I have come to learn that most people want a quick fix when it comes to overcoming pain. Is this really an appropriate approach? I know from my personal experience with physical pain that immediate relief is the priority in the moment, but does it end there? Is there any reason for us to investigate what has caused us to have pain? Once the pain is gone is it possible that there is still a problem? I want you to consider that even though pain isn't present we are not free and clear of problems that cause pain.
Pain is really a signal from the body to the brain that there is a problem that needs to be addressed and the problem is beyond the pain itself. For example, if you have a headache and you take an over the counter remedy that relieves the pain have you addressed the cause of the headache? The answer is no! Most over the counter remedies for headaches help to decrease inflammation and therefore reduce and often eliminate the headache experience. ;However, more than 90% of headaches are the result of alignment problems in the neck that create inflammation in the joints of our spine and send that inflammation and tension up the back of the neck and into the head. So I ask the question again, do you think that by reducing inflammation in the neck with a pill of some form that you are eliminating the cause of the problem? Is a pill going to address an alignment problem that is likely causing the inflammation? The answer is no once again. "There is no chemical solution to a mechanical problem." Furthermore, a massage or a chiropractic adjustment alone may provide relief but do either of these address the cause of the problem...the alignment? According to the peer reviewed literature, massage and chiropractic adjustments alone or combined will not change the alignment of the bones in the neck. When it comes to making significant changes to the alignment of the spine that can be seen and objectively measured on x-ray there must be a method of treatment that provides a sustained force over a period of time, like Mirror Image(TM) spinal traction.
What is critically important to realize is that most spinal/postural alignment problems (a.k.a. subluxations), don't cause pain right away. That's right, they don't cause pain. So by the time you are experiencing pain it indicates that your body is in a crisis and your nerves are irritated, inflammed and therefore malfunctioning. Does that sound like a desirable experience to have occuring within your body? I hope your answer is no and here is why. The nerves in our body carry vital energy to and from our brain to every cell, tissue and organ of our body keeping them alive and healthy. When the nerves become inflammed the energy flow gets turned down like turning down the dimmer switche on a wall, and eventually the cells, tissues and organs progressively weaken, degenerate and eventually become diseased.
It is vitally important to take a deeper look into what is causing pain in the body and get out of the habit of relieving pain with a pill and forgetting about it until the next episode. The health of our nerves and their ability to maintain healthy communication with the brain is the major underlying concern that cannot be overlooked regardless of whether pain is present.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Monday, November 2, 2009
To be or not to be...vaccinated for the Flu/H1N1
KNOW THE FACTS AND MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION
Below you will find summaries regarding the effectiveness of the FLU/H1N1 vaccines from reputable journals:
-A study published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine in October of 2008 concluded that in the two flu seasons prior to the study, vaccinating young children against the flu had no impact on flu-related hospitalizations or doctor visits. The researchers said specificall that "significant influenza vaccine effectiveness could not be demonstrated for any season, age, or setting" examined.
- A study published in the Lancet in 2008 found that the flu vaccine was NOT associated with a reduced risk of pneumonia in the older population, which supports the conclusions from an earlier study out of The New England Journal of Medicine.
- The conclusions from The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine also supports the information above where they found that the number of deaths from the flu and pneumonia has not declined in the elderly even though the number of older folks vaccinated has significantly increased from 15% in 1980 to 65% presently.
- The scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), published the following conclusion in 2007 in the Lancet Infectious Diseases: “We conclude that frailty selection bias and use of non-specific endpoints such as all-cause mortality,have led cohort studies to greatly exaggerate vaccine benefits.”
-A massive research effort in analyzing 51 studies (which covered 260,000 children age 6 to 23 months), was published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2006. The systematic review found that the flu vaccine is no more effective than a placebo in children.
- Finally, approximately 70 percent of doctors and nurses, and 62 percent of other health care workers do NOT get the yearly flu shot because of the following reasons:
-They didn't believe the vaccine would work
-They believed their immune systems were strong enough to withstand exposure to the flu
-They were concerned about side effects
FLU/H1N1 VACCINATION SAFETY
The flu shot does not strengthen your immune system in most cases, it actually weakens our natural defenses because of its toxic contents such as:
- Mercury
- Aluminum
- Triton X-100 -- a detergent
- Sodium phosphate
- Betapropiolactone - a disinfectant
- Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)
- Nonoxynol - used to kill or stop growth of STDs
- Phenol (carbolic acid)
The possible side affects to the Flu/H1N1 vaccines are:
- Life-threatening allergies to various ingredients
-Neurological disorders such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome (a severe paralytic disease that is fatal in about 1 in 20 cases)
- Blood disorders
- Encephalitis (brain inflammation)
"According to the CDC, the majority of flu vaccines contain thimerosal. Some contain as much as 25 mcg of mercury per dose. This means that it may contain more than 250 times the Environmental Protection Agency’s safety limit for mercury." -Dr. Mercola
EFFECTIVE FLU/H1N1 PREVENTION STRATEGIES
The only portals of entry for the flu/H1N1 are the nostrils and mouth/throat. It's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 or the flu in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is. While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of the flu/H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced. If you follow a healthy lifestyle, you will not have to worry about getting the flu. The key steps to avoiding the flu are as follows:
- Remove physical stress (subluxations), from your nervous system via chiropractic adjustments that specifically address your aberrant posture.
- Get plenty of sunshine or supplement vitamin D3
- Eat healthy whole foods and avoid processed food as much as possible, including avoiding sugar
- Exercise 4-7 times per week for at least 30 minutes
- Get restful sleep (at least 6 hours/day)
- Consciously ddress emotional stress
- Wash your hands regularly
- Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't
trust salt). The flu/H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.
- Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with
warm salt water. Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.
- Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C
If you have to supplement with Vitamin
C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
- Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can.
Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the
reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat
into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.
RESOURCEFUL LINKS ON THE TOPIC
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/09/26/Flu-Vaccine-Exposed.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/24/CBS-Reveals-that-Swine-Flu-Cases-Seriously-Overestimated.aspx
https://worldmercuryproject.org/ In summary, there is significant evidence (to say the least), indicating that not only are the Flu/H1N1 vaccinations ineffective but also dangerous. In my opinion, it is completely inappropriate for ANYONE to have one of these vaccinations regardless of age, sex, race, or state of health! There are more people dying every year from asthma or malnutrition than from influenza.
It is time that we as humans begin focusing on promoting health by strengthening our immune systems rather than focusing on fearful "what if's". Let us not forget that we all come with an innate ability to heal that can be dramatically enhanced with proper nutrition, exercise, rest, etc...
PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO YOUR ENTIRE CONTACT LIST...IGNORANCE IS DEFINITELY NOT BLISS WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING HEALTHCARE DECISIONS!!!
Health and happiness,
Justin J Favreau, DC
www.FavChiro.com
Below you will find summaries regarding the effectiveness of the FLU/H1N1 vaccines from reputable journals:
-A study published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine in October of 2008 concluded that in the two flu seasons prior to the study, vaccinating young children against the flu had no impact on flu-related hospitalizations or doctor visits. The researchers said specificall that "significant influenza vaccine effectiveness could not be demonstrated for any season, age, or setting" examined.
- A study published in the Lancet in 2008 found that the flu vaccine was NOT associated with a reduced risk of pneumonia in the older population, which supports the conclusions from an earlier study out of The New England Journal of Medicine.
- The conclusions from The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine also supports the information above where they found that the number of deaths from the flu and pneumonia has not declined in the elderly even though the number of older folks vaccinated has significantly increased from 15% in 1980 to 65% presently.
- The scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), published the following conclusion in 2007 in the Lancet Infectious Diseases: “We conclude that frailty selection bias and use of non-specific endpoints such as all-cause mortality,have led cohort studies to greatly exaggerate vaccine benefits.”
-A massive research effort in analyzing 51 studies (which covered 260,000 children age 6 to 23 months), was published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2006. The systematic review found that the flu vaccine is no more effective than a placebo in children.
- Finally, approximately 70 percent of doctors and nurses, and 62 percent of other health care workers do NOT get the yearly flu shot because of the following reasons:
-They didn't believe the vaccine would work
-They believed their immune systems were strong enough to withstand exposure to the flu
-They were concerned about side effects
FLU/H1N1 VACCINATION SAFETY
The flu shot does not strengthen your immune system in most cases, it actually weakens our natural defenses because of its toxic contents such as:
- Mercury
- Aluminum
- Triton X-100 -- a detergent
- Sodium phosphate
- Betapropiolactone - a disinfectant
- Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)
- Nonoxynol - used to kill or stop growth of STDs
- Phenol (carbolic acid)
The possible side affects to the Flu/H1N1 vaccines are:
- Life-threatening allergies to various ingredients
-Neurological disorders such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome (a severe paralytic disease that is fatal in about 1 in 20 cases)
- Blood disorders
- Encephalitis (brain inflammation)
"According to the CDC, the majority of flu vaccines contain thimerosal. Some contain as much as 25 mcg of mercury per dose. This means that it may contain more than 250 times the Environmental Protection Agency’s safety limit for mercury." -Dr. Mercola
EFFECTIVE FLU/H1N1 PREVENTION STRATEGIES
The only portals of entry for the flu/H1N1 are the nostrils and mouth/throat. It's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 or the flu in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is. While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of the flu/H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced. If you follow a healthy lifestyle, you will not have to worry about getting the flu. The key steps to avoiding the flu are as follows:
- Remove physical stress (subluxations), from your nervous system via chiropractic adjustments that specifically address your aberrant posture.
- Get plenty of sunshine or supplement vitamin D3
- Eat healthy whole foods and avoid processed food as much as possible, including avoiding sugar
- Exercise 4-7 times per week for at least 30 minutes
- Get restful sleep (at least 6 hours/day)
- Consciously ddress emotional stress
- Wash your hands regularly
- Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't
trust salt). The flu/H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.
- Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with
warm salt water. Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.
- Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C
If you have to supplement with Vitamin
C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
- Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can.
Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the
reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat
into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.
RESOURCEFUL LINKS ON THE TOPIC
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/09/26/Flu-Vaccine-Exposed.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/24/CBS-Reveals-that-Swine-Flu-Cases-Seriously-Overestimated.aspx
https://worldmercuryproject.org/ In summary, there is significant evidence (to say the least), indicating that not only are the Flu/H1N1 vaccinations ineffective but also dangerous. In my opinion, it is completely inappropriate for ANYONE to have one of these vaccinations regardless of age, sex, race, or state of health! There are more people dying every year from asthma or malnutrition than from influenza.
It is time that we as humans begin focusing on promoting health by strengthening our immune systems rather than focusing on fearful "what if's". Let us not forget that we all come with an innate ability to heal that can be dramatically enhanced with proper nutrition, exercise, rest, etc...
PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO YOUR ENTIRE CONTACT LIST...IGNORANCE IS DEFINITELY NOT BLISS WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING HEALTHCARE DECISIONS!!!
Health and happiness,
Justin J Favreau, DC
www.FavChiro.com
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Healthcare or Sick Care?
I recently heard a story about a thirteen year old girl who has been diagnosed with "Absence Seizures", by an M.D. The initial treatment was a prescription for anti-seizure medication and the doctor now wants to increase the dose. Does this sound ridiculous to anyone else out there? I happen to know that the young girl mentioned above is a good student and is actively participating in her life by playing sports and doing other activities as well as maintaining friendships, etc...
I mention this to try to relay that this person is a relatively "normal" young girl and not someone that needs to be managed with pharmaceutical intervention for her occasional inability to focus!
The health care system in the United State is so far off when it comes to day to day care of it's citizens that 28% of all hospital visits are as a result of adverse drug reactions. Staggering huh? The one thing that our health care system does well is take care of us in the case of an emergency. In fact, the United States is at the top of the list for crisis care when compared to 100 other industrialized nations by the World Health Organization.
On the other hand, the U.S. doesn't fare so well when compared to the same 100 industrialized nations in non-crisis care, a.k.a. healthcare or sick care. As a nation we are number 77 in healthcare, yet we spend the most money on healthcare, we have the most medical doctors and we have the best medical technology in the world!
Are you getting the point yet?
We are all repetitively lead to believe that there is a drug or surgery that is necessary to make us healthy. First of all, telling sick people they need a drug or surgery is not health care it is sick care. Our healthcare system is reactive to sickness and disease rather then proactive by focussing on reacquiring health, maintaining health and ulimately evidence based prevention.
The top neurologists in the world now definitively recommend that you should never allow children under three years of age watch television because of the way it stimulates and generates brain cells and the significant statistical link to attention disorders (i.e. ADHD), depression and childhood obesity. In case you are unaware, from conception to three years of age is a critical time in healthy brain development and will have a significant impact on a person's life well into adulthood. Furthermore, these same and many additional neuroscientists strongly recommend the supplementation of fish oil in order to support, repair and rebuild nerve and brain tissue. In fact, in European countries fish oil is commonly prescribed by physicians for many conditions including depression, heart related disease, and many other inflammatory conditions.
Can anyone tell me why any physician, besides an ignorant one, would prescribe anti-seizure medication for a thirteen year old girl rather then prescribing some specific nutritional advice and behavioral exercises (i.e. less TV time and more outdoor physical activity). Why not try the natural approach first? Do you think that it might be a little confusing to the youth of this great nation that they should "Say No To Drugs", but not the drugs that the doctor prescribes?
There are a some M.D.'s out there that are providing sound advice to patients and the majority of them are published authors. The average M.D., however, is routinely reliant upon drugs and surgery as their primary treatment options and thousands of people are becoming sick ane even dying everyday because of it. Is this acceptable to the people of the United States? Lets not forget that we are a country rich in culture and full of national pride. Don't you think its time we demonstrate that with an effective, evidence based health care system that is primarily concerned with the health of the people instead of corporate gains and the bottom line?
I mention this to try to relay that this person is a relatively "normal" young girl and not someone that needs to be managed with pharmaceutical intervention for her occasional inability to focus!
The health care system in the United State is so far off when it comes to day to day care of it's citizens that 28% of all hospital visits are as a result of adverse drug reactions. Staggering huh? The one thing that our health care system does well is take care of us in the case of an emergency. In fact, the United States is at the top of the list for crisis care when compared to 100 other industrialized nations by the World Health Organization.
On the other hand, the U.S. doesn't fare so well when compared to the same 100 industrialized nations in non-crisis care, a.k.a. healthcare or sick care. As a nation we are number 77 in healthcare, yet we spend the most money on healthcare, we have the most medical doctors and we have the best medical technology in the world!
Are you getting the point yet?
We are all repetitively lead to believe that there is a drug or surgery that is necessary to make us healthy. First of all, telling sick people they need a drug or surgery is not health care it is sick care. Our healthcare system is reactive to sickness and disease rather then proactive by focussing on reacquiring health, maintaining health and ulimately evidence based prevention.
The top neurologists in the world now definitively recommend that you should never allow children under three years of age watch television because of the way it stimulates and generates brain cells and the significant statistical link to attention disorders (i.e. ADHD), depression and childhood obesity. In case you are unaware, from conception to three years of age is a critical time in healthy brain development and will have a significant impact on a person's life well into adulthood. Furthermore, these same and many additional neuroscientists strongly recommend the supplementation of fish oil in order to support, repair and rebuild nerve and brain tissue. In fact, in European countries fish oil is commonly prescribed by physicians for many conditions including depression, heart related disease, and many other inflammatory conditions.
Can anyone tell me why any physician, besides an ignorant one, would prescribe anti-seizure medication for a thirteen year old girl rather then prescribing some specific nutritional advice and behavioral exercises (i.e. less TV time and more outdoor physical activity). Why not try the natural approach first? Do you think that it might be a little confusing to the youth of this great nation that they should "Say No To Drugs", but not the drugs that the doctor prescribes?
There are a some M.D.'s out there that are providing sound advice to patients and the majority of them are published authors. The average M.D., however, is routinely reliant upon drugs and surgery as their primary treatment options and thousands of people are becoming sick ane even dying everyday because of it. Is this acceptable to the people of the United States? Lets not forget that we are a country rich in culture and full of national pride. Don't you think its time we demonstrate that with an effective, evidence based health care system that is primarily concerned with the health of the people instead of corporate gains and the bottom line?
Posture and Overall Health
The importance of posture is often overlooked and forgotten about in today’s society. Perhaps we all grew so tired of hearing our parents or grandparents lecture us about sitting up straight when we were young, that we purposely chose to be lazy with our posture whenever possible. Whatever the case may be, it is critical that we recognize the importance of healthy posture and the role it plays in our overall health.
As a chiropractor, I often treat people who sit throughout their day while at work and then frequently complain about having things like headaches, neck pain, upper back pain and sometimes even arm pain. Is it a coincidence that these people typically have similar symptoms to one another? No, and here is why. When a person predominantly sits throughout their day they usually are performing some type of task that requires them to consistently look down. As a result of looking down for many hours each day the head comes forward in relation to the neck and shoulders and therefore adds stress and inflammation on the muscles and nerves. This stress and inflammation can cause some discomfort to the person on a short term scale, but the long term contribution to such things as arthritis, heart disease, and overall health is alarming. As a result of being slumped forward from sitting too much we decrease our ability to breathe properly, which taxes the cardiovascular system and has an impact on every single cell in our body. According to 1980 Nobel Prize winner Roger Sperry, PhD., “The more mechanically distorted a person is, the less energy available for thinking, metabolism and healing.”
In helping someone overcome a postural problem, I begin by demonstrating to them where they are versus where they are designed to be and then I teach them strategies to re-train their bodies to habitually hold a more upright position. For the person who is looking down all day while sitting, as described above, they will need to actively participate in exercises and stretches that bring the head back and decrease the rounding of the mid back so that the ears are over the shoulders. This, in conjunction with manual spinal adjustments and specific postural adjustments, is a part of the rehabilitation necessary to overcome this type of problem and to lead a healthier life.
“Posture affects and moderates every physiologic function from breathing to hormonal production.”…”Ultimately, it appears that homeostasis, and autonomic regulations are intimately connected with Posture.”
---J. Lennon, BM, MM, C.N. Shealy, MD, PhD, R.K. Cady, MD, W. Mattia, PhD, R. Cox, PhD, W.F. Simpson, PhD
AJPM Vol 4 No1, Jan 1994
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