Drugs Kill More Than Auto Accidents

The following is from Dr. Gerry Clum, former president of my alma mater, Life Chiropractic College West.

"We are not talking about crack cocaine, meth and heroin here, we are talking about the stuff giant corporations hold the patents on. According to the LA Times quoting the Centers for Disease Control, in 2009, prescription drugs exceeded MVA as a cause of death killing at least 37,485 people. While almost all other areas of preventable death are declining, drug related deaths have increased to a rate of one every 14 minutes in the United States. That is double what it was a decade ago. The main culprit is thought to be prescription narcotic overdoses-Vicodin, Darvocet, Oxycontin and all their brothers and sisters. A new addition to the pain killer killing list is Fentanyl provided in patch of lollipop form and packing a power level 100 times greater than morphine. Linda Rosenstock of UCLA's School of Public Health was quoted as saying the liberalized prescription of pain drugs "may in fact be the cause of the epidemic we're now facing".

Drug deaths among teens and young adults doubled between 2000 and 2008. The rise is deaths parallels medical doctors prescribing more painkillers and anti-anxiety meds. Remember the old days when you thought about someone strung out on heroin willing to do anything for their next fix, well the cost of Oxys or Vikes on the street for a heavy user is about double that of a heroin addict. By the way, lest you think this is an LA thing hydrocodone is the most widely prescribed drug in America.

Some steps that have been proposed to deal with the problem will amaze you. How about a police coordinated drug buy-back program similar to the gun buy-back programs in many cities. Better yet, and this is a quote from the LA Times "Another initiative would develop voluntary courses to train physicians on how to safely prescribe pain drugs, a curriculum that is not widely taught in medical schools". Huh? I kinda thought that was a big part of their education and training, if not and medics have made hydrocodone the #1 prescribed drug here in America not knowing how to safely prescribe them it is no wonder things aren't way worse than they are.

After almost 40 years as a chiropractor I am thrilled to say we haven't contributed the first script to this problem. I hope and pray my son and daughter who are chiropractors will be able to say that is true when they hit the 40 year mark."

Thanks for your insights Dr. Clum.

My closing comment on this issue: And there are people in the medical profession who claim chiropractic adjustments should be banned because they are dangerous.

Expert Troubles

Dr. Ruzycki, one of my associates, sent me a link to the CBC's commentary on the documentary, "The Trouble with Experts"  This seemed like a good article for me to read considering we call ourselves "The Experts on Chiropractic Care".  We write an article each month in Medicine Hat's Ask the Experts publication.  So what do I think about experts?

Experts should generally be people who through a combination of training and experience have become masters in their field.  This background should provide them with knowledge that the average person simple does not possess.  As a result their insights and opinions can be very useful to help those with a more limited background.  So in theory seeking expert advice should be beneficial.

The are two problems with experts.  The first is when we rely on on expert advise without doing our own thinking.  Everyone seeking information still needs to evaluate the accuracy and value of that information.  And remember it is just information.  It needs to withstand scrutiny when compared to other reliable sources.  One expert's opinion should not be taken as the sole source of truth.  Over time some experts may become more valid than others, but they are still human and prone to errors in judgement.

The second issue is that in our information age, many people hold themselves up to be experts who really are not.  Just because someone calls themselves an expert, doesn't necessarily mean they have the combination of training and experience to have mastered their field.  How often have we seen those who have failed in their endeavours suddenly become commentators?  Kind of like the old adage, "Those who can't do, teach".

As we call ourselves "The Experts on Chiropractic Care" I truly hope we have the necessary background to provide valuable information on chiropractic and health.  But we also hope our readers will take what we say and use it to stimulate their own thought and investigative processes.

Now I'm wondering if Dr. Ruzycki had something deeper in mind when she set me that link.

Safety Pin Cycle

The simplest explanations are often the ones that really make an impact on people.  This was brought home to me at a recent seminar attended by our staff.  Although they work in a chiropractic office and understand what we do as chiropractors, how chiropractic works really clicked with them when one of the speakers discribed the "Safety Pin Cycle".  Perhaps this analogy will also help you understand chiropractic better.

When the body is functioning properly the brain is communicating with every cell, tissue and organ in the body.  Every cell, tissue and organ is also in direct communication with the brain.  Both paths are uninterupted; just like a closed safety pin.

Problems arise when there is a disruption of either of the paths of communication.  The safety pin is open.  The body enters a a state of dis-ease where it no longer functions optimally.  Over time dis-ease produces disease and ill health. 

The most common place for nerve interference to occur is where nerves exit the spine to go to all areas of the body.  This happens when the spinal bones lose their normal motion and position.  The term for this occurrence is a vertebral subluxation.  Correcting vertebral subluxations to restore normal nerve function is what chiropractors do.   We are closing the open safety pin.

It's Not About What the Scale Says

A top health news story back in August was from the University of Alberta which revealed that many obese people are actually healthier than a good portion of people who have normal weight.  This information was widely published, but if you missed it click here for a link to the Edmonton Journal's report.

For someone who has worked with patients of all body types and sizes for many years, these findings are not surprising.  I've had and continue to have many patients with high body mass indexes who are very healthy people.  They eat well, exercise, and have a good outlook on life.  They have good immune systems and are able to enjoy life as much as anyone else.

I also have patients with normal BMIs who do not enjoy such health.  In some cases their health problems can be directly attributed to the methods they use to keep their weight down.  Often they are victims of yo-yo diets or diets with pour nutritional content.  Some people smoke just to keep their weight in check.  Others punish their bodies with harmful levels of exercise.  The scale may indicate they are healthy, but they are not.

In a society where thin and uberthin are worshiped, carrying extra weight has a real stigma.  But from a health standpoint, it's not about what the scale says, it's about how well the body functions.  Healthy people are able to do the things in life they need and want to do.  Health is not the absence of symptoms or disease.  Lead a healthy lifestyle and let the scale take care of itself.

Quack, Quack

Growing up I remember my older brother referring to the local chiropractor as the "Town Quack".  The term quack can be defined as someone who fraudulently pretends to have a medical skill.  This has often been used to describe chiropractors.  Chiropractors did not pretend to be medical doctors or possess the same skills as a medical doctor, rather we have developed our own particular skill set.  Chiropractors were seen as being unscientific and the chiropractic approach was labelled unorthodox.  Even though countless people were helped with chiropractic care, chiropractic was ridiculed and chiropractors labelled as quacks.

There has been a significant shift in attitudes in the past two decades as science has caught up to what chiropractors have observed clinically for a long time.  Independent researchers and policy makers are acknowledging the benefits of the unique chiropractic approach.  For the great majority of patients with both acute and chronic low back pain, neck pain, and cervicogenic headaches spinal manipulation (chiropractic adjustments) is recommended by authoritative groups who establish treatment guidelines in both Europe and North America.  These include the UK Evidence Report (2010), Joint Clinical Practice Guidelines from the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society (2007), European Back Pain Guidelines (2004), Bone and Joint Decade Neck Pain Task Force (2006), and Evidence-Based Practice Center at Duke University (2001).  As recently as May of this year the British Medical Journal was arguing that primary care for patients with back pain and musculoskeletal problems should be transferred from general practitioners to chiropractors, osteopaths, and physiotherapists.

The reason for the wide acceptance of the chiropractic approach is that there is now a great abundance of research showing that chiropractic adjustments are amongst the most effective treatments available for neck pain, back pain, cervicogenic headaches, and other musculoskeletal conditions.  More of what we do as chiropractors is validated every year.   More of what we do still needs to proven.  But just because something is not scientifically validated doesn't mean it should be discontinued.

Even as chiropractic struggles to prove itself, much of what we consider to be scientifically accepted medical procedures actually remain unproven.  The Office of Technology Assessment, a branch of the United States Congress, with the help of an advisory board of eminent university faculty, has published a report with the conclusion that, " . . . only 10 to 20 percent of all procedures currently used in medical practice have been shown to be efficacious by controlled trial."  The British Medical Journal puts give the figure 15%. Therefore, 80% to 90% of medical procedures routinely performed are unproven.  Should all these procedures be discontinued until they are scientifically validated?  Probably not and neither should chiropractic procedures.  The very nature of scientific analysis and the vagaries of the human body may mean some very effective procedures may never be scientifically validated.

Only rabid sensationalist continue to call chiropractors quacks.  The term still doesn't apply because we are not medical doctors and we don't pretend to do medical procedures.  We practice chiropractic; a scientifically validated branch of the healing arts.

Vitamin D

It is darker in the mornings when I go to work.  As a matter of fact I would say it is like nighttime.  The fall equinox has passed and the hours of sunshine we get in our northerly location are significantly diminished.  The shortened days combined with the low angle of the sun results in very little natural Vitamin D production.  As sunlight strikes the skin chemical reactions occur and the body produces Vitamin D.  Canadians are very prone to being Vitamin D deficient.

Vitamin D is stored in the body so getting out in the summer sun helps to build up levels.  However skin cancer fears are keeping many people from going into the sun and when they do they cover up as much skin as possible.  Lack of exposure to the sun has been compounded in recent years by extensive use of sunscreens as well.  The UV rays that are blocked by sunscreens are the very ones necessary to stimulate Vitamin D production in the skin.
 
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that is used in many body functions.  Deficiency is associated with bone diseases such as rickets, osteomalacia, and osteoporosis, as well as certain cancers, suppressed immune systems, tuberculosis, cardiovascular disease, juvenile diabetes, Alzheimer's, rheumatoid arthritis, depression, and premature aging.  That's a pretty significant list of problems in which Vitamin D deficiency can play a large roll even though it may not be the cause.

Vitamin D can be found in small amounts in fatty fish (catfish, mackerel, salmon, sardines, eel), beef liver, whole eggs, fish oils, and UV irradiated mushrooms (the only vegan source).  While most tanning beds produce only UVA rays, certain beds also produce the UVB rays which stimulate Vitamin D production.  For most Canadians the best option to get enough Vitamin D is to take supplements.  These are relatively inexpensive and widely available.  Supplements should be taken with fatty food or taken in a form where it is dissolved in fat.

The amount of recommended Vitamin D we should supplement with has changed significantly in the past few years as we've learned more about this nutrient.  Governments still recommend a minimum of 600 iu/day.  This may prevent overt deficiency, but for us Canadians it will be inadequate to keep us healthy.  The latest studies indicate that most of us should be taking approximately 4000 iu/day for adults and 2500 iu/day for those below age 8.  Many of us are so deficient that dosages in the 20,000 - 50,000 range may be needed to build our levels back up.  Your medical doctor can order a simple blood test that will give you your Vitamin D status and help you to monitor your supplementation.

Maybe we cannot get enough sunshine this time of year, but we can take Vitamin D supplements to help maintain our health.

Team Chiropractic

Just over a week ago the chiropractic assistants and doctors from our office attended Parker Seminars (affiliated with Parker University, Dallas, Texas) in Vancouver, B.C.  There were great continuing education classes with subjects including: pediatrics, heart rate variability, brain bits, posture and balance.  The sessions we found the most exciting however, were the ones that focused on team building and effectively communicating chiropractic.  As we met for meals and shared what we learned, our vision for helping the people of Medicine Hat and area intensified.  All the way from Vancouver to Medicine Hat we talked about how to improve our office and improve the benefits our patients receive from their visits to our office.

Our office is really a team effort.  Anyone who has been to our office and observed our chiropractic assistants at work, knows what a great team they are.  They are truly committed to seeing our patients get the best service possible.  From the very first phone call to routine office visits, they work dilligently to ensure that every patient is treated in a professional manner.  They understand the various needs patients have and work hard to see that those needs are met.

As chiropractors we work as a team also.  Patients can see any of the doctors they prefer.  If a particular chiropractor is unavailable at the time a patient wants, one of the other doctors will be pleased to help the patient.  During times when a doctor is on holidays, patient care can be uninterrupted as the remaining doctors eagerly step in to provide needed treatments.  Patient records are available so the patient receives the appropriate care.  As a team we also consult on difficult cases, so patients in our clinic can benefit from the combined wisdom of five doctors. 

Not only are the assistants a team and the doctors a team but together we form an even bigger team.  Our aim to provide the best possible chiropractic care to the people of our community and surrounding area.  Our patients deserve the best and our team endeavors to give them the best we have.  During our time away we learned some great things which will help us to help our patients better.

I count it a privilege to part of such a great team.