Connecticut Family Chiropractic - The CFC Scoop

Volume 1 Issue 3 November 2003

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Kids With Earache Heal Better With Spinal Manipulation

A report in the September, 2003 issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine finds that children with earaches responded to a course of medical treatment better when spinal manipulation was included.

In the study, 57 children with recurrent ear infections were divided into two groups. One group received standard medical care and the other group received standard medical care and osteopathic spinal manipulation for six months.

The group that underwent spinal manipulation had fewer earaches, used fewer antibiotics and was less likely to need ear tubes than the group using medical care only.

Commentary: This article illustrates the fact that other professions are recognizing that spinal problems can and do interfere with body function and healing. While osteopathic spinal manipulation may correct some subluxations in the short-term, it involves the osteopath simply moving the small bones of the spine in a generalized, non-specific way until the patient’s symptoms disappear. This falls short of a long-term correction of the problem.

On the other hand, Chiropractic adjustments offer specific correction of analyzed spinal subluxations for the long-term in order to restore and maintain health and proper function. The results are a body that is more capable of healing itself and maintaining health.

Allergies And Asthma Linked To Antibiotic Use In Infants

On October 1, 2003, HealthDayNews highlighted research reported at a conference of the European Respiratory Society in Vienna, Austria finds that children who take antibiotics are more likely to develop Allergies and Asthma later in life.

In the study, researchers from the Henry Ford Health System in Michigan examined information from earlier research that followed 448 children from infancy to the age of 7. All the children had taken antibiotics for one reason or another and all had been tested for allergies.

By the age of 7, 38% of them developed allergies to pets, ragweed, grass and dust mites. 5% of them had asthma. Children who had taken antibiotics within the first six months of life were 1.5 times more likely to have developed allergies and 2.5 times more likely to develop asthma.

In the past few years, scientists have been coming to the conclusion that human immune systems are more likely to develop the way they are supposed to as long as they are exposed to germs during infancy.

It’s felt that antibiotic use in infants may help allergies develop by killing off the normal bacteria in the intestines that are important in proper immune system growth and function. As a result, there is a higher occurrence of allergies.

Acknowledging that the overuse of antibiotics has also been shown to lead to antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, Dr. Keoki Williams, researcher and clinical epidemiologist, concludes the findings of this study indicate “there’s potentially more than one reason to use antibiotics judiciously in young children.”

Flu Vaccine Does Not Protect Against Ear Infections

The September 24, 2003 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that the flu vaccine does not help prevent ear infections in children as many predicted it might. In fact, children in the study who were vaccinated actually had a slightly higher incidence of ear infections than those who were not.

786 children in the study were divided into two groups and followed through two flu seasons. One group received two doses of the flu vaccine and the other group received a placebo.

During the first flu season, 30% of the non-vaccinated group had at least one ear infection. 31% of the vaccinated group experienced an ear infection. According to the authors, the rates of ear infections were similar for the second flu season.

Medical Complications Cause 32,000 Deaths, Cost $9 Billion A Year

On October 7, 2003, a combined study by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and Johns Hopkins University reported that medical complications cause more than 30,000 deaths and add billions of dollars to patient’s medical bills.

The study examined 7.5 million hospital stays at 984 U.S. hospitals in 2000. The data projected that U.S. patients endured an extra 2.4 million days in hospitals and spent an additional $9.3 billion in excess costs as a result.

Hospital-acquired septic infections and reopening of surgical wounds were the costliest. Post-operative infections were responsible for an average of 11 extra days and $58,000 in costs. Re-opened wounds cost 9.4 extra days and $40,000.

According to the study author Chunliu Zhan, these same complications lead directly to 32,000 deaths a year. Zhan also went on to say, “our results clearly show that medical injuries in hospitals pose a significant threat to patients and incur substantial costs to society.”

SARS Treatment Causes Bone Degeneration

Reuters news service reported on October 10, 2003 that dozens of former Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) patients treated with a controversial combination of drugs have developed a degenerative bone disease known as avascular necrosis.

Avascular necrosis is a condition where the blood supply to bones and joints is interfered with and death of bone tissue occurs. It causes intense pain and collapse of the bone structure leading to disability and the need for joint replacement.

In Hong Kong, patients treated with the anti-viral drug Ribavirin and heavy doses of steroids are experiencing the greatest number of complications. When the outbreak began, many experts had warned that this combination of drugs would lead to serious side effects.

U.S. experts have reported that Ribavirin is ineffective against SARS and a recent study at Chinese University in Hong Kong came to the same conclusion. Hong Kong officials still insist, however, that using Ribavirin was effective, claiming an impressive 83.5% survival rate.

A news report on September 12, 2003 found that in mainland China, 93.5% of SARS patients got better with simple bed rest without the use of any drugs.