SURFACE ELECTROMYOGRAPHY – SEMG

Have you ever been to a doctor who takes your blood pressure and listens to your heart with a stethoscope?  The doctor does this to assess the health of your circulatory system.

Chiropractors are nervous system doctors.  We need to assess the health of your nervous system.   Do you know that we live our lives through nervous systems?  A beautiful sunset, the sound of laughter, digesting your dinner, feeling the sand between your toes are all expressions of your nervous system.  If your nervous system does not work right, you don’t work right.  When you don’t work right you are not healthy! 

Your nervous system is so important that it is protected by bone.  The skull covers the brain.  Your spine protects the spinal cord, the “information superhighway of the nervous system”.  The spine is made up of 24 moveable parts, called vertebrae.  Physical, chemical, and emotional stress can cause vertebrae to lose their normal motion or position.  The nerves protected by the vertebrae are upset by the loss of motion and position.  These nervous system disturbances are called subluxation.

Sometimes you develop symptoms when you have subluxation in the spine.   Other times subluxation does not cause symptoms …., initially.  There are other conditions that remain hidden initially.  Some of these are tooth decay, heart disease, and cancer.  We all know that the fact you do not know about your cancer does not mean you are healthy.  Many of us have known someone we thought was healthy, but had a heart attack.  Like tooth decay, heart disease, and cancer; subluxation can be detected and treated before symptoms develop.

We use state of the art technology to help us detect your subluxations.  Our Myovision and Insight Millennium equipment is used to conduct surface electromyography (SEMG) tests.  These tests are painless, scientific, and educational.  Nerves control your muscles.  Some muscles are attached to the spine at areas where nerve roots exit the “information superhighway”, the spinal cord.  SEMG measures how well these nerves are working by reading the amount of electrical current found in the muscles attached to the spine.  Subluxations disturb nerve function by altering the electrical current to the muscle.

The SEMG allows us to show you, on a computer printout, where you have nerve disturbances.  It also shows us where you have muscle imbalance, and even where muscle weakness exists.  The SEMG helps us to measure your nervous system health, even when you have no symptoms.  It also allows us to show you how you have improved when we rescan you after a period of care.

To summarize, your body may function poorly for months, even years, before you experience any symptoms.  The SEMG test allows us to monitor the health of your nervous system (remember we live our life through the nervous system).  Congratulations on your decision to see a chiropractor who utilizes the latest and best technology.  With our training and expertise in this technology, the highest level of health possible may be within your reach.

THE WAR ON  DRUGS

President Bush’s 2003 budget included $19.2 billion dollars in anti-drug spending to control illegal drugs;  $150 billion was spent on legal drugs in the U.S. in 2003

The United States consumes five times as much Ritalin (the prescription drug of choice for children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, ADD) as the rest of the world combined

80% of U.S. adults take at least one doctor prescribed drug each week, 7% of the population takes 5 or more prescription drugs in any given week and 25% take 5 or more of any kind of drug weekly (JAMA, January 16, 2002)

The U.S. is one of only two nations on the planet that allows drug companies to advertise prescription drugs directly to its citizens. 

Drugs companies spend $4 million a year on media advertising.  They append another $15 million a year on marketing to doctors and medical schools.

Dr. Barbara Starfield of the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health:

There are over 250,000 deaths a year in the U.S. from iatrogenic causes (caused by a doctor’s care).  This makes the allopathic medical model the third leading cause of death in the U.S. after heart disease and cancer

Starfield states each year negative effects from drugs also produce:

116 million extra physician visits
77 million additional prescriptions to counter the effects of the previous drug
17 million emergency room visits
8 million hospitalizations
3 million long-term admissions
199,000 additional deaths, over 300 per day
77 billion in extra health care costs

People in the United States currently spend more on health care than any other country on earth and rank 37th in world health according to the World Health Organization

Better living through chemistry has failed!!!

The key to health is learning to maximize the healing capacity that all of us were born with.   Drugs and surgery ignore this capacity.   Most medical doctors believe that there is a problem outside of you making you ill.  They try to heal from the outside in.

Chiropractors are health coaches.  We teach patients to improve diet, exercise, have better lifestyle habits, and of course, to improve the nervous system by removing and preventing subluxations.  
We help you to maximize your innate god-given healing capacity from the inside out.

2005

VACCINATION FACTS

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) advocates 32 vaccinations for every child before they reach the age of two.

The CDC has done no studies to assess the long term effects of  the current immunization study.

Recently on the TV show 60 minutes a proponent of vaccinations claimed that vaccinations “have a better safety record than vitamins”, yet the U.S. government has paid out over $1.5 billion to families of children who have been injured or killed by vaccinations.

The most rapid period of brain development begins in the final trimester of uterine life and continues through the first two years of life at which time the brain is 80% developed.

Many vaccines, including the flu vaccine, contain thimerosal, which is 50 percent mercury.  Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin.

Scientific research shows that vaccinations spaced close together cause the specialized immune cells of the brain, microglia, to produce toxic substances that damage brain cells.

50 years ago the immunization schedule contained only 4 vaccinations.  At that time autism afflicted less than 1 in 10,000 American children.

Today 1 in 68 American families has an autistic child and 1 in 6 are classified as learning disabled.

Since the 1950’s there has been a 4-fold increase in American children in asthma, a 17-fold increase in Type 1 Diabetes, and at least a 2000-fold increase in Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The measles vaccine became available in 1963.  In 1962 there were 482,000 cases of measles in the U.S.; in 2003, only 56 cases.  However, in 1900 the measles mortality rate was 133 deaths per million, and in 1960 0.3 deaths per million.  In 1962 there were less than 100 deaths attributable to measles in the U.S.

Diphtheria and pertussis rates also dropped more than 90% in the 20th century, before the vaccines were discovered.  In other words:  Better nutrition and sanitation, and cleaner water; not vaccines; have been responsible for the major changes in infection and death rates in the U.S.

50 states require children to be immunized to enroll in daycare or public schools.  50 states allow a medical exemption, 47 a religious exemption, and 19 a philosophical exemption. 
See:             ww.909shot.com/state-site/state-exemptions.htm

 

More Vaccine Facts

If a child becomes autistic following a vaccination the doctor is protected from any liability because the government requires the vaccination, and the child’s parents, if they had chosen to do so, could have obtained an exemption.

A measles vaccination does not provide permanent protection.  Those who contract measles have life-long immunity.  An adult who contracts measles is much more likely to have neurological, testicular and ovarian complications.  Measles in a pregnant woman may cause fetal malformations.

The amount of mercury a child receives when it follows the CDC guidelines for vaccination for the first two years of life far exceeds the “safe dose” of mercury for an adult as determined by the FDA.  Additionally, the amount of mercury in a child’s body has a toxicity of 10 times what it would be in the body of an adult.

The measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine; chickenpox (varicella); smallpox; and Sabin polio vaccine all contain live-virus.  Live–virus vaccines may cause the disease they seek to prevent.

With the understanding that some diseases are more devastating than others here is a vaccine schedule to consider:

1. No vaccinations before the age of two.
2. No vaccines that contain thimerosal (mercury)
3. No live virus vaccines, except for smallpox should it recur.
4. Vaccinations should be given one at a time, every six months beginning at the age of two.
5. Consider the following vaccines as the most critical:            
   a. Acellular Pertussis
   b.  Diphtheria
   c.  Tetanus
   d.  Polio, the Salk vaccine

WEIGHT LOSS TIDBITS

1. Restricting fat intake does not necessarily mean you will lose weight.  Trans fats from processed     foods turn on the metabolites that cause decreased metabolism and increased inflammation.  This leads to diabetes.  Omega-3 fats from fish oil, seaweed, flax and walnuts turns on the messages that lead to increased metabolism and weight loss.  AVOID TRANS FATS AND EAT LOTS OF OMEGA-3 FATS!
   
2. Carbohydrates are not necessarily bad.  Like fats, though, it matters which carbs you eat.  Carbs are the source of vitamins, minerals and Phytonutrients.  They are the most important item for long term health.  However, processed foods (foods from cans and boxes, and foods with white sugar and flour) are full of bad carbs, and again lead to diabetes.  The best carbs are colorful vegetables that grow above ground, especially the green leafy ones.
   
3. When you skip breakfast, are not very physically active throughout the day, then eat a lot and go to bed you gain weight because your metabolism slows at night and all of those late calories are stored as fat!  I believe one of the best ways to start the day is with a concentrated green food dose that will give you 5 servings of the very best carbs.  I recommend Garden of Life’s Perfect Food.   For people with food cravings a second dose later in the day when the cravings hit is a great idea.
   
4. When measuring cholesterol it is important to remember that not all cholesterol is equal.  HDL is a good cholesterol that does not clog arteries and removes bad cholesterol as it moves through your circulatory system.  LDL is the bad cholesterol that clogs arteries.  A high level of cholesterol is apparently not a problem when the ratio of HDL/LDL is favorable.  There is much discussion of what a high cholesterol level is.  It is widely agreed, however, that an HDL level of 60 is very good and at that level the incidence of heart disease is vastly reduced relative to a level of 30.
   
5. In the end it is more the foods you eat and their quality than the amount of food you eat when you seek to lose weight and become more healthy

Finally, we have the FucoThin product from Garden of Life for $38 a bottle.  This product is a natural, whole food based supplement that increases the body’s metabolic rate.  That means you burn more fat.  Taken in conjunction with a proper diet, and exercise program it will let you be successful at the weight loss challenge.

Contact us if you are ready to get serious about weight loss and your health!

2008

BLOOD SUGAR SWINGS AND SYNDROME X

The coming together of high triglyceride levels, low "good" or HDL cholesterol, high “bad”  LDL cholesterol, and insulin resistance can be part of a common health problem called syndrome X (or metabolic syndrome). This is an umbrella term for having several health problems within a particular cluster that includes high blood pressure and obesity, especially fat around the abdomen.

One problem that is always a symptom of syndrome X is insulin resistance, a metabolic disorder. Insulin resistance happens when the cells begin to resist this hormone, insulin, that transports blood sugar throughout the body for its use. Eventually the body tries to compensate for the cell’s inability to use insulin by overproducing it. The excess insulin, however, is not helpful and ends up as a contributor toward obesity, high blood pressure and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and other chronic illnesses.

Elevated triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels are common symptom of syndrome X.  Statin medications, which are powerful drugs with frequent side effects, are often prescribed for these problems.  Patients should at least consider the possibility of insulin resistance and syndrome X before starting on statin medication. Among the root causes of syndrome X, only one -- family history -- is something people can't change.

The other factors are unhealthy diet, chronic stress, nutritional deficiencies (especially chromium, B vitamins, zinc and vanadium), obesity and lack of exercise. A determined patient can correct every single one of those and there is a good chance he/she can improve cholesterol levels as well. I will work with you to create the right plan, including proper supplement levels and the proper combination of supplements.

THE SYNDROME X PLAN

You must eat breakfast, which will immediately help prevent blood sugar swings, and be on a diet designed specifically to correct insulin resistance.
For those who have a difficult time eating breakfast protein drinks are a great alternative.  You need to make sure you are using a low sugar protein drink, however.  Protein helps to even out blood sugar levels and increase metabolism, and may be highly beneficial for those with diabetes.  I recommend adding fruit to make the breakfast drink more palatable and to add fiber.  A banana will add consistency, as will frozen berries or cherries.  Add a tablespoon of flax seed for heart protecting soluble fiber and short chain omega-3 fatty acids.   I believe the best protein powders are those that include concentrated green food.  I use Garden of Life  “Perfect Foods” , or Nutriwest Total Green protein powder.

The diet also includes...

• High fiber to help balance blood sugar -- vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains, including heart-protecting soluble fiber found in oat bran, beans, nuts, seeds and apples. For example, have one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds at each meal (or close to one quarter cup daily), and drink at least 10 ounces of water per tablespoon of flaxseeds. Aim for a daily fiber total of 35 g to 50 g.
• Protein with each meal and at most snacks -- consume protein in the form of legumes, nuts, seeds and peas and lean animal protein including skinless turkey, skinless chicken and fish.
• Quality fats -- fish (including salmon), nuts and seeds. Use olive, coconut, and flax seed oils for salads and other oil needs.
• Plenty of chromium -- a chromium deficiency contributes to blood sugar problems. You can find chromium in brewer's yeast, wheat germ, whole grains, cheese and garlic.
• Do not go longer than three hours without eating! This will help stabilize blood sugar levels. Focus on foods with a low glycemic index.

Foods to avoid include the following, all of which spike blood sugar levels...

• Simple sugars -- such as candy, cookies and soda.
• White refined bread.
• Alcohol and caffeine (in some people, they also spike blood sugar).
• Artificial sweeteners. Choose healthier sweeteners such as stevia, agave nectar or xylitol in moderation.
• Reduce the amount of saturated fat as found in red meat and dairy products and eliminate trans fats completely from your diet.

In addition, the following supplements help to balance blood sugar and insulin:  Cinnamon extract (500 mg), chromium (500 mcg), vanadium (50 mcg), alpha lipoic acid (300 mg), l-carnosine (500 mg) and red yeast rice (1,200 mg twice a day) to help bring down cholesterol. To lower cholesterol I use a synergistic Nutriwest product called Total Lipotrophic that includes some of these, and other products.  Total Lipotrophic is extremely effective at quickly reducing high cholesterol levels.
There is no reason to think you will ever need statin drugs with a program such as described above.  The healthy base you establish will help prevent  insulin resistance and eventual diabetes, likely high blood pressure as well. The changes in laboratory values will likely be better than what one could expect from statin or other medications.

Dr. Pat Dougherty, D.C.                                                                                                      2007

 

FUNGAL NAILS

These thickened yellow or brownish toenails are a sandal wearer's nightmare. Tinea unguium -- a fungal infection -- may affect one or more nails and one or both feet. Dr. Fuller told me that conventional antifungal pharmaceuticals have many adverse side effects. Instead, she recommends more natural approaches to dealing with fungal nails...

• Practice good foot hygiene. Make sure your feet are clean and dry before putting on shoes, advises Dr. Fuller. When you work out, she suggests that you wear non-cotton, synthetic socks that wick sweat away from skin. Another good idea: Shoes that breathe. Following a run or workout, promptly remove sweaty socks and shoes. Make sure shoes air out and dry completely before you put them on again. If you exercise everyday or go for walks in the moist morning, you might consider investing in a second pair of shoes so that you can alternate and always have a dry pair to wear. In the gym, protect yourself from germs -- wear flip-flops or sandals in the locker room and shower. And to avoid spreading infection, clean your toenail clippers with rubbing alcohol after each use.

• Consider herbal fungus fighters. As with corns, Dr. Fuller cautions against self-treatment, stressing that fungal nails require the attention of a health-care professional. In her practice, she prescribes oral pau d'arco and topical tea tree oil for her fungal nail patients. A good antifungal soak consists of three to five drops of tea tree oil in a bowl of hot water. Soak for five to 10 minutes once a day, preferably after a shower or bath.

A note about athlete's foot: Since athlete's foot is a form of fungal infection, the soaks and fungal fighters above can be effective for this very common ailment.

Vitamin D in the news:

Garland CF, et al. The Role of Vitamin D in Cancer Prevention. Am J Public Health, 2006 Feb;96(2):252-61:

"A PubMed database search yielded 63 observational studies of vitamin D status in relation to cancer risk, including 30 of colon, 13 of breast, 26 of prostate, and 7 of ovarian cancer, and several that assessed the association of vitamin D receptor genotype with cancer risk.The majority of studies found a protective relationship between sufficient vitamin D status and lower risk of cancer. The evidence suggests that efforts to improve vitamin D status, for example by vitamin D supplementation, could reduce cancer incidence and mortality at low cost, with few or no adverse effects."

Mathieu C, Badenhoop K. Vitamin D and type 1 diabetes mellitus: state of the art. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2005 Aug;16(6):261-6:

"Recent evidence suggests a role for vitamin D in pathogenesis and prevention of diabetes mellitus"…. and "prevents type 1 diabetes in animal models, modifies T-cell differentiation, modulates dendritic cell action and induces cytokine secretion, shifting the balance to regulatory T cells. High-dose vitamin D supplementation early in life protects against type 1 diabetes. … Vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy probably increases the incidence of autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, in genetically predisposed individuals".

Contraindications: Hyperparathyroidism or sarcoidosis patients should avoid vitamin D supplementation. High dose vitamin D may cause hypercalcemia, but not at doses up to 2400 IU. Many people are deficient in vitamin D, as shown below by Michael Holick, MD, PhD, author of "The UV advantage".

Excerpts from Dr. Michael Holick's book:

• "Diseases and conditions caused by vitamin D deficiency:
• Osteoporosis is commonly caused by a lack of vitamin D, which greatly impairs calcium absorption.
• Sufficient vitamin D prevents prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, depression, colon cancer and schizophrenia.
• "Rickets" is the name of a bone-wasting disease caused by vitamin D deficiency. § Vitamin D deficiency may exacerbate type 2 diabetes and impair insulin production in the pancreas.
• Obesity impairs vitamin D utilization in the body, meaning obese people need twice as much vitamin D.
• Vitamin D is used around the world to treat Psoriasis. § Vitamin D deficiency causes schizophrenia.
• Seasonal Affective Disorder is caused by a melatonin imbalance initiated by lack of exposure to sunlight.
• Chronic vitamin D deficiency is often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia because its symptoms are so similar: muscle weakness, aches and pains.
• Your risk of developing serious diseases like diabetes and cancer is reduced 50% - 80% through simple, sensible exposure to natural sunlight 2-3 times each week.
• Infants who receive vitamin D supplementation (2000 units daily) have an 80% reduced risk of developing type 1 diabetes over the next twenty years.

Shocking Vitamin D deficiency statistics:

• 32% of doctors and med school students are vitamin D deficient.
• 40% of the U.S. population is vitamin D deficient.
• 42% of African American women of childbearing age are deficient in vitamin D.
• 48% of young girls (9-11 years old) are vitamin D deficient.
• Up to 60% of all hospital patients are vitamin D deficient.
• 76% of pregnant mothers are severely vitamin D deficient, causing widespread vitamin D deficiencies in their unborn children, which predisposes them to type 1 diabetes, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia later in life. 81% of the children born to these mothers were deficient.
• Up to 80% of nursing home patients are vitamin D deficient."

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Our Original Medicine Cod Liver Oil is an excellent source of vitamin D, and provides your body with long chain omega 3 fatty acids that are shown to fight inflammation and help build a stronger nervous system. All this for $16 a bottle!

Nutriwest vitamin D 400 IU capsules are available for $9 a bottle

The Doctor of the future will prescribe no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet, and the care and prevention of disease.
Attributed to Thomas Edison

What if Every Chiropractor Taught Only This?
Using The Law of Resonance/Attraction To Lift The World’s View of Chiropractic

1. Everything is energy, including you.
   
2. Energy is always in motion, or “vibrating” at a specific frequency.
   
3. The Universe always seeks RESONANCE or HARMONY of vibration.
   
4. Your EMOTIONS are your strongest vibration. They determine what you attract into your life. (You always attract to yourself whatever you are currently feeling!)
   
5. Controlling your emotions requires being in the highest centers of your brain.
   
6. When you stay in the highest centers of the brain you intentionally create the life you want.

“The chiropractor of the future will not be concerned with physical ailments, but will instead seek a new path; One that facilitates the release of human potentialities and raises the consciousness of the planet.”

“Medicine is about disease and what makes people die. Chiropractic is about Life and what makes people LIVE!” B.J. Palmer, D.C., Ph.C.

“If you do not remove the cause, how can you expect the patient to recover from the effects?” D.D. Palmer, The Founder of Chiropractic, 1895

You may be the type of patient I can work with if:

• You want your nervous system to work for you at peak efficiency
• You need help with nutritional, or toxicity issues
• You need alternatives to a drug and surgery lifestyle
• You are tired of pain or other symptoms
• You are ready to thrive, not just survive!
  
  Pat Dougherty, D.C.
  2110 N. Washington St. Suite One, Spokane WA 99205;
• 509 327 4373, (fax) 509 327 1244

Drugging Ourselves to Death

The other day, my friend came home from the doctor with a cholesterol reading of 220 and a prescription for Lipitor. Deborah is 36, exercises like a demon, is in great shape, eats a healthful Mediterranean diet, has no heart disease in her family and doesn't smoke. But her doctor read her the riot act -- she left his office convinced that the only thing standing between her and an imminent heart attack was this little pill.

What's wrong with this picture? Why does it seem that so many people (doctors and patients alike) believe that drugs are the answer to all our health problems? The statistics after all are dismal -- health-care spending has gone up by 73% over the past five years. We're now spending more than twice as much per person as the 21 other industrialized countries, but we are last in healthy life expectancy.

What gives? To find out more, I interviewed Harvard professor of medicine John Abramson, MD, author of Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine (Harper Perennial). Dr. Abramson believes that health care in America is going in the wrong direction, and that much of the reason has to do with the drug companies.

"FREE" EDUCATION

"The first thing people can do to improve their health and protect themselves from distorted health care is to understand that information about drugs and health is being brought to them and to the doctors by the drug companies, because of its commercial value," Dr. Abramson told me. "The fundamental purpose of that information is to improve corporate profits, not to improve our health."

Dr. Abramson is hardly saying that all drugs are useless. He simply believes that many are way overprescribed and that the focus on specific measures, such as high cholesterol, deprives doctors of a real opportunity to dialogue with their patients about practices that have been repeatedly shown in research to improve health and reduce risk for heart disease and other killers. In many cases, such practices are far better and cheaper than drugs.

THE ODD CASE OF STATINS

"Look," Dr. Abramson told me, "there's not a single randomized controlled study that shows that statin drugs (i.e., Lipitor and Zocor) decrease the risk for heart disease or improve the health of women that don't already have heart disease. But consider this -- there are five behaviors that produce an astonishing 83% reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease in women, yet only 3% of American women do these five basic things. I think that concentrating on cholesterol reduction is very misplaced, and is largely fueled by drug company marketing."

The five behaviors that reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease by 83% are...

1. Eat a healthy Mediterranean diet (olive oil, fish, fruits, vegetables, whole grains). For more on the Mediterranean diet, see Daily Health News, January 13, 2005.
2. Exercise regularly.
3. Don't smoke.
4. Consume alcohol only in moderation.
5. Maintain a healthy body weight.

Dr. Abramson continued, "The impression we get from the media is that we need to depend on expensive new technologies to be healthy when in fact most of our health is determined by how we live our lives. And that is a tremendously liberating concept. There are things we can control right now that will dwarf the health benefits of most of the drugs we're being sold left and right."

To beat the drums on cholesterol and heart disease a little longer... a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association on a study that followed 7,300 women for 31 years showed that the overall contribution of high cholesterol to mortality is zero. "It had zero effect on mortality and it did not make a significant contribution to heart disease," Dr. Abramson told me.

RESEARCH COMPARISONS

Then why are statin drugs pushed so relentlessly? "Let's take a study like WOSCOP (a famous study used to support the use of statin drugs). They used high-risk men -- almost half of these men smoked and 8% already had vascular disease. Using a statin drug, they got a 31% reduction in heart disease, which translates to one death prevented for every 100 men treated over five-and-a-half years. Fair enough. But look at what happened in the LYON Diet Heart Study, which studied people who had already had a heart attack. Instead of giving any drugs, they just gave diet advice: One half was counseled to eat a Mediterranean diet, the other half to eat a prudent post-heart attack diet -- one that is low in fat and cholesterol. The Mediterranean diet was three times more effective than the prudent diet at reducing heart disease, and two times as effective in reducing death. And that happened even though cholesterol levels stayed the same!" Dietary modification worked far better than the statins.

Dr. Abramson also said that the women in the Nurses Health Study showed the very same 31% reduction in heart disease just by eating fish once a week that the high-risk men in the WOSCOP study got by going on drugs.

The point isn't that drugs are "bad." The point is that focusing exclusively on cholesterol numbers squanders an important opportunity for doctors to help their patients by giving them lifestyle advice that makes far more of a difference to their health with no side effects than bringing down cholesterol with medications.

IT'S NOT JUST CHOLESTEROL

Dr. Abramson and I talked a lot about the use of cholesterol-lowering medication since it is such a prominent example of excessive drug use. However, according to Dr. Abramson, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, depression, lung disease and breast cancer all respond powerfully to lifestyle interventions, yet the cost and frequency of drug usage to treat these issues is also skyrocketing.
"We know how to prevent about 70% of illness," Dr. Abramson concluded. "We ought to be focusing on the things we can do right now in our lives to accomplish that rather than focusing on what expensive drug we've been told we need to take. Those drugs don't work nearly as well as the lifestyle choices."

Plus, the lifestyle choices are free and carry no side effects. Oh, there's one possible side effect: Reduced profits at the drug companies. Oh well.
You get to choose, every day, whether you buy into a world and life of drugs, surgery, bad habits, and deteriorating health; or whether you buy into a lifestyle that enhances your ability to heal yourself and even slow, stop, and reverse the aging process. When you decide to reach for the latter North Central Chiropractic is here to help you.

Chiropractic adjustments keep the spine and nervous system free of interference that prevents you from healing yourself the way that God intended. We can prescribe nutrients and exercise to help you overcome the damage your body has held onto. In other words we can help you live a lifestyle that will help you to avoid dangerous drugs and allow you to become the healing machine you are meant to be, and live the healthiest, most vital life within your capability.

HEADACHES and CHIROPRACTIC

On Tuesday March 15, 2005 the Spokane daily paper ran an article about migraine headaches and an experimental treatment for them, botox. The article concluded that there are many side effects, and effectiveness of this treatment (like many other medical interventions) has not been proven. Although medications, and even surgery, often give a patient relief from headaches they frequently cause unpleasant (and even dangerous) side effects. Relief is impermanent. A vicious cycle ensues. Patients become dependent on a toxic medication, it stops working, and they change to another medication. The cause of the problem is ignored and toxicity eventually leads to more problems/symptoms.

Chiropractic is the modern, natural healing method that not only gets to the root of the problem, but also does not have side effects because it does not introduce toxins into the body. The root of the problem with headaches; and all other diseases, illnesses and conditions is the inability of the nervous system to adapt to physical, chemical or emotional stress. Chiropractic directly addresses the nervous system. We are born with an innate (unconscious) capacity for growth, healing, and adaptation. The nervous system is in control of these properties. When stress gets in the way the nervous system loses its ability to adapt and heal. Chiropractic restores this innate ability to the nervous system.

Below you will find a number of excerpts, from research papers in scientific journals, that illustrate the effectiveness of Chiropractic care in dealing with headaches. Please share this information with a friend or loved one.

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Spinal Manipulation vs. Amitriptyline for the Treatment of Chronic Tension-Type Headaches: Journal of Manipulative Physical Therapy (JMPT), 1995; 18(3):148-154.
This study of 27 headache sufferers found that although both the group who received chiropractic care, and the group who received amitriptyline had relief from symptoms; 4 weeks after treatment had stopped, only the chiropractic group continued to have relief from symptoms.

The Effect of Manipulation (Toggle Recoil Technique for Headaches with Upper Cerical Joint Dysfunction: JMPT, 1994; 17(6):369-375.
This study of 16 female chronic headache patients found that after only two weeks of chiropractic adjustments frequency, duration and severity of headaches dropped form 60-77%.

Spinal Manipulation and Headaches: An Update. Top Clinical Chiropractic, 1995; 2(3):34-46.
This paper is a review of an earlier study that found that of 31 headache subjects who received adjustments for one week; 75% had complete relief, range of motion of the neck significantly increased, and there were greatly reduced reports of dizziness.

The following four citations are case studies. This means that rather than following a group of people, each person is evaluated individually.

Upper Cervical Chiroprctic Care for a Patient with Chronic Migraine Headaches with an appendix Summarizing an Additional 100 Headache Cases: Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, August 3,2003:1-10.
This patient suffered a concussion at age 23 and suffered from migraine headaches for the next 12 years, during which time she utilized pain medications. Following three months of car headaches had stopped; and after one year, when care was discontinued, the headaches remained absent.

Use of an Upper Cervical Specific Chiropractic Technique in a Subject with Chronic Migraines. 130th Annual Meeting of the American public Health Association, November 11 2002.
A 19-year-old female with a 5-year history of severe migraines 3 times a year that lasted 4-6 weeks was treated with chiropractic adjustments. Headaches were present daily for 5 years, even when they were not migraines. Ten days after her first adjustment she reported her first headache free day in five years. She had no headaches for the remaining three months of the study.

Case Study. Today’s Chiropractic, 1983; 12(5):34-35.
This patient had a 14 year history of migraine headaches following three helicopter crashes in Vietnam in 1968. Headaches had become increasingly worse the five years previous to presenting for treatment. Headaches started at about noon daily and lasted for up to 16 hours. After two months of adjustments the patient had remained headache free for one month.

Case Studies. Today’s Chiropractic, 1985; 14(4):42-43.
Following an auto accident the patient suffered from severe headaches, nausea; and pain in the neck, back arms and left leg. She received three months of intensive chiropractic care. After one month of care symptoms were alleviated.

The patient entered care with headaches, dizziness, pain in the ears, neck pain, back pain, and numbness in her toes. After three weeks of intensive care all symptoms were alleviated.

The patient entered care after suffering from bi-monthly migraine headaches for several years. She received chiropractic adjustments three times a week for 2 and ½ weeks, then continued to be checked and adjusted regularly after that period. Only on migraine occurred in the 16 months following the start of care, and that migraine directly followed a fall on the ski slope.

Do you know someone who suffers from headaches? Please share this with them. We would love to call them for you to explain the benefits of Chiropractic care. Help us help them before toxic medicines cause them even more health problems.

Thank you from the staff of North Central Spokane Chiropractic.

2005

Seven Ways to Avoid the Flu – Without a Flu Shot

Whether you get sick many times a year or not at all it is a good idea to practice habits that make the onset of the flu less likely. Prevention is the best cure!

GET ADJUSTED - Chiropractic Adjustments cause your nervous system and your immune system to function better. These two systems are the systems that must respond to a crisis in the your body. The immune response you have when exposed to a flu virus is such a crisis.

AVOID SUGAR – Sugar lowers immune system function almost immediately. Your immune system is the key to fighting off the bacteria and viruses to which we all are exposed. Sugar often hides out in foods like ketchup , fruit juice, and almost all foods that come in boxes and cans.

PROPER REST – The body, and particularly the immune system are strengthened and regenerated when we sleep.

THE GARLIC FIX – Garlic is antiviral, antibacterial and anti-fungal. It is a super-food that helps your immune system to fight illness. Only fresh garlic has this property. The active ingredient, alicin, is destroyed within one hour of crushing garlic. This makes garlic pills virtually worthless. Cooking also destroys alicin. Garlic is effective when compressed and swallowed whole, added to your food like a spice immediately after it has been through the garlic press, or used as a component in juice that is freshly made.

CONTROL YOUR STRESS – It has been estimated that up to 90% of illness and disease is stress related. Stress can destroy the delicate balance of the hormones that the adrenal glands produce. The adrenal glands are an important factor in immune function. Severely depressed adrenal function can be addressed with nutrition, stress reduction and nervous system balancing.

EXERCISE – Your immune system depends on blood flow to circulate disease-fighting components through your body. Exercise increases circulation and blood flow in your body. Exercise also helps you to deal with stress that depresses the immune system.

WASH YOUR HANDS – Hand washing decreases the chance of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. A strong immune system is able to fight off most viruses and bacteria that enter the body and hand washing is an added layer of protection. Don’t use anti-bacterial soaps as they are unnecessary and cause more harm than good.

Flu Vaccinations

20 years ago flu vaccines were only recommended for those over 60 years old and the chronically ill. Now they are recommended for nearly everyone. Is this marketing, or is this health prevention?

Health prevention is about getting to the root of the problem. The influenza virus is an innocent bystander when it comes to the root of the problem. A virus needs a weakened and impaired immune system in order to cause illness. A poor immune system is the root of the problem.

Poor nutrition, especially consumption of sugars and processed foods, is the number one cause of a poor immune system.

The flu vaccine weakens your immune system initially, making you more susceptible to all illness. Common side effects include cough, runny nose/nasal congestion, irritability, headaches, chills, muscle aches and fever. Sounds a lot like the flu, doesn’t it?

All vaccinations contain toxins. Especially common are mercury, aluminum and phenol. These are known to be hazardous to the nervous system.

The “FluMist” intranasal vaccine also contains sugar, Msg and live viruses. It can be shed and infect others for 21 days, as well as being passed from a breast-feeding mother to an infant

In 2004 the flu vaccine that was produced was identical in composition to the one used the previous year. Antibodies from other viral vaccines (MMR, polio and chickenpox) have been shown to last at least three years. This begs the question, why push people to get the same flu shot in consecutive years?

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) uses a questionable campaign of fear in order to influence people to receive flu shots. We urge you research this issue before you commit to a flu shot.

The Center for Disease Control is a U.S. government agency that collects data and makes recommendations on health care issues. One of these issues is the flu virus and vaccination. Some of their statistics and statements are a bit surprising.

CDC flu statistics for the year 2001 claim that 62.034 people died from influenza and pneumonia that year. Statistics for 2002 claim 36.000 died. These statistics are misleading. If you follow the links on the CDC website far enough back they separate the statistics for pneumonia and influenza. That is when we find out that the CDC attributes only 257 deaths in 2001 and 724 deaths in 2002 to the flu!

The CDC website states that the flu vaccine is 16-63% effective! CBS stated that the vaccine is 30-50% effective in seniors. The Archives of Internal Medicine (a medical research journal) wrote that, “the impact of the flu vaccine on the elderly is overrated, in fact there is not evidence of any decrease in mortality of the elderly with the flu shot.”

A CDC spokesman conceded that they were unable to predict the vaccines effectiveness last year because the strain of flu could not be predicted.

When public health officials warn of a “killer flu” or “ possible pandemic” they expect a significant genetic shift in the virus from the previous year. This is when the flu vaccine that is based on the previous year’s strain of flu virus is least like the new strain of flu. In spite of this, at these times there is greater demand from public health officials that everyone get vaccinated.

Linus Pauling, a Nobel laureate in the field of science for his research in the field of nutrition, stated that he would never take the flu vaccine because there is significant danger associated with it.

The Canadian Medical Association Journal followed 266 full time hospital workers who received the flu vaccination and returned a questionnaire. In the first 48 hours 90% of them had adverse effects, 48% experienced those effects over their whole body, and 5% missed work.

A 1999 Dutch study followed the members of a home for seniors. They found that 49% of the participants suffered from a severe flu even though two-thirds of them had been vaccinated. Overall 48% of the non-vaccinated residents and 50% of the vaccinated residents got the flu.

Former chief vaccine control officer of the FDA, J. Anthony Morris, has said, “There is no evidence that any influenza vaccine thus far developed is effective in preventing or mitigating any attack of influenza. The producers of these vaccines know that they are worthless, but they go on selling them anyway.”

The flu shot contains more than a “dead” flu virus. Formaldehyde is used to inactivate the virus. Thimerosal, a mercury compound, has been used extensively to preserve the vaccine.

Bird Flu Facts

Startling Facts About the Bird Flu! The symptoms are:

1. High Fever
2. Chills
3. Night Sweats
4. A sudden urge to run out and “do your business” on the windshield of a car.

The bird flu was discovered in Vietnam about 9 years ago.
Barely 100 people in the whole world have died over that time span.
It was the Americans who alerted us to the effectiveness of TAMIFLU as a preventative.

TAMIFLU barely alleviated some symptoms of the common flu.
A huge part of the scientific community questions the effectiveness of TAMIFLU against the flu. ROCHE LABORATORIES markets TAMIFLU.
GILEAD SCIENCES, INC. sold the patent for TAMIFLU from ROCHE LABORATORIES in 1996.

Donald Rumsfeld, the Secretary of Defense of the USA was then president of GILEAD SCIENCES and remains a major shareholder.
The base of TAMIFLU is crushed anise seed.

ROCHE LABORATORIES controls 90% of the world production of the tree that produces anise. Sales of TAMIFLU were $254 million in 2004, and more than $1000 million in 2005.

How many more millions can ROCHE make in the years to come if the business of bird flu fear continues?

To summarize: President Bush’s friends decide that TAMIFLU is the solution for a pandemic that has not happened, and has caused a little over a hundred deaths, worldwide, in just over 9 years. The medicine won’t even cure or prevent the common flu. In normal conditions the virus does not affect humans at all. Rumsfeld collects a fortune for selling the patent for TAMIFLU to ROCHE. ROCHE acquires 90% of the global production of crushed anise seed, the base for the TAMIFLU antivirus. Governments around the world threaten a pandemic and then buy huge quantities of the product from ROCHE. Our friends in government make money from the process that requires our taxes to pay for the medicine. It is expensive to be uninformed.

2006