A qualitative study of pregnant women with low back pain, and their chiropractors was published on Oct. 9, 2012 in Chiropractic & Manual Therapies with the title of "The treatment experience of patients with lowback pain during pregnancy and their chiropractors: A qualitative study".
The pregnant women, all in their second or third trimester and suffering with low back pain, were interviewed by the study’s authors to investigate their feelings about the experience of chiropractic care during their pregnancy. Anonymity and confidentiality of the study’s respondents were protected by assigning a number to each respondent.
 Low back pain is a common symptom during pregnancy. Between 50 to 80 percent of pregnant women report low back pain during pregnancy because of hormonal, postural, and structural adjustments to the body. Chiropractic care for low back pain during pregnancy is safe and effective according to previously published studies and reviews.
Positive results with no adverse effects were experienced by all the pregnant women in the study. A reduction in low back pain, increase in range of motion, and better function were some of the reported experiences.
“It really allowed me to function. I could barely walk before or stand, the pain was intense, but after I went to the chiropractor I found I could function day to day, I could walk from the bus stop to work, I could do these things, so that was pretty significant. It’s just helping me function. It’s just teaching me how to pick up my daughter so I don’t hurt myself. To still function, to still play with my daughter and be able to go to the grocery store and do all these things without really hurting myself. As well as it allows me to sleep at night,” said patient number 05.
In addition to the reduction or elimination of lower back pain, some of the pregnant women reported that chiropractic care increased their overall quality of life, and increased mobility.
“I can walk longer periods of time. So that’s excellent. I can go standing for four to five hours. Because prior to that I’d be standing 40 minutes to do the dishes and I’d be in agony. Even the basic things, like picking things up off the floor, you’d get stuck in that position, I haven’t experienced that yet [in this pregnancy]. Or just sitting for long periods of time, because I do work an office job from home, so I do sit long periods of time. I know for most people [they] have to get up and stretch for a couple minutes, even in doing that I’ve been doing okay,” said patient number 01.
Some respondents had sought chiropractic care for previous pregnancies due to low back pain, and continued with chiropractic care for later pregnancies because of positive results.
Pregnant patient number 11 said, “It worked so well the first time, I’d even come away from the appointment feeling better. It was almost an immediate fix. So because of my positive experience the first time, there was no question that I was going to use chiropractic care for the second pregnancy.”
The study results conclude that chiropractic care for pregnant women suffering from low back pain is effective for pain relief, increased range of motion, increased mobility, and overall better quality of life. “I think after the treatment, it was decreased pain and increased sense of mobility, increased range of motion and decreased sense of frustration and grumpiness,” said patient number 06.
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Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Pregnant Women with Low Back Pain Helped by Chiropractic
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Bringing Back the Balance: A Chiro Mom's Perspective
My introduction to chiropractic care came after the birth of my first child. As a new mother I found myself bombarded with facts, stories and ideas of what everyone else seemed to think was best for my child. Walking into a mom’s group at my local chiropractor’s office was like a breath of fresh air, confirming my natural mother’s instincts that told me to trust in my ability to make good decisions for myself and my baby. Chiropractic care not only supported this drive toward finding myself as a new mother, but also taught me to trust the inner wisdom of my body.
I believe we are all seekers by nature, looking for answers that resonate deeply within us. Quite possibly these answers reside in the unmapped areas of our own truth. These answers might not necessarily be what the doctor would order, but instead are what might make sense to us as individuals. I try to listen to my heart when making decisions for myself, my children and my body. Our hearts hold a deep knowledge that is sure to guide us in the right direction if we take the time to listen.
“All paths are the same, leading nowhere. Therefore, pick a path with heart!”
—Carlos Castaneda
Every living thing on our planet possesses an innate knowledge as it comes into creation. Wonderful examples of this can be found in nature. Each tree unfurls its leaves and blossoms at exactly the right moment for its personal stage of growth. We witness this same inner knowing unfold as a baby nurses for the first time,never having been taught to do so beforehand. As humans, we are all born with a natural drive to learn, create and be one with our surroundings. As we grow older, it seems that most of us forget this truth. We forget how our bodies are actually capable of functioning on their own, and that we do usually know what is best for ourselves and our children.Life also holds an abundance of learning opportunities. There are times we may struggle to maintain a sense of balance and harmony in our lives. In these times, we all could use a gentle and loving reminder to help set us back on track. A hug from your partner
after a trying day with the kids or a chiropractic adjustment after a collision playing tag might be just the nudge we need to fall back into step, emotionally and health-wise. These struggles also serve as a wake-up call, guiding us toward a new way of thought that nurtures who we are in a gentle and trusting way.
“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”
—Charles R. Swindoll
As a homemaker and a mother, I am constantly surrounded by the everyday chaos of home life. When things get very chaotic, I have the opportunity to hear my lessons loud and clear. This is when I know that I need to slow down and focus on the things in my life that mean the most to me. All of the “other stuff” can wait. Similarly, our bodies find numerous ways to call us back to a place of overall well-being. Fevers ward off nasty intruders, diarrhea rids our body of harmful toxins, and major illnesses alert us to make major dietary and lifestyle changes. It is in these places of distress that we have the opportunity to strengthen our core, as well as to take a hard look at what life means to us. Everything happens for a reason and our bodies are constantly working toward a state of balance. Remembering how our body does these things to protect itself, we can trust that it can also heal itself properly without forced intrusion.
Chiropractic is one of the most profound forms of holistic healthcare that my family and I have experienced. When we visit the chiropractor, we receive a gentle adjustment, correcting subluxations and bringing our bodies and minds back to a place of balance and clarity. When our bodies are in balance, they can function at optimum levels. When our spines are aligned we can grow and thrive as we were intended to, warding off unnecessary illness and discomfort. We also feel at peace with ourselves and our surroundings when our minds are clear. This mentality gives my family freedom and ensures that our bodies are always functioning well.
Our bodies are our vehicles in this lifetime. Just as I treat my family gently and with respect, it’s natural to treat my body the same way. Chiropractic provides a gentle approach to healthcare, nurturing us inside and out, and helping us to be the best we can be. Outside my body is my family; outside my family is society. As a whole we make up the world. If we take the time to nurture ourselves, our bodies and our children, we can affect the world as a whole and the future of the planet. The next time you feel out of balance or under the weather, take a few moments. Listen to what your body truly is saying.
“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in
diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.”
—Thomas Edison
Lisa DeNardo and her family have been receiving regular chiropractic care for the past seven years. When Lisa is not at her chiropractor’s office she can be found knitting, writing, taking pictures or submersing herself in nature. Lisa, her husband and their four children reside in Southeastern Pennsylvania. More about their adventures in mindfulness, homeschooling, and everyday life can be found on her blog, www.earthmama101.com. View article resources and author information here: pathwaystofamilywellness.org/references.html.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Making Healthy Babies: Your 10-Step Action Plan
Want to get pregnant? Here are 10 tips for increasing your chances of conceiving a healthy baby...naturally!
By Jennifer Barham-Floreani, M.D.
1. Know Your Cycle
When is your “fertility window”? The Sympto-Thermal Method has proved to be a very effective way to determine when you’re most fertile. It combines both the Billings method (cervical mucous checking) and Basal Body Temperature method.
Cervical mucous checking: One of the most reliable indicators of ovulation is the change in vaginal discharge. Five to six days prior to ovulation, mucous will change from being paste-like and opaque to an oestrogenic mucous, which is thin, wet, watery, clear and profuse. Two days before ovulation, mucous will again change to a raw egg-white consistency, stretching in long strands. These few days offer the highest conception probability.
Basal Body Temperature: This method involves taking your body temperature each morning at the same time, using a digital thermometer. Measuring changes in temperature helps indicate when ovulation occurs.
ACTION: Research these methods for a full explanation of necessary steps.
2. Replenish Your Body
Certain lifestyle factors, such as poor diet, stress and the use of medication (including antibiotics and the contraceptive pill), can deplete critical nutrients and minerals necessary for reproductive success. Research indicates that the contraceptive pill alters the uptake and utilisation of the vitamin B group, as well as vitamins A,C, E, K, folic acid, biotin, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc and copper.
Studies have also revealed that vitamin E deficiency in animals can lead to infertility, that zinc supplementation can improve intrauterine growth, and that women who reported using iron supplements were 40 percent less likely to have ovulation-related infertility than non-users.
ACTION: Before attempting to conceive, give your body a few months to replenish natural nutrient reserves.
3.Give Up Those Vices
There are 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, including 43 carcinogens and 300 polyaromatic hydrocarbons that can destroy follicles in the ovary, reduce fertility and trigger early menopause.
A recent study showed that smokers have 1.6 greater risk of being infertile compared to nonsmokers, and that women who smoke take longer to become pregnant, even with Artificial Reproductive Technology (medical procedures used to enhance fertility), and are more likely to miscarry. It’s important to note that chemical toxicity of any kind can have an adverse effect on conception and development. Alcohol and caffeine are also toxic.
Poor vitamin B levels, high intake of coffee, smoking and lack of vitamin supplementation during pregnancy contribute to elevated plasma Hcy (homocysteine, an amino acid). Women with high plasma Hcy (and low serum B12 levels) are at greater risk of recurrent pregnancy loss, placental abruption, stillbirths, very low birth weight, preterm deliveries, preeclampsia, clubfoot and neural tube defects in their offspring.
ACTION: Minimise toxins in your diet; remember that all chemicals pass through the semi-permeable placental membrane to the foetus, and that there is no such thing as a placental “barrier.”
4. Hidden Nutrient Deficiencies
Micronutrient deficiencies are known contributors to poor pregnancy outcomes. Certain foods can block the absorption of important vitamins and minerals. It is therefore wise to study if reliance on certain foods may have created micronutrient deficiencies. Seek dietary advice on how to balance food choices and incorporate more organic fruits and vegetables, which are always a rich source of iron and zinc and other important vitamins and minerals.
ACTION: Eat high-quality, organically grown foods—these are the best source of vitamins and minerals.
5.Regulate Your Blood Sugar
Dietary factors that affect the body’s insulin (blood sugar) sensitivity have been associated with an increased risk of infertility. Greater levels of insulin in the bloodstream appear to depress the body’s production and regulation of hormones, which can have adverse effects on fertility.
ACTION: While monitoring intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates is important, seek advice from a healthcare provider on the benefits of foods that regulate blood sugar levels, such as whole grains and proteins, and how low-fat dairy products have been shown to influence insulin.
6. Go for the Good Fats
Some fats are good for us and some are not. Fats are important for optimal body function, and together with protein they constitute the structural framework of our body. There are basically four types of fats, of which we need three.
Our bodies thrive on “good” fats—the mono- and polyunsaturated fats, which are important for healthy reproduction, as they help control blood sugar levels, cool the body’s inflammation, and enhance healthy ovulation. Our bodies also use high-quality saturated fats in moderation. The fourth fat, trans fat, is the “resident evil.”
ACTION: Prioritise good fats in your diet. Include a high-quality, preferably organic, mercury-free DHA and EPA supplement (omega-3 polyunsaturated marine or fish oil), and utilise other great sources, such as oily cold-water fish, flaxseed oil, walnut, olive and soya bean oil, walnuts, pumpkin and sesame seeds, wheat germ, leafy green vegetables, olives and avocados. Consider pastured meats, eggs and organic dairy from grass-fed cows as additional sources of good fats. Be vigilant in avoiding trans fats; these are often listed on products as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil or vegetable shortening. Foods that contain trans fatty acids are often included in kids’ favorites, such as hot chips or French fries, crackers, cookies, biscuits, crisps, cakes, cereals and margarines.
7. Go Organic
Non-organic fruits and vegetables are exposed to a significant number of insecticides and fungicides. The simple act of biting into a piece of fruit that has been treated with endosulfan, an organochloride pesticide, gives an unintended dose of hormone disruptors, otherwise known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs).
EDCs mimic oestrogen and other hormones and potentially disrupt the chain of hormonerelease necessary for ovulation, fertilisation and implantation of the embryo.
ACTION: Buy organic produce—not only are these foods nutritional dynamite, but they help us avoid produce that might otherwise be genetically modified. There is significant cautionary evidence relating GMO food consumption and infertility. Be sure to check other food purchases for GMO ingredients, which are mostly found in processed foods—particularly those containing soy, corn and canola.
8. Avoid Contaminated Fish Products
There has been increasing awareness about the ill effects of toxins found in fish, including mercury, antibiotics, vaccines and pesticides. Tinned fish is also a source of Bisphenol A, sulphur dioxide and EDTA.
Mercury is 1,000 times more toxic than lead, and is second only to uranium as the most toxic metal. It is a known neurotoxin, linked to numerous forms of brain damage. When eating fish, eat wild. The growing “fish farming” industry is contributing unhealthy, chemical-laden sources of fish into our diets. For this reason, fresh, wild fish (after considering the mercury content) is best.
ACTION: For a full list of safe fish, please visit welladjustedbabies.com/blog/fish-how-safe-is-it/.
9. Keep Moving
Exercise improves the body’s sensitivity to insulin and evens out blood sugar levels. Controlling insulin is an essential step in improving fertility. Exercise also helps us maintain our ideal weight and keeps our bodies strong.
ACTION: Put on your running shoes, grab a bicycle or join a gym. All exercise is good for the body, and the more variety, the better. Calculate your ideal weight and get all of the physical and emotional support you may need to achieve this weight.
10. Get Your House in Order
Whether from a tap, tank or natural source, water contains hundreds of contaminants, including natural organics, salts, harmful bacteria and viruses. Chlorination of tap water and its harmful byproducts must be filtered out. Variations in menstrual and ovarian function have been observed following consumption of tap water disinfection byproducts (also known as DBPs). A study on American women showed those who regularly drank tap water with at least 75 micrograms per litre of these byproducts had an increased rate of early-term miscarriages (15.7 percent, as compared to a 9.5 percent risk for women with low exposure). Fluoride, which is also added to tap water, has been linked to hormone disruption, lower fertility rates and low sperm counts. Water contains hundreds of contaminants, including organic compounds derived from living organisms, salts, harmful bacteria, viruses and pharmaceutical drugs.
In addition, conduct an inventory of your home and the products you use, particularly personal care and cleaning products. Eliminate anything with EDCs (endocrine-disrupting compounds), such as aluminum, lead acetate and phthalates.
ACTION: Purchase a high-quality water filter and use glass bottles to store your water. Avoid drinking from bottles that contain Bisphenol A—a nasty chemical found in plastics. Replace products with 100 percent biodegradable products and read labels carefully before you buy. Dispose of any cookware that contains Teflon and Gore-Tex.
BONUS TIP! Get Your Spine in Order
Finally, get your spine checked. This is critical to any pregnancy. The body’s nervous system is the master control for healthy functioning. When our nervous system works well, we are better able to adapt to our environment and its stressors, which in turn influence our capacity to reproduce.
Physical traumas such as car accidents, sporting injuries and falls—and even long-term, “invisible” trauma caused by poor posture—can all impact the function of the nervous system by causing stress to the spine.
Chiropractors are experts in spine and nerve function. They can help your body function at its full capacity and resist destructive forces more successfully. The nervous system will effectively integrate the chemical,
physical and emotional information between the brain and reproductive systems, improving the chance of conception Chiropractic offers an effective way of improving body function and may play a significant role in improving your ability to conceive naturally.
Chiropractic for Fertility
One of the basic premises of chiropractic care is that vertebral subluxations affect nerve transmission. Think of your brain as a computer which coordinates, via your nervous system, the functions of your organs and cells. Nerve messages can be interrupted by spinal subluxations which occur when there are misalignments of
one or more vertebrae. Among other effects, vertebral subluxations can compromise optimal reproductive system function and our capacity to conceive. But the field of chiropractic care is yielding some promising results.
In one review published in the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics (2008), the case studies of eleven infertile women, aged 22 to 42, were examined. Ten of the women were actively trying to become pregnant and had been unsuccessful. Their pregnancy histories included one natural childbirth, two miscarriages, two failed IVF treatments and three failed artificial inseminations. Within 1 to 20 months of receiving chiropractic care, all eleven women had become pregnant. They all had adjustments made to vertebral subluxations in their spines using a variety of chiropractic techniques. Nine of the eleven received no other medical care during this time.
This is one example in the growing body of research that suggests chiropractic care improves reproductive system function.
Regardless of the type of chiropractic technique used, when subluxations are addressed, nerve function is improved and reproductive and endocrine function is enhanced.
There is no exclusive infertility cure-all for couples. These proactive recommendations are designed to allow the body to balance itself and recreate its own “order.” Health practitioners cannot take credit for the magnificent design of the human body, which has an innate intelligence working to heal itself.
If couples take the time to listen to their own bodies, they will receive invaluable advice, for
the body is always sending messages. This does not mean we need be alone in the healing process. Chiropractors, Chinese medicine practitioners and naturopaths will often work together
to support reproductive integrity.
Given the right support and enough time, the body has repeatedly shown that it is capable of transforming “dis-ease” and dysfunction into wellness…and for many couples, infertility into fertility.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE
Each one of us gets to choose, every single moment of every day, whether or not we want to be happy. It’s the same as choosing which dress or tie to wear, or choosing to eat pancakes and syrup instead of bran cereal. Just as you choose the outfit because it makes you look good, you choose the pancakes to satisfy your sweet tooth craving. You choose to be happy because it’s how you want to experience life.Happy people are more likable and desirable to be around. Isn’t it amazing how we’re drawn to people with sunny dispositions? One of the consequences of this phenomenon of human nature is that happy people regularly benefit from the enthusiastic help and cooperation of others.
Researchers have determined that happy people have stronger immune systems, endure pain better than unhappy people, and live longer. They have greater and longer opportunities to enjoy life and everything in it.
Happiness leads to greater job productivity, which often results in higher income. So why not choose to be happy?
No doubt, you can think of many reasons. You’re not where you want to be in your career; you’ve experienced financial setbacks; your children aren’t living up to your expectations; your boss doesn’t appreciate your efforts; your neighbors aren’t friendly. And your list goes on. Let me suggest that these are not reasons at all. They are excuses for not being happy.
Dale Carnegie explains it this way: “Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions; it is governed by our mental attitude.” You alone are in control of your attitude and making the decisions to improve your life. Choose to be happy, and then take the necessary steps to make it so.
I can personally attest to the connection between happiness and an improved quality of life. Many years ago, I decided that I would be intentional about choosing to be happy. I didn’t just say I wanted to be happy; I found out what I needed to do to make happiness a daily reality for me. Though I’m fortunate that I have experienced a rewarding career and professional life, it’s not my achievements that are to be credited for my happiness and the quality of life I now enjoy. Rather, it’s the little decisions I consistently make each day that continue to help me in my choice to be happy.
If you’ve never considered happiness as a choice before today, there has never been a better time than right now to choose happiness. Take control of your emotions and start focusing on the good things in your life and the person you want to become. As you do, you will begin to feel the happiness in your life.
Choose to be happy. It’s an attitude that will improve every part of your life.
By Todd Smith
http://drmaly.mtchiro.net/files/Pathways_Issue_32.pdf
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
The Premise of Chiropractic
The human body is miraculous. This principle of organization
produces a self-healing, self-organizing and self-regulating organism that is
adapting and appropriately responding to its environment, constantly striving for
optimal function. In chiropractic, this is known as “innate intelligence.”
Health is a state of balance and harmony of the body within
the larger environment. The body heals itself using its own recuperative power.
Every process takes time, and healing is a process. It is not the Band-Aid that
heals the cut, nor the cast that causes the bone to knit. You can put a
Band-Aid on a rump roast, but it will not heal itself because the roast is no
longer a living thing. Only living things can heal themselves.
Healing the body is a dynamic process, and with time the
changes will come. The path to health is not an easy process, especially in the
beginning, because it takes time to change our lifestyles and habits. The
change will be great and then small. Ultimately, each small change will lead to
the greatest change of all—optimum health, full potential and the ability to
give back to life.
Children’s bodies heal quickly due to their strong
recuperative powers. A child will begin to feel better and his body will begin
to renew and revive itself. Parents will see changes immediately, then day
after day, week after week, and month after month, as they carry out the
discipline of following the chiropractic care plan. Just as the sun gets
brighter at the start of each new day, the light of the life force grows
brighter as the body heals and reaches optimal potential.
Chiropractic releases the power within, and the light returns
to the eyes. Whatever the malfunction, imbalance, health loss or challenges,
when the child’s neurological organization engages, it is like a beam of light
getting bigger and brighter. The child becomes more and more conscious of
himself and his surroundings. Each new accomplishment brings more challenges
and responsibility to the child, and a little less work for the parent.
With time, the body’s energy increases and the child becomes
more energetic. As this energy increases, chronic health symptoms begin to
recede. Toxins are eliminated from the body as it gets stronger. These
typically manifest as skin rashes, diarrhea, vomiting, fevers and seizures. As
the body regains its strength and performance, a retracing of interrupted
development begins.
Retracing means going back to the original pattern of development
and re-experiencing correctly the stages of sensory intake and motor output,
and the integration of emotional well-being and higher intelligence. Retracing is
part of the body’s healing process. It is the innate intelligence of the body
that heals continuously from moment to moment. In other words, you heal
yourself! Hippocrates told us, “Everyone has a doctor in him or her; we just
have to help it in its work. The natural healing force within each one of us is
the greatest force in getting well.” As parents seeking true wellness, it is
imperative we seek out care providers who recognize, respect and support this
healing from within. Chiropractors are such providers.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
THE PILL MERCHANTS
THE RELENTLESS AND TRAGIC MARKETING OF PSYCHIATRIC DRUGS
In our work, we strive to alleviate distress and to support and enhance people’s personal growth, transformation, individuation, self-determination, and clear and expanded awareness. Necessity dictates that we also spend a lot of time challenging aspects of the mental health profession that do the opposite—creating more distress, suppressing growth and transformation, violating self-determination, and dulling and blinding awareness.
We call it psychiatric oppression—the systematic, institutionalized mistreatment of those judged “mentally ill.”
This essay focuses on the ever expanding encroachment of psychiatric oppression to more and more of the population, to people of all ages and to individuals who are less and less in need of actual help. This encroachment takes the form of mass marketing for psychiatry and the pharmaceutical industry. The elders are covered already, as it appears that at least half of nursing home residents are on psychiatric drugs (as shown in John Breeding’s book The Necessity of Madness and Unproductivity: Psychiatric Oppression or Human Transformation). We will examine the expanding movement downward, from the grave to the cradle, so to speak.
One key aspect of oppression theory is the claim to virtue. For psychiatric oppression, that claim is the notion that mentally ill people need their treatment. Now pharmaceutical marketing is expanding into the concept of prevention—that potentially mentally ill people need treatment, as well!
Disability and Disease: Measures of Failed Development In 2005, investigative journalist Robert Whitaker analyzed adult psychiatric disability in the United States. The data is incredible. A century ago, one in 500 people was considered “disabled” by mental illness and in need of hospitalization. By 1955, with the advent of Thorazine, that number reached nearly one in 300. Over the next 50 years, as psychiatric drugs became the primary treatment, the disability rate climbed steadily. Today, nearly one in 50 U.S. adults receives Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for psychiatric disability.
The data on schoolchildren eligible for special education amplifies the Whitaker data. As described in my book The Wildest Colts Make the Best Horses, the number of children labeled as learning disabled (LD) or diagnosed with “disruptive behavior disorders” has increased dramatically. Federal legislation in the 1960s spurred the growth of special education, and in 1991, when the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was expanded to include so-called Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) as a qualifying disability, it sparked tremendous growth. It is not unusual for a school district to have one in four of its students in special education.
About 60 percent of children qualifying under IDEA have no physical disability. These children are given labels such as LD, ADD or ED (emotionally disturbed). Could it be that these “diagnoses” are a modern way of “blaming the victim?” Pathways readers know that we are clearly failing in prevention of real illnesses such as cancer, diabetes and asthma, including with our children. The situation in so-called mental
health may be even worse. Childhood “mental illness” is now virtually pandemic in the United States, as an estimated 1 out of 7 school-age children is on at least one psychotropic drug, and many are on several. Our analysis showed an estimated 40-fold (4,000 percent) increase in the number of children on psychiatric drugs between 1970 and 2000. It is a fair estimate that at least 12 million young people are on psychiatric drugs in
the U.S. today.
Pseudoscience and the Creation of Imagined Disease
The drugging of our nation’s children is utterly tragic because of the very dangerous, toxic nature of these substances. But it is beyond tragic when one confronts the fact that these “illnesses” are only alleged or imagined diseases. Real diseases are discovered—confirmed by objective physical or chemical abnormalities such as a cancer tumor or a blood sugar imbalance.
Alleged disease is proclaimed by fiat. The American Psychiatric Association decides that certain behaviors (“symptoms”) are abnormal and votes these sets of behaviors into existence as diseases. For example, ADD was voted into existence in 1980, and ADHD in 1987. It is difficult enough to prevent unnecessary physical diseases among our nation’s children. When one truly understands that childhood “mental illnesses” are imagined, then how in the world can they be prevented or treated? Well, just as the government claims it can detain and torture a man it thinks is a terrorist (not always using those words), our society claims the
right to select, label and drug a child we deem mentally ill. The difference is, terrorists do exist, while ADHD does not. As hard as they may be to accept, the words of retired neurologist Fred Baughman Jr. are nonetheless absolutely true: “ADHD is a total, complete 100 percent fraud.”You cannot prevent ADHD because it is not real. But you can prevent stigmatizing children with the label, and you can certainly prevent drugging them with addictive stimulants, commonly called speed.
Further into the Abyss:
The Creation of Real Disease
Columbia University’s Dr. Mark Olfson analyzed national outpatient records and found another incredible 40-fold increase, this time in the diagnosis of “bipolar disorder” in youth (0 to 19 years old) within a 10-year period (1994–2003). The numbers increased from roughly 20,000 such diagnoses in 1994 to about 800,000 in 2003. The primary treatment of so-called bipolar disorder is psychotropic drugs—mood stabilizers like Depakote, and antipsychotics like Abilify or Zyprexa. Olfson’s study also found that
“nearly one in five psychiatric visits for young people included a prescription for antipsychotics.”
Antipsychotics are powerful and highly toxic, even more dangerous than stimulant speed. They have caused probably the largest epidemic of neurological disease in history—tardive dyskinesia—in millions of adults around the world. There is a nationwide trend of “skyrocketing numbers” in drugging our children with neuroleptics. The St. Petersburg Times reported a 250 percent increase in Florida between 2000 and 2007.
“Bipolar disorder” is a prime example of a fictitious medical disease used to justify giving poisoning drugs like Zyprexa to our precious children. A closer look shows that a tremendous percentage of children diagnosed bipolar started off with an ADHD label.
Typically, these kids took stimulants for years before they were diagnosed as bipolar. Given that psychosis, agitation, anxiety, mania and cognitive and mood deterioration are all effects of stimulant drugs, it is easy to see that the end result is a tragic and pathetic example of an iatrogenic disease (a disease caused by medicine or medical doctors). As the above analysis reveals, there is one way to prevent many of the behaviors that psychiatry uses to justify its creation of the budding epidemic of “bipolar disorder”—simply do not put young children on toxic stimulant drugs.
Universal Mental Health Screening and Suicide Prevention
A storm of controversy surrounded the recommendation of President Bush’s 2003 New Freedom Commission for universal mental health screening, and the suggestion that the 56 million young people in the nation’s public schools would be a great place to start. We slowed them down in Texas, defeating the push for New Freedom–type mental health screening in the 2005 and 2007 legislative sessions. The Texas 2009 marketing push had morphed into screening for suicide prevention, and we defeated that, also.
Teen Screen and other programs that claim to prevent suicide by identifying at-risk young people have incredibly high rates of false positives. In a 2004 article published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Dr. David Shaffer, the Columbia psychiatrist who developed Teen
Screen, acknowledged that it “would result in 84 non-suicidal teens being referred for evaluation for every 16 suicidal youths correctly identified.” A prime example of the problems that can arise with a false positive is the nightmare that Aliah Gleason went through in Austin, Texas. Aliah ended up taking at least 13
different psychotropic drugs. That is what happens to children targeted by screening in our system today.
These types of suicide prevention programs do not work. The United States Preventive Services Task Force found in 2004 that screening for suicide risk does not reduce suicide attempts or mortality. What these programs do is select more children to be labeled, pathologized and poisoned with psychotropic drugs.
They are very effective marketing campaigns for the psychopharmaceutical industry. Infants and Toddlers:
Targeting Younger and Younger Children
In the 1980s the pharmaceutical industry recognized a market, and with the launching of ADD in 1980 and ADHD in 1987, its expansion into schools was underway. With the inclusion of ADHD as an “other health impaired” category in the IDEA in 1991, the numbers really exploded. Kindergarten and first grade became
main entry points into psychiatry. Now there is an exponential increase in the numbers of drugged preschoolers and toddlers.
Even infants sometimes get drugged!
The ethical corruption is significant. For example, a 2008 New York Times editorial titled “Hidden Drug Payments at Harvard” revealed that Harvard psychiatric researcher Joseph Biederman and two of his colleagues took millions of dollars in undisclosed drug company money while acting as public relations point men for children’s “bipolar.” Boston Globe reporter Carey Goldberg reported: “Newly disclosed court documents portray Dr. Joseph Biederman, a leading Harvard child psychiatrist, as courting drug company money by promising that his work at Massachusetts General Hospital would help promote the use of antipsychotic drugs for youngsters diagnosed with bipolar disorder.” (Italics ours.)
Researchers from Rutgers and Columbia Universities found that antipsychotic prescriptions written for privately insured children aged 2 to 5 years doubled between 1999-2001 and 2007.
Children covered by Medicaid are more likely than privatelyinsured children to be prescribed antipsychotic drugs, and have a higher likelihood of being prescribed antipsychotics even if they have no psychotic symptoms. Recall that antipsychotic drugs cause permanent neurological and metabolic damage in most
people who take them for very long.Whitaker notes in his new book, Anatomy of an Epidemic, that
this system of “treatment” disables 850 adults and 250 children every day. He reports that in 1987, there were 16,200 children under 18 who received an SSI payment by virtue of disabling “mental illness”—5.5 percent of the 293,000 children on disability rolls. In 1990, the numbers began to dramatically rise.
The number of children under 6 receiving SSI tripled to 65,928 between 2000 and 2007. By the end of 2007, there were 561,569 “mentally ill” children on the disability rolls, a 35-fold increase, becoming the leading “cause” of child disability and 50 percent of the total number. That’s 250 children every day, enough to fill an elementary school auditorium.
The MOTHERS Act
The MOTHERS Act is a new federal law that seeks to increase screening of all new moms for perinatal mood disorders (during and after pregnancy), and which promotes public awareness and “research” on postpartum depression. This law was allegedly inspired by the story of Melanie Blocker Stokes, a pharmaceutical sales rep who became extremely distressed after the birth of her daughter in 2001. Melanie’s doctors gave her four different cocktails of antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds and anti-psychotics, as well as repeated electroshock sessions. She jumped from a 12th-story hotel window when her daughter was only 3- months old. Some time before her suicide, Melanie told her husband that the treatments were killing her. It
only took 3- months for psychiatry to destroy this woman and devastate her family forever, yet our government offers more psychiatry as its “answer” to emotional problems after birth—in the
name of Melanie Stokes.
If the government were to initiate a “Take Your Zoloft” awareness campaign, we would understand that it is merely for the benefit of Pfizer. Yet somehow, many have been fooled into buying the notion that a screening program for some “mental illness” like depression is for public health. Screening is considered a medical diagnostic procedure, which requires the due process of informed consent. This due process right cannot legally be ignored without an emergency mental health situation (which gives authority to a doctor to screen), or when a court determines a person is incompetent to consent to screening. Because mothers as a group cannot be considered incompetent to consent, nor can their collective due process rights be bargained away by Congress, mass screening programs without individualized mandatory informed consent and refusal procedures are not only a bad idea, they are constitutionally impermissible.
New Jersey’s 2006 mandatory postpartum depression screening law implements the use of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). In practice, the EPDS has been demonstrated to triple the number of women diagnosed with postpartum depression. Due to its subjectivity, almost anyone can be termed
depressed or at risk of depression and treatment would be recommended. Swedish researchers Ingela Krantz et al examined the subjectivity of the EPDS and found: Routine EPDS screening of Swedish postpartum women would lead to considerable ethical problems due to the weak scientific foundation of the screening instrument. Despite a multitude of published studies, the side-effects in terms of misclassifications have not been considered carefully. The EPDS does not function very well as a routine screening
instrument…. Public health authorities should not advocate screening of unproved value. Screening
is not just a medical issue but also an ethical one.Advocates of this instrument have even admitted that based
on screening results, categories of varying risk are established such that 100 percent of new mothers are at risk of depression and candidates for treatment! Postpartum depression is not a distinct disease of its own;
even the preamble to the MOTHERS Act states that we don’t know what causes PPD. Rather, it is a convenient label for widely varying circumstances. The label is used by doctors to excuse their lack of investigation into possible underlying physical diseases, and by society to absolve us of our responsibility to
support new mothers, many of whom will undoubtedly have significant difficulty adjusting without proper support. So many factors can cause a mother’s sadness. How much of so-called postpartum depression is the effect of a stressful, unsupported pregnancy, or of a birth with labor-inducing drugs and painkillers, or unnecessary Cesarean deliveries with anesthesia and forced separation from the baby, and on and on? This is not to say that moms don’t get depressed. But you can’t “treat” something with medicine if you don’t know what’s causing it—and simply giving someone an addictive psychiatric drug is not going to treat depression. Rather than “cure” depression, this drugging can sometimes lead to tragedy or devastating injury of our babies, as in the cases of Matthew Schultz, Manie McNamee and Indiana Delahunty (see sidebar).
Drug company funding of “educational” activities on perinatal depression and other mood disorders has resulted in misinformed doctors placing pregnant and breastfeeding mothers on drugs toxic enough to cause fatal serotonin syndrome in adults. These can cause such effects in breastfeeding babies as excessive vomiting, seizures, coma and death.In a recent article titled “Prescription Drug Epidemic Spreads
to Babies,” Dr. Mary Newport stated that the number of babies being treated for prescription drug withdrawal in the past two years exceeded the number she had seen in the past 25 years combined. Prescription drug withdrawal treatment for babies involves more medication than for heroin or cocaine. In addition, sudden withdrawal of a drug during the pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, or the baby could have a seizure and die.
According to the FDA, from 2004 to 2008 more than 7,000 cases of birth defects, spontaneous abortions and intra-uterine deaths, heart disease and premature births were reported as linked primarily to exposure from psychiatric drugs during pregnancy.
Acting for Mothers
In the world of modern mental health treatment, “at-risk” labels assume a biological or genetic defect, which means drug treatment. It is astounding how many mothers already get “treatment.” The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists estimates that one third of pregnant women are exposed to psychotropic drugs at some point during pregnancy. In addition, at least 13 percent of U.S. women take antidepressants during pregnancy. This is due in part to unplanned pregnancies, but many women continue consuming medications while breastfeeding or pregnant. Drug companies ensure increased profits by drugging toddlersfor so-called ADHD when these children grow up and become labeled with “bipolar disorder,” and they further ensure increased profits when the administration of antidepressants, stimulants, mood “stabilizers” and neuroleptic drugs results in increasing cases of diabetes, for which the drug companies have treatments. Likewise, drug companies will benefit exceedingly from yhe MOTHERS Act. The MOTHERS Act is not really for Melanie Stokes. Nor is it for moms and babies. It is for pHARMa.
The Ability to See and Act Valid answers to the question of prevention can only come from
the ability to see past the smokescreen and translate the Orwellian language that perverts reality and results in poisoning our children. Here is an example of that translation:
Treating a mentally ill child with medicine for ADHD.
This means…
• Drugging a child judged as behaving poorly to control or alter his or her behavior.
• Labeling and drugging a child to reduce adult discomfort.
• Labeling children to create product points, to sell a product for profit.
• Drugging a child to sell a drug.
Hopelessness into Hope
The rhetoric of psychiatric treatment of children and their mothers purports to offer hope. But the reality is that such pathologizing and “treatment” undermines hope and causes damage and disability. Real hope for babies and moms lies in reclaiming the sacredness of motherhood with full-on support of pregnancy,
childbirth and early parenting. We love the title of Alice Walker’s book, Anything We Love Can
Be Saved. It is cultural madness to think that salvation of our glorious mothers and precious babies lies in psychiatric labels and drugs. The solution lies in a much more beautiful realm. Walker quotes Samuel Zan, General Secretary of Amnesty International in Nigeria and activist for the abolition of the genital mutilation
(female circumcision) of women: “If the women of the world were comfortable, this would be a comfortable world.” Walker points to the solution by amplifying Zan’s words: “Like Zan, I believe that if the women of the world were comfortable, so would the world be. In fact, I know this in my bones. Out of a woman’s security—which always means free agency in society, sexual and spiritual autonomy, as well as the well-being of her children and the sanctity of her home—comes ultimate security for the world.”
This we can create.
Closing Thoughts on Prevention: The True Nature of Children
The title of John Breeding’s earlier book, True Nature and Great Misunderstandings: On How We Care for Our Children According to Our Understanding, is based on the premise, attributed to Anaïs Nin, that “We see the world not as it is but as we are,” and act accordingly. As long as people are so confused and
misinformed that they think challenges with children are due to biological or genetic defects in the children, then children (or mothers) will be blamed and hurt. Our view on the true nature of children is that we are born with brilliant intelligence, tremendous energy and zest, and intense relational desire. We also think that we can trust in the natural trajectory of human development, and do not need to tame and suppress our children. Breeding’s “21st Century Manifesto for Parenting” [Pathways 25] makes clear, however,
that we are also regrettably aware that we live in a highly disturbed society, one not structured to meet well many of the developmental needs of our children nor the safety and support needs of pregnant and new mothers. Blaming moms or children by labeling them defective and then suppressing, controlling
and subduing them with drugs may provide a temporary false absolution of adult responsibility.
The bottom line, however, is that such practice is pathetic, cruel and tragic. Let’s stop it now. The challenge is doing whatever it takes to be clear and strong enough as adults to fiercely defend children from unnecessary harm, and simply to enjoy and take delight in our beloved, spirited children, and the sacred experience of pregnancy and birth.
By John Breeding, Ph.D., and Amy Philo
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Chiropractic for Fertility?
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| Chiropractic and Fertility |
One of the basic premises of chiropractic care is that vertebral subluxations affect nerve transmission. Think of your brain as a computer which coordinates, via your nervous system, the functions of your organs and cells. Nerve messages can be interrupted by spinal subluxations which occur when there are misalignments of one or more vertebrae. Among other effects, vertebral subluxations can compromise optimal reproductive system function and our capacity to conceive. But the field of chiropractic care is yielding some promising results.
In one review published in the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics (2008), the case studies of eleven infertile women, aged 22 to 42, were examined. Ten of the women were actively trying to become pregnant and had been unsuccessful. Their pregnancy histories included one natural childbirth, two miscarriages, two failed IVF treatments and three failed artificial inseminations. Within 1 to 20 months of receiving chiropractic care, all eleven women had become pregnant. They all had adjustments made to vertebral subluxations in their spines using a variety of chiropractic techniques. Nine of the eleven received no other medical care during this time. This is one example in the growing body of research that suggests chiropractic care improves reproductive system function.
Regardless of the type of chiropractic technique used, when subluxations are addressed, nerve function is improved and reproductive and endocrine function is enhanced. There is no exclusive infertility cure-all for couples. These proactive recommendations are designed to allow the body to balance itself and recreate its own “order.” Health practitioners cannot take credit for the magnificent design of the human body, which has an innate intelligence working to heal itself.
If couples take the time to listen to their own bodies, they will receive invaluable advice, for the body is always sending messages. This does not mean we need be alone in the healing process. Chiropractors and Naturopaths will often work together to support reproductive integrity.
Given the right support and enough time, the body has repeatedly shown that it is capable of transforming “dis-ease” and dysfunction into wellness…and for many couples, infertility into fertility.
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