Wellness Articles

Exactly how powerful is the experience of receiving a chiropractic adjustment? New evidence suggests that chiropractic care does much more than alleviate back pain—it positively affects body chemistry all the way down to the cellular level. In a nutshell, chiropractic adjustments strengthen the body, making cells and DNA more resistant to disease.

In March 2006, the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research published a landmark study that offered a long-awaited scientific explanation for why chiropractic patients experience positive health benefits. The article stated that chiropractic care could stimulate basic physiological processes that help diminish bodily stress and enhance DNA repair.

In the study, a diverse group of 76 people were divided into three categories. Group one received short-term chiropractic care. Group two received long-term chiropractic care. Group three was the control group that did not receive chiropractic adjustments. Results indicated that long-term chiropractic care of two or more years produced healthier bodies. Age, sex, nutritional supplements and prior health conditions did not hinder or enhance these results. Basically stated, chiropractic adjustment improved the overall health of everyone in groups one and two.

To look at the study results on a deeper, more scientific level, let’s examine the average human body. Everything from your career, to your family dynamic, to your eating and sleeping habits produces physical, chemical and emotional stress in your body. These stresses can obstruct and negatively affect your nervous system, which in turn hinders your body’s ability to produce naturally occurring antioxidants that fight off disease and other illness.

However, chiropractic adjustment works to remove obstructions to the nervous system. This allows internal body processes to begin functioning at normal levels, thus enhancing the body’s ability to produce healthy chemicals that work to protect cells and DNA from becoming mutated by disease.

[Source: Medical News Today, March 2006]

Contributed by: Dr. Aaron on April 30, 2008   ·  Filed under: portland oregon chiropractic  ·  

April 2008

Research shows adjustment’s impact on brain function
According to a study conducted by Dr. Heidi Haavik-Taylor, director of research at New Zealand College of Chiropractic, chiropractic adjustments may alter cortical somatosensory processing and sensorimotor integration, that is, the way the brain and nervous system function.

“The process of a spinal adjustment is like rebooting a computer. The signals that these adjustments send to the brain, via the nervous system, reset muscle behaviour patterns,” said Dr. Haavik-Taylor.

“By stimulating the nervous system we can improve the function of the whole body. This is something that chiropractors and their patients have known for years; and now we have some scientific evidence to prove it.”

According to a press release from the New Zealand Chiropractors Association, Haavik-Taylor has spent the last seven years researching the effects of chiropractic adjustments on the nervous system. In her latest research, carried out in conjunction with fellow New Zealander, Dr. Bernadette Murphy, she was able to measure how brain waves are altered before and after spinal adjustments.

“This is the first time that anyone has used EEGs to prove that there are definite changes to the way the brain processes information after chiropractic care,” she said in the release.

The research report, “Altered Sensorimotor Integration With Cervical Spine Manipulation,” was published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (Volume 31, Issue 2, February 2008, Pages 115-126).

According to the abstract of the report, the objective of the research was to investigate changes in the intrinsic inhibitory and facilitatory interactions within the sensorimotor cortex subsequent to a single session of cervical spine manipulation using single- and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation protocols.

Twelve subjects with a history of reoccurring neck pain participated in this study. Short interval intracortical inhibition, short interval intracortical facilitation (SICF), motor evoked potentials, and cortical silent periods (CSPs) were recorded from the abductor pollicis brevis and the extensor indices proprios muscles of the dominant limb after single- and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation of the contralateral motor cortex. The experimental measures were recorded before and after spinal manipulation of dysfunctional cervical joints, and on a different day after passive head movement. To assess spinal excitability, F wave persistence and amplitudes were recorded after median nerve stimulation at the wrist.

After cervical manipulations, there was an increase in SICF, a decrease in short interval intracortical inhibition, and a shortening of the CSP in abductor pollicis brevis. The opposite effect was observed in extensor indices proprios, with a decrease in SICF and a lengthening of the CSP. No motor evoked potentials or F wave response alterations were observed, and no changes were observed after the control condition.

The researchers conclusion was that “spinal manipulation of dysfunctional cervical joints may alter specific central corticomotor facilitatory and inhibitory neural processing and cortical motor control of 2 upper limb muscles in a muscle-specific manner. This suggests that spinal manipulation may alter sensorimotor integration. These findings may help elucidate mechanisms responsible for the effective relief of pain and restoration of functional ability documented after spinal manipulation.”

Haavik-Taylor is the recipient of two grants from the Australian Spinal Research Foundation to further her studies on how chiropractic care affects the function of the nervous system and alters muscle function.

Earlier this year Haavik-Taylor was recognized by her peers and she received the New Zealand College of Chiropractic Alumni Chiropractor of the Year 2007 award in recognition of her research and her passion for the discipline.

“(Dr. Haavik-Taylor’s) work is ground-breaking on an international level by proving that chiropractic adjustments do alter and benefit the nervous system,” said Dr. James Burt, president of the New Zealand Chiropractors Association.

Contributed by: Dr. Aaron on April 13, 2008   ·  Filed under: Information and Research  ·  

It’s all over the news this week; people taking the potentially life-threatening, cholesterol lowering medication, Vytorin, should think twice before continuing its use.

Vytorin is a widely popular anti-cholesterol drug that is prescribed to about 4 million Americans. Yet when a major study, recently published by the New England Journal of Medicine, compared this medication to other drugs in its category, Vytorin’s benefit claims fell flat. It was also shown to cost about five times more than other similar drugs that perform on a similar level.

Wait, the bad news just gets worse.

In 2004 when pharmaceutical companies were pushing for Vytorin’s release to the public, the FDA’s very own pharmacology reviewer found that even the smallest dose of Vytorin caused severe toxicity in laboratory animals and recommended against its approval. Yet somehow this dangerous drug still got FDA approval and has now raked in over 5 million dollars for its manufacturers, Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp.

Since its approval, scores of people taking Vytorin have reported all kinds of serious side effects that have dramatically reduced the quality of their life, often times leading to hospitalization. The side effects of this drug can be so bad that New England Journal of Medicine says is should only be taken as a last resort.

Despite the public’s outcry to know the truth about Vytorin, the two pharmaceutical companies behind the pill are shrugging off the concerns, saying they will continue to make and promote their drug.

It’s clear that pharmaceutical companies are in the business of making money, not health. The good news is that you can drastically enhance your health by taking simple steps, like eating plenty of fresh produce (think vegetables and fruits), and avoiding processed foods and foods high in sugar. You’ll be surprised at what an impact your diet has on internal body processes—like the ability to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease.

Another simple way to improve your health is to schedule regular chiropractic adjustments. By maintaining a healthy spine, you’ll be opening the door to health in other areas of your body, as well.

[Source: Consumer Affairs report Doctors Warned About Vytorin, 3/31/08, and CNN.com/health report “Trial: Popular cholesterol drug fails to improve heart disease”]

Contributed by: Dr. Aaron on April 2, 2008   ·  Filed under: General/Misc.  ·  

Vaccines, Depression and Neurodegeneration After Age 50: Another Reason to Avoid the Recommended Vaccines.

By Russell L. Blaylock, M.D., CCN

It has been estimated that 14.8 million Americans suffer from major depressive disorder and of this number 6 million are elderly. If we include anxiety disorders, which commonly accompany depression, the number jumps to 40 million adults.

Depression later in life tends to last longer and be more severe than at younger ages. It is also associated with a high rate of suicide. Previously, it was thought that major depression was secondary to a deficiency in certain neurotransmitters in the brain, particularly the monoamines, which include serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.

While alterations in these important mood-related neurotransmitters is found with major depression, growing evidence indicates that the primary culprit is low-grade, chronic brain inflammation.

This exclusive article will review in detail the functions and impact of various agents on depression and neurodegeneration, including:

The impact of MSG on your brain and mood
The link between elevated brain glutamate and inflammation
The connections between pesticides and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
How vaccinations cause brain inflammation
The impact of an expanding vaccine schedule for the elderly
The shocking truth, linking brain inflammation to neurodegenerative diseases
How vaccine additives such as mercury and aluminum impact your brain health
The real danger of live virus vaccines
Current recommendations by the CDC for adult vaccinations include a total of 14 separate inoculations with infectious agents and powerful immune adjuvants.

According to CDC recommendations, multiple vaccinations for a single disease are separated by no more than 4 weeks, which is close enough together to trigger a smoldering process of brain inflammation and excitotoxicity that can not only result in depression, anxiety and high suicide rates, but can increase your risk of developing one of the neurodegenerative diseases as well.

We have also seen that in many cases a person will be injected with several vaccines during a single office visit and this means that their body is exposed to a very large dose of immune adjuvant. Compelling studies, using many animal species as well as humans, have shown that this overactivates brain inflammatory mechanisms that can last for years.

I urge you to read Dr. Blaylock’s full-length article, Vaccines, Depression and Neurodegeneration After Age 50: Another Reason to Avoid the Recommended Vaccines, a Mercola.com exclusive, for a fascinating in-depth look at how neurodegenerative diseases are created, and how to protect yourself from what many consider to be simply side effects of the ravages of time — but are anything but a natural byproduct of aging.

Contributed by: Dr. Aaron on February 26, 2008   ·  Filed under: Information and Research  ·  

If you have been to any of our talks than this should come as no surprise to you. I have been talking about this kind of stuff at our Chiropractic Clinic called Discover Chiropractic in Beaverton Oregon for years. If you review the available research, the fact that most drugs don’t work as expected is not the real issue, but that these drugs cause very serious side effects. The scariest thing I have seen prozac linked to is the school shootings that have happened over the past years. From reports, all of the school shooters were on prozac, ritalin or another version of these drugs.

Prozac, used by 40m people, does not work say scientists
Analysis of unseen trials and other data concludes it is no better than placebo
Full text: the PLoS paper
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A single Prozac capsule. Photograph: Alamy

Prozac, the bestselling antidepressant taken by 40 million people worldwide, does not work and nor do similar drugs in the same class, according to a major review released today.

The study examined all available data on the drugs, including results from clinical trials that the manufacturers chose not to publish at the time. The trials compared the effect on patients taking the drugs with those given a placebo or sugar pill.

When all the data was pulled together, it appeared that patients had improved - but those on placebo improved just as much as those on the drugs.

The only exception is in the most severely depressed patients, according to the authors - Prof Irving Kirsch from the department of psychology at Hull University and colleagues in the US and Canada. But that is probably because the placebo stopped working so well, they say, rather than the drugs having worked better.

“Given these results, there seems little reason to prescribe antidepressant medication to any but the most severely depressed patients, unless alternative treatments have failed,” says Kirsch. “This study raises serious issues that need to be addressed surrounding drug licensing and how drug trial data is reported.”

The paper, published today in the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Medicine, is likely to have a significant impact on the prescribing of the drugs. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) already recommends that counselling should be tried before doctors prescribe antidepressants. Kirsch, who was one of the consultants for the guidelines, says the new analysis “would suggest that the prescription of antidepressant medications might be restricted even more”.

The review breaks new ground because Kirsch and his colleagues have obtained for the first time what they believe is a full set of trial data for four antidepressants.

They requested the full data under freedom of information rules from the Food and Drug Administration, which licenses medicines in the US and requires all data when it makes a decision.

The pattern they saw from the trial results of fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Seroxat), venlafaxine (Effexor) and nefazodone (Serzone) was consistent. “Using complete data sets (including unpublished data) and a substantially larger data set of this type than has been previously reported, we find the overall effect of new-generation antidepressant medication is below recommended criteria for clinical significance,” they write.

Two more frequently prescribed antidepressants were omitted from the study because scientists were unable to obtain all the data.

Concerns have been raised in recent years about the side-effects of this class of antidepressant. Evidence that they could prompt some young people to consider suicide led to a warning to doctors not to prescribe them for the under-18s - with the exception of Prozac, which was considered more effective than the rest.

In adults, however, the depression-beating benefits were thought to outweigh the risks. Since its launch in the US in 1988, some 40 million people have taken Prozac, earning tens of billions of dollars for the manufacturer, Eli Lilly. Although the patent lapsed in 2001, fluoxetine continues to make the company money - it is now the active ingredient in Sarafem, a pill sold by Lilly for premenstrual syndrome.

Eli Lilly was defiant last night. “Extensive scientific and medical experience has demonstrated that fluoxetine is an effective antidepressant,” it said in a statement. “Since its discovery in 1972, fluoxetine has become one of the world’s most-studied medicines. Lilly is proud of the difference fluoxetine has made to millions of people living with depression.”

A spokesman for GlaxoSmithKline, which makes Seroxat, said the authors had failed to acknowledge the “very positive” benefits of the treatment and their conclusions were “at odds with what has been seen in actual clinical practice”.

He added: “This analysis has only examined a small subset of the total data available while regulatory bodies around the world have conducted extensive reviews and evaluations of all the data available, and this one study should not be used to cause unnecessary alarm and concern for patients.”

Contributed by: Dr. Aaron on   ·  Filed under: portland oregon chiropractic, Information and Research  ·  

MONTEL WILLIAMS: HEALED BY CHIROPRACTIC

While I was on vacation last week, it seemed like almost every day there was some positive report about Chiropractic in the news. There was a report about how much headaches and migraines were helped with Chiropractic. Also there was the report about how people with high blood pressure were having their blood pressure normalized by removing spinal misalignments in the neck. Then I saw this with Montel Williams. This is stuff we see all the time in our practice, but its nice to see it in the mainstream media as well.

Popular talk show host Montel Williams is singing the praises of chiropractic adjustments. This comes after a nearly instantaneous recovery from pain upon receiving his first chiropractic treatment.

After years of rough scholastic sports, adult boxing and martial arts training, Montel Williams, now age 51, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The diagnosis came after he sought medical treatment for severe pain in his legs and feet that lasted 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, 365 days year. The pain was so severe that often times Williams could not stand up straight. In attempts to lessen the pain in his feet, Williams would shift his weight from leg to leg. Something had to be done.

That’s when Williams met Patrick Kerr, Doctor of Chiropractic.

Doctor Kerr began by taking X-rays of Williams spine, focusing attention on the neck and how the head sat on the neck. X-rays confirmed that Williams was suffering with a severe misalignment of the Atlas vertebrae—the vertebrae at the very top of the spine that supports the head. This misalignment was putting pressure on nerves that lead from the brain stem. In short, the misaligned Atlas vertebrae was interfering with brain messages and causing pain in Williams’ legs and feet.

Using a special machine called the Atlas Orthogonal, Doctor Kerr gave Williams a very precise, and completely pain-free chiropractic adjustment to the Atlas vertebrae. By moving this vertebra back into proper alignment, brain messages sent through the spinal cord were no longer blocked, and nerve pressure was relieved. This allowed the body to send proper messages to Williams’ legs and feet, instead of sending messages of pain.

“It’s the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me!” says Williams. “I experienced almost instantaneous relief from pain with my first adjustment.”

Misalignment of the spine is often associated with trauma, such as car accidents (big or small), sports injuries, and slips and falls. But the danger doesn’t stop there. Bad sleeping habits, incorrect lifting and carrying, and even poor posture can—over time—cause spinal misalignments.

That’s why it’s so important to schedule regular chiropractic adjustments. If you don’t currently experience physical pain or discomfort, chiropractic adjustments can be used as a preventative measure. If you already experience frequent discomfort, ask your doctor of chiropractic for a complete spinal examination and a treatment schedule that will put you on your way to an improved quality of life.

To view Montel Williams’ complete chiropractic testimony, visit You Tube: http://www.yourspine.com/NewsResearch/Montel%20Williams.aspx

Contributed by: Dr. Aaron on February 21, 2008   ·  Filed under: Information and Research  ·  

This was an interesting article I found that talks about what we have seen in our practice for a while at Discover Chiropractic in Beaverton, Oregon. We have witnessed in our office in Beaverton how a child who is diagnosed with ADHD responds favorably to Chiropractic care without any negative side effects. I have often joked how we should put out a TV commercial about Chiropractic and list off all the side effects at the end like; improved immune system function, better reaction time, loss of headaches, improved cognitive function, etc…

In a November 12, 2007 BBC report, researchers reported that drugs taken for Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are not only ineffective over the long term, they may deliver a negative effect on normal childhood growth.

The long-term study, called the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD, closely monitored 600 children across the United States.

Comprehensive data showed that while ADHD drugs may help a child behave better in the short run, the effect of the drugs will wear off over time. In addition, ADHD drugs are now being found to stunt a child’s height and weight.

ADHD is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders of childhood and can persist through adolescence and into adulthood. A person with ADHD has a chronic level of inattention, impulsive hyperactivity, or both.. Scientists do not know what causes this disorder.

(Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/88431.php)

Contributed by: Dr. Aaron on January 31, 2008   ·  Filed under: childcare and kids  ·  

This a very interesting and thought provoking article I just read. It is written by Dr. Kent who I have heard speak personally many times.

By Christopher Kent, D.C., J.D.

Recreational drugs, including cocaine and heroin, are responsible for an estimated 10,000-20,000 American deaths per year [1,2]. While this represents a serious public health problem, it is a “smokescreen” for America’s real drug problem. America’s “war on drugs” is directed at the wrong enemy. It is obvious that interdiction, stiff mandatory sentences, and more vigorous enforcement of drug laws have failed.
The reason is simple. Cause and effect have been reversed.
The desire to solve problems by taking drugs is a product of our culture. When a child is taught by loving parents that the appropriate response to pain or discomfort is taking a pill, it is obvious that such a child, when faced with the challenges of adolescence, will seek comfort by taking drugs.
Drugs are Dangerous Whether Pushed or Prescribed
While approximately 10,000 per year die from the effects of illegal drugs, an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that an estimated 106,000 hospitalized patients die each year from drugs which, by medical standards, are properly prescribed and properly administered. More than two million suffer serious side effects. [3]
An article in Newsweek [4] put this into perspective. Adverse drug reactions, from “properly” prescribed drugs, are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. According to this article, only heart disease, cancer, and stroke kill more Americans than drugs prescribed by medical doctors. Reactions to prescription drugs kill more than twice as many Americans as HIV/AIDS or suicide. Fewer die from accidents or diabetes than adverse drug reactions. It is important to point out the limitations of this study. It did not include outpatients, cases of malpractice, or instances where the drugs were not taken as directed.
According to another AMA publication, drug related “problems” kill as many as 198,815 people, put 8.8 million in hospitals, and account for up to 28% of hospital admissions. [5] If these figures are accurate, only cancer and heart disease kill more patients than drugs. Has the situation improved since the publication of this information? Hardly. Null [6] et al have published the most comprehensive and well-documented study I have seen of deaths associated with medical practice. In this report, their research revealed some shocking facts. The findings are summarized in the abstract:
“A definitive review and close reading of medical peer-review journals, and government health statistics shows that American medicine frequently causes more harm than good. The number of people having in-hospital, adverse drug reactions (ADR) to prescribed medicine is 2.2 million. Dr. Richard Besser, of the CDC, in 1995, said the number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed annually for viral infections was 20 million. Dr. Besser, in 2003, now refers to tens of millions of unnecessary antibiotics.
The number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed annually is 7.5 million. The number of people exposed to unnecessary hospitalization annually is 8.9 million. The total number of iatrogenic deaths shown in the following table is 783,936. It is evident that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the United States. The 2001 heart disease annual death rate is 699,697; the annual cancer death rate, 553,251.”
Drugs Number One Killer
The authors conclude: “When the number one killer in a society is the healthcare system, then, that system has no excuse except to address its own urgent shortcomings. It’s a failed system in need of immediate attention. What we have outlined in this paper are insupportable aspects of our contemporary medical system that need to be changed — beginning at its very foundations.”
A recent article in Archives of Internal Medicine [7] stated that in the seven year period from 1998 through 2005, reported serious adverse drug events increased 2.6-fold, and fatal adverse drug events increased 2.7-fold. The authors noted that reported serious events increased 4 times faster than the total number of outpatient prescriptions during the period. Another study concluded that the majority(86%) of the adverse drug reactions for which patients were admitted to a medical intensive care unit were preventable. [8]
One proposed solution to the illegal drug problem was encouraging potential users to ignore peer pressure and “just say no.” Interestingly, this strategy is not being recommended for prescription drugs. Bruce Pomeranz, MD , one of the authors of the JAMA paper, said he is not warning people to stay away from drugs. “That would be a terrible message,” he said. Lucian Leape, MD, of the Harvard School of Public Health said, “When you realize how many drugs we use, maybe those numbers aren’t so bad after all.” [4]
Does that mean that the number of deaths due to illegal drugs, suicide, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, accidents, and drunk driving “aren’t so bad” either? Does it mean that we shouldn’t discourage drunk driving or unsafe sex?
The folly of such double standards should be obvious to all. It is time to address the real drug problem — the cultural notion that the first solution to seek for relief of life’s problems is a drug. That’s the drug culture we need to address.

References
1. “Drug deaths.” Globe & Mail (Canada). February 27, 1998.
2. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. CDC. 2007;56(05):93-96.
3. Lazarou J, Pomeranz BH, Corey PN: “Incidence of adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients.” JAMA 1998;279:1200.
4. Kalb C: “When drugs do harm.” Newsweek. April 27, 1998. Page 61.
5. “Reaction.” American Medical News. January 15, 1996. Page 11.
6. 1. Null G, Dean C, Feldman, M, Rasio, D, Smith D: “Death by Medicine.” Life Extension. March, 2004. www.lef.org/magazine/mag2004/mar2004_awsi_death_01.htm
7. Moore TJ, Cohen MR, Furberg CD: Serious adverse drug events reported to the Food and Drug Administration, 1998-2005. Archives of Internal Medicine 2007;167:1752-1759.
8. Rivkin A: Admissions to a medical intensive care unit related to adverse drug reactions. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy 2007;64(17):1840-1843.

Contributed by: Dr. Aaron on January 15, 2008   ·  Filed under: portland oregon chiropractic  ·  

Something is going very wrong in the United States; we are losing health freedoms at an alarming rate.

Last month the State of Maryland demanded that parents show documentation proving that their children had received a chickenpox and/or hepatitis B shot. Failure to show proof of this vaccination, along with failure to have your child vaccinated, resulted in potential imprisonment and fines up to $50 a day until their child had been injected.

Barbara Loe Fisher, an activist and noted speaker on informed consent issues surrounding vaccinations, showed up at a Maryland courthouse on November 17 to investigate what was taking place. What she encountered was a long line of confused, angry or simply uneducated parents and their children. They were waiting to enter the courthouse to face the judge who had ordered them to show proof of their child’s vaccination. Patrolling the scene was a SWAT team and police dogs.

As Barbara spoke to parents emerging from the courthouse she discovered something horrible. Upon entering the courthouse, parents were not asked questions about their child’s medical history, or if their children had experienced problems from a previous vaccination. Parents were not being informed of potentially life-threatening vaccination side-effects, nor were they given information on religious and medical exemptions to vaccinations, as allowed in Maryland. INSTEAD, PARENTS STOOD BY HELPLESSLY AS VACCINE INJECTIONS WERE FORCED UPON THEIR CHILDREN.

Judge C. Philip Nichols, a Maryland government official enforcing the vaccination mandate, was at the courthouse that day. In an interview about the children waiting in line to be vaccinated he was quoted as saying, “It’s cute. It looks like their parents are dragging them to church.”

What Judge Nichols fails to realize is that unlike a vaccination, an hour of praying in church never results in horrific brain damage or death.

It’s alarmingly evident that the health freedoms of our country are being attacked. No one should ever have the right to inject a child with a potentially harmful toxic substance without the consent of the parent(s). It’s evident that multitudes more of us need to speak up for our rights. We need to educate elected officials on the proven dangers associated with vaccinations. We need to preserve our lawful right to protect our children and say no to dangerous injections. Thousands of parents with children who now suffer with health disabilities and autism—resulting from vaccinations—are struggling to be heard. It’s time to join the fight before it’s too late.

For more information about vaccinations, side-effects, informed consent issues, and what you can do to make a difference, visit: The National Vaccine Information Center: http://www.nvic.org/ or Vaccine Info Net: http://www.vaccineinfo.net/.

[Source: article “Police with Dogs: Vaccinating Kids in Maryland” by Barbara Loe Fisher. http://www.vaccineawakening.blogspot.com/]

Contributed by: Dr. Aaron on December 13, 2007   ·  Filed under: portland oregon chiropractic, childcare and kids  ·  

There are many myths surrounding the common cold. One common myth states that a sick person is only contagious during the first three days of symptoms. But when this theory, and others, was put to the test, scientists drew conclusions that are very different from what many of us believe.

While it is difficult to pinpoint the exact time a sick person becomes contagious, scientist agree that most common colds become infectious before the first symptoms emerge, and they remain infectious throughout the duration of the cold.

The time between becoming infected with a cold virus and the emergence of symptoms—like a sore throat, sneezing, sinus congestion and nasal drip—is usually three to five days. The common cold may develop a bit faster, becoming contagious only 24 hours after a person has been infected, even though the person experiences no cold symptoms.

Even after cold symptoms disappear, a person can still infect others for up to three days. What’s most fascinating is that just because you come in contact with someone who is contagious, more often than not you do not get sick. Our bodies are designed to defend themselves. When your spine is strong, healthy and well-aligned your bodies ability to defend itself is at it’s highest potential. When it is improperly aligned, a condition called a subluxations, it effects the immune system and lowers your resistance to getting sick.

It’s clear, if you want to avoid the common cold, you need to do more than just steer clear of sick people. Here are a few tips to help you stay healthy this winter: wash your hands regularly; eat healthy food; minimize white refined sugar in your diet because of its known effect on lowering the immune system; get plenty of rest; do not get chilled and get to your Chiropractor regularly. Chiropractic adjustments enhance your body’s natural ability to ward off sickness.

Here’s some good news. If you do catch the common cold, chiropractic adjustments will help your body’s immune system get stronger faster.

[Source: New York Times, “The Claim: A Cold Is Contagious Only Before Symptoms Emerge”

Contributed by: Dr. Aaron on December 6, 2007   ·  Filed under: portland oregon chiropractic  ·