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IN TOUCH

Vol. 5, No. 2 February 2001 ISSN 1525-416X

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Oliver Wendell Holmes

BABIES WITH DYSFUNCTIONAL NURSING RESPOND TO CHIROPRACTIC CARE

The Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics (vol. 4, No. 1 1999) reports on two case studies where two infants with dysfunctional nursing were able to breastfeed normally after chiropractic care.

In the first case, an 8 week-old girl was unable to maintain a proper amount of suction while feeding. She had been unable to do so since her birth. After receiving two chiropractic adjustments in a 14 day period, she was able to feed normally. Follow-up revealed that at 9 1/2 months of age, the baby was still feeding normally.

The second case involved a 4 week-old boy who had been unable to effectively suckle since birth. This child suckled immediately after his first adjustment. He went on to receive a total of 4 adjustments in 21 days. Follow-up in this case found that the baby was still doing fine at 3 months of age.

According to the author, chiropractor Elise G. Hewitt, "breastfeeding is important for a healthy infant. Not only does breast milk reduce both mortality and morbidity among infants but the act of nursing creates an important bond between mother and child. Dysfunctional nursing can negatively impact the mother, creating feelings of guilt, depression and anger, all of which may negatively affect the mother-child bonding relationship."

Hewitt mentions a 1980 study of 239 mothers who chose to breastfeed their children. The study found that only 46% of the mothers continued to breastfeed at 22 weeks. 59% of the reasons given to discontinue breastfeeding were potentially related to the child not being able to nurse properly.

By way of commentary, all children, not just those with obvious problems should have their spines checked for subluxations, misalignments of the small bones of the spine that can interfere with normal bodily functions. Clearing interference to these children's nervous systems allowed them to return to a more complete state of proper function and health, as it can in any child.

CESAREAN SECTION LINKED TO ASTHMA AND ALLERGIES

Research reported in the October, 2000 issue of the Journal of Asthma finds that children born through special medical procedures as a result of obstetric complications have a higher incidence of asthma and allergic disorders later in life.

The study, performed at the Imperial College School of Medicine in London, England, followed 8088 Finnish children from birth to the age of 7. The researchers found that babies whose birth involved the use of cesarean section or forceps were at a greater risk for developing asthma and allergies.

A previous study hints that the mechanism most likely involved is damage to the babies' brain stem or spinal cord from the trauma of the interventions which is known as Traumatic Birth Syndrome (TBS). According to a literature review in the October, 1993 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics cases of TBS are going unreported and as a result, undertreated. The report goes on to say that manual treatment (such as Chiropractic care) would be beneficial to patients suffering from TBS related injuries.

By way of commentary, all babies need to have their spines checked as soon after birth as possible to prevent future health problems from surfacing. Even a "normal" birth can cause tremendous stresses on the fragile spines of infants. Chiropractors are uniquely qualified to detect and correct the spinal damage that occurs in TBS.

LEADING EXPERT QUESTIONS FLU VACCINE BENEFITS

A leading epidemiologist writes in the January 9, 2001 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal that claims there is no proof that Ontario, Canada's $38 million universal flu vaccine program has limited the spread of the illness.

Last year, the Ontario government initiated an attempt to vaccinate every one of its citizens against the flu, based on one of its own studies that said each vaccination would save the Ontario health system $40.

Dr. Vittorio Demicheli, chairman of the regional epidemiological unit in Alessandria, Italy says "there is absolutely no evidence that universal vaccination has ever achieved such a goal.."

"I wonder whether the program should, instead, serve as a warning to other governments. The 'Let's see what happens' approach to public health should not be emulated.

Recent reports seem to bolster Dr. Demicheli's assertions. On December 6, 2000 at the Fourth National Immunization Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Dr. Eleni Galanis of Health Canada reported that almost 1000 Canadians have suffered adverse reactions to the flu vaccine since October, 2000. That's nearly 80 times as many as for the same period last year.

For more information on the dangers of vaccination, the National Vaccine Information Center maintains an extremely informative website at http://www.909shot.com or they can be reached at 512 W. Maple Avenue, #206, Vienna, VA 22180. Their phone number is 1-800-909-SHOT (7468).

DOCTORS DON'T HAVE REGULAR DOCTORS THEMSELVES

A very interesting study comes to us from the November 27, 2000 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. In a study of 915 medical doctors, more than one third of them had no regular source of medical care and were less likely to receive medically recommended flu shots and routine cancer screenings.

Nationwide in the U.S., about 15% of people have no regular health care provider. This study found that 34% of MDs do not have a regular doctor. And it wasn't because they could simply use the services of a colleague whenever they felt it necessary. The doctor's own attitude toward the power of their own profession played an important part in their decision not to avail themselves of regular medical care.

The doctors in the study who felt that doctors could actually influence a patient's health were more likely to have a regular doctor themselves. Those doctors who firmly believe that they held control over their own health without medical assistance or who simply left their health up to chance were less likely to have a regular doctor.

By way of commentary, can you imagine your chiropractor not getting his/her spine checked and adjusted on a regular basis? We see no greater hypocrisy than doctors who are unwilling to do the exact same things they recommend to their patients. It certainly makes you wonder about all of those procedures they've been recommending, doesn't it?