Welcome to our office's Chiropractic newsletter. We'd like to entertain you, inform you (and even inspire you a little).

Those who disregard the Laws of Heaven and Earth have a lifetime of calamities, while those who follow the Laws remain free from dangerous illnesses. - Old Chinese Proverb

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. - Albert Einstein

This month's issue has information on infants, babies and chiropractic. Please send it to someone who is expecting or save it for future reference.

Table of Contents

• When Does a Baby Need a Spinal Checkup?
• Chiropractic Questions and Answers
• Did You Know?
• Do Muscle Relaxers and Painkillers Help Back Pain?
• Over The Counter (OTC) Cough Medicines Are No More Effective Than Sugar Water
• Words of Wisdom
• Cigarette Trivia
• Chiropractic and Spinal Research
• Humor

When Does a Baby Need a Spinal Checkup?

All infants need a healthy spinal column. An unhealthy spine can interfere with the normal function of the nervous system and may cause serious health problems in infancy and later in life.

The late Larry Webster, D.C., the father of chiropractic care for children and founder of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, wrote numerous articles on the need for chiropractic for children. He said that there are six times in a baby's first year of life when spinal examinations are especially important:

1. After the birth process.
2. When the baby starts to hold his/her head up.
3. When the baby sits up.
4. When the baby starts to crawl.
5. When the baby starts to stand.
6. When the baby starts to walk.

With all you do for your newborn child, please ensure his or her spinal health with a chiropractic spinal checkup. (1)

Chiropractic Questions and Answers

Q. Does the birth process affect spinal health?
A. The newborn that knew only the warmth, softness, darkness, quiet and comfort of the womb is suddenly exposed to a cold, noisy, hard, harsh, blinding world in today's "modern" hospitals. Separated from mother, often dangled from its heels and struck on its rear, these procedures can cause permanent physical trauma and emotional scarring. Chiropractors have always recommended birth procedures that are the most natural, least invasive and stress-free for the newborn - respecting the emotional and physical health of the baby, and especially the delicate spinal cord and spinal column. 

Hospital deliveries may pull, twist and put other terrible stresses on the baby's spine (whether or not forceps are used) and are often traumatic for the newborn. There are recorded instances of brain, spinal cord and spinal nerve damage due to obstetrical procedures."The birth process...is potentially a traumatic, crippling event...mechanical stress imposed by obstetrical manipulation - even the application of standard orthodox procedures may prove intolerable to the fetus. The view has been expressed clinically that most signs of neonatal injury observed in the delivery room are neurological...." (2)

Did You Know?

Breast-fed babies' IQs are 3 to 5 points higher than that of formula-fed babies...the longer a baby is breast-fed, the greater the IQ benefits. Numerous studies have reported the same conclusions - no formula can substitute for breast milk. (3)

Do Muscle Relaxers and Painkillers Help Back Pain?

Here are more reasons to be glad you see your chiropractor.
Medical doctors have a habit of giving painkillers and muscle relaxants to people with lower back pain. Imagine their surprise when a study showed that taking those drugs doesn't help! It's true - those patients taking aspirin, Tylenol TM or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and muscle relaxants actually take longer to get better than those who had not.

In 1994, the U.S. government's Agency for Health Care Policy and Research determined that muscle relaxants were only "probably" more effective than placebos for low back pain. (4) To put icing on the cake, in a study in a recent issue of the internationally respected journal Spine, researchers examined the use of muscle relaxants in 1,600 people. Muscle relaxers not only did not help but those taking them took twice as long to recover (32 days vs.16 days) as patients not taking muscle relaxants. (5) Note to researchers - how about enough with the drugs and start referring your patients to chiropractors?

Over The Counter (OTC) Cough Medicines Are No More Effective Than Sugar Water

A study of 100 children with upper respiratory infections revealed that the active ingredients in cough medicines (dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine) were no better than a placebo (syrup without the drugs).

But adverse effects made the medicines more dangerous - the cough suppressant dextromethorphan can cause insomnia and diphenhydramine may cause drowsiness. (6)
Comments: First, sugar suppresses the immune system and can make a disease worse. Second, anyone who studies health literature knows that the hygienic or natural school has always maintained that coughing is usually beneficial - a way the body keeps the respiratory system clear of germs, how the body externalizes disease and is usually the last stage in a disease process. When coughing is prevented or suppressed illness may actually be prolonged. The researchers didn't check for that. In addition, why oh why doesn't anyone compare cough medicine with a chiropractic adjustment? Why is the medical profession so in love with drugs - why can't they explore safer, more natural approaches? Happily there is some research on spinal care and upper respiratory infection (see below).

Words of Wisdom

The body has an innate ability to fight germs and infections and heal itself. Western doctors are frozen in a disease-oriented mode, concentrating on curing disease with drugs and surgery rather than on prevention and stimulating the body's natural healing power. Most drugs just prevent the disease from expressing itself symptomatically. Symptoms disappear but the disease actually gets progressively worse. - Andrew Weil, M.D.

Cigarette Trivia

Each pack of cigarettes smoked costs more than $7 in medical care and lost productivity: $3.40 per pack medical, $3.63 per pack lost job productivity. (Preventing tobacco use fact sheet from the CDC.)

Chiropractic and Spinal Research

Remember, a person with any kind of health problem needs a healthy spine. Feel free to forward these studies to others.
Bronchial congestion. This is the case of a 5 ½-year-old girl with a four year history of what the parents called"bronchial congestion." She had pneumonia"several times a year" since she was 18 months old. She also suffered from congestion and was wheezy after running and upon waking up in the morning. Chiropractic examination revealed subluxations at C-2, T-4 and L-5. By the time the second adjustment was administered (two days after the first) the mother reported the child was not coughing as much. By the third visit (one week later) the mother reported that the child was breathing normally. A total of twelve adjustments were given over a three month period and the chief complaint did not recur. A follow-up call four years later revealed no recurrence. (7) 
Pulmonary disease. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were treated with spinal manipulation. 92% stated they were able to walk greater distances, had fewer colds, experienced less coughing and had less dyspnea than before care. 95% of those with bronchial asthma said they benefited from chiropractic care. Peak flow rate and vital capacity increased after the 3rd adjustment. (8) 
Developmental communication disorder. A 2-year-old child had a medical diagnosis of 'developmental communication disorder.' He was non-responsive to any external stimuli, even to receiving an injection. He did not respond to sound or touch. Chiropractic analysis revealed an axis (C-2) subluxation. From the study: "By the sixth adjustment, he started to follow certain commands and stopped making repeated hand motions. He started to talk after the 12th office visit. At present, he has an extensive vocabulary and is slightly hyperactive." (9)

Humor

This photo is from a 1954 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine.
Be sure to read the caption under the photo!!! (What's the steering wheel for??)
PS. Don't laugh too loud - who knows how silly our predictions today may turn out.

Smith climbs to the top of Mt. Sinai to get close enough to talk to God.
Looking up, he asks the Lord, "God, what does a million years mean to you?"
The Lord replies, "A minute."
Smith asks, "And what does a million dollars mean to you?"
The Lord replies, "A penny."
Smith asks, "Can I have a penny?"
The Lord replies, "In a minute."

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:

1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.

Thanks

Thanks for being our patient. We really do appreciate you. Please stop by for a spinal checkup and bring your friends and relatives. Everyone needs to be free from the damages caused by subluxations to keep their body and mind functioning at their best. Even chiropractors go to chiropractors - we also get our spines checked so we can function at our best when we take care of you. 

References

1.For information on chiropractic and healthy birth visit the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association at http://www.icpa4kids.com/. 
2. Towbin A. Latent spinal cord and brain stem injury in newborn infants. Develop. Med. Child Neurol. 1969;11:54-68.
3. Anderson JW, Johnstone BM, Remley DT. Breast-feeding and cognitive development: a meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr.1999;70(4):525-535.
4. Verbrugge LM, Patrick DL. Seven chronic conditions: their impact on U.S. adults' activity levels and use of medical services. American Journal of Public Health. 1995;85:173-182.
5. Bernstein E, Carey TS, Mills Garrett J. The use of muscle relaxant medications in acute low back pain. Spine. 2004;29(12):1346-1351.
6. Paul IM, Yoder KE, Crowell KR et al. Effect of dextromethorphan, diphenhydramine, and placebo on nocturnal cough and sleep quality for coughing children and their parents. Pediatrics. 2004;114(1):e85-e90. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/114/1/e85 
7. Esch S. Adjustive treatment for chronic respiratory ailment in a five-year- old. Case reports in chiropractic pediatrics. Case #2. ACA J of Chiropractic. December 1988.
8. Miller WD. Treatment of visceral disorders by manipulative therapy. In Goldstein M, Ed. The Research Status of Spinal Manipulative Therapy. Bethesda: Dept. HEW. 1975:295-301.
9. Goldman ST. Developmental communication disorder. Subluxation location and correction. Today's Chiropractic. July/August 1995:70-74.