATORY.
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Neurotransmitters
May 17, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
It is scientific fact that all tissues of the body communicate with one another through the nervous system. The brain is connected to every cell in the body through the nervous system. The signals and messages of the nervous system consist of chemical “runners” who deliver messages to and from the brain. These chemical runners are known as neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters are the runners that race to and from the brain, telling every organ inside of us of us what to do. Neurotransmitters touch the life of every cell. The brain uses neurotransmitters to tell your heart to beat, your lungs to breathe, and your stomach to digest. They can also affect mood, sleep, concentration, weight, and can cause adverse symptoms when they are out of balance.
As a matter of fact, it is estimated that 86% of Americans have suboptimal neurotransmitter levels.
Neurotransmitters are highly influenced by our minds – our emotions, memories, dreams and intuitions. Wherever a thought wants to go, these chemicals must go too, and without them, no thoughts can exist. For without the mind, these runners would never leave the starting line. Our thoughts are like the gunshot that signals these chemical runners to go.
Neurotransmitters and Immunity
Receptors for neurotransmitters and neuropeptides were discovered on cells in the immune system, called monocytes. The monocytes of the immune system travel through the bloodstream, giving them free access to every other cell in the body. They are hardwired with the ability to mirror the nervous system. In fact, if being happy, sad, thoughtful, excited, and so on all require the production of neurotransmitters in our brain cells, then the immune cells must also be happy, sad, thoughtful, excited! Monocytes can be thought of in effect as circulating neurons.
The wonder is that these intelligent chemicals are not only made by the brain, whose function is to think, but by the immune system, whose primary role is to protect us from disease! This further validates the very important role of these chemical messengers that travel and communicate throughout our entire body with the help of the mind. Gives a new insight into the phrase “mind over matter,” doesn’t it?
Neurotransmitters and The Mind
The discovery of neurotransmitters in the 1970’s helped fill the gap that apparently separated the mind and the body. It appears that these brain messengers know where to go, when to go, and how many need to be sent. But how? Intelligence. The human body exhibits an incredible intelligence that is inborn and does not require anyone or anything to teach it how to grow, live or heal. This is what the chiropractic profession terms – Innate
Intelligence . It is your body’s inborn, natural intelligence that is able to grow a full functioning human being from two tiny little cells at conception.
The ability to make neurotransmitters comes from the mind. It is not really the adrenaline molecule that makes a mother rush into a burning building to save her child. It is not an endorphin molecule that protects her from feeling the flames. Love makes her rush in, and single-minded determination protects her from pain. The body responds with these chemical messengers so that the brain can follow and talk to the body.
The vast majority of people have never had these important nervous system “runners” measured, but many people exhibit symptoms related to imbalanced neurotransmitter levels. Remember, it is estimated that 86% of Americans have suboptimal neurotransmitter levels! Symptoms are much broader than the ones listed, but for simplicity, we have listed the most common symptoms associated with imbalances:
- Depression, low mood, mood swings
- Insomnia, sleep disturbances or difficulties
- ADD/ADHD
- Difficulty concentrating, focusing or remembering
- Autism
- Anxiety, irritability, agitation, tension, panic attacks
- Fatigue, Lack of energy
- Migraines and Headaches
- Weight Issues, food cravings
- PMS or Menopausal symptoms
Why is our society experiencing these symptoms at such an alarming rate? STRESS. STRESS. STRESS. Sources that contribute to neurotransmitter imbalance include:
- Poor diet
- Neurotoxins
- Environmental Toxins
- Genetic Predisposition
- Drugs (prescription and recreational)
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
Checking Neurotransmitter Balance
If you have never had your levels checked, I would suggest that you consider doing it. If you are already exhibiting symptoms of neurotranmistter imbalance, I would definitely recommend it. If you are on medication, I HIGHLY recommend having your levels checked as many people do not need dangerous medications. In fact, many drugs (over-the-counter, prescription, and stress drugs), cause neurotransmitter imbalances that drastically interfere with your body’s innate intelligence and ability to heal itself.
Testing is quick, easy, painless and non-invasive. Levels are measured through your urine and testing can be done in the privacy of your own home. For more information, please contact us!
Neurotransmitter Roles in the Body
There are two kinds of neurotransmitters – INHIBITORY and EXCITATORY. Excitatory neurotransmitters are what stimulate the brain and body. Those that calm the brain and help create balance are called inhibitory. Inhibitory neurotransmitters balance mood and are easily depleted when the excitatory neurotransmitters are overactive. Below is a list of both the inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters that we test in our office. Click on each specific neurotransmitter for more information.
| EXCITATORY |
INHIBITORY |
| Norepinephrine | |
| Epinephrine | |
| Dopamine | |
| Glutamate | |
| Histamine | |
| PEA | 5-HIAA |
| Aspartic Acid |
Chiropractic: Your Best Defense Against Swine Flu & Influenza
April 28, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
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After receiving several emails and comments from friends, loved ones, and patients, inquiring if Nate and I will still be heading to Mexico next week in light of this DEADLY PANDEMIC spreading, I figured it was time I take a few hours out of my day and educate you, the general public, about the swine flu that hit in 1918.
I highly suggest you not only read and absorb the following article in its entirety, but you also pass it on to everyone you know. You may just be surprised what a shift in consciousness will do.
To answer the question: YES, we haven’t even considered NOT going. Why? Because we do not live and operate in fear mode. And … because we are both well adjusted, healthy individuals. We didn’t “catch the flu” when it was running rampant around the Midwest a month ago and we were both constantly surrounded by it. I made patients come in when they were sick with the flu to get adjusted – and wouldn’t you know – my patients cut the duration of the flu by at least half. Call me crazy, but I think there is a correlation. That correlation is a healthy lifestyle, where chiropractic is the core.
Media reports of Swine Flu in Mexico and now several US cities are frightening to many Americans, who are made to feel helpless. As a result, many will turn to dangerous vaccines out of fear and a lack of honest information. This virus is a strain of H1N1, the same virus responsible for the 1918 Flu Pandemic (often referred to as the “Spanish Flu”).
At this point, most confirmed cases in the United States have been mild and there have been no confirmed fatalities. However, in Mexico there has been a high case fatality rate among young adults, 25-44, with atypical pneumonia, which has similarities with the 1918 flu pandemic.
The 1918 influenza pandemic has been labeled in history as one of the most devastating outbreaks in the history of the world with deaths estimated at between 20 and 40 million people. Over 675,000 American citizens lost their lives due to this awful epidemic. Why are we talking about this?
The 1918 flu crisis has been labeled in the Chiropractic profession as the reason for our success and proliferation as an occupation. Why? Because we were offering a solution to millions of people to naturally boost their immunity and allow their body to defend and heal itself from invading pathogens. Chiropractic adjustments are not just “popping bones”.
The primary purpose for an adjustment is to remove any irritation or interference in the nerves that are the information highways from the brain to the body. When this information highway gets congested, the life flow that runs through the nerves telling the brain and body what is going on inside, cannot flow efficiently – resulting in a number of symptoms and diseases. Chiropractors allowed the body to function as it was designed to do and in turn, patient’s struck with the Swine Flu were able to regain their health – without vaccines and drugs.
Statistics to Ease Your Soul
In Davenport, Iowa, 50 medical doctors cared for 4,953 cases, with 274 deaths. In the same city, 150 chiropractors including students and faculty of the Palmer School of Chiropractic treated 1,635 cases with only one death.
In the same state, Iowa, medical doctors treated 93,590 patients, with 6,116 deaths – a loss of one patient out of every 15. In the same state, excluding Davenport, 4,735 patients were treated by chiropractors with a loss of only 6 cases – a loss of one patient out of every 789.
National figures show that 1,142 chiropractors treated 46,394 patients for influenza during 1918, with a loss of 54 patients – one out of every 859.
Yes, the medical profession was seeing a majority of the worst of the worst; however, one of the greatest statistics backing chiropractic care comes from the state of Oklahoma. In addition to chiropractors treating 3,490 cases of influenza with only 7 deaths, chiropractors were called in to treat 233 cases where medical doctors had cared for the patients and pronounced them as “lost” or beyond hope … Chiropractors took care of all 233 with only 25 deaths.
In the same epidemic, New York health authorities (who kept records of flu as a reportable disease) showed that under chiropractic care, only 25 patients died of influenza out of every 10,000 cases; and only 100 patients died of pneumonia out of every 10,000 cases. This comparison is made more striking when viewed in the following table:
Medical Vs. Chiropractic Treatment in 1918 Swine Virus Outbreak
| Influenza |
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|
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Cases |
Deaths |
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| Under medical care |
10,000 |
950 |
| Under chiropractic care |
10,000 |
25 |
| Pneumonia |
|
|
|
Cases |
Deaths |
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| Under medical care |
10,000 |
6,400 |
| Under chiropractic care |
10,000 |
100 |
Which system do you want to trust your life to?
Medical – which research shows to have prevented less deaths.
Or Chiropractic – where the research shows treatment is safe, effective and saved the lives of those that the medical profession diagnosed as “lost”? Your health is your choice. Make an educated decision.
Chiropractic’s journey into health care took a huge leap forward thanks to its incredible effect on the thousands of Americans during the flu crisis. What I hope you all gain from this is the incredible results of the chiropractic adjustment. When you get adjusted, you decreased sustained sympathetic tone in your nervous system (bad), which subsequently leads to an increase in immune function (good), among many other consequences (Journal of Neurophysiology, February 2007).
An increase in immune function is important for everything from the cold and runny nose to influenza, cancer, and heart disease, not to mention the great enhancing effects on a healthy individual. This is why we encourage you all to come in to get checked with our state-of-the-art technology despite if you are not feeling the best. An adjustment will stimulate your immune system to better fight off any illness in your body.
The stresses that people endured in the early 1900s were entirely different than those we incur presently. In order to achieve these dramatic results you must not only get adjusted, but also make changes in your lifestyle so your body can at least have an opportunity to heal. A few simple steps can maximize the effects of your adjustments. Eat more green, leafy vegetables with every meal, take a 20 minute walk outside every day, and have a more optimistic view on life.
“I encourage everyone to have their spine and nervous system checked and adjusted if needed. An adjustment often stimulates the immune system to better fight off any challenge, including influenza.” – Dr Lauren Montieth, DC (Wellness Chiropractor)
References
1. Rhodes WR: “The Official History of Chiropractic in Texas.” Texas Chiropractic Association. Austin, TX. 1978.
2. Kent, Christopher: “Neuroimmunology — an update.” The Chiropractic Journal. August, 2001.
3. Kent, Christopher: “Neuroimmunology and chiropractic.” The Chiropractic Journal. October, 1995.
4. Kent, Christopher: “The mental impulse-biochemical and immunologic aspects.” The Chiropractic Journal. February, 1999.
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Optimal Wellness Chiropractic is offering FREE consultations to those who are interested in having their spine and nervous system checked.
Please contact us at (317) 504-0425 or email us at info@WeCreateWellness.com
Massage Therapy
April 21, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
Chiropractic and massage therapy are two holistic therapies that share a common goal: to to treat the whole person rather than symptoms through natural, hands-on, drug-free techniques. When used in combination with each other, these therapies are preventative and restorative, helping to address the source of stress and pain so that you may achieve optimal health.
Those that add massage therapy to their chiropractic care program, for example, will generally enjoy a faster recovery. And since multiple components of the pain are being addressed, the recovery is usually also more complete.
Chiropractic adjustments will often proceed more easily when the soft tissue has already been relaxed by massage. And the massage is also helpful because it helps to relax the patient before chiropractic care, making them less anxious and relaxed and ready to receive chiropractic adjustment. The adjustments frequently last longer, too, because muscle tension has been released and joints are less likely to pull themselves out of alignment again.
Chiropractic care is based upon the fact that the body is self-regulating and self-healing. These functions are controlled by the body’s nervous system, with the skull protecting the brain and the flexible bones of the spine protecting the fragile spinal cord. But when this system becomes impaired, malfunctions of the tissue and organs may follow, called Subluxation Complex.
A chiropractic adjustment can help to restore the nervous system back to proper functioning, giving the body the ability to heal itself again. A chiropractic adjustment can do wonders for the body, improving everything from range of motion, pain, circulation and even restore the proper communication and life flow to all organs and tissues of the body.
Massage therapy is based upon the same premise of the body having the ability to self-heal and regulate. If the muscles of the body become imbalanced, for example, it can lead to a variety of problems. If muscles are shortened and tightened and one side, the muscles on the opposite side may become overstretched, which can cause pain, weakened circulation, and other problems. But worse, this tightness may also pull the bones the muscles are attached to, sabotaging the work of the chiropractor to realign the body.
A massage therapist can soften and stretch the muscle groups, relieving stress on the opposing muscles groups and strengthening weaker muscles, which complements the work of the chiropractor. Those that are seeking massage therapy for pain but are still suffering should consider chiropractic care, especially if the pain goes away briefly but recurs or, in more serious cases, worsens. If your pain is caused by subluxation, for example, your chiropractor may be able to provide you with immediate relief by realigning and mobilizing your joint. And when it’s not being subjected to the stress of being misaligned, the soft tissue around your joints will likely heal much more quickly.
In this blog, we will discuss the most frequently asked questions regarding therapeutic massage:
What are the benefits of massage?
What kinds of massage are available?
What is Massage Therapy?
Massage therapy, is the massage and manipulation of the muscles and soft tissue of the body. Massage therapy promotes better circulation, brings health and tone to the body, and prevents stiffness and muscle injury.
What does Massage Therapy involve?
Massage therapists use a variety of massage techniques, including effleurage (a light, feathery touch), gliding, kneading and rubbing. Massage is done in a private, clean, quiet area with a minimum of noise or outside stimulation. You may choose to partially disrobe or remove all of your clothing if you are comfortable. If you prefer to remain partially clothed, don’t hesitate to tell the massage practitioner. If she does not respect your request, it’s best to look for another massage therapist.
How much does it cost?
Massage therapy usually ranges from approximately $50.00 to as much as $85.00 per session. The typical session is usually 50 minutes or one hour in length. Some massage therapists will provide a half-hour or a fifteen-minute massage at a lower rate. If you are new to massage therapy, you may feel more comfortable starting out with a brief session. Contact us for current pricing and specials!
What are the benefits of Massage?
In the words of Dr. Andrew Weil, MD, “Many people think of massage as an indulgence or luxury, but there is also ample evidence that massage can benefit many health conditions, from anxiety and back pain to sports injuries and tension headaches.” Common benefits people experience from massage therapy include:
- Improves and increases circulation
- Relieves muscular tension and stress
- Facilitates the body’s natural healing process
- Promotes healing (especially after injuries)
- Relieves pain
- Aids in drainage of excessive fluids and toxins
- Restores mobility to injured tissue
- Balances energy flow throughout the body
- Stimulates feelings of well-being
- Helps connect mind, body, and spirit
Other Types of Hands-On Healing:
ACUPRESSURE
PILATES
YOGA
Meditation
April 21, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
Meditation is a heightened sense of awareness or state of mind. This awareness is accomplished by using concentration, inner focus and total mind/body relaxation. The main goal of meditation is to reduce the amount of sensory stimulation that is common in today’s fast-paced society.
Meditation involves concentrating on something to take your attention beyond the random thoughts that are usually occurring in your mind. This usually involves focusing on a solid object or picture, visualization, or a mantra. A mantra is the repetition of a specific word or sound that has a meditative or flowing quality, which ultimately brings complete peace and inner focus. Meditation is very adaptable. That is, different techniques work for different people. You may wish to experiment with a variety of methods before settling on a specific one.
Meditation can be completely free-of-charge if you teach yourself. There are many resources and books available that can walk you through the process of learning meditation yourself.
If you desire a more instructional approach, meditation classes are now being held at the OWC.
$15 per class
$60 for 5 classes
Please contact us for more information or to sign-up for classes!
Benefits of Meditation
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A Simple Breathing Meditation
Step 1: The first step of meditation is to create an environment in which to be successful. A place free of distractions. No cell phones, screaming kids, televisions blaring or anything else that might pull your mind away. Our goal is to make our mind more clear and lucid, to reduce the clutter in the active mind (Beta waves) and build a quieter more lucid creative state (Theta waves). We can accomplish this goal with a simple breathing meditation.
Step 2 – Posture: Choose a quiet place to meditate and sit in a comfortable position. You don’t have to be in a stereotypical cross-legged posture but any position that is comfortable is acceptable. Sitting comfortably in a chair is fine as long as you keep your back straight and your body relaxed. Try to align your ears, shoulders and hips. Sit tall and reach the top of your head towards the ceiling. Look across the room to the point where the wall meets the ceiling. Close your eyes and relax. As you become more advanced I would like you to close your eyes half-way without really looking at anything. At first you may find this too distracting.
Step 3 – Attention and Breathing: Turn your attention to your breathing. Breathe as naturally as possible. Breathe through the nostrils, without attempting to control your breathing. As you breathe in, use your diaphragm and fully oxygenate your lungs. Focus your attention on your breathing. Turn your awareness to the sensation of the breath as it enters and leaves the lungs. Keep your focus on the feeling and sensations of the air as it passes through your lungs. We should try to concentrate on it to the exclusion of everything else.
Step 4 – Keeping your focus: At first, you will find that your mind is cluttered with the stress in your life. You will find your focus moving from your breathing to random thoughts of things that you need to do, stresses of the day, work, family and life in general. As quickly as you get distracted move your focus back to your breathing. You may be surprised at how busy our mind actually is. This is normal. Understand this is how cluttered your mind typically is throughout your waking hours. Continue the process of refocusing on your breathing as many times as necessary until the mind stays focused on your breathing.
Step 5 – Persistence: Practice persistence and gradually your distracting thoughts will begin to melt away. This is your mind settling down and moving from the more active brain waves of Beta waves, to a more healthy state of Theta. You will begin to experience states of inner peace and relaxation. You will discover your mind feeling more lucid and spacious and you will experience a state of renewal much like you feel after a nice afternoon nap. I want you to stay in this state for 20 minutes.
Step 6 – Habit: I want you to practice this simple meditation for twenty minutes per day for the next 21 days straight. It takes 21 days to develop a lasting lifestyle habit. After 21 days you will have developed new lifestyle habits that I have found to be more beneficial to your health than eating right or exercising. The object is not to substitute meditation for another healthy habit but to add it to your lifestyle and build the momentum of wellness.
As simple as this is, it can be quite powerful. We can see from this practice that it is possible to experience inner peace and contentment just by controlling the mind. We can detach our mind from the everyday stress and emotions. When the turbulence of distracting thoughts subsides and our mind becomes still, a deep happiness and contentment natually arises from within.
This feeling of contentment and well being helps us to cope with the busyness and difficulties of daily life. So much of the stress and tension we normally experience comes from our mind, and many of the problems we experience, including ill health, are caused or aggravated by this stress. Just by doing breathing meditation for ten or twenty minutes each day, we will be able to reduce this stress. We will experience a calm, spacious feeling in the mind, and many of our usual problems will fall away.
Difficult situations will become easier to deal with, we will naturally feel warm and well disposed towards other people, and our relationships with others will gradually improve.
The Role of Chiropractic in Children with Autism
April 21, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
The November/December 2003 issue of the magazine “Autism Digest” contained an interesting article on the subject of Autism and the effect of chiropractic care on those children. The article was authored by world known chiropractor for children, Dr. Joan Fallon. In her article she notes, “While it has regularly been associated with back pain or headache, increasing numbers of parents are seeking chiropractors for children and especially for children with developmental issues.”
The article starts off by noting that Temple Grandin, an author of two books on autism, is herself autistic. The article notes that in her books she repeatedly discusses sensory integration difficulties as being the core of her autism. Additionally, a growing numbers of professionals also tout sensory difficulties as one of the hallmarks of autism.
Dr. Fallon describes this phenomenon by saying, “Sensory integration is defined as the disorganization of the multisensory input into the body. People who experience sensory integration problems have profound and often debilitating difficulty with touch, taste, smell, sound or visual input.
Non-autistics can often experience sensory issues as well, such as the irritation we feel from a band playing too loudly, or an immediate headache from a certain smell. While these may be bothersome to the typical person, such sensory stimuli can be “noxious” to the autistic child and often manifest in infancy as colic and in the older child as hyperactivity, the “inability to listen”, or unexplained behavior issues, especially in children who lack communication.”
The article continues by stating that Chiropractic care should be the cornerstone of the sensory integration treatment plan for the Autistic child. Dr. Fallon notes, “Chiropractic care differs from many of the other therapies used with autistics in that it is directed to the heart of the problem: the lack of homeostasis in the body, which can, in turn, produce a disease state. Treatments are directed to the imbalances in the nervous system which inhibit sensory processing. By directly affecting the nervous system, chiropractic care for the autistic child can begin to change the many sensory integration issues by facilitating input into the organs and areas of the body involved in sensory integration, including the skin and the nervous system.”
The article then explains that the imbalances in the nervous system are caused by “Subluxations” in the spine. “The presence of Subluxation can cause illness as well as a host of other problems for the child,” contends Dr. Fallon. “The chiropractor administers an adjustment as the mainstream portion of care. The adjustment is administered in areas where there is the presence of a SUBLUXATION. Subluxation occurs where a segment of the spine consisting of two vertebrae and a disc between them, has lost their juxtaposition. Proper juxtaposition is necessary to maintain the integrity of the various systems that are located there, not the least of which is the nervous system.”
This is a perfect example of how the innate intelligence of the body can heal itself when given the right tools. Notice in this story they did not say that Max had back or neck pain. Max was a child that had interference in his nervous system that was not allowing the body to function and express itself as it was designed to do. The chiropractor simply removed this interference in the nervous system, through an adjustment, and allowed Max’s body to express itself fully.
It’s like taking your child from a 40-Watt light bulb to a 100-Watt light bulb. Both produce light and have energy, but one is able to express itself in a greater capacity and exude more energy and light. Chiropractic kids are functioning at 100-Watts, “normal” children are at 40-Watts … what would you like your for your growing child?
For more on how chiropractic can help your child, please visit our Kid’s section of the website.
Improvement in Autistic Child Following Chiropractic
April 21, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
A documented case study published on March 24th 2008 in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, showed the improvement of a 3 and 1/2 year old girl who was diagnosed with autism a year earlier. In this case the girl initially could not speak or communicate with anyone except through screaming and tantrum like outbursts. This young girl did not socialize at all with others her age and did not engage in physical activity. The child’s mother did note that after the first set of vaccinations her child did react differently and slept for 24 hours.
The young girl was brought in for a chiropractic evaluation where a series of tests and scans were performed. A finding of subluxation was made and care was initiated for correction of the subluxations. Over the next 10 week period, the child was checked and given specific chiropractic adjustments 28 times.
The young girl started to show results within the first 5 visits as she was previously very apprehensive to lay on the table and by her 6th visit she was laying on the chiropractic adjusting table by herself and holding the doctor’s hand. By the 10th visit, the child verbalized for the first time while being adjusted. Her mother reported that the girl even laughed that same week. After the first month of care the girl’s mother reported that her daughter showed more spontaneity, more expressions of joy, and a better posture while also experiencing less nightmares and hyperactivity.
Subsequent scans and examinations showed improvement in correction of vertebral subluxations and more symmetry to scans of the nervous system. The authors of the case study concluded, “This case report illustrates how an improvement respectively in both subjective and objective behavioral patterns and nerve system symmetry followed chiropractic care in a child with autism.”
This is a perfect example of how the innate intelligence of the body can heal itself when given the right tools. Notice in this story they did not say that Max had back or neck pain. Max was a child that had interference in his nervous system that was not allowing the body to function and express itself as it was designed to do. The chiropractor simply removed this interference in the nervous system, through an adjustment, and allowed Max’s body to express itself fully.
It’s like taking your child from a 40-Watt light bulb to a 100-Watt light bulb. Both produce light and have energy, but one is able to express itself in a greater capacity and exude more energy and light. Chiropractic kids are functioning at 100-Watts, “normal” children are at 40-Watts … what would you like your for your growing child?
For more on how chiropractic can help your child, please visit our Kid’s section of the website.
Good Bacteria May Relieve Autism Symptoms
April 21, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
An article published in Nature, in May of 2004 stated that researchers questioned whether or not a daily dose of friendly bacteria known as probiotics might help treat autism. Clinical trials are being scheduled to test probiotics to determine if they could ease the gut problems associated with autism and possibly help with some of the psychological symptoms as well.
Nearly six out of every 1,000 people have autism, a condition that negatively affects communication and social relationships.
Some of the physical symptoms associated with autism include bloating, stomach-aches and diarrhea. Since children with autism were more prone to having higher levels of Clostridia, a group of “bad” bacteria, probiotic food supplements might lower the levels of these bad bacteria and alleviate some of the autism symptoms.
Researchers haven’t been able to find out what the cause of autism is, however genetic and environmental factors have been cited as likely contributors to the complex disorder.
Researchers agreed that toxic byproducts of the bacteria might play a role with the disease because of how they are absorbed into the blood and travel to the brain.
One type of bacteria researchers have found to produce promising results is called Lactobacillus plantarum, which attaches itself to the lining of the gut and stimulates its growth. In addition to these functions, this bacteria has also been discovered to lower gut pH, which aids in the digestive process and helps fight infections.
Research has also revealed that friendly bacteria might be useful in treating irritable bowel disorder, diarrhea, colitis and bowel cancer. Experts have noticed an increasing acceptance of probiotics as a way to help manage health conditions.
More on Probiotics
More on Autism
This is a perfect example of how the innate intelligence of the body can heal itself when given the right tools. Notice in this story they did not say that Max had back or neck pain. Max was a child that had interference in his nervous system that was not allowing the body to function and express itself as it was designed to do. The chiropractor simply removed this interference in the nervous system, through an adjustment, and allowed Max’s body to express itself fully.
It’s like taking your child from a 40-Watt light bulb to a 100-Watt light bulb. Both produce light and have energy, but one is able to express itself in a greater capacity and exude more energy and light. Chiropractic kids are functioning at 100-Watts, “normal” children are at 40-Watts … what would you like your for your growing child?
For more on how chiropractic can help your child, please visit our Kid’s section of the website.
Dramatic Case Study of 7-Year-Old Autistic Boy
April 21, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
Case history
One of our more dramatic cases of autism was a seven-year-old boy with an evaluated physical age of one and a half years old and mental age of a one year old.
The child was classed as “normal” until the age of three years, when he received a DPT vaccination shot and he immediately lost his three-year-old capacity.
The child regressed, and at age five, all vocabulary ceased. He suffered rapid physical decline and, at age seven, was brought in for chiropractic care.
His bowels and kidney function were completely erratic and uncontrollable. After two months of care, the child’s vocabulary returned. The teacher at his special education school asked the child’s mother if he had been placed on stronger medication, as he was behaving better.
The mother told the teacher that she was taking her son to the chiropractor. Before seeing a doctor of chiropractic, the mother had been told her son would never get any better and would probably get worse.
After one year of chiropractic care, the child no longer had frequent bowel accidents, he could now communicate his wishes and most of the autistic type behavior had diminished. The child is still under care and the changes are extremely slow. However, there is a positive change. All of the child’s teachers and his parents are astounded at the results obtained when they had originally been told nothing more could be done.
When neurological deficits are present, we can rightfully assume that the nervous system is not functioning properly. Subluxations present during childhood created this disease process and chiropractic can be the solution.
Autism is just one of the many clinical conditions that the International Pediatric Association is researching at its Atlanta facility.
by Larry Webster, D.C., Chairman of the Board and Founder of I.C.P.A.
This is a perfect example of how the innate intelligence of the body can heal itself when given the right tools. Notice in this story they did not say that Max had back or neck pain. Max was a child that had interference in his nervous system that was not allowing the body to function and express itself as it was designed to do. The chiropractor simply removed this interference in the nervous system, through an adjustment, and allowed Max’s body to express itself fully.
It’s like taking your child from a 40-Watt light bulb to a 100-Watt light bulb. Both produce light and have energy, but one is able to express itself in a greater capacity and exude more energy and light. Chiropractic kids are functioning at 100-Watts, “normal” children are at 40-Watts … what would you like your for your growing child?
For more on how chiropractic can help your child, please visit our Kid’s section of the website.
Autistic Boy Experiences Miracle of Chiropractic
April 21, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
In a May 26, 2005 feature article from the “Health Telegraph” news service in Great Britain, comes a feel-good story of Max Willson, a young boy who had been labeled autistic. The story of Max’s problems started at birth.
Max was born in April, 1998 after a very difficult labor. The umbilical cord was wrapped twice around his neck. As he grew, Max’s mother, Michaela soon noticed that Max was not developing in the same way that his elder sister had. His parents noticed that Max’s eyes didn’t focus, and his hand movements were more uncoordinated than those of other children his age.
Quentin, Max’s father commented, “You never want to admit to yourself that you’ve got a backward child,” he says, “but it was clear that he was very, very behind. He couldn’t concentrate, was hyperactive and demanding.” The Wilson’s took their son to numerous doctors and received a variety of opinions including the diagnosis of dyspraxia and dyslexia.
Having tried all else the Willsons’ were close to placing Max on Ritalin when something happened. One day Quentin, Max’s father, went to pick Max up from a birthday party he had been attending. Quentin noted that Max was acting up as usual, “he’d done his usual trick of sitting underneath the table for two hours”. At that party, he met the mother of one of the other children who had been observing Max for the previous hour. She told Quentin that she thought Max’s skeleton was out of alignment and suggested that he should see the chiropractor she had used.
Following that advice the Willson’s took Max to see a chiropractor. Quentin recalls the first visit and day by saying, “It was just flicking the bones around his neck and shoulders, but that night, Max slept continuously until morning for the first time since his birth, nearly five years before.”
Needless to say the Willsons were extremely delighted at their son’s progress. Max’s dad Quentin summed up their feelings by saying “He sleeps like a log and has lost all that weirdness. He no longer has a classroom assistant and we’ve taken him out of his second genteel preparatory school with five children in the class and put him into a little village state school where he’s flourishing. He’s still a bit behind because he effectively missed out on a couple of years of education, but you can reason with him and he’s reading and writing and it’s amazing. I can only put this down to the chiropractic.”
This is a perfect example of how the innate intelligence of the body can heal itself when given the right tools. Notice in this story they did not say that Max had back or neck pain. Max was a child that had interference in his nervous system that was not allowing the body to function and express itself as it was designed to do. The chiropractor simply removed this interference in the nervous system, through an adjustment, and allowed Max’s body to express itself fully.
It’s like taking your child from a 40-Watt light bulb to a 100-Watt light bulb. Both produce light and have energy, but one is able to express itself in a greater capacity and exude more energy and light. Chiropractic kids are functioning at 100-Watts, “normal” children are at 40-Watts … what would you like your for your growing child?
For more on how chiropractic can help your child, please visit our Kid’s section of the website.
Autistic Boy’s Life Changed by Chiropractic
April 21, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
From the British publication, the Manchester Evening Star, comes an August 13, 2007 article about an eight-year-old boy Daniel, whose life has been changed for the better by chiropractic.
The story starts with Daniels mother, Susan Crisp taking Daniel to the chiropractor and notes that Susan and her husband, Gary, firmly believe that chiropractic care has been key to the recent improvements they’ve seen in Daniels development. “His communication has improved tremendously,” says Susan.
Susan Crisp chronicled Daniel’s progress by stating, “He has started putting three or four words together and it is not in response to questions from us. It’s spontaneous. At one time, if he wanted something out of the fridge he would drag me to it and point. Now he’ll say, ‘Mummy, I want’. “He doesn’t seem so closed in as he once was and is interacting more with his three older sisters.”
The article reported on another instance where a television reporter Quentin Willson had done a story on his own son’s improvement with chiropractic. The article noted that it was this television story that prompted Susan to take her son, Daniel to see a chiropractor. Susan recalled, “It was a coincidence that I saw it. I had the TV on and it really caught my eye because there were so many similarities between what he was talking about with his son and Daniel.” She continued, “It stayed on my mind. I told Gary about it and we felt we should give it a try. We thought, ‘If nothing happens, that’s the worst that can happen’. At the time, Daniel was walking on his tip-toes and his feet were pointing inwards when he walked – which can be symptoms of autism. I was worried about it and we thought that the chiropractic might be able to help with his posture.”
Daniel’s success adds weight to two separate papers published in two scientific journals in March of 2006 where studies documented a significant improvement in autistic children under chiropractic care. In one of those studies involving 14 children, 12 showed significant improvement and two of the children improved so much that they no longer met the criteria to be classified as autistic.
The British article concludes with comments from Daniel’s mother, Susan, where she notes how he enjoys the care, “But it’s not just a matter of Daniel enjoying it. Within four to six weeks we noticed a huge improvement in his condition. “We took him in June and by August people who don’t see him regularly commented that his speech had come on tremendously. He started to initiate sentences – it was a real surprise, to us.” She concluded by saying, “The chiropractic was like turning a key, opening the door and it all came out of him. “It’s not a cure but it can alleviate some of the difficulties.”
This is a perfect example of how the innate intelligence of the body can heal itself when given the right tools. Notice in this story they did not say that Daniel had back or neck pain. He was a child that had interference in his nervous system that was not allowing the body to function and express itself as it was designed to do. The chiropractor simply removed this interference in the nervous system, through an adjustment, and allowed his body to express itself fully.
It’s like taking your child from a 40-Watt light bulb to a 100-Watt light bulb. Both produce light and have energy, but one is able to express itself in a greater capacity and exude more energy and light. Chiropractic kids are functioning at 100-Watts, “normal” children are at 40-Watts … what would you like your for your growing child?
For more on how chiropractic can help your child, please visit our Kid’s section of the website.
Chiropractic Offers Hope for Autism
April 21, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
Two separate papers published in two scientific journals hold hope for children with autism through chiropractic care. One paper published in the March 2006 issue of Clinical Chiropractic reviews past studies on Chiropractic and Autism. This paper recounts in clinical studies where children with autism are helped with chiropractic care. Most of the studies reviewed speak of problems in the upper cervical (neck) spine.
In addition to the Clinical Chiropractic paper, a study published in the March 9, 2006 Journal of Vertebral Subluxation (JVSR) compares two groups of children with autism and their response under chiropractic care. In this study 14 children diagnosed with autism were studied undergoing chiropractic care. Seven of these children received one form of chiropractic adjustments focusing on the entire spine while the other seven received a form of chiropractic adjustment focusing on the upper cervical spine.
The children in this study were diagnosed with autism at the Child Evaluation Center at the University of Louisville Medical School. The evaluation of any progress made was done by using the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) created by the researchers at the Autism Research Institute of San Diego, California. According to the JVSR study, the ATEC is a one-page questionnaire designed to be completed by parents, teachers, or caretakers. It consists of 4 subsets: I. Speech/Language Communication (14 items); II. Sociability (20 items); III. Sensory/Cognitive Awareness (18 items); and IV. Health/Physical/Behavior (25 items).
Each of the children in this study were scored according to the ATEC evaluation. Then, twice each week for the following 3 months, the children were checked and adjusted as indicated. Follow up ATEC evaluations were performed each month to monitor the progress.
The results showed that improvement of ATEC scores occurred in six of the seven children under upper cervical adjustment and in five of the seven children under full spine adjustment. The children in the upper cervical group did show greater score improvements overall.
In this group, two of the children improved so much that they no longer met the criteria to be classified as autistic. Overall, the study noted that the most common clinical aspects of improvement were in communication, verbal skills, eye contact, mood, and physical sport skills.
This is a perfect example of how the innate intelligence of the body can heal itself when given the right tools. Notice in this story they did not say that Max had back or neck pain. Max was a child that had interference in his nervous system that was not allowing the body to function and express itself as it was designed to do. The chiropractor simply removed this interference in the nervous system, through an adjustment, and allowed Max’s body to express itself fully.
It’s like taking your child from a 40-Watt light bulb to a 100-Watt light bulb. Both produce light and have energy, but one is able to express itself in a greater capacity and exude more energy and light. Chiropractic kids are functioning at 100-Watts, “normal” children are at 40-Watts … what would you like your for your growing child?
For more on how chiropractic can help your child, please visit our Kid’s section of the website.
Ritalin Under Scrutiny
April 2, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
The popular drug Ritalin has been coming under increasing fire lately, from many different perspectives. This week we will take a look at some of the recent activity surrounding this controversial medication that is being given to increasing numbers of our children.
Lawsuits Allege Conspiracy to “Create” Broadly-Defined ADHD
The debate over whether kids are placed unnecessarily on Ritalin is headed to the courts. Charges that Swiss drug-maker Novartis conspired with the American Psychiatric Association to create an overly broad definition of Attention Deficit Disorder, have been leveled in class action lawsuits filed in California and New Jersey.
A Novartis spokesman dismissed the allegation that they conspired to invent the disorder. In a statement, Novartis says the charges are ”unfounded and preposterous.”
”I am not saying it doesn’t exist,” said Richard Scruggs, one of the lawyers bringing the suit. ”I am saying the definition is inappropriately broad. Under (those) criteria, there’s not a child in America that’s not ADHD. And everybody makes money on the diagnosis: the shrinks, the drug company and the schools.”
The lawsuits have caused a furor in the medical community, where ADHD is considered a major childhood health issue. They also have created a buzz in the legal world because some of the lawyers involved in this are veterans of the successful litigation against tobacco companies.
The lawsuits have also generated a furor within the community of families of children already diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. Bob Seay, the ADD “guide” at About.com is one of the most vociferous critics of the action. On his site, which is an online community revolving around the ADD/ADHD issue, he has been an outspoken critic of the lawsuits.
Another lawyer involved in the action, Donald Hildre, states that ”The turning point in the tobacco litigation was when we showed the tobacco companies were targeting children,” which he thinks will be the turning point in this case as well.
Jules Asher, a spokesman for the National Institute of Mental Health, says that although Ritalin is an effective treatment for ADD, no one knows what effect the stimulant has on children who take it for many years, or on very young children.
Peter Jensen, director of the Center for the Advancement of Children’s Mental Health at Columbia University, says studies are underway to find answers to both questions. Last year, Jensen reported his findings in the largest-ever study on ADHD children ages 7 and older. He concluded the condition is under-diagnosed, contrary to the lawsuits’ premise. ”It’s flabbergasting that someone could concoct this argument and keep a straight face,” he says.
Ritalin has been manufactured since the mid-1950s. Attention deficit disorder (ADD) became an accepted medical diagnosis in 1980. The diagnosis was modified and ADHD became official in 1987.
In 1995, physicians wrote 6 million Ritalin prescriptions for children and adolescents.
Although some kids might fidget and talk too much, Scruggs says, that doesn’t mean they have ADHD. ”It’s a real injustice to have these kids think they are diseased.”
Methylphenidate, the active ingredient in Ritalin, is also available in generic form through Celltech Group Plc’s Medeva unit. Shire Pharmaceuticals Group Plc has a rival product to treat ADHD called Adderall.
Is it a “Lazy” Diagnosis?
In an article on WebMD, Neil Osterweil asks the question “ADHD: Real Deal or Lazy Diagnosis?”
“ADHD is a catchphrase in search of a syndrome in search of a disorder in search of a cause,” writes neurologist Jeff Victoroff, MD, in a provocative article published in a recent issue of Psychiatric Times.
Dr. Victoroff doesn’t dispute that the symptoms and problems associated with what we call ADHD are real. Rather, he suggests the art of psychiatric diagnosis has gotten itself ahead of the science of the mind — to the detriment of children who may be misdiagnosed by primary care physicians or pediatricians and overmedicated at the urging of parents or school systems looking for a quick fix to complex behavioral problems.
“To look at a kid and say if they meet six of the nine [DSM-IV] criteria — if they’re distractible or contentious or inattentive then they have this disease — is kind of a Luddite approach to the science,” Dr. Victoroff said in an interview with WebMD. He states that “we should look forward to a better psychiatry in the future where we’re looking at this very real population of kids who suffer, and whose families suffer, but identify them in a scientific way rather than a theoretical, observational way.”
His argument is supported by a recent study published in Biological Psychiatry in which researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston reviewed a variety of outcome studies to assess the validity of an ADHD diagnosis in adults.
“Although … converging lines of evidence support the validity of ADHD in adults, follow-up studies of ADHD children have yielded ambiguous results,” write the authors.
“The question is whether, among the children who meet the current ADHD criteria, there might be a subgroup suffering from a neuropsychiatrically specific disorder with a unitary neuropsychopathology,” Dr. Victoroff writes. “There is emerging evidence that such a disorder, in fact, does exist, and that it involves frontal-subcortical circuits.”
He points to studies suggesting a clinical similarity between ADHD and other conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette’s syndrome that are thought to involve the basal ganglia.
Also, MRI studies of the brain have shown that children diagnosed with ADHD have abnormalities in the basal ganglia and/or prefrontal cortex, and that low frontal and striatal volumes correlate with failure to inhibit inappropriate behaviors.
He also cites evidence of focally increased dopamine synthesis in the brains of children diagnosed with the disorder.
In the future, Victoroff told WebMD that diagnostic criteria might include functional MRI measures of response inhibition or PET scanning studies of dopamine synthesis and storage in the midbrain.
Victoroff says his intention was not to cast doubt on the existence of a hyperactivity disorder, but to raise questions about the validity of ADHD, primarily out of concern for the safety of children.
“I think it’s one thing once the brain is fully formed to expose it to a drug that alters dopamine transmission,” he tells WebMD. “I think it’s scarier when the brain is somewhat unformed and when the kid is learning those early lessons of life about reward and punishment and pleasure and pain. If you alter the chemistry of rewards during that extremely early phase, we have no way to test the safety of that in the conventional drug development format that the FDA would require. … My question is, if you have a thousand kids exposed to a drug that alters the chemistry of reward at age 3, what will those kids’ relationships be like at age 40?”
New UK Prescribing Guidelines
The UK National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) is set to release strict guidelines for the use of the widely used hyperactivity drug, methylphenidate (Ritalin).
There are growing concerns by some doctors and the public that it causes depression and lethargy in children and is over-prescribed. The drug could be banned for children under the age of five, according to a recent report in The Guardian.
“Right now, Ritalin has had no universal prescriptive guidelines throughout Britain,” a NICE spokesperson told Reuters Health. “Some doctors are currently prescribing it for very young children, while others will only give it to children over five.”
According to a 1998 National Health Service Executive Report by Dr. Anna Gilmore, Ritalin Seems to only be effective in children for six months. After this period of treatment, the benefits of the drug are uncertain, she said.
Department of Health figures show 157,900 prescriptions were issued in the UK last year compared to 126,000 prescriptions for Ritalin in 1998, which is about a 25% increase in just 1 year.
US Congressional Probe and Pending Legislation
The chairman of the US House Judiciary Committee has asked for a government probe of Ritalin abuse in the nation’s schools.
Rep. Henry J. Hyde also expressed support for legislation requiring states to certify that they have guidelines in place for ensuring against prescription drug abuse on school premises.
In a letter to US Comptroller General David Walker, Reps. Hyde and Bill McCollum (R-FL) ask the General Accounting Office to investigate the prevalence of psychostimulant abuse in the elementary and secondary schools.
ADHD diagnoses have swelled in recent years, fueling a heated debate over the controversial use of stimulants such as Ritalin. In 1996, 10% to 12% of all American school-age boys were prescribed Ritalin, according to Hyde.
Ritalin War Continues
April 2, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
“The pharmaceutical industry’s effect on prescribing of methylphenidate (Ritalin) has been profound.”
The above statement was made in a recently published Op-Ed piece by Dr. Lawrence H Diller of the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. In it, he discusses the current situation of so many children with behavioral problems being given medication and the drug industry’s hand in creating this situation and promoting it. Below are some excerpts from the piece:
Ritalin (methylphenidate), the drug used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), cannot stay out of the news. Class-action suits filed recently in New Jersey and California allege a conspiracy between the pharmaceutical industry, physicians, and the leading ADHD self-help group to unnecessarily medicate American children with a dangerous drug.
Ritalin is the best known of the stimulant class of drugs that have been used for more than 60 years to treat childhood hyperactivity, now called ADHD. Myths abound about Ritalin, and the debate over the drug quickly verges on hyperbole.
For example, few know that Adderall, a purportedly “new” concoction of amphetamine, has surpassed Ritalin as the most widely prescribed medication for ADHD in annual prescriptions in America.1 All the stimulants used for ADHD, including methamphetamine, have essentially the same effects and side effects, differing mainly in their duration of action.2
Most people continue to think that stimulants, like Ritalin, work paradoxically on hyperactive kids to calm them down. Many studies have proved otherwise: stimulants like Ritalin work the same in children and adults-whether or not they have ADHD-to improve their ability to focus on tasks that are difficult or boring.3
Therefore, prescribing Ritalin as a way to diagnose ADHD is absurd because everyone’s performance improves with its use.
What about this civil class-action suit? The attorneys are modeling their charges on the recent successful litigation against tobacco companies. But there is a major difference between Ritalin and tobacco.
Unlike tobacco, the medical establishment-most notably the American Psychiatric Association along with the main professional child psychiatry association-solidly backs if not promotes the use of Ritalin for ADHD.
The vast bulk of scientific literature supports the short-term effectiveness and safety of the drug. Is the pharmaceutical industry suppressing information to the contrary?
Only the disclosure that comes with discovery will determine whether a Ritalin conspiracy exists. But even without a conscious plan, the influence of pharmaceutical industry dollars for research support and advertising-first to physicians and now directly to families-has been profound. The market forces of Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” operate within the world of childhood mental health and illness.
American psychiatry’s infatuation with the brain coincides with a drug industry more than happy to contribute funds for research that only counts symptoms and pills.
If only family counseling or special education rewarded stockholders the same way Ritalin or Prozac [fluoxetine hydrochloride] does.
Practically every researcher in ADHD now accepts drug company money, as do the self-help groups for at least a part of their work and projects.
They would say that they are not influenced by the source of their funding. However, many worry otherwise, from the physicians at local hospital grand rounds listening to a lecture “supported in part by drug company X” to the editors of the New England Journal of Medicine reviewing the latest research findings.4 And the economics of managed care drives physicians toward prescribing Ritalin as a “quick fix” because talking to parents and working with schools simply take too much time.
The “success” of Adderall, which was vigorously marketed to physicians, is more a sign of “hype” activity than any real medical breakthrough.
The advertising for the new stimulant product for ADHD, Concerta, crosses new marketing boundaries because it is the first prescription drug for a childhood psychiatric condition marketed directly to parents.
The picture of a smiling boy holding a pencil surrounded by his happy parents and sister tells you that they’re pleased because the boy is now being treated for ADHD, a biologic disorder best treated with a pill. Such presentations can only further promote a brain-based view of behavior.
They ignore and deny the importance of the environment – family, school, neighborhood, and culture - in a child’s healthy emotional development.
The NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) conference set out a course to specifically study ADHD and Ritalin use in toddlers.
But virtually every researcher at that conference receives funds from the pharmaceutical industry.
At the Surgeon General’s conference, it was clear that nondrug approaches to children are egregiously underfunded.
What about taking yet another cue from the tobacco wars and developing a tax on either pharmaceutical profits or the drugs themselves that would be directed to other effective interventions for ADHD, like parent and teacher behavioral management training?
Specific tax incentives and disincentives are the most likely way that the public, through government action, will be able to influence otherwise powerful economic forces that push toward only medicating for children’s problems …
Unfortunately, given the massive effort to convince America that their children’s brains are bad, only such extreme countermeasures like the Ritalin suit may get the public’s attention.
Article written by Dr. Diller practices behavioral pediatrics in Walnut Creek, California, and is the author of Running on Ritalin: A Physician Reflects on Children, Society, and Performance in a Pill.
Western Journal of Medicine, December 2000; 173: 366-367
References:
1. IMS. National Prescription Audit. January through December, 1999.
2. Wilens TE, Biederman J. The stimulants. Psychiatr Clin North Am 1992;15: 191 -222.
3. Rapoport JL, Buchsbaum MS, Weingartner H, Zahn TP, Ludlow C, Mikkelsen EJ. Dextroamphetamine: its cognitive and behavioral effects in normal and hyperactive boys and normal men. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1980;37: 933 -943.
4. Angell M. Is academic medicine for sale? [editorial] N Engl J Med 2000;342: 1516 -1518.
Advair and Serevent May Increase the Risk of Asthma Related Death
March 22, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
Advair is a commonly prescribed medication for asthma. When your doctor recommends it, it sounds like a fairly harmless addition to your asthma treatment. If you were to review the Physician’s Desk Reference (or “PDR” as it is commonly called), what you would read is very alarming. That Advair increases the risk of “asthma related death”.
Advair contains two compounds: a corticosteroid, fluticasone propionate; and a long-acting beta 2-adrenergic agonist (LABA), salmeterol. LABAs prevent the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation of airways in the lungs.
In 2006, an article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that the regular use of LABAs can increase the severity of an asthma attack. Studies found that patients taking Serevent were four times more likely to suffer an asthma-related death. Others showed that Serevent and Foradil increased asthma exacerbation and hospitalizations in both adults and children. Researchers estimated that salmeterol may contribute to as many as 5,000 asthma-related deaths in the United States each year. Studies prompted the FDA to tag Advair with a “block boc” warning – the agency’s highest caution level.
A report prepared by the FDA indicated that both Serevent and Advair can have rare but deadly side-effects when used in children.
It is important to know that Advair is NOT your only option, no matter what your doctor tells you. Considering that Serevent and Advair are the second best-selling medications in the world, with sales of more than $6 BILLION, no wonder it is so heavily pushed. I highly recommend seeking a second opinion from someone that looks at you as a whole being and not just a pair of lungs and who does NOT have monetary ties to pushing dangerous medications.
Like to read the news release from webmd.com about the dangers of Advair and Serevent? CLICK HERE!
An Aspirin a Day May Not Keep the Doctor Away
March 22, 2009 by DrLauren
Filed under General Health
Newsletter Version
The use of aspirin has become widely accepted in the United States as an important measure to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Many patients are often advised by their doctors to take aspirin, which thins the blood, in order to reduce the chances of thrombosis. But this “thinning” of the blood also increases the chances of bleeding. Estimates suggest that 20,000,000 people are taking aspirin daily for preventative purposes. This is one of the top controversial issues between conventional and holistic medical practitioners and often leaves consumers confused and frustrated. So let’s weigh the facts:
Fact 1. The risk of intestinal bleeding with low dose aspirin is doubled. (British Medical Journal, November 11, 2000)
Fact 2. The risk of bleeding from low dose aspirin is the same as that from much higher doses. (British Medical Journal, November 11, 2000)
Fact 3. Long term therapy with aspirin is associated with a significant increase in the incidence of gastrointestinal hemorrhage. No evidence exists that reducing the dose will reduce the incidence of gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
Fact 4. Aspirin did decrease new non-fatal heart attacks in a group of males with normal blood pressure. Those with elevated blood pressure had an increased risk of serious bleeding. The males did have an increase risk of a hemorrhagic stroke which can be a disastrous occurrence.
Fact 5. A long term study of 88,378 female nurses uncovered an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. Nurses taking 2 aspirin daily for 20 years had a 58 % increase in pancreatic cancer compared to those taking no aspirin. Pancreatic cancer has been steadily increasing in frequency to a position where it is now the fifth leading cause of cancer death. The survival rate of this cancer is less than 5 % in 5 years.
Fact 6. Regular use of aspirin is linked to an increase risk of macular degeneration – the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. There is also a 44 % increase in the most common catarct in persons who have taken aspirin for 10 years.
Fact 7. Aspirin and other NSAIDs are a major cause of acid reflux which produces heartburn, chest pain, ulceration of the esophagus and eventually cancer may appear in the irritated esophagus. Persons with acid reflux often develop asthma.
Fact 8. Research shows that taking 75 to 325 mg of aspirin a day causes deterioration of kidney function in 72% of elderly patients. Three weeks after stopping aspirin therapy, residual kidney damage had not completely subsided. Adverse effects of aspirin on prostaglandin production explain these results. (Tel Aviv Medical Center)
Fact 9. Aspirin and other NSAIDs can damage the liver. This is magnified in people who consume alcohol and it is common to see patients experience gastrointestinal bleeding and liver failure after 3 or more alcoholic drinks when combined with aspirin and/or NSAID therapy.
Fact 10. Many gastrointestinal problems, ulcers, and anemias are due to aspirin.
Fact 11. Ringing in the ears, hearing loss, allergic reactions, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and hallucinations can appear after aspirin therapy.
Fact 12. Aspirin is a poison. The intake of 10 to 30 grams of aspirin can be fatal. Deaths directly related to aspirin usage are estimated to range from 7,600 to 14,000 annually in the United States.
Fact 13. Over the past 10 years, doses recommended by most physicians for this type of preventative therapy have been reduced from about 300mg a day to 75mg, while short treatments for headaches can involve 600mg to 900mg.
Based on statistical facts and physiological actions of aspirin on the entire human body, I do not recommend aspirin for prevention of heart attack or stroke in healthy adults. Evidence and science clearly support my recommendations. I highly suggest you research this on your own so you can make an informed, educated decision.
In 1988, medical researchers studied a small group of men who were at high-risk for heart attacks. They found that taking daily doses of aspirin could cut the number of heart attacks in half.
But, they also found that the same dosage of daily aspirin caused the men to suffer more strokes. Because of that sometimes fatal “side effect” — plus the admittedly limited study group — the researchers warned that patients should NOT start taking aspirin to prevent heart disease.
The day after their report was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the aspirin makers — who were apparently given advance notice of the publication — flooded the media with press releases saying that “an aspirin a day” could prevent heart attacks. For more than a decade, people have swallowed the pills every day in the misguided belief that they were safeguarding their cardiac health.
Even medical doctors believed the lie, and continue to prescribe aspirin to patients as a preventive measure, even if they are at low risk for heart attacks.
Instead of making them healthier, the aspirins are increasing their risk of stroke and serious gastrointestinal damage, as well as numerous other potential side effects.
Recently, researchers found more evidence that the so-called “aspirin therapy” increases the risk of brain hemorrhages, also known as hemorrhagic stroke.
Jiang He, M.D., Ph.D., of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, and colleagues reviewed 16 controlled trials of preventive aspirin therapy to estimate the risk of hemorrhagic stroke associated with aspirin treatment. Brain hemorrhages account for about 15% of all strokes.
The research showed that although aspirin lowered the risk for heart attack by about 32%, it increased the risk for hemorrhagic stroke by 84%.
Previous research into the dangers of aspirin has shown that:
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HEALTHIER ALTERNATIVES:
Chiropractic Care is safe, natural and highly affective in treating the CAUSE of pain
Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega Fish Oil (with CoQ10)
Enzymedica Natto-K
Tumeric
White Willow Bark (the natural herb that aspirin is chemically made from)
Newsletter Version
