August 2011 Newsletter
Why is chiropractic so popular? Why do millions of people visit their neighborhood Doctor of Chiropractic? Why are the numbers growing?
It's because Doctors of Chiropractic can locate and correct subluxations, small distortions in your spine and structural system that can cause tremendous health damage if not corrected.
Tired of being sick and tired? Welcome to the world of chiropractic ~ discover how natural health can be.
I'm at an age when my back goes out more than I do. - Phyllis Diller
A penny saved is a Congressional oversight. - Anonymous
Little deeds are like little seeds, they grow to flowers or to weeds. - Daniel D. Palmer
Enjoy this newsletter. If you have any questions or comments, please write to us. Feel free to send this to your friends and relatives and if you'd like a hard (printed) copy, stop by the office.
Your listings
We're not talking about your listing in the phone book (do people use them anymore?) or whether your boat is tilting in the water. When chiropractors use the word "listing" it's used to describe the direction your vertebrae or spinal bones are subluxated or out of position.
For example, let's say you're told your listing is "C-1 right." What does that mean? Well, C1 is shorthand for your first cervical (neck) vertebra. It's located just underneath your skull. "C-1 right" means that C1 is shifted to the right. C-1 RA means that vertebra is shifted right and has rotated anterior (or forward) on the right.
If we said that your C-2 is left that would indicate that your second cervical vertebra is shifted left. Your seven cervical vertebrae are named C-1, C-2, C-3 all the way to C-7.
You also have 12 thoracic vertebrae named T-1 to T-12. You have five lumbar (lower back) vertebrae named L-1 to L-5.
Your vertebrae can misalign in many individual directions - left, right, inferior (down), superior (up), rotation, anterior (towards the front), posterior (towards the back), medial (towards your center), lateral (away from your center) - and many combinations of directions. There are also different listing systems based on the various adjusting techniques chiropractors use.
It can get very complicated.
How do doctors of chiropractic determine what your listing is? X-ray analysis is a common tool that is used but there are others in use in the profession. That too is a complex topic that we can save for another time. If you'd like to know more, please ask us at your next visit or write to us.
SIDS (crib death) and chiropractic
Since we were discussing the C-1 vertebra we thought you might like to know a little more about it. C-1 is also called the atlas. Just as the Greek god Atlas held the globe of the world, so your atlas vertebra holds the globe of your head.
The atlas lies in a very important area between the skull and the spine. This is known as a transitional area. Your atlas is shaped like a ring and your spinal cord extends through the center of this ring as it leaves your brain. A subluxation (misalignment) of the atlas could affect billions of nerves. If the atlas is badly subluxated the effect could be devastating.
Such devastation was revealed in a fascinating research paper. Coroners X-rayed 74 newly dead infants in a specially designed structure that put their spines through a range of motion. In this triple-blind study, a dangerous distortion of the atlas was found in the majority of SIDS deaths.
This research indicates that at least some cases of SIDS ( sudden infant death syndrome also called crib death) may be due to obstetrical damage at or near birth. Indeed, there are cases of babies suffering serious spinal, brachial plexus and brain damage from obstetrical mistakes.
For that reason chiropractors have always supported gentle birthing practices - midwives and doulas, water births and home births - as safer birth approaches.
And of course it is essential to have your baby's spine checked after birth and for the rest of his/her life by a doctor of chiropractic to help ensure a healthier, happier child. (1)
SIDS (crib death) and vaccination
Since we're on the subject of crib death, did you know it has been linked to vaccination, particularly the DTP vaccine? There is much evidence connecting the two.
For example, in 1975 the Japanese government raised the minimum vaccination age from two months to two years. (2)
When that occurred SIDS virtually disappeared and overall infant mortality (death rate) dropped dramatically; Japan zoomed from 17th to first place in infant survival in the world. A medical researcher even wrote: "It is difficult to exclude pertussis vaccines as a causal factor . the adverse events occur in close temporal association with vaccination." (3)
The same thing happened in England after parents stopped vaccinating due to media reports of brain injury after the DTP vaccine. "Low [vaccination] compliance was linked to low death rate." (4)
With infants being injected at younger and younger ages it is especially important to keep in mind how dangerous these "shots" can be, especially to a developing, growing brain. For that reason many parents are refusing vaccinations for their babies while others are delaying injections until their children are close to school age.
Chiropractic philosophy
Every healing art follows a philosophy. While medicine follows a mechanistic philosophical model (the body functions like a machine and is unreactive), chiropractic follows a vitalistic philosophical model (the body is intelligent and reactive).
Chiropractic recognizes that the ultimate healer is your inner healing ability that can heal anything - from a cut to cancer. Our purpose as chiropractors is to help your natural healing ability to function as close to 100% as possible.
We do that by correcting subluxations - structural distortions in the body that interfere with the flow of energy and information throughout the body.
Chiropractors are specialists in locating and correcting subluxations in everyone - from the newborn to the elderly - so you'll function with more balance, harmony and energy.
Did you know?
Roger McGuinn, leader of The Byrds, started the 1960s granny glasses craze when he found a pair at a secondhand clothing store and bought them so he'd have something to shield his eyes from the glare of the lights during a performance.
Researching chiropractic
Asthma, stomach and intestinal complaints, colds and chiropractic. A 23-month-old child suffering from asthma, gastrointestinal complaints and frequent colds was brought to a chiropractic office for evaluation and possible care by her parents. She was on various asthma medications and was under constant monitoring by her pediatric pulmonologist.
Chiropractic care consisted of adjustments to address areas of vertebral subluxations in her cervical (neck), thoracic (midback), and lumbosacral (lower back) spine.
Within approximately 11 months, the patient's parents reported a 90% improvement of their child's condition. All medications were discontinued with a dramatic decrease in asthma symptoms, sinus problems and frequency of colds. (6)
Fibromyalgia and chiropractic . A 36-year-old woman began chiropractic care due to injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident three days prior. Chiropractic examination found vertebral subluxations and the patient was placed on a schedule of chiropractic care.
The patient was seen over a 12-week period. She responded well to care with dramatic improvement in fibromyalgia symptoms and was placed on a long-term maintenance plan. (7)
Diabetes and chiropractic. A 61-year-old man presented to the chiropractor with a 20-year history of type 2 diabetes. Chiropractic adjustments were applied to the sites of vertebral subluxations , and dietary modification to reduce inflammation in the body was recommended as well. After 1 month of chiropractic treatment and dietary changes the patient decided to cease taking medication for treatment of his type 2 diabetes, and after 2 months of chiropractic care he returned to his medical doctor who confirmed that his blood-glucose levels had normalized. (8)
Words of wisdom
All men are equal; it is not birth, but virtue alone, that makes the difference. - Voltaire
It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it. - Sam Levenson
A hero is someone who can keep his mouth shut when he is right. - Yiddish proverb
Humor
Biology class - final exam
Students in an advanced biology class were taking their mid-term exam. The last question was, 'Name seven advantages of mother's milk', worth 70 points or none at all.
One student, in particular, was hard put to think of seven advantages. He wrote:
1) It is perfect formula for the child.
2) It provides immunity against several diseases.
3) It is always the right temperature.
4) It is inexpensive.
5) It bonds the child to mother, and vice versa.
6) It is always available as needed.
And then the student was stuck. Finally, in desperation, just before the bell rang indicating the end of the test, he wrote:
7) It comes in two attractive containers ... and the cat can't get it.
He got an A.
Senior Texting Codes
ATD: At The Doctor's
BFF: Best Friend Fainted
BTW: Bring The Wheelchair
BYOT: Bring Your Own Teeth
DWI: Driving While Incontinent
FWB: Friend With Beta Blockers
FWIW: Forgot Where I Was
FYI: Found Your Insulin
GGPBL: Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low!
IMHO: Is My Hearing Aid On?
LMDO: Laughing My Dentures Out
LOL: Living On Lipitor
OMMR: On My Massage Recliner
ROTFL... CGU: Rolling On The Floor Laughing... And Can't Get Up
TTYL: Talk To You Louder
WTFA: Wet The Furniture Again
WTP: Where's The Prunes?
TLP: Talk Louder Please
DFTD: Don't Forget The Depends!
STM-ICFOOWYW: Stop Texting Me - I Can't Figure Out One Word You Wrote!
Bye!!!
Please write or stop by and give us your feedback. Are there any subjects you'd like to hear about? Anything you dislike? Feedback is always important to us. And, of course, if you'd like hard copies of this newsletter stop by the office and we'll give you some for your friends and relatives. If they have email, have them write to us and we'll add them to our subscriber list.
References
1. Schneier M, Burns R. Atlanto-occipital hypermobility in sudden infant death syndrome. The Journal of Chiropractic Research and Clinical Investigation. 1991;7(2):33.
2. Iwasa A, Ishida S, Akama, K. Swelling of the brain in mice caused by pertussis vaccine: its quantitative determination and the responsible factors in the vaccine. Japan J Med Sci Biol; 1985;38:53-65.
3. Noble GR, Bernier RH, Esber EC, Hardegree MC et al. Acellular and whole-cell pertussis vaccines in Japan: report of a visit by US scientists. JAMA. 1987;257(10):1351-1356.
4. McFarlane A. Infant deaths after four weeks. Lancet. 1982;ii:929-930.
5. Kado DM , Huang MH , Karlamangla AS , Barrett-Connor E , Greendale GA . Hyperkyphotic posture predicts mortality in older community-dwelling men and women: a prospective study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2004;52(10):1662-1667.
6. Whittle-Davis H, Czegus K. Chiropractic care of a pediatric patient with asthma: a case report. Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health - Chiropractic. 2011;3:77-81.
7. Briggs L. Management of post-traumatic fibromyalgia in a female undergoing subluxation based chiropractic care for 15 years. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. April 6, 2011;9-14.
8. Roberto F, Sousley E. Resolution of type 2 diabetes mellitus in a patient undergoing subluxation based chiropractic care and dietary recommendations: a case study. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. July 21, 2011;73-81.
