This evidence comes from a recent study that used new detection methods to determine if a child was harmed by an administered medication. The study was conducted through the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality and the results were published in Pediatrics, the offi­cial journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

A new monitoring method was developed for this study which named 15 different “triggers” on a young patient’s medical chart that could suggest that an adverse drug event (ADE) had occurred. Using these identifying “triggers” the ADE could then be evaluated for severity of the incident, the ability to mitigate any circumstances connected with it, the ability to identify an ear­lier event of a similar nature and also to be able to do an analysis for future preventability. Previous statistics relied solely on hospital staffers reporting problems and lead to a much lower detection rate than using the new method of discovery.

The study evaluated 960 randomly selected medical charts from 12 different children’s hospi­tals. Researchers evaluated the charts looking for the specific “triggers” that would indicated an adverse reaction in a child. What they found was an adverse reaction of 11.1 per 100 patients, 15.7 per 1,000 patient-days in a hospital and 1.23 per 1,000 doses of medication. It was found that a number of the children had more than one incident of an adverse reaction. Data showed that roughly 1 in every 15 children hospitalized suffered from some form of adverse reaction.

Basically, the study shows that the rate of medical error is much higher than previously thought, according to Dr. Charles Homer of the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality. “These data and the Dennis Quaid episode are telling us that these kinds of errors and experiencing harm as a result of your healthcare is much more common that people believe. It’s very concerning,” he said. (Regarding actor Dennis Quaid, in the fall of 2007, whereby his twin daughters each received a dangerously high dose of the drug heparin as a result of a medical mix-up at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.)

This “trigger” study showed that 22 percent of all adverse drug events were considered to be preventable. In addition, 17.8 percent could have been identified earlier and 16.8 percent could have been handled better. It was also noted that using the traditional staffer reporting system, only about 3.7 percent of the incidents would ever have been identified. Advances made by this study could be very significant in reducing such events in hospitals in the future.

Source: Kid Chiropractic. “Drug Errors Hurt 1 in 15 Hospitalized Kids.” April 2008. www.kidchiropractic.com

Here are three basic reasons why not: 1. They don’t know about Chiropractic, 2. They don’t know about the potential benefits of Chiropractic or, 3. They think that a Chiropractic adjustment might be too rough for a child and cause pain or damage.

Once a person finds out about Chiropractic and begins to understand its benefits, it is point num­ber 3 that must be understood and dispelled, as apparently, some parents think that a Chiropractic adjustment will be “too rough” for their youngster.

Chiropractors understand that all bodies are different and tailor their adjustments and the amount of pressure required based on the individual they are treating. A big football playing man in his 20s, a little old woman in her 70s and a child of 10, will all be looked at and evaluated for their individual needs.

In this way, it could be said that a Chiropractic adjustment can be as individual as a handshake. A strong man shaking hands with another strong man will give him a lot more pressure than if the same man was shaking hands with his grandmother or the child. When parents realize this and bring their child in for an adjustment, the results can be quite remarkable. Consider this case of a 7-year-old girl.

This child had been suffering from asthma since the age of 4. By the time she came to see a chiro­practor, she had been treated medically with 10 different medications. Attacks of coughs and wheez­ing were daily occurrences. Physical activity was almost out of the question. Emergency room visits sometimes reached 5 per year. A test of lung capacity revealed she was operating at about 50 percent of her lung capacity.

An exam by her chiropractor revealed subluxations (partial dislocations) in the vertebrae at the middle of her spine. An individual program was tailored to handle these restrictions. With just one adjustment, some of the tightness in her chest disappeared and her coughing was reduced. After just 4 weeks of treatment, she was able to put aside her inhaler and get back to participating in swimming and running sports. After 3 months, her lung capacity was just about normal and all medications were stopped.

Had her parents avoided taking her to a chiropractor because of a fear that an adjustment might be too rough and cause her pain, the child might well be on her way to a dozen more medications, further restrictions of activity and even worse breathing problems.

Is Chiropractic for children too? By all means. Miracles can occur each and every day in Chiropractic with the right adjustment, tailored to the individual’s size, age, shape and need.

Source: Dynamic Chiropractic. “Chiropractic: As Individual as a Handshake.” July 2008. http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/26/14112.htm1

This figure comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To arrive at this total, a CDC study reviewed 2004-2005 data provided through the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. The information came from a cooperative adverse drug event surveillance project done to describe emergency department visits due specifically to cough and cold medications. The results were published online in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal, Pediatrics.

The study noted that approximately two-thirds of the incidents requiring emergency room treatment were due to “unsupervised ingestion.” This would fall into the category of children taking the medication without a parent’s knowledge or supervision. Children between the ages of 2 to 5 accounted for 64 percent of the adverse drug events from

cough and cold medications. More than 80 percent of these cases involved an “unsuper­vised ingestion.” Among all age groups, 93 percent of the children did not require a hos­pital admission, but one-fourth did need additional treatment to eliminate the medicine from their bodies.

“Parents need to be vigilant about keeping these medicines out of their children’s reach,” said Dr. Denise Cardo, director of the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion for CDC. “They should refrain from encouraging children to take medicine by telling the children that medication is candy.” Dr. Cardo also suggested that adults should avoid tak­ing adult medications in the presence of their young children as this may encourage a child to do the same without the proper supervision.

On January 17, 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an advi­sory recommending that over the counter cough and cold medications not be used for children. Several months earlier an advisory committee of the FDA had reached the same conclusion. In anticipation of these actions, major manufactures of cough and cold med­ications had begun voluntarily withdrawing these medications from the market in November.

Currently, the FDA is continuing an investigation into the safety of cough and cold medications for children ages 2 to 11. In the meantime, the FDA warns that parents should definitely not give cold and cough medications to younger children that were intended for older children. One final advisory to parents is that they should dispose of any previously purchased products that were intended for children age 2 and younger.

Source: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Press Release. January 2008. http://www.cdc.goviod/oc/media/pressrel/2008/t080128.htm

“There is no scientific evidence that anesthetics commonly administered for decades cause brain damage in children”, the report said. No studies have been done to determine the effects of anesthetics on developing human brains, but numerous animal studies show that most such drugs used on children kill brain cells in young rats, mice and rhesus monkeys that can lead to subtle but pro­longed changes in behavior, including memory and learning impairments.

The report raises new concerns about putting infants and children under anesthetics for surgery. It calls for the medical community to work together to develop strategies for further assessing the safety of pediatric anesthetics, and for new guidelines for doctors who must choose anesthetic regimens for their pediatric patients.

The animal studies suggest young animals are most susceptible to the drugs during the period of rapid growth of the brain. In humans, that period begins before birth, in the third trimester, and extends to about age 3. An estimated 600,000 children within that age range receive general anesthesia each year.

Many of the operations performed on children are to save their lives or improve their quality of life. Skipping or even delaying such surgeries would have its own risks, according to FDA officials.

“We’re certainly not looking at saying anesthesia should not be used on children,” FDA officals told The Associated Press, adding that it’s generally considered one of medicine’s greatest advances.”

SOURCE: Food and Drug Administration, March 2007; http://www.anesthesia-analgesia.org/cgi/content/abstract/104/3/509

A recent issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT) tells the story of an 8-year-old boy who was troubled with bowel movement problems since birth. Before he paid a visit to a chiropractor, his condition was such that he’d only have a bowel movement at 7 to 10 day intervals. In fact, at times this even approached 2 weeks and these movements were reportedly quite painful for the boy.

The boy was by all other indications quite healthy. Medical treatment, in an attempt to solve the problem, had included laxatives, high fluid intake and a high fiber diet. All of these produced no positive or desired effect on his condition.

Chiropractic examination revealed that the boy had a subluxation (a partial dislocation) in the sacral region (lowest portion) of the back. Care began immediately with adjustments given to correct the subluxation. This continued with 2 visits per week for 4 weeks.

The result of just 1 visit to the chiropractor was a dramatic improvement in the boy’s con­dition. His mother was very pleased to report that the boy had a bowel movement on the first day of his visit and again just 2 days later. She also reported over the course of the 4 weeks of ensuing treatment that the condition continued to improve.

Interesting statistics pointed out by the study show that 3 percent of childhood doctor vis­its are for constipation issues. The figure rises to nearly 30 percent of all visits to pediatric gastroenterologists. Treatments generally include dietary management, biofeedback and laxa­tives. Statistically, according to the study, between 30 percent and as high as 50 percent of children do not respond to these treatments and continue to have long-term problems.

The results of Chiropractic treatment with this boy and improvements in his life were immediate, continuing and long term. Follow up 1 month after treatment revealed consistent normal bowel functions. Several months later, another follow up revealed the same positive results. Finally, a phone call to the boy, now 13 years after treatment, reported normal bowel function. In fact, he said that his bowel function was nearly “clock-like” with daily move­ments.

How’s that for producing life-changing improvements? Short-term Chiropractic interven­tion brought about very positive, long-term results.

Source: Chiropractic Research. January 2007. http://www.chiropracticresearch.org/NEWS_Chronic_childhood_constipation_helped_with_chiropractic.htm

An examination of breathing problems in newborn children was recently investigated at the Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark. Over 34,000 babies who had between 37 and 41 weeks of gestation were included in the analysis. All of the deliveries were divided into one of two groups -elective cesarean sections and intended vaginal delivery. The “intended” category included emergency cesarean section birth. Of the total, 2,687 of the children were born through elective cesarean sec­tion.

Basically, the researchers wanted to discover if there indeed was a difference in breathing problems with children who entered the world in one of these manners. They were especially interested in determining if there was a difference in breathing difficulties for children with differing amounts of gestation.

What the researchers discovered was that there was quite a stunning difference among those born electively with only one week difference in gestation. The results they found were that the risk increased dramatically the earlier the cesarean was performed. At 37 weeks of gestation, it was found that there was almost a fourfold increase in risk of breathing problems. If the child was allowed to stay in the womb for 38 weeks, the risk dropped to threefold. At 39 weeks, there was a doubling of risk of respiratory difficulties.

Specifically, at 37 weeks, 2.8% of the vaginally intended births had breathing issues compared to 10% of the infants delivered by elective cesarean section. At 38 weeks, it was 1.7% for vaginal com­pared to 5.1% elective. At 39 weeks, it was 1.1% compared to 2.1%.

The exact reasons why children suffer more breathing problems with early elective surgery were beyond the scope of the study and not clearly identified. Researchers did speculate that hormonal and physiological changes that are associated with full term labor may be necessary for the lungs to fully mature. It is considered to be possible that these changes are not present in infants who have been scheduled for an early elective cesarean section delivery.

With more and more elective cesarean sections being performed these days, parents would be well advised to make good use of these statistics in their child birthing decision-making process. The tim­ing factor involved in scheduling the elective cesarean section could become a critical factor in the wellness of the baby. The authors of the study made it very clear that, “Babies delivered by elective cesarean section at 37 to 39 weeks of gestation carry a two to fourfold increased risk of respiratory morbidity compared with babies delivered by intended vaginal delivery.”

Source: The World Chiropractic Alliance. “Elective Cesarean Carry Increased Risk of Breathing Problems.” March 2008.
http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.org/tcj/2008/mar/q.htm

The concern for the viewing habits of children stems from multiple reasons. It has to do with the amount of time children spend in front of a TV or computer monitor. It holds additional inter­est of note when looking at the body positions of children viewers. It compounds in importance when noting bone development and muscle strength during childhood and how activities pursued during these formative years may carry major implications for adult years.

The number of hours children spend in front of a TV or computer monitor may come as a com­plete surprise to some as reported in the Daily Record of Glasgow, Scotland. A survey of 200 sec­ondary school children found that girls spent an average of 21 hours per week in front of the tube. Boys nearly doubled this with an average of 41 hours per week for TV and video game viewing.

The research went on to note that children who watch TV for large amounts of time are more likely to suffer spinal problems and pain. Much of this has to do with body positions assumed while watching the TV. Over one-quarter of the children were observed lying down with their heads up, thus placing extra tension on the neck and upper back areas.

All of this time spent in a non-active posture does not permit the spine to strengthen during the years of development which continue to around the age of 18. “The major factors in children’s back problems are a more sedentary way of life and lack of exercise,” said Dr. Chris Turner, a West London Chiropractor. “This means their muscles do not work very well and leads to strains when they are used, especially for lifting relatively heavy weights, including school bags.”

While pain and discomfort may result for some children, not all of them will have this experi­ence when it comes to the spine. This would make it a very good parental practice to bring a child in for a spinal examination. The reason for this would be that undetected spinal problems in chil­dren may be the cause of serious spinal degeneration in later adult life. It is not uncommon for Chiropractors who examine x-rays of an adult spine to detect degenerative conditions which had their beginnings in childhood.

Along with this healthy advice, children should be encouraged to get up and move about fre­quently when watching TV or sitting behind the computer. This should be done every 40 minutes or so, according to the BCA. This duo of TV and Computer is certainly not the only source of potential childhood structural problems, but it certainly would be an excellent area for a parent to pursue in helping to guarantee their child’s healthy future.

Source: Chiropractic Research http://www.chiropracticresearch.org 2004 and The Chiro Web http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/13/02/21.html

Amid increasing controversy surrounding the suicidal effects of numerous Selective Serotonin Reputake Inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants being prescribed to children and adolescents, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) referred clinical trial studies on SSRIs to Columbia University, for a “distinguished panel” of “experts” to conduct an “independent” review.’

With the FDA itself currently under federal investigation for allegedly burying information by one of its own medical experts, Dr. Andrew Mosholder, which found antidepressants twice as likely to cause suicide related behavior in children, any organization participating in analyzing the antidepressant studies must be closely monitored to ensure that all the potential risks are made public. The FDA has also been criticized over its drug approval regulations that have allowed manufacturers to provide information that is biased towards favorable results. On June 2, the New York State Attorney General filed a suit against one SSRI manufacturer, saying that it had committed fraud by withholding negative information about the drug.²

The FDA claims that the panel chosen to review the SSRI clinical trial data “is independent, in that no member has had any involvement in the drug treatment trials in question.”³ [emphasis added]

The comment, “drug treatment trials in question,” is misleading. Nothing could be further from the truth. The team of experts currently investigating the clinical trials are about as independent as asking the Nazi Party and I.G. Farben, the manufacturer of Zyklon B (the toxic gas used to murder millions of people during WWII), to conduct a study on the impact of the gas chambers used in the Holocaust.

Because of “conflict of interests,” both Columbia University and the “experts” chosen to review the antidepressant studies will likely whitewash the potentially lethal effects of the drugs, continuing to put children’s lives at risk. Already, between 1995 and 1999, the use of antidepressants for 7- to 12-year­olds increased 151% and 580% for children under six, with some as young as five committing suicide. It’s about to get worse.

What the panelists won’t review is the unscientific way that millions of children and adolescents are being labeled with depression and other “disorders” that are now prescribed SSRls. And they won’t do this because both Columbia University’s Department of Psychiatry and others involved in the review support a “depression screening” program that promises to hook millions more teens on psychiatric drugs.

For the full report: Columbia University Expert Panel too Biased

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Republished with permission from Citizens Commission on Human Rights International

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Read the rest of this article by Dr. Peter Breggin at The Huffington Post

All of these problems prompted the parents to seek Chiropractic advice and assistance for their recently born child.

First off, the child’s chiropractor had his diagnostic skills put to the test as the child was in severe distress and cried during the entire examination. However, the exam was completed success fully and revealed that there were subluxations (partial dislocations) in various areas of the neck, mid-back and the lower spine.

A regular schedule of Chiropractic adjustments commenced and continued for several weeks. The outcome of the care was immediately positive with the number of seizures decreasing after the first adjustment. Things were progressing along well until several weeks into the care when the child had a minor setback and experienced 5 seizures in one day, how­ever, these quickly abated. In fact, following these episodes, the child remained seizure-free for an entire week. This was the first week of his life that he had lived seizure-free.

By the sixth week of Chiropractic care, the child’s life had made a drastic turn for the bet­ter: he was no longer experiencing seizures between adjustments. In addition, he was sleep­ing through the night and eating properly for a child his age. Periodic follow-ups were done and it was noted in the case report that these improvements represented a significant change to the child’s quality of life.

The author of the study, Dr. Nancy Brown, D.C., noted that each year approximately 150,000 children and adolescents experience seizures. The cause of this, she says, is a sudden onset of abnormal electrical discharges within the brain. A normal medical approach to this condition is to medicate in order to suppress the abnormal electrical impulses. Dr. Brown points out the ill-advised nature to this medical correction as there is no way to suppress the abnormal impulses without also suppressing activity needed for normal function and develop­ment.

“A Chiropractic approach may therefore be of more benefit as it will correct the abnormal impulses and not just suppress them,” said Dr. Brown.

Source: Chiropractic Research. June 2005. http://www.chiropracticresearch.or ews_chiropractic_helps_child_with_seizures.htm

What you may not have read or seen on TV is that the hiccups stopped after she received several adjustments from a Chiropractor. Now, the Chiropractor is quite careful to point out that he was just one of many who offered his help to the 15-yearold girl. However, her hiccuping did come to a stop the day of her final adjustment.

During the time of her continuing ordeal, Jennifer received and tried many hiccup remedies offered from far and wide. Standing on her head produced no helpful results, nor did swallowing spoonfuls of sugar. After medical solutions failed, the family reached out to accept attempted solutions provided by such things as hypnosis, too.

It wasn’t until she accepted an offer of help from a Chiropractor, Dr. Eric Springer of St. Petersburg, that a potential source of the problem was revealed. “The mother of the girl contacted me and I brought her in as a patient. We did an exam and took
X-rays.”

The examination revealed compression on the nerves in the vertebrae in Jennifer’s neck. This condition is known as a subluxation, a partial dislocation of the vertebra. Treatment involved some gentle force to the neck over a course of about one week.

“I just started treating her last week and she actually stopped on the day of her last adjustment,” said Dr. Springer. “I was the only Chiropractor involved, but I don’t want to take full credit for Jennifer being cured. I’m just glad I was able to help her
out.”

Now, after numerous phone calls, much media attention, and even an appearance on the “Today Show,” Jennifer’s life has returned to that of a normal 15-year-old high school student living in the State of Florida. Her Chiropractor may not have done it all, but he certainly did have a hand in providing the final and lasting solution!

Source: March 2007 http://www.kidchiropractic.com

The proposed labeling update follows similar labeling changes made in 2005 that warned of a suicidality risk in children and adolescents who use antidepressants. At that time, the FDA requested manufacturers add a black box warning to the labeling of all antidepressants to describe this risk and to emphasize the need for appropriate monitoring and close observation, particularly for younger patients taking these medications.

Also in 2005, the FDA began a comprehensive review of 295 individual antidepressant trials that included over 77,000 adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders, to examine the risk of suicidality in adults who are prescribed antidepressants. In December 2006, the FDA’s Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee agreed that labeling changes were needed to inform health care professionals about the increased risk of suicidality in younger adults using antidepressants.

School shooters on antidepressants

The proposed label changes come on the heels of the Virginia Tech student massacre, but are apparently not related. News reports have been focusing on the possibility that the gunman was or had been on antidepressant medication. The reports cited more than a dozen other school shootings where students either were medicated or were coming off medication. The withdrawal period has been reported as possibly even more dangerous.

The antidepressant drugs requiring new labels are:

Anafranil (clomipramine)
Asendin (amoxapine)
Aventyl (nortriptyline)
Celexa (citalopram hydrobromide)
Cymbalta (duloxetine)
Desyrel (trazodone HCl)
Elavil (amitriptyline)
Effexor (venlafaxine HCl)
Emsam (selegiline)
Etrafon (perphenazine/amitriptyline)
fluvoxamine maleate
Lexapro (escitalopram hydrobromide)
Seroquel (quetiapine)
Sinequan (doxepin)
Surmontil (trimipramine)
Symbyax (olanzapine/fluoxetine)
Tofranil (imipramine)
Tofranil-PM (imipramine pamoate)
Triavil (perphenazine/amitriptyline)
Vivactil (protriptyline)
Wellbutrin (bupropion HCl)
Zoloft (sertraline HCl)
Zyban (bupropion HCl)
Limbitrol
Ludiomil (maprotiline)
Marplan (isocarboxazid)
Nardil (phenelzine sulfate)
Nefazodone HCl
Norpramin (desipramine HCl)
Pamelor (nortriptyline)
Parnate (tranylcypromine sulfate)
Paxil (paroxetine HCl)
Pexeva (paroxetine mesylate)
Prozac (fluoxetine HCl)
Remeron (mirtazapine)
Sarafem (fluoxetine HCl)

SOURCE: Food and Drug Administration, April 2007 http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01624.html

In some children, unintentional overdoses have caused heart rhythm changes, cardiopulmonary arrest, hallucinations, psychoses, hypertension and seizures, according to research cited in the petition.

“Over-the-counter cough and cold preparations are neither safe nor effective for use in young children,” the petitioners argue. “The FDA has never conducted an appropriate analysis to support their widespread use, and expert organizations agree that they are ineffective and pose a risk to health.”

The petitioners urged the FDA to tell drugmakers the continued marketing of such products for infants and young children is not supported by scientific evidence and should lead to enforcement actions against the makers.

Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore’s commissioner of health, led the group of 15 petitioners who include such pediatric luminaries as Dr. Janet Serwint, professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University; Dr. Steven J. Czinn, chairman of pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine; and Dr. Michael Shannon, professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.

“These are very senior pediatricians,” Sharfstein said. “That kind of expertise is not something the FDA gets petitions from every day.

“I think this is something that should be wrapped up fairly quickly because the evidence on this is clear. They don’t work, and they’re not safe,” he said.

FDA Says No Need for Immediate Action

FDA officials have replied that the agency plans to review the matter over the next several months. One official told reporters at a Washington briefing that there is no need for immediate action.

Dr. Charles Ganley, director of the Office of Nonprescription Products said the review will include an assessment of the safety and efficacy of cold and cough medications for children, as well as how dosage levels for them are drawn up. In the meantime, he said, parents should be careful to follow directions on the products.

“If we thought there was a need to come out with an immediate statement, we would do so,” Ganley said. “Parents need to adhere to those dosing directions. If the directions are to consult a physician, parents need to adhere to that.”

SOURCE: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.fda03mar03,0,5046187.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlines

Two groups of children receiving Chiropractic care for Autism were the subjects of a study reported in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (JVSR). The aim of the investigation was to see how children responded to two different types of Chiropractic care.

Fourteen children diagnosed with autism were carefully studied while undergoing treatment. Seven of the children received one form of Chiropractic adjustment focusing on the entire spine while the other seven received a form of Chiropractic adjustment focusing on the upper cervical area.

Researchers at the Child Evaluation Center at the University of Louisville Medical School evaluated each diagnosed child. The measurement tool utilized was the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) that had been earlier created at the Autism Research Institute of San Diego, CA. The tool is designed to be completed by parents, teachers or caretakers. It measures a child’s speech, language and communication skills, sociability, sensory and cognitive awareness; and health, physical and behavior levels.

Each child was measured with the ATEC at the start of the study. Chiropractic adjustments to each group occurred twice each week for three months. A new ATEC evaluation was done once per month to monitor progress.

The results showed improved ATEC scores for six of the seven children in the cervical adjustment group and five of the seven in the full spine adjustment group. The upper cervical group showed the most score improvements overall. In this group, two of the children improved so much that they were no longer assessed as autistic. Overall, the study noted that the most common clinical aspects of improvement were in communication, verbal skills, eye contact, mood, and physical sport skills.

It should also be noted that a second review study of autistic children helped by Chiropractic was also recently completed. The paper published by Clinical Chiropractic recounts clinical case studies of Chiropractic successes, especially the benefits of cervical region adjustment.

While neither the study nor the review point to actual causes for the tremendous increase in children with autistic problems, both hold out hope to parents that help for their child could be available through Chiropractic.

Source: http://www.chiropracticresearch.org/ and The Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research https://www.jvsr.com/abstracts/index.asp?id=264

The popularity of these shoes and the safety hazards they have been known tocause has lead some shopping mall proprietors to outlaw them in their stores. Some 4million pairs of these “wheeled shoes” have been sold, so that puts a lot of kids outthere who could either injure themselves or others.

Recently, the American Chiropractic Association took a look at these shoes interms of how they can actually cause problems for children. The most obvious causeof injury would be falls suffered while on the skating shoes. Injuries to the head,wrist, elbow and ankle are the most common. With the wheels in the back of theshoes, skaters are forced to lean back to make them perform properly and can easilylose their balance.

Problems can also occur for children in a less obvious manner, and this has to dowith the way they are forced to walk on the “shoes with wheels” when they are notrolling along. According to Dr. Steven Conway, a member of the American Chiropractic Association, “When wearing the shoes on a surface that isn’t skatable,children must walk on their toes. This altered gait forces their posture into unnaturalpositions, and if worn regularly for walking, this could potentially cause strain ongrowing bodies, especially in the foot, ankle and lower back.”

Some tips for safe use of the “wheeled shoes” would include: wearing safetyequipment like helmets, wrist guards, elbow and knee pads. Shoes should be wornfor recreation only with wheels removed when using them as sneakers. Of course,children should be aware of their surroundings and pedestrians when skating.

Should an injury occur or painful situations develop from skating, parents wouldbe wise to take their child to a chiropractor for an evaluation of their neuromuscularskeletal system. Children may actually suffer some of the pains experienced by high-er level athletes when they skate. Avisit to a chiropractor may go a long way to helptheir young bodies develop properly.

Source: The American Chiropractic Association March 2007 http://www.amerchiro.org/press_css.cfm?CID=2266

The report includes statistics gathered in 2000 and 2002 covering nearly 600,000 8-year-old children, or nearly 15% of all 8-year-olds in the country. The report shows overall autism prevalence averaging 6.6 per 1000 children (1 in 150), although the statistics varied widely from area to area. For example, in Alabama it was 3.3 per 1000, in Georgia and Utah around 7.5 per 1000, and in New Jersey, the worst state, it was 9.9 out of 1000 8-year-olds with some form of autism.

Autism strikes roughly three times as many boys as girls, and seems to have no preference for white, black or Hispanic children. New cases diagnosed nationally have been estimated at 67 every day, with an estimated cost to society of about $35 billion a year.

An earlier survey in the 1980s by UCLA and the University of Utah found about one child in every 2500 in Utah with autism, much lower than the new statistics of 7.5 per 1000.

Kim Moody, former director of the Autism Society of Utah, told the Salt Lake City Standard-Examiner that the number of children diagnosed in the state with autism has “steadily increased” since the 1980s.

Psychiatrists and psychologists in the field generally claim that the increased prevalence is due to better diagnosis. But even taking that into account, Moody told the newspaper, there is still “a huge increase” in the overall number of kids diagnosed with autism. “If this were some other type of disease, they would call this an epidemic,” Moody said.

The Children’s Health Act of 2000 authorized CDC to create the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. Since the network’s inception, CDC has funded programs in 16 sites covering 17 states—Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are considered by the medical profession to be lifelong developmental disabilities. However, some alternative approaches, including nutritional and other therapies, have had success with reversing the symptoms of autism.

SOURCE: Centers For Disease Control, March 2007; http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/documents/AutismCommunityReport.pdf

The study by researchers at the University of South Australia involved 132 children suffering from ADHD and lasted for 30 weeks. All the children were aged between 7 and 12 years.

During the first 15 weeks, researchers split the children into three groups and assigned them to receive either an omega-3 supplement, omega-3 plus a multivitamin, or a placebo in the form of palm oil capsules. After this, each child was given omega-3 and the multivitamins for the remaining 15 weeks.

Researchers said over 50 percent of the children taking omega-3 for the entire 30 weeks had considerable improvements in symptoms like hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. However, multivitamins showed no benefits in ADHD, the researchers said.

When the placebo group was switched over to omega-3, all children showed improvements in ADHD symptoms, the researchers added.

Reacting to the study, Philip Calder, professor of nutritional immunology at the University of Southampton said it was further evidence that omega-3 fatty acids were important in ADHD.

“The results of this latest trial add to the growing body of evidence showing that children with attention problems can benefit from increased intake of certain fatty acids,” he added.

Contact Whole Health Center at 303-4HEALTH for advice on ADD/ADHD and alternative and complimentary treatments for children and adults.

Children’s Omega-3
Adult’s Omega-3

SOURCE: Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, April 2007, http://www.jrnldbp.com/pt/re/jdbp/abstract….

Bob Flaws is one such person who is a long-time practitioner of TCM. Looking to help his own children as well as those of many of his women patients, he accumulated a terrific amount of experience treating children. His book Keeping Your Child Healthy with Chinese Medicine: A Parent’s Guide to the Care and Prevention of Common Childhood Diseases puts much of this knowledge within easy reach of parents.

“The overuse of antibiotics in children has lead to some serious health problems, including the epidemic of pediatric ear infections and antibiotics’ suspected role in the development of allergies,” writes Flaws. “Any parent who has had a child receive repeated rounds of various antibiotics for ear infections, with those infections returning over and over again, should know that approach has its limitations.”

TCM has as a main premise that it is most important to restore harmony and balance to the patient along with treating the symptoms of the problem, so it focuses on treating the patient. By comparison, Western medicine focuses on treating diseases. It is said in TCM, “Same disease, different treatments; different diseases, same treatment.” That is why two persons who suffer from the same disease may receive radically different treatment and two individuals who have very different diseases may get essentially the same treatment with TCM, says Flaws.

Acupuncture plays a role in TCM, but it is Flaws’ practice to treat children with Chinese herbs rather than with needles. Some practitioners will be more inclined to use some forms of Acupuncture with children, but Flaws prefers to concentrate on correct diet and herbs to restore the child’s harmony and balance.

One case study he presents in the book has to do with successful treatment of a 16-month-old boy who had been administered numerous rounds of antibiotics for earaches. Each time new antibiotics were given, the child’s earache would diminish, only to return when antibiotics had run their course. The child’s doctor was suggesting ear tubes as the next treatment option.

Using his knowledge of TCM, Flaws was able to look beyond the ear issue to the cause of the child’s problem from a Chinese Medicine perspective. Thus he was able to select a treatment that included a combination of herbs to be administered to the child daily and education of the mother to the proper diet for her child. Within just several days the child was on the road to improvement. The earaches diminished, energy returned and antibiotics were no longer part of his life.

Source: Keeping Your Child Healthy with Chinese Medicine: A Parent’s Guide to the Care and Prevention of Common Childhood Diseases, by Bob Flaws, Blue Poppy Press

Signs of Suicide, a program developed by the non-profit group Screening for Mental Health, Inc., is just one of many of these kinds of organizations, and possibly the largest and oldest. In 2005 alone, nearly 600,000 “screenings” were completed at some 12,000 facilities using their programs, according to their web site.

One might ask, how can a non-profit group afford to operate on such a large scale? Screening for Mental Health, Inc. tax records show that donations from 2001-2004 included nearly $3.25 million from drug companies. Solvay Pharmaceuticals: $27,500, Pfizer: $750,000, Abbott Laboratories: $35,000, Forest Labs: $153,000, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals: $100,000, and Eli Lilly: $2,157,925.

Since Big Pharma is in business to make money for its shareholders, it stands to reason that Big Pharma wants to find as many people as possible they can convince to buy the idea that they are mentally deficient in some way, and who then will buy drugs for it.

Children are not safe from the drug sharks

TeenScreen, an invention of psychiatrist David Shaffer, is one of the most insidious screening programs because it has invaded the school systems in every state masquerading as a scientific process. It uses questionnaires on children as young as nine, asking questions like: “Have you often felt very nervous when you’ve had to do things in front of people?” and “Are you Hispanic or Latino?” Based on the answers, TeenScreen routes these kids to mental health professionals, who can and usually do decree that these children have “mental disorders” and need prescriptions for antidepressants and other psychotropic drugs. TeenScreen’s staff and advisory board are loaded with ties to Big Pharma stretching back more than 25 years.

TeenScreen’s Director, Laurie Flynn, was formerly the head of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). Between 1996 and mid 1999, NAMI received over 11 million dollars from the drug companies: Janssen ($2.08 million), Novartis ($1.87 million), Pfizer ($1.3 million), Abbott Laboratories ($1.24 million), Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals ($658,000), Bristol-Myers Squibb ($613,505) and Eli Lilly ($2.87 million).

The scandals of TeenScreen are not limited to drug company connections. Laurie Flynn also perjured herself in front of a Senate Subcommittee, stating that TeenScreen had partnered with the University of South Florida and were piloting the program in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Yet there were never any pilot programs in these two counties. In fact, the school board of Pinellas County soundly rejected TeenScreen, partially because of Flynn’s false testimony.

TeenScreen tried to block UK anti-child-drugging law

In 2003, drug regulators in the United Kingdom recommended that antidepressants not be used to treat children under eighteen years of age because of studies showing that the risks greatly outweighed any possible benefit. This is now law and included in their drug warnings. However, at the request of Pfizer, TeenScreen’s David Shaffer created a letter which attempted to invalidate and block the findings of the U.K. drug regulators.

The results of pushing these dangerous drugs on children and adults include: murder, psychosis, brain damage, liverand heart damage, suicidal thoughts, attempted suicides and actual suicide — all known side effects of psychiatric drugs.

Drugs are big business, and the only difference between street dealers, drug lords and Big Pharma is that Big Pharma is legal. Whether your child is hooked by a dealer or by a psychiatrist, the end result will be the same.

As long as the psychiatric drug trade is legal, drug companies have a legal right to market their wares and make a profit. They do not have a right to slither into schools in order to find new profit centers amongst our children. The public has a right to know the truth about these criminal activities, and we all have a responsibility to protect our next generation from unwanted intrusions into their lives for profit.

SOURCE: http://www.americanchronical.com/articles/viewarticlte.asp?articleID=18805

When Christine Malone’s pregnancy was taking what her medical doctor thought was too long, he decided to induce labor. The drug Dr. Roger Anderson chose to use was one the manufacturer explicitly warned should never be used for that purpose.

According to the Physician’s Desk Reference, Cytotec® was approved by the FDA for the treatment of ulcers. It is never to be used in pregnancy as it can cause abortion and pregnancy complications resulting in maternal and fetal death.

As a result, Ian’s short life was downright tragic. He suffered severe brain damage at birth. His problems included not being able to hold his head up, suck, swallow or gag properly, and he required 16 hours or more of nursing care daily. He got nutrition through a feeding tube in his abdomen, breathed with a ventilator, took medication daily to prevent seizures and needed a sedative to sleep.

That the drug Cytotec was administered to Ian’s mother was a definite blunder. Equally disturbing is the fact that the obstetrician, Roger Andersen, was even allowed to be practicing medicine at the time of the incident. He had an open investigation against him by the state of Washington, and his work privileges had previously been restricted by his hospital, Providence Seattle Medical Center. He had been required to participate in a monitoring and proctoring program regarding his obstetrical patients. He had also received repeated warnings regarding his failure to establish safety protocols for his midwife patient referrals, which Christine was.

Dylan and Christine Malone, Ian’s parents, have undergone much personal sacrifice in their crusade to bring greater attention to medical malpractice issues. They want to ensure that other families do not suffer through the same kind of negligence that stopped Ian’s life so short. They have created a website, www.babyian.com, to share Ian’s story and to educate the public about healthcare reform.

SOURCE: www.centerjd.org/stories/Malone%20Obit.html

Now, an evaluation of research data points to Chiropractic adjustments as a means to help children with such learning difficulties. This is positive news, given that solutions other than drugs have always been casually swept under the rug or stomped upon hard by the mighty public relations machines of the Big Drug companies.

The research was conducted by Swiss Chiropractor Yannick Pauli, Doctor of Chiropractic and president of the Swiss Chiropractic Pediatric Association. Dr. Pauli specializes in the care of children suffering from learning and behavioral disorders.

Dr. Pauli’s review assessed eight previously published studies involving a total of 160 children. “Although the results remain preliminary and more research is needed, the evidence strongly suggests that Chiropractic care may help various cognitive abilities that are essential to learning.”

Chiropractic adjustments, even when no back problems are evident, can improve the function of the spine and strongly stimulate nerve pathways to the brain, said Dr. Pauli. This improvement in the function of the body along important pathways can provide important gains that lead to enhanced learning ability.

Learning disorders and dyslexia affect between 3 and 10% of all school-aged children in the United States. Individuals with these disorders often suffer from low self-esteem, diminished motivation, and loss of interest in school, academics and social interaction. Chiropractic adjustments may offer positive solutions to all of these.

Source: http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.org/tcj/2007/feb/m.htm

This information comes from the results of a recent study involving 283 children who were suffering from what is medically known as Acute Otisis Media (AOM). This would commonly be called a middle ear infection.

The purpose of the study conducted at the Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Conn., was to determine if the immediate course of treatment should be, “take antibiotics every six hours.” For many physicians, this is the first and most
common form of treatment. The study was conducted to see if antibiotics were being overprescribed and to investigate alternatives.

All of the children in the yearlong study were between the ages of 6 and 12 and were randomly selected to be a member of a Wait-And-See-Prescription (WASP) Group or a member of a Control Group.

After the diagnosis of AOM was made, the children in the control group were given a standard prescription for an antibiotic that would expire in three days. The parents of children in the WASP group were also given similar prescriptions, but were told not to fill them unless their child did not show improvement within 48 hours.

The results showed that 62% of the prescriptions in the WASP group were never filled. Conversely, about 90% of the children in the “standard prescription” group, whose parents were not asked to wait and see, wound up taking the  antibiotics. Having found almost two-thirds of the children being prescribed antibiotics for middle ear infections didn’t actually need them, the researchers concluded that the WASP approach could substantially reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics.

SOURCE: http://www.chiropracticresearchreview.com/crr/sub_topic.php?id=73