Seaman Contributes to New CP Nutrition Column
Chiropractic Products welcomes David R. Seaman, DC, as its new nutrition columnist and Editorial Advisory Board member.

Seaman was born and raised in New Jersey and attended New York Chiropractic College when it was located in Old Brookville, NY. He pursued his master’s degree in nutrition at the University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, Conn, and his postdoctorate degree in neurology at Logan College of Chiropractic, Chesterfield, Mo. He is a diplomate in both neurology and nutrition.

Seaman is currently a faculty member at Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida, Port Orange, Fla. He also serves as the vice president for the Motion Palpation Institute, an organization started by L. John Faye, DC, and is working on a chapter with Faye to update the subluxation complex model. Seaman is a postgraduate faculty member at the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic, Bridgeport, Conn; New York College of Chiropractic, Seneca Falls, NY; and Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport, Iowa; and National College of Chiropractic, Lombard, Ill.

According to Seaman, the most gratifying aspect of his career in chiropractic is knowing that patients have benefited by his seminars and the nutrition articles that he has written.

“Doctors regularly contact me regarding their success stories with patients,” Seaman says. “Conditions such as chronic back pain, headaches, rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer, dermatomyositis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia have been helped by what I call my dietary and supplement protocols.”

As a contributor to his column “Nutrition Niche” and board member for Chiropractic Products, Seaman will contribute articles, technical expertise and advice, and editorial direction to the magazine. Additionally, he will provide up-to-date information about nutrition that applies to chiropractic.

“Subluxation is caused, in part, by inflammation,” says Seaman. “So reducing inflammation can help to reduce subluxation, and appropriate nutrition measures are known to reduce subluxation, which I call a nutritional adjustment.”

“I am happy to be a part of Chiropractic Products and hope to provide many articles that assist chiropractors,” Seaman says. CP

Sherman College Implements Referral Benefits
Introduced at Lyceum 2003, the My Scholarship program from Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic rewards chiropractors and friends of the college who refer aspiring chiropractors to Sherman College by establishing funds in their names.

Referrers will earn $1,000 scholarship credit for each student referred upon the enrollment of that student at Sherman College. Once the scholarship fund reaches $5,000, referrers can award the scholarship—in whole or in part—to students of their choice. Each time referrers build their funds to $5,000, they can award additional scholarships to new Sherman College students.

“The My Scholarship program is our way of showing appreciation for the extraordinary support our referrers provide to Sherman College,” says Susan Newlin, vice president for planning, assessment, and enrollment services. “Chiropractors and friends of the college can leave a legacy by creating scholarships in their name for future chiropractors.” CP

24 Hour Fitness Joins Fitness Club Benefit Program
Under an agreement with American Specialty Health Inc, 24 Hour Fitness, San Ramon, Calif, will be adding 286 clubs in 15 states to American Specialty Health Inc’s fitness club benefit program.

“Exercise is instrumental to preventing chronic diseases, promoting healthier lifestyles, and potentially living longer,” says Kevin Steele, vice president of 24 Hour Fitness. “It’s exciting to be part of a ground-breaking fitness club benefit. The agreement with American Specialty Health opens new doors for people who wish to take a proactive role in managing their health and wellness.”

American Specialty Health launched the fitness club benefit in 2002 to provide an integrated approach to better health. PacificCare became the first health plan to introduce this fitness club benefit through its Healthy Renewal Pass program last fall. In addition to offering fitness clubs, Healthy Renewal Pass includes chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage therapy, as well as health education programs, such as nutrition, exercise, weight management, disease prevention, and smoking cessation.

In 2003, the International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) named American Specialty Health as the first IHRSA Model Fitness Benefit Program. This designation distinguishes health plans and/or insurance carriers that meet specific criteria in offering benefit plans for fitness clubs memberships. Requirements include giving members access to a basic range of services, including cardiovascular equipment, resistance or strength equipment, instructor-led classes, and locker rooms. CP

McCoy Serves as Chiropractic Liaison to IOM Committee
The Board on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) invited Matthew McCoy, DC, editor of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (JVSR), to serve on a committee that will be researching the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by the American public.

According to JVSR, the committee will explore scientific, policy, and practice questions that arise from the significant and increasing use of CAM therapies. Specific committee duties include describing the use of CAM therapies by the American public, the populations that use them, and how they are provided.

Additionally, the committee will develop conceptual models, or frameworks, to guide public and private sector decision-making, as research and practice communities confront the challenges of conducting research on CAM. Translating research findings into practice and addressing the distinct policy and practice barriers are also on the agenda.

The committee is seeking guidance from CAM providers, researchers, educators, and policy-makers on issues involving methodological difficulties in conducting CAM research, the shortage of skilled CAM researchers, and the shortage of integrated research environments to study CAM.

James F. Winterstein, DC, and Martha S. O’Connor will also represent the chiropractic profession on the committee. CP

ACA Analyzes the Asthma Epidemic
A recent series of articles in the Journal of the American Chiropractic Association studied the cause of the rising asthma epidemic in the United States. Researchers do not know why cases of asthma are increasing at such an alarming rate; however, they hypothesize that a combination of genetics and nonheredity factors—such as increased environmental exposure to potential allergens—affects the increase in asthma cases.

“Thirty years ago, Windex was the only cleaning solvent used by a few people,” says Scott Bautch, past president of the ACA’s Council on Occupational Health. “Now, we have a special cleaning solvent for every object. In addition, furniture and carpets are produced with formaldehyde as a preservative, and people breathe it.”

According to William E. Walsh, MD, FACC, modern house designs also increase the risks of asthma.

“Fifty years ago, we lived in old, drafty houses, and the breeze dried and freshened the air, and cleared out mold and other allergens,” Walsh says. “Nowadays, our superinsulated houses don’t breathe adequately. Making basements into a living space increases mold exposure because mold grows in any basement.”

Researchers also hypothesize that an increase in vaccinations, preservatives in food, cesarean births, and antibiotic intake also lead to increased asthma symptoms. Other causes may be stress and emotional expressions, including fear, anger, frustration, hard crying, or laughing. Patients who suffer from asthma can reduce stress and improve their quality of life through biofeedback, meditation, yoga, and stress management, as well as massage, chiropractic manipulation, breathing exercises, and acupuncture.

“Chiropractors can give a full-scale evaluation to asthma patients; assess their physical and neurological status, their lifestyle, diet, and stressors; help patients increase motor coordination; and improve the work of respiratory and gut muscles,” says Gail Henry, DC. “Chiropractors can be a great addition to the health care team treating the patient.”

Asthma experts offer the following tips and facts for asthma patients:

1. Use air filters to help clean air in the home.
2. Cover mattresses and pillows with dust covers, and use hypoallergenic bed clothing to reduce exposure to dust mites.
3. Get checked for viral respiratory infections and different medical conditions, such as the flu, rhinitis, sinusitis, and gastroesophageal reflux for improvement of asthma symptoms. Endocrine factors such as menstruation, pregnancy, and thyroid disease may increase asthma.
4. Medications such as aspirin; beta-blockers, including eyedrops; and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can also precipitate or aggravate asthma symptoms.
5. Asthma can be exercise-induced, so an individually prescribed exercise program, which is chosen under the guidance of a primary health care provider or chiropractor, should be incorporated into the treatment plan.
6. Avoid sulfites or monosodium glutamate in foods.
7. Choose a more vegetarian-type diet—animal proteins found in meat include arachidonic acid, which is a precursor for inflammation.
8. Include foods with omega-3 fatty acids in the diet, such as fish or fish oil.
9. Take vitamin C to help reduce allergic reactions and wheezing symptoms.
10. Spend quality time with children, and limit their exposure to television programs to decrease their stress levels. CP

Funding Requested for Wellness-Based Research
Aiming to develop a gold standard for wellness-based health care, the Council on Chiropractic Practice, Life University, Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic, and Florida Atlantic University are working together to gain funding for a research project.

Support for the project is requested in the FY 2004 Labor-HHS-Education spending bill. According to the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (JVSR), the House has approved the bill on the House floor, while the Senate needs to bring their version to the floor.

The focus of the project will be on the enhancement of health, as opposed to the treatment or prevention of disease. The proposed project would enable researchers to develop the infrastructure for a 5-year program involving a large, practice- and institution-based evaluation of the general health and wellness benefits of vertebral subluxation–centered chiropractic. The practice-based design will allow the collection of a large statistical sample to control for sociodemographics, prior existing conditions, and cotreatments using standardized, patient-centered, health/wellness questionnaires to examine cross-cultural health beliefs and behaviors.

JVSR reports that the potential benefits of the research include reduced medical costs, improved productivity, and the development of effective techniques for coping with stress. Researchers will implement the projects at several major US research institutions. CP

New Chiropractic Clinics Open Through Franchise
Chiropractic USA Inc, a subsidiary of Banyan Corp, opened its first franchised clinics by converting various chiropractic clinics in California, Hawaii, Michigan, Louisiana, and Florida into Chiropractic USA franchised clinics.

“The opening of these clinics represents annual system-wide revenues in excess of $6 million, and this is just the beginning,” says Michael Gelmon, CEO of Banyan Corp. “We are also in the final stages of negotiations with area representatives in eight other states. The quality of our area representatives is second to none. With the franchised clinics operational, our royalty income stream is now online. These royalty revenues coupled with our corporate clinic revenues continue to strengthen our financial position.”

Working with Chiropractic USA are CJ Mertz, DC, of Team WLP and Dennis Nikitow, DC, of Certainty Products, as well as area representatives, including Bruce Wong, DC, of Hawaii; Robert Graykowski, DC, of California; Marc VanHoogstraat, DC, and Colleen Trombley, DC, of Michigan; and Renny Edelson, DC, of Florida. The development and franchise team also will work with Jeffrey Schacter, DC, clinical operations; Dana Puckett, marketing director; Mark Bailey, franchisee finance; Jeanine Graykowski, training; Alan Davis, project manager; James Gaetz, real estate; and Cary Neal, comptroller.

“We truly have a world-class team that will move principled chiropractic into the health care mainstream and consciousness of Americans,” says Cory Gelmon, president of Banyan Corp. CP