Microsoft word - july2003.doc

Rebarcak Chiropractic Back Care Center
IN TOUCH NEWSLETTER
Keeping You In Touch
With What's Happening In
The World Of Health Care
July 2003
”A danger foreseen is half avoided.“ -Thomas Fuller
Chiropractic And Infertility
Vertebral subluxations (the small spinal misalignments that a chiropractor corrects) can interfere
with body function to the point that all body physiology can be affected. The May 2, 2003 issue of
the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research presented a review of several research articles
that discussed how infertile women who had vertebral subluxations responded to chiropractic
care and increased their chances of becoming pregnant.
The study examined the outcomes of cases that involved many different chiropractic techniques
over a time frame of 1 to 20 months. 15 female subjects ranging in age from 22-65 were involved.
11 of them had no history of pregnancy, 2 had been successful unassisted and 1 using assisted
reproductive technology. 9 of the women had previously been treated for infertility and 4 were
undergoing infertility treatment when they began chiropractic care.
The article discusses many different forms of interferences to body function that may affect
fertility, ultimately focusing on the neurological interference that occurs as a result of vertebral
subluxation. According to the author, 100% of the women referenced in this issue, who were
struggling with infertility, had evidence of interference, as detected by the presence of
subluxations.
In similar selected studies in this review, women who had been having difficulty getting pregnant
for an average of 4.8 years became pregnant within an average of 5 months after beginning
chiropractic care.
Based on these successful outcomes, the author suggests the following:
1. More research needs to be done on well-being and proper function.
2. Better health awareness in the public, especially in approaches that promote wellness and
increased potential.
3. More research on how chiropractic care affects physiological changes in reproductive
function.
4. Encourage people considering parenthood to have a chiropractic evaluation.
5. An increase in research funding for chiropractic.

Autopsies Reveal Missed Diagnoses
A report in the June 2003 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association says that U.S.
researchers estimate that up to 24 percent of autopsies discover a previously undiagnosed
condition, many of which may well have been the cause of the patient’s death.
The lead researcher of the study was Dr. Kaveh G. Shojania of the University of California, San
Francisco. He says that between four and seven percent of the autopsies that detect diagnostic
errors detect class I errors, those that indicate that the patient may have survived had they been
properly diagnosed.
This means that of the 850,000 people who die in hospitals in the U.S. each year, 34,850 may
have survived had they been diagnosed correctly.
Many Prostate Biopsies Unnecessary
The May 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that as many as
half of the biopsies performed to detect prostate cancer may be unnecessary.
The problem? The blood test that doctors use to decide whether or not to do biopsies can
fluctuate from normal to abnormal and back again over short periods of time.
The test is the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test, which measures a protein that is often
elevated in men with prostate cancer.
According to the author it’s a good idea to recheck a PSA level at least six weeks after a positive
test before suggesting a biopsy. single abnormal PSA level should be viewed with caution, the
author says. Retesting should be done before expensive or invasive tests, such as prostate
biopsy, are recommended.
Vaccine Increases Infections
The May 23, 2003 daily news section of The Scientist reports that Prevnar, a vaccine marketed to
prevent pneumococcal infections in children, increases the number of other infections babies get.
According to the researchers, no other vaccine in history has demonstrated this effect.
Dr. Ron Dagan is director of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit at Soroka University Medical
Center in Beer-Sheva, Israel. He says because Prevnar allows an increase in other infections, it
may become useless in the future. Other researchers feel future vaccines that target specific
strains of microbes may also create the same effect.
The problem lies rooted in the fact that while Prevnar does indeed reduce the bacterial infections
it is designed to work against, it reduces competition among the surviving bacteria and allows
other infections to take hold. Other studies have shown that in children taking Prevnar, ear
infections by bacteria that the drug doesn’t target more than doubled, from 16% to 37%.
Commentary: The Prevnar vaccine has similar problems that antibiotics do. Antibiotics leave
surviving bacteria that become more and more antibiotic-resistant. Prevnar eliminates bacterial
competition, thereby allowing surviving bacteria to proliferate. In either case, people are inclined
to suffer more dangerous infections that become more virulent over time.
Britain Issues Warning To Teens Taking Drug Paxil
The Associated Press reported on June 10, 2003 that the British Department of Health has
issued a warning that children and adolescents should not take the drug Paxil. Recent research indicates that children taking the drug run a higher risk of suicidal behavior and other emotional side-effects. Paxil is called Seroxat outside the United States. Many doctors have been using the drug to treat depression in kids even though it is not licensed for use in children anywhere in the world. Research showed that in 1000 children studied, emotional side-effects such as increased crying, mood swings, suicidal thoughts and self-harm were twice as high in the Paxil/Seroxat group as in the placebo group. According to the Department of Health report, It has become clear that the benefits of [Paxil/Seroxat] in children for the treatment of depressive illness do not outweigh these risks. An expert advisory panel has recently been set up to examine whether these side-effects occur in adults as well. It has been estimated that 17 million people worldwide have been treated with Paxil/Seroxat. Please feel free to forward this on to a friend who may find this interesting
or need chiropractic care. Thank you.
Call us at 233-2263 to schedule your preferred appointment.
205 Clark Ave Ames, IA 50010
515-233-2263

Source: http://www.backcareiowa.com/news/july2003.pdf