Media Continues Negative Coverage of Chiropractic
A recent news segment on WNBC-TV in New York City reported that chiropractic adjustments could increase a person’s chance of strokes. Citing a study in the journal, Neurology, which connected stroke victims to chiropractic treatments, the WNBC-TV report generated disapproving feedback from leading chiropractic associations due to the poor representation of chiropractic.

In his latest WNBC report, David Marks, MD, interviewed a medical physician and a chiropractor about the claims of the stroke study. Neurologist Mitchell Fink, MD, stated that rapid movements could cause clinicians to overshoot without noticing. Jeannette Anderson, DC, confirmed that chiropractors do not warn patients before adjustments are done because the risk of causing strokes is very low. Anderson stressed that chiropractors are aware of patients’ comprehensive health history before performing necessary procedures. Marks acknowledged that the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) described the Neurology study as flawed, however, chiropractic organizations believe that continued coverage of the negative stipulations against chiropractic decreases the journalistic credibility of the media. In a previous report on childhood ear infections, Marks reported that osteopathic manipulation was gentler than chiropractic manipulation, causing the chiropractic profession to disapprovingly speak out against the subjective claim.

The International Chiropractic Association (ICA) issued a letter to Frank Comerford, president and general manager of WNBC, asking “Why do the story at all?” The ICA expressed the concern of the chiropractic profession over the depiction of chiropractic procedures as dangerous, when numerous studies have shown otherwise.

“Americans have come to realize that many politicians are bought and paid for by the medical and pharmaceutical industries,” said Terry A. Rondberg, DC, president of the World Chiropractic Alliance. “They now need to recognize that the media also has strong financial incentives for its bias against nonmedical health care approaches.”

The ACA urged Marks to interview Scott Haldeman, DC, and Rand Swenson, DC, two well-known authorities on strokes and chiropractic, but Marks declined saying he had already complete interviews for his segment. The ACA was contacted by WCVB-TV in Boston, for information on strokes and chiropractic for a story in the works.

“If the media hopes to salvage any of its rapidly vanishing credibility, it should break its financial dependence on the pharmaceutical and medical industries and tell the truth about health and wellness,” said Rondberg. “There’s no price tag on credibility. Once its destroyed, all the drug ad revenue in the world won’t bring it back.” CP

Maggs Joins CP as Columnist and EAB Member
Timothy J. Maggs, DC, a specialist in sports chiropractic joins Chiropractic Products as the Orthotics Advisor and Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) member. As a columnist and EAB member, Maggs will contribute his knowledge and expertise in biomechanic and sports chiropractic to Chiropractic Products.

A graduate of National College of Chiropractic, Lombard, Ill, Maggs is active in the chiropractic profession. He is currently the host of a radio show, The Sports Medicine Hour, and a national lecturer on fitness and conditioning.

Maggs has developed numerous progroams, including the Maggs Muscle Management™ Program, The Structural Fingerprint™ Program, and the Pediatric Sports Program. He also developed www.RunningDr.com, a sports medicine Web site.

As an orthotics columnist and EAB member, Maggs will contribute articles, technical expertise and advice, and editorial direction to the magazine.

“As the author of more than 200 published articles, I hope to influence our profession to become more structurally concerned for patients, instead of having a symptomatic-only practice,” said Maggs. CP

Palmer Receives $2.3 Million Grant
The National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) recently awarded the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research (PCCR) a $2.3 million grant, forging a new relationship between complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) institutions and research universities.

The grant is a 3-year award that will help establish the Center for the Study of Mechanisms and Effects of Chiropractic Adjustments. Palmer’s research program secured the grant after a rigorous competitive grant application process.

“We’re very excited about these new awards,” said William Meeker, DC, MPH, Palmer vice president of research. “The grant is crucially important because they enhance the ability of the PCCR to move to the next level of research productivity. Each of our projects deals with an avenue of research that will shed light on the underlying mechanisms and the clinical utility of chiropractic care. The multidisciplinary nature of the projects will lead to a synergy that will cause even more definitive studies that will improve health care and benefit many more patients.”

Palmer’s research project is a collaborative, 3-year project with the University of Iowa, Iowa City; National University of Health Sciences, Lombard, Ill; Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan; and the State University of New York, Stony Brook.

The project consists of four inter-related research projects: effects of vertebral loading on facet joint capsule, examining manipulation with a spine fixation model, predicting patients’ response to spinal manipulation, and effect of vertebral loading on sympathetic nerve regulation.

By giving the PCCR this grant, the NCCAM aims to increase the level and quality of CAM research by assisting CAM institutions, researcher, and practitioners in conducting high-quality research; promote research expertise and infrastructure within the CAM community; and support enhanced communication and partnerships between CAM and conventional medical research institutions so that established researchers will gain the clinical and cultural perspectives needed to undertake CAM research.

“In forging alliances in which the perspectives of CAM practitioners and those of seasoned investigators are melded into robust research teams, we are pursuing our goal of a more integrated approach to medicine,” said Stephen E. Strauss, MD, NCCAM director. CP

Ultrasounds Diagnose Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Research presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando, Fla, showed that ultrasound may be an effective way to diagnose and evaluate patients who show symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

“I believe it is time to say farewell to nerve conduction studies for assessment of patients suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS),” said Yasser M.A. El Miedany, MD, lead researcher and associate professor of rheumatology and rehabilitation at Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

Traditionally, electromyography is used to detect CTS. The delay in nerve conduction across the carpal tunnel is assessed using electric stimuli, a procedure that is often painful, uncomfortable, and expensive. Whereas ultrasound uses sound waves to create images. To test the efficacy of ultrasound as a tool for diagnosing CTS, an ultrasound examination of the wrist was conducted on 78 patients with CTS and 78 individuals in a control group. Both groups completed self-administered questionnaires, and electromyography tests were conducted on the 78 patients.

Results showed that similar results assessing the degree of nerve damage or destruction were found in all three diagnostic measures, however, ultrasound was the only tool able to detect the exact cause of the symptoms, whether it was inflammation in the tendon sheath pressing on the nerve, an anatomical anomaly of the nerve, or nerve compression from another cause. Ultrasound also proved to be a more reliable method for following response to therapy for CTS treatment. CP

ACA Launches Grassroots Efforts for New Bill
A new bipartisan bill promoting the extension of chiropractic benefits to military retirees, dependents, and survivors is being promoted on Capitol Hill. The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) launched grassroots efforts to garner support.

The legislative proposal would bring chiropractic health parity between active military personnel and their families, as well as retirees through the TRICARE program. Rep Ed Schrock (R-Va) and Rep Lane Evan (D-Ill) promoted the bill to legislators in a “Dear Colleague” letter to build support among pro-chiropractic members of chiropractic.

“We already know that integrating chiropractic treatment into the US military health care system will save the nation lost manpower and money, and will enhance the quality of life for our nation’s active duty military personnel,” said Donald J. Krippendorf, DC, president of the ACA. “So it only makes sense to extend this vitally important benefit to retirees and the families of our nation’s military.”

As part of the grassroots efforts, the ACA is encouraging chiropractors to call their representatives in the House and urging them to join as original cosponsors of the legislation. CP

Chiropractic Proves to Aid Infertility
Two recent studies reported in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (JVSR) show positive effects of chiropractic care on infertility.

The first report illustrates how Gonstead chiropractic techniques helped a 27-year-old female athlete with a 5-year history of infertility. The patient sought chiropractic care after suffering from an unresolved injury after a marathon. In addition to infertility, initial chiropractic evaluations exposed a history of LBL, headaches, loss of balance, and tension. Evidence of vertebral subluxation, including dysautonomia and dysponesis, was detected at multiple levels. After 1 month of care, the patient demonstrated a noticeable reduction in dysautonomia and dysponesis. She was able to conceive and carry her pregnancy to term.

In another JVSR report, successful conception resulted after a patient received diversified and torque-release adjustments. The 31-year-old woman was taking Clominphine Citrate (clomid) for 3 months. Initial chiropractic evaluations showed increased aberrant autonomic and motor nervous system function. After 1 month of care, the patient seized taking clomid and by the 3rd month, she reported having normal menses for 2 months. By month 4, she experienced drug-free ovulation and after 9 months, she conceived.

Researchers of both studies suggest further examination of the efficacy of chiropractic and its relationship with infertility is needed. CP

Early Use of Antibiotics Proves Hazardous
According to a story in the Healthwatch Newsletter by the World Chiropractic Alliance, a study from the Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, showed that children who received antibiotics within the first 6 months of their life were more likely to develop asthma and allergies to pets, ragweed, grass, and dust mites by the age of 7. The study also found that the mother’s history of allergies adds to the risks of allergy for a child taking antibiotics if the child is breast-feeding.

For the study, believed to be the first to find a link between antibiotics, and allergies and asthma in children, researchers followed 448 children from birth to 7 years of age. Of the 448 children, 49% had received antibiotics in the first 6 months of life. Penicillin was the most common antibiotic category prescribed.

Data was collected before birth and at the first four birthdays until the children were 6 and 7 years old. The data included blood tests that measure the antibody that causes allergies, skin reaction tests that show whether a person is hypersensitive to an allergen, and information about all prescribed oral antibiotics. Data was also gathered on all clinical visits and researchers made home visits to collect environment samples.

Results showed that by age 7, children given at least one antibiotic in the first 6 months were 1.5 times more likely to develop allergies and 2.5 times more likely to develop asthma than those who did not receive antibiotics. Children, who lived with fewer than two pets, were 1.7 times more likely to develop allergies, and three times more likely to develop asthma. Children with mothers who had a history of allergies were nearly twice as likely to develop allergies.

The study was presented at the European Respiratory Society’s annual conference in Vienna by Christine Cole Johnson, PhD, and lead author of the study and senior research epidemiologist for Henry Ford’s Department of Biostatistics & Research Epidemiology.

“I believe we need to be more prudent in prescribing antibiotics for children at such an early age,” said Johnson. “In the past, many of them were prescribed unnecessarily, especially for viral infections like colds and the flu when they would have no effect anyway.”

Medical physicians have long been warned about indiscriminately giving antibiotics to patients, especially children, because of the creation of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. This study showed that other dangers present themselves when prescribing antibiotics to young patients. CP