The H1N1 Issue: Flu Pandemic, Fear Pandemic, or Both? A letter by Dr. James Chestnut

October 30, 2009The H1N1 Issue: Flu Pandemic, Fear Pandemic, or Both? James L. Chestnut B.Ed., M.Sc., D.C., C.C.W.P. The H1N1 issue has become so prevalent that I thought it appropriate to share some factual perspective. I realize that factual perspective is neither newsworthy nor popular when people are in the midst of a mob mentality of fear but I’m willing to risk unpopularity in order to encourage people to be guided by science, reason, and logic. As you’ve heard me say so many times the key to finding the truth is asking the right questions. If we don’t ask the right questions we will never get the right answers. Irrational fear usually comes from asking the wrong questions or failing to ask the right ones. As I often point out it is not what we don’t know that poses the greatest danger, it is what we think we know that is false. We also must be aware of confounding factors creating self fulfilling prophecies. Sometimes fear is rational, sometimes it is not. Regardless, the most important thing is to ACCURATELY assess the threat and then identify an evidence-based, logical, reasonable, and RATIONAL response or course of action. Let’s start with the H1N1 flu virus itself. Clearly this flu virus is a reality and clearly it can lead to illness. The most important question is what kind of illness. The FACT is that the type of illness associated with this virus in over 99.9% of CASES is mild to moderate flu symptoms which include fever, nausea which can include vomiting, and of course general malaise. Not very pleasant to be sure but is this any different than the symptoms associated with the flu viruses that have been the source of the seasonal flu for the past 50 years? No. Although not every seasonal flu virus is associated with vomiting the truth is that vomiting is not considered serious. Seriously uncomfortable – yes, seriously risky in terms of death or severe complications – no. But what about the deaths from H1N1? We all must admit and understand that even the thought of a child dying is enough to send any parent into hysterics. I can’t think of anything more frightening. So let me be clear. I am not suggesting that the threat of harm or death to my child or any child is not something to fear. What I am suggesting is that we RATIONALLY assess the threat and then assess our fear level to see if it is appropriate. Good decisions, decisions that minimize threat and maximize safety, are NOT based on irrational fear. Fear is our worst enemy. Logical interpretation of available facts is our best ally. Here is what we need to know before we can make a decision about an appropriate fear level associated with risk of death from H1N1. First we need to know how many deaths have been caused by H1N1 in any given population. The next question to ask is whether or not those who have died had underlying illnesses that made them more susceptible or more at risk. In other words we need to know how many of the deaths ASSOCIATED with H1N1 are actually CAUSED by H1N1. To assess the absolute risk of dying from H1N1 we need to divide the number of deaths in any given population by the number of people in that given population. In Canada as of Oct 17, 2009 there had been a total of 1,604 hospitalizations, and 83 deaths associated with H1N1. By the way by this time H1N1 was already being portrayed as a DEADLY PANDEMIC. So, out of a population of approximately 35 MILLION there were 83 deaths. This means your chance of dying of H1N1 up to this point was 83/35,000,000 which is one in 421,687. This means the chance of death from H1N1 was 0.0002%. To date these risks are similar in the United States and throughout the rest of the world. It is not easy to get exact numbers on the number of deaths that are caused by underlying conditions or secondary bacterial infections but estimates are that these would represent at least 99% of all deaths associated with H1N1. So, if you do not have an underlying illness your chance of dying from H1N1 is 1% of 0.0002%. Not exactly worthy of widespread panic. The chances of dying in a car accident, airplane accident, a fall, from complications of air pollution, from complications from industrial toxins or from medical treatment are EXPONENTIALLY GREATER. What is the difference? The media and the health authorities are not focusing your attention on these risks. You have more chance of dying in a car accident on your way to get an H1N1 vaccine than dying from H1N1. Statistically it could be concluded that it is an undue risk to get into a car and get the vaccine! I could not find any published peer-reviewed data to determine whether the H1N1 vaccine is safe or effective. In other words there is no available information that would be required for any other medical intervention that the H1N1 vaccine works or if it is safe. This does not mean it is not safe or effective, it just means we have no data which would be considered scientifically valid to utilize to form our opinions. Even if we assume the vaccine is safe and effective, statistically there is still more risk of death from the car ride to get the vaccine than from dying from H1N1! So what is going on in my opinion? Well I think some very well intentioned people are allowing fear rather than science and data to guide public policy. I’m not alone in this opinion by the way. Have a read of the following quotes from a recent article published in The British Medical Journal entitled “Calibrated response to emerging infections” http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/339/sep03_2/b3471. In fact read this entire article, I think it offers a very good perspective and it is very well referenced. Pay particular attention to how the health authorities have changed the definition of a flu pandemic! “Since the emergence of novel A/H1N1, descriptions of pandemic flu (both its causes and its effect) have changed to such a degree that the difference between seasonal flu and pandemic flu is now unclear. WHO, for example, for years defined pandemics as outbreaks causing “enormous numbers of deaths and illness,” but in early May, removed this phrase from the definition.” Changing views of pandemic flu, before and after emergence of influenza A/H1N1 virus: Aspect Before A/H1N1 Since A/H1N1 One line summary WHO 2003-9: “An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus appears against which the human population has no immunity, resulting in epidemics worldwide with enormous numbers of deaths and illness” WHO: “An influenza pandemic may occur when a new influenza virus appears against which the human population has no immunity” Virus and immunity WHO 2005:”Most people will have no immunity to the pandemic virus” WHO: “The vulnerability of a population to a pandemic virus is related in part to the level of pre-existing immunity to the virus” US CDC 1997: “When antigenic shift occurs, the population does not have antibody protection against the virus” US CDC: “Cross-reactive antibody [to A/H1N1] was detected in 6%-9% of those aged 18-64 years and in 33% of those aged >60 years” Impact (health, social, economic) WHO 2005: “Large numbers of deaths will occur . . . WHO has used a relatively conservative estimate – from 2 million to 7.4 million deaths . . . Economic and social disruption will be great” WHO: “H5N1 has conditioned the public to equate an influenza pandemic with very severe disease and high mortality. Such a disease pattern is by no means inevitable during a pandemic. On the contrary, it is exceptional” CDC 1997: “The hallmark of pandemic influenza is excess mortality” CDC: “There are some pandemics that look very much like a bad flu season” Canada 2006: “An influenza pandemic results if many people around the world become ill and die from such a [new form of influenza] virus” Canada: “An influenza pandemic does not necessarily cause more severe illness than seasonal influenza” “But the 2009 pandemic, taken as a whole, bears little resemblance to the forecasted pandemic. Pandemic A/H1N1 virus is not a new subtype but the same subtype as seasonal A/H1N1 that has been circulating since 1977.” “Furthermore, a substantial portion of the population may have immunity. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 33% of those aged over 60 had cross reactive antibody to novel A/H1N1,which may explain why cases have been rare in elderly people.” Interestingly a recent report by CBC in Canada indicated that 4 preliminary studies showed that the chance of having immunity to H1N1 is DECREASED if you have regularly been vaccinated for seasonal flu. It will be interesting to see if they pursue this any further and publish the results in a peer-reviewed journal. “On 26 April, with 20 cases and no deaths in the US, the Department of Health and Human Services declared a nationwide public health emergency.” “The SARS outbreak showed that large numbers of infected people are not necessary to generate concern and fear over disease. The SARS virus is known to have affected only 8096 people globally, but the fear of infection, involuntary quarantine, travel restrictions and subsequent political antagonisms, and at least $18bn in losses were felt by far more. It was not the virus but the response to it that caused these social and economic harms.” So what is my conclusion; is the H1N1 issue a flu pandemic, a fear pandemic, or both? My conclusion is that at this point it is a pandemic of fear and NOT a flu pandemic. Of course it depends on how you define pandemic! The data available make it clear that we are experiencing an H1N1 seasonal flu BUT that to date this is not associated with significant risk of death or serious illness. The FACT is that the current level of alarm and fear are NOT supported by data. However, this could change. What we cannot say is that things will not get worse. There is sufficient data to date to strongly suggest that it won’t but data can only accurately tell us what has happened not what will happen. Certainly the odds are that H1N1 will pass with the same overblown fear and unactuated threat as SARS. Only time and data with tell. I do have some concerns about the fact that testing for H1N1 has now been virtually all but discontinued. The authorities are now assuming that any case of the flu is H1N1. This means we will NEVER have any valid data about incidence, prevalence, or death rates. All such assessments without actual confirmation of infection are, in scientific terms, invalid. The term they will use is speculative. Sounds better than saying we are guessing. Another concern is that deaths associated with H1N1, as with all previous seasonal flu viruses, are vastly overestimated. The annual published death rates for flu are NOT from confirmed deaths due to flu and in fact even CDC published stats reveal that most deaths “associated” with the flu are actually not from the flu at all but almost entirely from pneumonia. Less than one percent of deaths reported as associated with seasonal flu are actually caused by seasonal flu and even in these deaths the vast majority occur in people with underlying conditions. Another concern is that it is unlikely that we will ever get any data on whether or not those who have been vaccinated have been protected. If one actually reads the primary research studies (not the news or published summaries by health ministries) on the seasonal flu vaccine what one finds is that the data does not support claims that the regular seasonal flu vaccine significantly decreases the incidence of flu or complications from it. Recently there has been some admission that the vaccines do not prevent the flu and that indeed they only guess correct on which virus to vaccinate against less than 30% of the time. However the health authorities still justify recommending the vaccine by claiming it decreases the severity of flu and complications from it. All I am asking for is to have DATA guide policy not DOGMA. One of the sources of controversy is that vaccine benefits are often reported as relative risk reductions not absolute risk reductions so when one applies the results in real life one quickly realizes that the actual reduction of risk for those vaccinated vs not vaccinated is not statistically significant. They often report that the flu vaccine reduces hospitalizations or deaths but they report the relative difference between vaccinated vs unvaccinated not the absolute difference. In other words there might be 5000 people in each study group and there may be 4 deaths amongst those unvaccinated and 2 deaths among those vaccinated. This relative difference is reported as a “50% reduction in deaths in those vaccinated vs not vaccinated”. Of course what this really means is that if you are vaccinated, and you get the flu, you have a 2 in 5000 chance of death. If you are unvaccinated and you get the flu you have a 4 in 5000 chance of death. An absolute difference of 2 in 5000 – not even remotely significant and certainly not worthy of the national vaccination campaigns and the billions of dollars spent on the vaccines. YES, they do report things this way!! Some good references on this topic are Jackson et al., Evidence of bias in estimates of influenza vaccine effectiveness in seniors, International Journal of Epidemiology 2006; 35: 337-344 and Jefferson, T. Influenza vaccination: policy versus evidence. British Medical Journal 2006; 333: 912-915 and Jefferson et al. Efficacy and effectiveness of influenza vaccines in elderly people: a systematic review. Lancet 2005; 366: 1165-74 and Simonsen et al. Mortality benefits of influenza vaccination in elderly people: an ongoing controversy. Lancet Infectious Disease 2007; 7: xxx-xx. But doesn’t it seem like we have more flu and more associated deaths this year? Yes is does SEEM that way. However the truth is that although the flu seems to have come early this year it has not come with any greater incidence or seriousness – at least not yet. The real story is that although death rates are not significantly higher than most years there have been some deaths among children and this is just so tragic that it causes great fear and anxiety. HOWEVER, the risk to otherwise healthy children of dying from H1N1 is FAR less than the risk of dying in a car accident. This does not minimize the importance of these tragic losses, it just puts them in perspective in terms of absolute risk. But aren’t more kids away from school and adults away from work this year? Yes, absolutely. However the frenzy of fear this year has changed things significantly and skewed them toward a self fulfilling prophecy. This year if anyone has even a sniffle they are kept home because we have all been told that we are in the midst of a deadly pandemic and that it is our moral obligation to stay home. In past years we have always gone to work with the flu because for the most part we can work through it. We can’t logically use the number of people away from school or work as an accurate indicator of the severity of this year’s flu pandemic. We have to use the data about illness rates, severity, and death rates. When we use this data to form our opinions and policies our fear level will certainly move away from hysteria. What is ironic is that the health authorities have started vaccinating those people who have been identified as most susceptible to serious complications. They have also stated that we should avoid close contact in order to avoid spread. Now we have those identified as being most susceptible congregating in close contact waiting for the vaccine! Remember these people also had to put themselves at GREAT risk (relative to risk of death from H1N1) by traveling on the road to get to the vaccination site. Obviously the minute risk of death from a car accident is not a rational reason to avoid driving to get the vaccine if you think this is a good strategy. This is a valid use of risk analysis to help you put your fears about death from H1N1 into perspective. Fear and anxiety cause the release of stress hormones that down-regulate your immune system! So what should we do; what is a scientific, logical and reasonable strategy? Be rational, put things in proper perspective and ask the right questions. Be scientific and logical. Get the facts and apply them to your strategy. Don’t panic if you or a loved one gets the flu. Keep hydrated, stay home, eat intelligently and REST. If severe complications arise go to your medical doctor or a walk-in clinic. Be preventative. Eating well, exercising, and staying relaxed (Eat Well Move Well Think Well™) are evidence-based ways to optimize your immune defenses, to minimize risk of both becoming ill and of complications, and to maximize your recovery should you become ill. Take Vitamin D – this is absolutely one of the most evidence-based interventions available for reducing incidence and severity of seasonal cold and flu. The data is very very strong. See the upcoming Vitamin D newsletter from Innate Choice www.innatechoice.com for more information and for references.



Vaccines: Perpetuating a Myth

There are few topics more controversial in health care as the topic of vaccinations. However, little discussion is had around the true nature of the benefits and risks of this practice.  After examination, I found the idea that vaccinations and their widespread use being responsible for a dramatic improvement in our health to be as much myth as fact.
A preconceived idea can shape your vision of reality.  Psychologists have understood for many years that what you already believe to be true will blind you to any new information to the contrary.  They know that what we believe in our minds will cause us to literally ignore what we see and disregard evidence that contradicts what we believe.  This phenomenon cements myths into our minds and our culture.

The graph above is on page 23 of a prominent textbook1 used by health professionals across the country.  A peculiar point is made here: that these three inventions – water chlorination, antibiotics, and vaccinations – have made a drastic improvement in the health status of our country.  As part of a prominent textbook, it is very easy to believe the implied notion: that these three inventions made a real and demonstrated difference in our health.  But did they?

Look at the chart above.  Both chlorination, and then the discovery of antibiotics (in the midst of WWII), saw a measurable decrease in the rates of death due to infectious disease.  The beginning of the twentieth century saw over five decades of decrease in death due to infectious disease.  No perceptible change in disease happens for the subsequent four decades.  Looking at this broad overview, even a merely casual glance would lead to the conclusion that they actually made no impact – that any effective changes had been made prior to the vaccine ever being introduced.  What could possibly create a belief so strong as to interpret it any other way?  Years of stories of heroic change that vaccinations had brought to the fight against disease?

My common response is that major changes began happening when we started separating drinking water from sewer water.  Dr. Clarence Gonstead, a pioneering chiropractor said “vaccines didn’t clean up the country.  Clean living did.”  Having adjusted over one million patients in his heroic lifetime, he had formed his own opinion.  Again, take a look above and consider how you formed yours.

1. McGuire, M., and Beerman, K. Nutritional Sciences: From Fundamentals to Food.  Wadsworth-Thompson 2007.

Chronic Pain Causes Shrinkage of the Brain

Chronic Back Pain is Associated with Decreased Prefrontal and Thalamic Gray Matter Density. Apkarian V, Sosa Y, et al.  The J. of Neuroscience, Nov 2004, 24(46):10410-10415

From the abstract: “We compared brain morphology of 26 chronic back pain (CBP) patients to matched control subjects, using magnetic resonance imaging brain scan data and automated analysis techniques.”

“Patients with CBP showed 5-11% less neocortical gray matter volume than control subjects.  The magnitude of this decrease is equivalent to the gray matter volume lost in 10- 20 years of normal aging. The decreased volume was related to pain duration, indicating a 1.3 cm³ loss of gray matter for every year of chronic pain.”

“Our results imply that CBP is accompanied by brain atrophy and suggest that the pathophysiology of chronic pain includes thalamocortical processes.”

What does this article say? This paper examined the brains of patients with and without chronic low back pain.  It did this with the use of an MRI study that compared the volume of grey matter of the two groups.  The grey matter is the portion of the brain that contains the neuron cell bodies, your brain cells.  The study found the people suffering from chronic low back pain had 5-11% less grey matter, indicating brain shrinkage.

What else did they find? The researchers also found that the longer the person had lived with chronic pain, the more shrinkage of brain matter had occurred.  They found that the amount lost was 1.3 cm³ of brain matter for every year of chronic pain – a cube a centimeter wide on each side!  For the group they studied, this was the equivalent of ten to twenty years of premature aging for the group that was living with chronic pain.

What does this mean? Chronic pain is not something to ignore.  Do not ignore your health problems or simply hope that they will go away.  Find out what you need to do to address the cause of your problem that is resulting in you being in constant pain.

To whom do I pass this on to? Anyone who suffers from chronic pain.  Give them this review and then hand them a resource from our office.  Try a DVD from the lending library, invite them to a workshop, or bring them into the office to personally pick up a referral coupon and schedule an appointment to find out how they can start getting healthy again.

Subluxation and Osteoarthritis: Joints That Don’t Move Break Down

Degenerative Changes Following Spinal Fixation in a Small Animal Model. G.Cramer, J.Fournier, et al. J. of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Vol. 27 # 3, Pgs. 141-154

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate changes of the lumbar vertebral column following fixation.

Design: Using an established small animal (rat) model of spinal fixation (hypomobility), 3 contiguous lumbar segments (L4, L5, L6) were fixed with a specially engineered vertebral fixation device. Spinal segments of control rats were compared with those of animals with 1, 4, or 8 weeks of fixation. Subgroups of these fixation animals subsequently had the fixation device removed for 1, 2, 4, 8, or 12 weeks to evaluate the effects of attempting to reestablish normal forces to the vertebral segments following hypomobility.

Conclusion: These findings indicate that fixation (hypomobility) results in time-dependent degenerative changes of the Z joints.

What does this article say?  This is a paper that describes a study examining joints that were not moving.  The joints that were fixated were examined microscopically to determine how the lack of motion affected the health of the joints.

How did they do this?  In order to do this, the joints were fixated in small animals.  While doing this type of research, it is carefully reviewed to determine that the study is of high quality and that there will be highly meaningful information.  By using small animals such as mice or rats, the changes they go through in a study can be very closely observed in a way that they can’t be in human studies.

What did they find?  The joints that were immobilized began to break down and degenerate, while the joints that moved remained healthy.  The type of breakdown that the researchers found in the fixated joints was the same as in osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis.  While there are many types of arthritis, this is the type people are generally referring to when they say ‘arthritis.’  They also found that the longer the joint did not move, the more degenerative arthritic changes it showed.

Who do I pass this on to?  Anyone who mentions suffering from, or wanting to avoid, arthritis.  Or better yet, pass it on to the person you know who is already very health-conscious, wants to stay active, and wants to learn how chiropractic care can help keep them moving and healthy!

Quality Nutrition: A Key to Maximizing Your Immune System

Nutrition and the Immune System:  An Introduction. Chandra R. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1997. 66(2): 460S.

Quotes from the abstract:

• “Nutrition is a critical determinant of immune responses and malnutrition (is) the most common cause of immunodeficiency worldwide.”
• “Deficiency of single nutrients also results in altered immune responses: this is observed even when the deficiency state is relatively mild.”
• “Over-nutrition and obesity also reduce immunity.”
• “In the elderly, impaired immunity can be enhanced by modest amounts of a combination of micronutrients.”
• “These findings have considerable practical and public health significance.”

What is this published article? This is a paper that was written to summarize the widely understood concepts in the field of nutrition and the immune system.  It was written over twelve years ago, so this is not new information.  This is all widely understood, established scientific knowledge and has been for a considerable amount of time.

What do the quotes say? They say that the quality of the nutrition that you consume affects the health of your immune system.  Also, overfeeding compromises the immune system, as well.  It concludes that the relationship between nutritional status and the health of the public’s immune system is highly important.

Why haven’t I heard more about this? That is a very good question.  I feel that the information that is reaching the public about what they need to do to protect and promote their health has been very limited and people health has suffered as a result.  That is why I began writing these articles.

What can I do? A recent report published by the CDC stated that only 1 in 10 children were receiving the recommended quantities of fruits and vegetables every day.  Watch “Well People Eat” in the Franson Family Chiropractic Lending Library for more information to improve this situation.

Who do I pass this on to? Mothers, family members, co-workers, school nurses, teachers, bus drivers, babysitters, your grandparents, your kids or other important people in your life.

Chiropractic Powerfully Aids Flu Recovery.

The Official History of Chiropractic in Texas. Dr. Walter Rhodes.  Published by the Texas Chiropractic Association. 1978.

“In Davenport, Iowa, 50 medical doctors treated 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 state of 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.”

What is this?  This is an excerpt from a publication that documented historical events in chiropractic.  Chiropractic was founded in 1895 and had many landmark steps that established it as the second largest field of health care in the world today.  The success of the chiropractic profession with patients in the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1917-1918 was a major factor that led to the establishment of the profession.

What happened at this time?  Poor living conditions among populations worldwide promoted the spread of a deadly pandemic at the end of the first World War.  Worldwide, over 20 million deaths were attributable to the flu at this time, more than were killed during the war.  500,000 American deaths were considered to be a result of this flu pandemic.

The young chiropractic profession, spreading through grass-roots clinical results with patients, became firmly and widely established through legislation after the population struggled during this period.  More than half of the state licensure laws were enacted in the years immediately following World War I.

What other data was preserved at this time?  Here is a sample of some of the other records from the book:  “The same epidemic reports show that chiropractors in Oklahoma treated 3,490 cases of influenza with only 7 deaths.  But the best part of this is, in Oklahoma there is a clear record showing that chiropractors were called in 233 cases where medical doctors had cared for the patients, and finally gave them up as lost.  The chiropractors saved all these lost cases but 25.”

What other resources do you suggest?  Also see the Boost Your Immune System Part I and Part II Advanced Workshop in the Lending Library.

Who do I give this to?  People who have concerns about their immune system for this upcoming cold and flu season.

Chronic Mental Stress Decreases Your Immune System

Psychological stress and the human immune system: a meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry. Segerstrom SC, Miller GE.  Psychol Bull. 2004 Jul;130(4):601-30.

Abstract: The present report meta-analyzes more than 300 empirical articles describing a relationship between psychological stress and parameters of the immune system in human participants. Acute stressors (lasting minutes) were associated with potentially adaptive upregulation of some parameters of natural immunity and downregulation of some functions of specific immunity. Brief naturalistic stressors (such as exams) tended to suppress cellular immunity while preserving humoral immunity. Chronic stressors were associated with suppression of both cellular and humoral measures. Effects of event sequences varied according to the kind of event (trauma vs. loss). Subjective reports of stress generally did not associate with immune change. In some cases, physical vulnerability as a function of age or disease also increased vulnerability to immune change during stressors.

What is this?  A meta-analysis is when the comprehensive group of studies on a particular subject is reported on.  In other words, all of the studies that have been done on a specific subject are looked at in a methodical way in order to make a conclusion about what the research shows.  Then a result is described based on looking at the sum of the results of all of the studies in the analysis.

What does it say?  This study says that mental stress affects the immune system.  While acute mental stressors were shown to have variable affects on different parts of the immune system, chronic stress did not.  Chronic mental stress showed a decrease in the immune function of the people who experienced it.

What do I do now?  Stress, and mental stress in particular, is unavoidable.  We all will experience various types of stress throughout our lives.  The types of stress, the amount of stress, and what you do in response to the stress in your life will determine if you become healthier or sicker.  On September 30th, we will be teaching our Well People Move Advanced Workshop in our office.  You will learn how movement is the antidote to stress.  Make sure that you sign up at the front desk and attend!

What other resources do you suggest?  Also see the Healthy Mental Attitude Workshop and the Living and Loving Unconditionally Workshop in the Lending Library.

Who do I give this to?  People who need help coping with mental stress, and have concerns about their immune system for this upcoming cold and flu season.  In other words, everyone you know.

Chiropractic History Edition

When did chiropractic begin?  The exact day is credited as September 18^th, 1895.  That makes September 18^th of this year the 114^th birthday of chiropractic.

What happened on this day?  Chiropractic’s founder, Dr. D.D. Palmer, delivered the first chiropractic adjustment to a gentleman who was deaf.  The patient, Harvey Lillard, had experienced a neck injury in his history that Dr. Palmer found.  After getting adjusted, Mr Lillard’s hearing was restored, putting an end to over twenty years of deafness.

How did he develop the practice of chiropractic?  Dr. Palmer had spent years caring for patients in hands-on, natural health care.  He was a life-long student and learner. His study was the result of the question “Why does one person get sick while the person right next to him stays well?”

Over years of checking patients with his hands, he observed patterns of inflammation in the patients’ bodies.  He surmised that there must be some sort of friction or mechanical issue creating heat.  What he was observing was subluxation.  He found that correcting the spinal subluxation allowed the nerve to function again, and the patient was able to heal.

By closely examining so many patients, he became trained in observing the effects that subluxation causes in the body.  Over the course of his life, he created remarkably accurate maps of the nerve system and what a subluxation of each joint in the spine would affect.  He wrote extensively as well, leaving records of his work and clinical success with nearly every type of case.

What about the word “Chiropractic?”  It is pronounced Ki’ Ro Prak’ Tik.  Chiropractic, which is practiced by Doctors of Chiropractic, is from two Greek words, translated as “done by hand.”

How much has the profession grown?  Chiropractic is now the world’s largest non-drug, non-surgical form of health care and the second largest form of health care in the world.  It is formally recognized and supported by the U.S. Government and all fifty state governments, as well as by countries around the world.

How did chiropractic spread from its humble beginnings?  Through clinical success with patient after patient, restoring and increasing their health.  The success chiropractors had with their patients during the Flu Pandemic of 1918 (just after World War I), led to the rapid enactment of state licensure laws throughout the country.

Who should I give this to?  Share this with someone who needs to learn about chiropractic today.

Chiropractic Part of Swine Flu Prevention Program in Children

This is an important read.  I’ve re-posted the whole press release below.

Dr. Jesse Davis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chiropractic Part of Swine Flu Prevention Program in Children

ATLANTA, Georgia – September 8, 2009

A recent update on the Swine flu released by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention reports on the deaths of 36 children attributable to complications from the viral infection. The majority of those deaths occurred in children with very significant neurodevelopmental disorders.

According to the data some of these children also had chronic pulmonary disorders and some were obese. In fact, most who died had multiple, severe, chronic health conditions.

“The number of children with neurological, neurodevelopmental and pulmonary disorders who ended up with complications from the H1N1 flu and who ultimately died from these complications point to the need to make sure that children with such disorders, and in fact all children, have as little interference to their nervous systems as possible” stated Matthew McCoy DC, MPH a public health specialist, health researcher and editor of the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic.

McCoy added “It also shows that the majority of children who ended up with complications from H1N1 infection were not normal, healthy children. So, if you have normal, healthy children – rather than panic from these media reports its better to consider the things you can do to make sure that your child’s immune system remains functioning at its best.”

In addition to a healthy diet, exercise and proper sleep, one crucial way to make sure your child’s immune system is functioning at its best is to make sure his or her nervous system is free from interference. Since the nervous system has a direct effect on the immune system, and because the spine houses and protects so much of the nerve system, it is important to have your child’s spine checked for any interference.

“Nerve interference can result from spinal misalignments or abnormal motion in the spine called vertebral subluxations, and because the nervous system affects immune function, it is important to reduce or correct any vertebral subluxations if found” advised Dr. Christopher Kent, chiropractic researcher and President of the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation.

Interestingly, the CDC found that 13 (52%) of the children who died had received at least 1 dose of the 2008–2009 seasonal flu vaccine, including 11 children who had these high-risk medical conditions. Of further interest is that 15 of those who died and who had chronic medical conditions had also received antiviral treatment. What role, if any, these two factors had in the deaths was not discussed in the CDC report.

“The lesson in all of this is to go back to the basics,” stated Kent. “The best defense against viral and bacterial diseases, in addition to the recommendations for hand washing and covering your mouth, is a highly functioning immune system. Chiropractic should be part of an effective flu prevention strategy.”

Chiropractors specialize in the identification and care of vertebral subluxations. Through examination of the spine they can determine if subluxations are present, and if found can recommend the necessary care to reduce or correct them. Both McCoy and Kent urge all parents to have their children checked for nervous system interference as soon as possible before and during the upcoming flu season.

Contact Information:

Matthew McCoy DC, MPH

Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic

http://www.chiropracicpediatricresearch.net

matthewmccoy@comcast.net

404.247.2550

Study Shows Chiropractic Leads to Happy, Healthy Babies

Sixteen Infants with Acid Reflux and Colic Undergoing Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care to Correct Vertebral Subluxation: A Retrospective Analysis of Outcome.  Erin Elster, D.C.   Journal of Pediatric, Maternal and Family Health – Chiropractic.  Volume 2009 Issue 2.

“The 16 infants were diagnosed by their physicians with acid reflux (9 infants) or colic (7 infants). Ten of the 16 mothers reported difficulty in their child’s birth (mechanical forces) that could have caused upper cervical injuries, such as the use of vacuum extraction or the wrapping of the umbilical cord around the infant’s neck.

Two diagnostic tests, paraspinal digital infrared imaging and laser-aligned cervical radiography, were performed according to IUCCA protocol. These tests objectively identify trauma-induced upper cervical subluxations (misalignments of the upper cervical spine from the neural canal) and resulting neuropathophysiology. Upper cervical subluxations were found in all 16 infants and all 16 cases were resolved with IUCCA upper cervical care.

A causal link between birth trauma-induced upper cervical injury and the onset of acid reflux and colic appears to exist. Correcting the injury to the upper cervical spine through the use of IUCCA protocol appears to reverse infantile colic and acid reflux. Further study in a controlled, experimental environment with a larger sample size is recommended.”

What is this?  This is an excerpt from a 2009 study regarding chiropractic and infants.  It describes infants under chiropractic care to correct vertebral subluxation.

What were they doing in the study? They were looking at presence of subluxation causing colic and acid reflux in infants.  In the study, the researchers were looking back at children with either acid reflux or colic who had been referred to a chiropractic clinic.  They reviewed the exam at the chiropractor’s office and the findings of the exam.  They also discussed what was causing the symptoms of colic and acid reflux in these infants.

What did the study find? Sixteen infants were examined and found to have vertebral subluxation.  Many of the children had traumatic births.  All sixteen of these infants had subluxation of the upper cervical spine – the top part of their necks.  Following a series of adjustments to correct the subluxations, the colic and acid reflux symptoms began going away.

Are there other studies, or is this the first one like it? Actually, there are many similar studies, dating back to 1991, following children numbering into the thousands.  See this for more on children, infants, chiropractic and colic and reflux issues.

Who should I give this to? Anyone with a young child (especially if the birth process was difficult), anyone with a child experiencing colic or reflux issues, or any expecting or soon-to-be expecting mothers.