Health News Spring '03

Health News-Spring ‘03 Prepared By Burdi Chiropractic & Massage Group
(Dr. G. Burdi, D.C., Q.M.E. & Sherree’ Burdi, M.T.)

A light-force adjusting healthcare facility

Welcome to our office's Chiropractic newsletter. Under these stressful times we hope you are finding ways to cope and return to happiness, peace, growth, prosperity, and healing.

Table of Contents
· SARS - Is Your Body Ready?
· School Diets & Behavior
· Chiropractic Continues Growth
· Chiropractic & Spinal Research
· Humor Does Heal
· Win A Free Massage
· Update - Authentic Superbowl Football

SARS - Is Your Body Ready? - In reading about this atypical pneumonia infectious disease it is clear that one's own immune system is our main defense until some miracle drug is found, if that is possible. I say that because this severe acute respiratory syndrome is caused by a coronavirus, a type that is known to mutate quickly to avoid being conquered by the immune system or a drug. Look how difficult it is to deal with AIDS. Thus encountering a virulent virus necessitates your immune system being up to snuff to handle the attack. That means reducing your soft drink intake and sugars (low complex carbohydrates convert to sugar very fast), plus getting quality sleep (before midnight, either real or created).

Once your body is abused from sugars and/or lack of sleep, here is what you can expect from SARS after a latent period of 5-7 days: a high temperature which then settles, then chills and rigors with high fever. A chest x ray may initially be clear but then changes start on day 3-4. Person is lymphopenic (reduced white blood cells) with platelets decreasing over 3-4 days after initially being normal. Infectious diseases experts are talking about nebulized ribavarin and pulse steroids, but no success yet. Traditional Chinese Medicine is able to reduce fevers, respiratory distress, and side-effects of Western medicines (hormones). Mulberry leaves and chrysanthemum flowers are being used. In Hong Kong free herbal drinks to medical workers to stave off SARS infection are being handed out. They look at SARS as a "hot" condition brought on by wetness/humidity.

If you intend to travel, suggest going to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, http://www.cdc.gov/travel/. They work closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners to investigate cases of infectious diseases. Because SARS has spread rapidly, WHO issued emergency guidance for travelers and airlines so that ill people receive immediate health care, are brought to the attention of public health authorities, and are advised against travel while ill. Travel Alerts (no recommendation against nonessential travel) or Travel Advisory (recommendation against nonessential travel) to the area are issued. Also suggest visiting a natural health website like http://www.mercola.com/2003/mar/19/pneumonia_outbreak.htm by J. Mercola, DO, who discusses natural means to help.

School Diets & Behavior - Imagine a high school where students actually behave -- no discipline problems, no acting out, no violence to speak of, etc. - plus where students actually concentrate on their schoolwork. Though it seems impossible, such is the case at one Wisconsin high school, and there is only one factor separating them from other high schools in the country -- diet. In 1997 the school instituted a healthy lunch program. No longer were the cafeterias filled with fast-food nachos and French fries; instead they were filled with fresh salads, meats, whole grain bread and fruit. At the same time, vending machines were removed and good drinking water added. The program is based on work done some 30 years ago by Dr. Feingold. He recommended that eliminating synthetic colors, synthetic flavors, and the preservatives BHA, BHT, and TBHQ, would be beneficial to health, learning and behavior problems in children. However, his findings were not accepted by most medical professionals at that time. Now that the healthier diet has been in effect for close to five years, the school shows amazing results. In annual state reports, the school’s incidence of dropouts, expulsion, drug use, weapons and suicide is zero. On top of this, reports say that grades have improved. This from a school that previously reported having discipline problems and students carrying weapons. Critics have argued that healthy meal programs are too expensive for most high schools. However, costs for vandalism, litter, and high security have gone down at the Wisconsin high school, which offsets costs of the nutritional meals. The healthy lunch program is catching on, and a Wisconsin middle school has already reported favorable results. This scenario represents a real solution, one that could potentially wipe out, or at least decrease, many of the behavior, violence, and learning problems associated with the common high school.(2)

Chiropractic Continues Growth - You are part of a growing trend. More people are visiting chiropractors and non-drug healthcare providers than ever and its use has especially caught on with younger people. For example, a Harvard Medical School study shows that non-medical and wholistic healthcare is becoming a permanent part of our society. By age 33, 7 out of 10 people born between 1965 and 1979 used some form of drug-free healthcare. For people born before 1945, the number is 3 out of ten. Of the people who had tried a drug-free care, nearly 50% were still using it 11-20 years later. It's not a passing fad.(3)

Asthma - A 9-year-old girl was on asthma medication and inhalers for 7 years. Her medication was causing headaches and stomach pains and difficulty in school. After 3 months of care, she was off 5 of the 6 prescribed drugs. Her teacher remarked about how the change had been so remarkable and the girl, when asked about her care said, "Chiropractic is awesome." (6)

Congenital torticollis - A two-month-old female presented with obstetrical brachial plexus injury (Erb's Palsy) who had been under the care of several medical pediatricians without resolution. The condition showed complete resolution under chiropractic care without any complications or residual impairments. (6)

Attention deficit disorder - A 12-year-old boy was diagnosed as ADD, with asthma and seizures. Positive personality change had been noted almost immediately at the beginning of spinal care and after 8 adjustments his parents had withdrawn all medication with the cooperation of their doctor. (7)

Chiropractic care increases bone density - Can chiropractic make your bones stronger? There was a recent study that looked at bone mineral density (BMD) in patients under chiropractic care for over a year. In a 34-month study, 33 patients, all over the age of 21, had their bone mineral density measured before care and after 1, 6, and 12 months of care. After 12 months of care, "Significant positive changes in BMD were noted in the majority of cases," including 3 cases that started with low BMD moving to the normal range.(8)

Humor does heal - A pilot study of 24 patients suggests that treating patients after a heart attack with laughter may reduce the risk of further heart problems. All were treated with standard medical care and cardiac rehabilitation. Half also watched a humorous video of their choice for 30 minutes each day. After one year, the humor-treated patients had less arrhythmias, lower blood pressure, and lower levels of stress hormones, plus they required lower doses of medication and less nitroglycerine. Only 2 had a recurrent heart attack, compared with 50% in the non-humor group. (9)

Thank you for reading. Please let us know what you think of our newsletter. Remember to come into the office for your checkup to correct misaligned joints (feet, knees, fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, spine, TMJ, etc.) & prevent further damage. Plus everyone with stress needs a spinal checkup, so bring your friends and loved ones - they get a 50% discount when coming in with you & pay cash!!

References
1. Written statement by Tom Buckley Consultant Intensivist, Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Prince of Wales Hospital Shatin, Hong Kong.
2. Stratiawire Health News Website http://www.stratiawire.com/article.asp?id=655.
3. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2001;135:262-268.
4. Cailliet R. Neck and Arm Pain. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Co. 1979:64.
5. Lord WM, Barnsley L, Wallis BJ, Bogduk N. Chronic Cervical Zygopophysial Joint Pain After Whiplash: A Placebo- Controlled Prevalence Study. Spine. 1996;21:1737-1745.
6. International Chiropractic Pediatric Association Newsletter. June 1993.
7. Hyman CA. Chiropractic adjustments and congenital torticollis with facial asymmetry: a case study. ICA Review. September/October 1996;41-45.
8. Webster L. First report on ADD study. Int'l Chiropractic Pediatric Association Newsletter. Jan. 1994.
9. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research. September, 2002.

Update - Dr Burdi & wife, Sherree', traveled to Reno to attend the Winter '03 California Chiropractic Association (CCA) Convention for licensing seminars and fun. While there the Political Action Committee (PAC) had a bidding contest. Drs Burdi and Stanfield joined together to out-bid participants for an authentic Super Bowl XXXVII football, autographed by Oakland Raiders' QB Rich Gannon and winner, Tampa Bay Buccaneers' QB Brad Johnson. Come by the office before June 13th after which Dr Burdi will be sending the encased football to Dr Stanfield's office for 6 months.