Bad Research, Bad Bad Research!

The Wall Street Journal reported that a prominent Massachusetts anesthesiologist fabricated 21 medical studies that claimed to show benefits from painkillers like Vioxx and Celebrex, according to the hospital where he worked. http://tinyurl.com/badresearch .  This brings to light the problem with research that is funded by drug companies.

I remember many years back hearing one of my mentors, Dr. Patrick Gentempo talking about a research study stating that there is an overwhelmingly higher incidence of a positive outcome for a research project when it is funded by a pharmaceutical company (BMJ. 2003;326:1167-1170).  One report, a review of 30 studies, based on a MEDLINE search from January 1966 to December 2002 and an EMBASE search from January 1980 to December 2002, found that trials sponsored by a pharmaceutical company were four times more likely to show positive results for that company's drug than were studies funded by other supporters. This report was published in 2002 and evidently did little to curb the problem.

One of the biggest complaints M.D.s have with regard to Chiropractic is "Where is the research?"    Check out the list of peer-reviewed journals  http://www.chiroindex.org/publications_peer.php .  I guess the research done to condone the drugging of our society is not all that solid itself!  Bad research, bad bad research!

Chiropractic Cuts Blood Pressure says WebMD!

The above headline comes from a March 16, 2007 article on WebMD (http://tinyurl.com/chirpbp). The article is based on a study done at the Hypertension Center at the University of Chicago Medical Center and published in the March 2, 2007 issue of the Journal of Human Hypertension.

In this study, 50 patients with hypertension were divided into two groups of 25 each. One group of 25 received a specific light force chiropractic adjustment (administered by a chiropractor) to the Atlas vertebrae (uppermost bone in the neck). The other group of 25 received a similar procedure but with no adjustment being given. Researchers called this procedure the "sham adjustment". Since the type of adjustment given was very light force, the patients involved in this study did not know if they were receiving the real or sham adjustments.

The results were surprising to even the medical researchers conducting the study. After 8 weeks of care the 25 people in the group receiving the real chiropractic adjustments all showed a significant reduction in blood pressure compared to the group that received the sham adjustment. Those patients who got the real adjustment showed an average of 14 mm Hg greater drop in systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure count), and an average of 8 mm Hg greater drop in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom blood pressure number) over those who got the fake or sham adjustment.

In his interview with WebMD, study leader George Bakris, MD commented, "This procedure has the effect of not one, but two blood-pressure medications given in combination. And it seems to be adverse-event free. We saw no side effects and no problems."

When they first analyzed the data, Dr. Bakris and his statistician had trouble believing the data. He noted, "When the statistician brought me the data, I actually didn't believe it. It was way too good to be true. The statistician said, 'I don't even believe it.' But we checked for everything, and there it was."

X-rays were used to confirm that the chiropractic adjustments actually changed the position of the Atlas vertebrae. Dr. Marshall Dickholtz was the chiropractor who performed the specific adjustments and commented in WebMD, "At the base of the brain are two centers that control all the muscles of the body. If you pinch the base of the brain -- if the Atlas gets locked in a position as little as a half a millimeter out of line -- it doesn't cause any pain but it upsets these centers."

Even with the overwhelming results, the authors of the study were cautious in their conclusions and posed several questions. They commented, "The mechanism as to why this improvement in blood pressure occurs is unknown and cannot be determined by this study”. They continued, “The data presented, however, raise a number of important questions including: a) How does misalignment of C1 affect hypertension?; and b) If there is a cause and effect relationship between C1 misalignment and hypertension, is malposition of C1 an additional risk factor for the development of hypertension?"

When Pigs Fly Flu

Enjoy my guest article by Dr. Harte.  He says it better than I could.

WHEN PIGS FLY FLU by Don Harte, D.C.

The nation... the world... is on alert. A super zoonotic infection may be on the march. (A zoonotic infection is one that crosses from animal to human.) In this case, the latest flu outbreak is apparently part human, part pig, part bird... hence, "When Pigs Fly Flu." I doubt the CDC will come up with a better name. They surely will not dub it the Mexican Flu, since that would be so un-PC. For the same reason, they will not close the border, though common sense public health standards demand such. If and when this gets out of hand, you will know whom to blame. Ah, when science and politics mix, stupidity almost always arises.

So, what's the deal here? Might we have a catastrophic epidemic, what is known as a pandemic? Yes. Why do I say that? Three reasons. (1) This is very much out of flu season. (2) Many of the dead were young adults, unlike the usual targets of the very young and the very old. (3) Time of the appearance of the disease and death were short. (The Mexican archeologist who gave President Obama a tour was dead from this flu, so it is sometimes reported, the day after.) All three characteristics appeared in the Flu Pandemic of 1918. Certainly gives me pause...

But then, nothing might happen. Let's go back to the Swine Flu of 1976. Government health authorities spread panic, rushed a vaccine to production, which lead to 517 cases of paralysis and other very serious problems, and 23 cases of death, from Guillane-Barre Syndrome. Yes, all this was from the flu vaccine, not the flu. What was the actual toll of the swine flu of 1976 itself? 13 actual cases of the flu, one death. So, mortality-wise, the flu vaccine was 23 times more deadly than the flu itself. (You still trust these people???)

What does this mean? I urge you to think before you line up for the flu vaccine now, which is NOT the same strain as the current flu. (It almost never is.) DO NOT consider it a wise precaution. Besides have little to no preventive value, the substances in the flu vaccine carry substantial health risk. Despite what the "talking heads" of the media and the government may have to say, there will be virtually no benefit, and substantial risk getting this vaccine.

What about when they have the new vaccine ready in a few months? Remember the 1976 disaster. What will you do if you wake up paralyzed? Should you question to alleged experts? You betcha! Keep in mind the vast amounts of money that the pharmaceutical industry is destined to make on this. We are talking BILLIONS. You can be sure that they are leaning on all of their government contacts to make sure that everything (your tax dollars) is in place to enrich their coffers, despite the dangers, despite the lack of effectiveness.

So, what to do, to be prepared? Instead of following the "experts," like sheep, may I suggest that you THINK. Infection? Your defense is your immune system, which is run by your nervous system. My suggestions?
1. Get adjusted! If you are already under chiropractic care, make sure that you maintain your intensive care or your wellness schedule. Even a little extra, just to make sure, wouldn't hurt. Why? Again, your defense is your immune system, run by your nervous system. If you have interference, Vertebral Subluxation (most of the time, there is no pain), your immune system will be at a disadvantage in fighting what seems to be a totally novel virus. Vertebral Subluxation is corrected by chiropractic adjustment. There is no substitute. IF YOU ARE NOT YET UNDER CHIROPRACTIC CARE, call me now.
2. Eat well. Avoid junk food. Avoid excess sugar. Take supplements of Vitamins C and D.
3. Get some sun. (Good for Vitamin D activation.)
4. Get plenty of rest.
5. Have fun. Maintain a good mental attitude. Relax. Maybe meditate.
6. Exercise regularly. Yoga is good, too, but different.
7. Avoid crowds.
8. Make sure that you understand, and act on, #1.

If and when the When Pigs Fly Flu becomes dangerous? Do more of steps 1-8. That will surely be the critical time to get your family and all of your friends in here to get checked for Vertebral Subluxation. If you are not yet a practice member, get here as soon as you can. If it really hits the fan, there might not be any room here. WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT???

The Flu Pandemic of 1918. 25 to 40 million died. Here's the figures. In 1979, Walter Rhodes wrote that, during the Pandemic, medical doctors in Davenport, Iowa treated 93,590 patients, with 6,116 deaths, in other words, one out of 15 under medical care succumbed to the flu. At the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, 1,635 flu cases were adjusted, with only one fatality. Outside of Davenport, Iowa chiropractors adjusted 4,735 flu cases, with only six deaths - one out of 866. In 1919, Palmer College of Chiropractic published "The Flu and You." The ratio of flu cases cared for vs. deaths were as follows: Medical care: 1 out of 17 died. Osteopathic care: 1 out of 36 died. Chiropractic care: 1 out of 886!

Do the math. Outside of the BJ Palmer clinic, chiropractic care was 59 times more effective in saving lives than Medicine. Inside the Palmer Clinic, Chiropractic was 110 times as effective. No matter what preconceptions or prejudices you or someone else may have, what works... works. And, it makes sense. If you can't follow this, the time to come to my "Chiropractic: The Big Idea" class is now! It will all make perfect sense.

So, you can follow the so-called experts like sheep, or you can do what intelligent people do, use common sense, and learn from the lessons of history.

Grandpa John: Akron's Hercules!

I never knew my grandfather John Mallo. Grandpa John was the world weightlifting champ at the 1933 Worlds Fair in Chicago.  This is obviously where I get my petite frame! He was a legend in our family and his pictures are burned into my memory banks.  There are pictures of him lifting Model T's and one picture of him dead lifting 3 guys at one time.

Grandpa John hoped to represent the United States in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. His goal was to surpass the 827-pound record for three lifts in the 1932 Olympics.  He finally did it — 830 pounds — while training in April 1934.

Several days later, he began to notice severe pain in his abdomen. At first, he didn't tell anyone, but then the throbbing became too much. He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed acute appendicitis and performed surgery.

Then he developed peritonitis, an infection of the abdominal cavity.  That infection quickly took his life.  Penicillin, which might have cured him in later years, was still an experimental drug.

Why am I writing about this now?  Well April 15 is the 75th anniversary of his death and he is featured today in the Akron Beacon Journal article (http://tinyurl.com/jmallo).

Us chiropractors get a bad rap as being anti-medicine/anti-drug.  This is a prime example where an antibiotic would have saved his life.  There is no arguing that at the appropriate times, drugs and medicine have their place.  I have had peritonitis myself and know that my healthy body in conjunction with antibiotics saved my life.

My beef is that for many, drugs become the first line of defense against problems.  Have some acid in your stomach?  Ohhh, that is bad!  Take this pill that will get rid of that nasty acid.  Bad, bad Acid!  No one tells people that you need the acid to digest your food and without it, secondary digestion and absorption problems occur. By the way, ACID IS NORMAL in the stomach! How about looking at the nerves that go to the upper GI tract?  We chiropractors help lots of people with these problems by removing the interference and allowing the body to heal and work right.

The next time you are taking a drug think of my Grandpa John.  Is this a situation severe enough to warrant it's use? According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 1998, a report finds that prescription drugs kill about 106,000 Americans each year – that’s three times as many as are killed by automobiles—making prescription drug death the fourth leading killer after heart disease, cancer and stroke.

Be careful and be aware there are other options, that is all I am saying!

What are the 5 Critical Steps to Wellness??

1.  Remove Nerve Interference

2.  Supply Nutritional Sufficiency

3.  Reduce Stress

4.  Exercise is a Nutrient

5.  Remove Toxicity

Removing nerve interference is the my unique position in the wellness landscape.  Not that they are not important, yet there are a million books talking about steps 2-5.

My position on this is simple:  You can not have WELLNESS without Chiropractic.

1.  The body is a self-healing, self-regulating organism.

2.  The nervous system is the master controller of all the functions of the body.

3.  Interference in the nervous system causes interference with the body's ability to heal itself (immune system) and function properly.

4.  Chiropractors remove the interference.

Simple yet powerful!!

Don't Settle for the Crumbs

I am embarking on the hiring process once again at my clinic and that forces me to revisit a practice that has worked so well in my person as well as my professional life.  I will be writing my IDEAL new patient advocate list.  What does that mean?  Well if there are no rules and I couldn't fail, what would my perfect employee look like?  I know that from past experience I work best with organized, on time, detail-oriented, self motivated people.  I also like the people I work with to be funny since having fun is part of the vision I have for my life.  I know if I don't tell the world what I want, I will be settling for the crumbs.

What would your life look like if there were no rules and you couldn't fail?  What would your health look like?  What would your relationships look like?  I want it all!  The first thing I realized is that to have it all I need to know what that would look like.  I have been writing goals since 1999.  I can't tell you how many times I have written my yearly goals and never looked at them again until next year.  When I do revisit them, invariably 80% of what is on there I have accomplished!

Tell the Universe what you want.  Dream BIG!  You deserve it.

5 Critical Steps to Wellness! Come & enjoy an interactive workshop w/ Dr. Maj, author of the new book "You Can Be Well!" http://tinyurl.com/deq3cd

Dr. Oz is missing the Big Idea!

How does the body function?  What makes it run?  What is the one system that when not working right has the most detrimental affect on our overall health and our quality of life?  What is the Master Controller of our whole body?  In this country, most would probably say the heart and the blood.  I agree that system is important and the most fussed over with regard to medical doctors.  Blood pressure, cholesterol, lipids, blood sugar and all the other indicators that tell an MD  you are functioning properly.  The main goal of medicine is symptom reduction and if these levels are normal (even under pharmaceutical control) then you are well.  I am here to tell you MD's are missing the big picture on this one with regard to achieving wellness.

The Master Controller of the whole body is the nervous system. Without addressing the health of the nervous system, there can be no wellness!  One day I realized that unless you were in my office, you were not getting my take on wellness.  I see others out there speaking and writing about wellness and what it means and I truly believe that you cannot have wellness without addressing the interference in the nerve system that Chiropractic corrects.  The reason this is so important is that your body is a self-healing organism and the nerve system is what controls that healing.  When there is interference in the nerves, there is interference in your body's ability to heal properly or fight disease (like cancers and viruses).  Chiropractic removes interference in the nerves so your body's own natural defense systems can be restored.

Research shows that when you have interference in the nerve's function at the spinal level, this leads to a cascade of harmful results.  Some of those results include:  Decreased immunity, increased blood pressure, increased cholesterol, increased triglycerides, insulin resistance (pre-diabetes), increased stress hormones, decreased sense of well being and decreased in complex learning abilities.  Yes, RESEARCH has shown this!  See the work of a Chiropractor/Physiologist by the name of James L. Chestnut B.Ed., M.Sc., DC., C.C.W.P.  He has done an amazing job of compiling this information from hard core medical journals.

The Big Idea is that if there is a removal of that nerve interference (The Chiropractic Adjustment), then you can restore normal function to your body.  When normal function is restored the body can literally heal itself.  Who is doing the healing, the band aid or YOU?!  All the problems drugs are supposed to control are the effect, the cause can be stress on the nervous system!

I am not so simple to think that you can have Chiropractic adjustments that remove your nerve interference and that is all you need to do to be well.  I address other steps in my lecture series entitled "The 5 Critical Steps to Wellness."  The other steps you have heard about from countless authors:  Nutritional Sufficiency, Removing Toxicity, Moving Well and Combating Stress.

When was the last time you had your nerves checked? The most common answer to that is most likely NEVER!  Make an appointment today with a Wellness Chiropractor near you. You Can Be well too!

Come hear my lecture: You Can Be Well!: The 5 Critical Steps to Wellness.   Tonight, March 30th @ 7 PM, Chicago Public Library, Melrose & Paulina.

Mark your calendar:  You Can Be Well!:  The 5 Critical Steps to Wellness.  Thursday, April 9th @ 7 PM, Flourish Studios,  3020 N. Lincoln Ave.