Death by Food

I’ve written several posts on obesity and children. It seems that this plaque is getting worse. The results of eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) is having a wide range of effects on our children. Once they get a taste for fatty foods it becomes an uphill battle to get them to convert to a healthy lifestyle. My advice is to not let them get a taste in the first place. A great book for this is “Dr. Attwood’s Low-Fat Prescription for Kids” available on Amazon.com. There are numerous recipes that are really appealing to the young ones.

Two other books are worth mentioning: “The China Study” by T. Colin Campbell and “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease” by Caldwll B. Esselstyn, Jr. M.D.

A study of these three books will give you all the information you need on nutrition and help you not only change your life but the lives of all those that follow you.

Patient Education

Why should you educate a patient in a fashion that allows them to fully understand what you are about to do? Simple, to solicit their help in the healing process. A patient who understands the process they are undergoing, assists with the process. A patient who doesn’t understand, misses appointments, drops out completely, doesn’t do their exercises or follow advice. Without the patient fully on board no sustained healing takes place.

Those patients that give you the most trouble are the ones that don’t understand how a chiropractor, physical therapist or nutritionist can in actual fact heal the person they are administering to. This is a proven fact, spiritual healing does take place between therapist and patient and the conduit is simple education and the application of a workable technique.

Cash Practice

The insurance companies are raising their deductibles and the average could be as high as $5,000. The patient must meet this deductible amount before their insurance will cover them. If they don’t intend to use more than $5,000 in medical care in a year, it would be less expensive for them to simply pay cash.

They usually come into your office knowing that they have a high deductible and yet they seem surprised that their insurance won’t cover their care. It takes a lot of education of the patient to handle their misinformation about insurance and on why they should accept care from you.

I’ve educated patients on spinal decompression which is not covered by most insurances. The patient is told that they are not covered before they come into the office. When they arrive, they are shown the spinal decompression machine, allowed to talk to patients who are already receiving it and they are educated with a flip chart that clears up all the terms they probably already heard and misunderstood. They get a clear picture of the benefits of spinal decompression before the see the Chiropractor or Physical Therapist.

They are then asked questions on a thorough medical history so the patient can recall and rediscover all the ways in which they injured themselves. Then a physical examination is done so the patient becomes aware of the extent of their injury. They should at this point be fully aware of their condition and why spinal decompression is the answer. They are obviously there to avoid surgery and this is one of the ways to do so. They are shown their MRI which confirms the need of care.

The Chiropractor or Physical Therapist then tells the patient how many treatments they will need based on all the information gathered. Then the patient rep goes over the finances and possible ways of payment using different forms of financing like CareCredit etc. if necessary.

The patient then starts immediately on their care. A testimonial is gotten when the patients is out of pain and meets all the criteria set by the attending physician or therapist.

Asking for Referrals

Asking for referrals is one of the most difficult things to do in a Chiropractic office. It can cause you to sweat profusely and shake all over. You may have a tendency to stutter and cough in embarrassment. That’s why most doctors won’t do it the embarrassment is too great and the benefits, they think are too little.

Now that I’ve gotten all the false data out on this subject, I want to tell you the truth. Asking for referrals is the easiest thing to do once you know how and the patient in most cases will help you out. Here’s how it goes:

You look on your schedule for the day and note 2 – 3 patients that are doing well. When they come in you ask them “How are you doing?” They’ll tell you that they are doing well and if you encourage them they will tell you of the miraculous results they’ve gotten while under your care. Simply ask them, “Did I help you?” They will say: “You’ve given me my life back,” or “I couldn’t even walk when I came in here and now I’m running the 5K next week” or something like that. Acknowledge them and tell them that this is the moment you enjoy the most, helping people. Now ask them: “Do you know of anyone who lives locally that has a health problem that I could help?” They usually say “no,” or “not off hand.”At that point tell them some of your other specialties like headaches or low back pain and ask them if they know anyone that has this type of condition. Get their name and phone number and ask the patient to call and get permission for the doctor to call. Then ask if they know anyone else and get their name and phone number. Call these new patient and give them a consultation over the phone and then schedule them for a full examination.

I hope this helps.

Paul Turnbull

BJ Letter to Dr. Oakley

Dear Friend Oakley,

Father received word from Dr. Harriman this a.m. saying he could come out any day this week except Monday and he would show him around the buildings…quite fortunate isn’t he.

Business has been very slow here for the last month and father is getting very much discouraged so much so that mama has almost persuaded him to sell out here, take his collection of heads, go to Washington, D.C. and start up a 25 cent museum.

How ridiculous when there are zoos of live animals that people can see free of charge!Chicago,Philadelphia,New Yorkare the same way. I think it is a very foolish piece of Business!

The facts of the case are that mama has been living high on her fine dresses, “that will make the President look at her etc. etc.” that & the hired help which all costs a pile of money & makes expenses heavy. So he says he is losing $200 monthly.

But he says “I have lived since I was 26 with 5 women & this is the best of them all and if I see they want to boss it I just let them do it.” He would do it even if they run him & his business in the ground.

Now if you don’t think he is doing the right thing for suffering humanity in quitting the ranks of Chiro to be a museum leader, tell him so when he comes out because he will be sure to broach the subject.

It was said that if he got a buyer he would sell his stuff here today & go east tomorrow. Might be good opening for you Oakley.

If you wish to write to me do so it will be strictly between you and I or public just as you want. Because I would like to know what you think of this outrage.

You can send to Gen’l Delivery or house as you please but G.D. would be safer. Yours truly,

Bart Palmer

Excitement!

By my old friend and mentor, Harvey Fish, DC: Ahhh, so simple and yet so out of reach for so many. I recall many years ago an older, grizzled chiropractor was asked by a newly graduated one how to build his practice. The geezer looked over the lad and said to him that he should get excited about chiropractic and that that excitement would generate more people than he could manage. The student understood but still didn’t have the spark that could ignite his passion. The wise one asked him if there was anything in his life he was excited about. The response was underwhelming but the new DC was very excited about his new car and his impending marriage. The genial older man then said that for a start it would do and he was to go to his office and share his excitement with others. He was to tell everyone about his new wife to be and his new wheels: at check out lines, at lunch counters, pumping gas, in a word, everywhere. So the newbie did as he was told and his office got busier. Yeah, he was pleased and surprised and over time his enthusiasm for his car died, thankfully not for his wife, but interestingly enough, his enthusiasm and excitement for his practice and for chiropractic grew. And as it did so did his successes, his wealth and his happiness. So excitement at almost anything will generate expansion in almost anything.

Early Lifestyle Changes

Nutrition research shows that optimal health and health habits – or the lack thereof – originate early in life. Conditions such as osteoporosis, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity – all traditionally associated with adulthood – are “down aging,” appearing in early childhood and adolescence.

Research connecting lifestyle and diet to future chronic disease risk, and outlining ways that health professionals can intervene and facilitate health-promoting habits early in life are an absolute necessity if we are going to help the younger generations. Such action is critical if we are to avoid a potential medical meltdown of health care resources as chronic diseases take their toll earlier in life.

Within the context of setting the stage for risk of chronic disease, the conventional wisdom that pregnant women eat for two takes on additional meaning. For example:

-  Maternal calcium intake has been linked to lower blood pressure in children, potentially helping to prevent hypertension in the next generation.

-  Twin offspring of mothers supplemented with calcium had lower cardiovascular risk factors (triacylglycerol, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol) at age 9 years than other children.

- Calcium’s (and vitamin D’s) role in bone health and the development of osteoporosis later in life is well known. Optimizing bone deposition before age 18 is especially important in females.

- Maternal overweight and obesity not only contribute to complications during pregnancy, but also increase the risk of obesity in infants. Research on children born to overweight mothers showed that by age 4, weight, body mass index (BMI) and lean body mass were significantly greater and by age 6, weight and fat mass were greater than those born to lean mothers.

Over the past 30 years, the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled for preschool-aged children and adolescents aged 12-19, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11. This evolving childhood obesity epidemic is linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes. In the past referred to as “adult-onset,” type 2 diabetes now commonly occurs in the adolescent and teen years; cases in children as young as 4 have even occurred. One study found that for each adolescent diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, there were 10 others with impaired fasting glucose. Researchers expect pre-pubescent type 2 diabetes rates to soar as the population becomes increasingly overweight. African American, Hispanic/Latino and American Indian children who are obese and have a family history of type 2 diabetes are at especially high risk.

Blood pressure has increased steadily in children over the past decade, across all age and race/ethnic groups and in both genders. Clinical guidelines for ranges in blood pressure in children now include a “pre-hypertensive” range mirroring the revised categories for hypertension in adults. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy products such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet have had positive effects on blood pressure in adults – and research indicates a beneficial effect during childhood. Children who ate 4 or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables or 2 or more daily servings of dairy products during preschool years had smaller yearly.

The down-aging of chronic diseases and the identification of “pre-conditions” are relatively new phenomena. The impact on children, their family’s quality of life, and on our health care system is still to be felt. As health professionals we need to take a more proactive approach through early screening, intervention and referral when necessary to other disciplines to prevent these consequences.

What we have to promote is healthy food in appropriate portions coupled with appropriate levels of physical activity? We had hoped research would find a magic bullet but we aren’t even close to manipulating our basic genetic and metabolic mechanisms. The only way to achieve energy balance is through appropriate food choices and activity. We must make changes in our communities, worksites and schools to enable us to get in energy balance, but we cannot afford to wait for all the needed changes to take place.

Sleep Easy

Most of us enjoy a lie-in, but research from the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) shows that doing just that can bring on back pain.

Extensive research carried out by the BCA has placed sleeping and mattresses as one of the top triggers of back pain, with over a quarter of sufferers blaming their beds. 27% of women and 24% of men said that their pain was brought on during a night’s ‘rest’.

Back pain can be debilitating, but even on a lesser scale it can prevent individuals carrying out day-to-day activities that most of us take for granted, and sleeping is top of the list.

Tim Hutchful, a chiropractor from the British Chiropractic Association says: “Sleep is essential to maintain our body’s natural rhythm, but too much can play havoc with our spines. When you are lying still your back stiffens and is more prone to injury when you get up. One of the common misconceptions is that if you are suffering from back pain the best cure is bed rest – that is not the case, bed rest can actually slow your recovery.”

Follow these top tips from the British Chiropractic Association to ensure you can sleep soundly and safely:

• Your bed shouldn’t be too hard or too soft. If you are lying on your side your spine should be parallel to the mattress and the mattress should not sag (bed too soft) or bow (bed too hard). Your pillow should be an extension of this i.e. your neck should be a continuation of the straight spine (not too high not too low).

• Hard mattresses are not always best – opt for firm but supportive. It is easier to make a hard mattress soft than a soft mattress hard, so if you your mattress is too hard – add an extra blanket or duvet to give yourself a softer surface to lie on.

• Try and adopt a sleeping position which creates less physical stress on the back (e.g. lying on your side is better than lying on your front with your neck twisted to one side!).

• Keep moving and avoid being in any one position for too long (no matter how comfy the position initially; the longer you stay in one position the more this will “load joints”). If your partner moves around a lot at nights try separate beds!! Your partner’s movement could aggravate YOUR back condition!

• Drink water and keep well hydrated (dehydration can make muscles ache).

• Remember to turn your mattress regularly this should be done at least every couple of months and will keep your bed in good condition.

• Do not leap out of bed first thing in the morning, take a minute to wake up and try some gentle stretches, such as drawing your knees to your chest or swaying your knees side to side (only do these things if they are comfortable).

• Wake up your body – Once up avoid bending or doing anything sudden or strenuous until you back wakes up!

• Take your own – if sleeping away from your own bed – take your pillow! Your neck is used to your own pillow and won’t have to adjust as much.

• When buying a bed, narrow your choice down to two or three and then spend plenty of time lying on these in your normal sleeping positions. Five or ten minutes should be the minimum for each bed -but feel free to spend half an hour, if that’s what you want to do.

• If you are a back pain sufferer, a bigger bed will be of benefit for you and for your partner. Zip and link beds are a good option if firmness preferences differ widely.

• Pay attention also to choosing the correct pillow, which must support the neck in alignment with the rest of the spine. Having too many pillows on your bed may thrust the head forward or sideways (depending on your sleeping position); too few may cause the head to tip backwards: both can create a crick in the neck.

REMEMBER, PAIN IS A WARNING SIGN – DO NOT IGNORE IT

Creating Juvenile Zombies

Miami Herald

Creating juvenile zombies, Florida-style

May 28, 2011

By Fred Grimm

They’re children of the new Florida ethic. Zombie kids warehoused on the cheap in the state’s juvenile lock-ups. Kept quiet, manageable and addled senseless by great dollops of anti-psychotic drugs.

A relatively small percentage of young inmates pumped full of pills actually suffer from the serious psychiatric disorders that the FDA allows to be treated by these powerful drugs. But adult doses of anti-psychotic drugs have a tranquilizing effect on teenage prisoners. Prescribing anti-psychotics for so many rowdy kids may be a reckless medical practice, but in an era of budget cuts and staffing shortages, it makes for smart economics.

Florida fairly inundates juvenile offenders with this stuff.

The Palm Beach Post reported last week that the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice has been buying twice as many doses of the powerful anti-psychotic Seroquel as it does ibuprofen. As if the state anticipated more outbreaks of schizophrenia than headaches or minor muscle pain.

The Post found that Florida purchased 326,081 tablets of Seroquel, Abilify, Risperdal and other antipsychotic drugs during a two-year period for the boys and girls who occupy the 2,300 beds in state-run residential facilities. (Most of the state’s juvenile offenders are held in jails operated by for-profit contractors. Records revealing the quantity of medications that private companies pour down their prisoners’ gullets were not available.)

Such drugs, meant for adults, are known to send children into suicidal despair, along with risking heart problems, weight gain, diabetes and facial tics. Yet, the DJJ and its contract psychiatrists push them willynilly onto their young wards.

It’s not as if state officials have been unaware of the risks facing children prescribed “off label” uses (unapproved by the FDA) of these pharmaceuticals. Even as the state doled out Seroquel like candy to kids in DJJ jails, the Florida Attorney General’s office was entering into a lawsuit with 36 other states against drug manufacturer AstraZeneca for promoting dangerous, off-label uses of Seroquel for treating both the young and the elderly. (AstraZeneca agreed to settle the lawsuit in March for $68.5 million and to stop marketing the drug for unauthorized uses.)

It was as if the schizophrenics most in need of Seroquel were roaming the halls of government, not the juvenile jails.

“This is the face of all these budget cuts; what happens when you eliminate social workers and prison guards,” said Broward Public Defender Howard Finkelstein. He suspects that DJJ has compensated for the staff shortages at state lockups by pumping “the most powerful drugs known to man into children who have not been diagnosed for psychiatric problems.”

Finkelstein says he assigned two of his staff attorneys last week to visit juvenile lock-ups and investigate what he calls the “zombification” of young offenders who had been represented by his office.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi opened her own investigation last week. Bondi’s staff attorneys are interested in the Post’s report that psychiatrists prescribing off-label uses of such astounding quantities of the profitable anti-psychotics for DJJ prisoners (at taxpayer expense) had been greased by drug manufacturers with some $250,000 in gifts and speaking fees.

The DJJ drug scandal seems all the more maddening considering that it follows a similar uproar just two years ago after the suicide of a seven-year-old Margate foster child. Young Gabriel Myers had been given adult dosages of three anti-psychotics before he hung himself.

The Gabriel Myers Task Force, made up of child advocates, state officials, political leaders and judges from across the state, spent a year investigating whether the Florida Department of Children and Families had administered dangerous drugs as “chemical restraints” for troublesome foster children.

Foster kids, as it turned out, weren’t the only victims of the on-the-cheap ethic. But don’t think of children reduced to zombies. Think of all the money we save on prison guards.

Memorial Day for our Children

You would think the following stories were coming out of Russia or China but they are not, they are coming out of America. This is all within the last month

1.  A mother doesn’t want to have her 13 year old daughter drugged with psychiatric psychotic medication. She refuses to allow this but the school persists and calls Child Protective Services to take the child from the mother and drug her. The mother again refuses and locks the doors of her house to protect her daughter. A swat team is called who then surround the house and smashed down the door, take the daughter and arrests the mother. Who has this kind of power, it appears that the school psychiatrist does, the school does, Child Protective Services does, the police do, the court system does but the mother doesn’t. She wanted to treat her daughter holistically. Welcome to the New Health Care Police State.

2. Mental Screening of College students in Florida is getting a lot of TV coverage. Psychologists and Psychiatrists believe that all college students should be screen for stress and then drug them. I know first hand that they do this in Clearwater, Florida because I went with a protest group all the way to Tallahassee to get them to stop screening and drugging our children. I heard the testimony of a 13 year old girl who completed a screening questionnaire, and the police were called, she was handcuffed, placed in a police cruiser, incarcerated in the psychiatric ward of Morton Plant hospital and drugged without an attending physician. Her parents were denied access to her while this was going on. She was released after 24 hours and because of intervention by The Citizens Commission on Human Rights.

3. An expose was in the paper last week revealing the fact that the doctors of the Juvenile Justice System have systematically drugging underage detainees with psychiatric drugs without the consent of their parents or even their parent’s knowledge that this was going on. Over 400,000 doses in the last year alone.

There are three constants in the above data, psychiatrists, government officials and psychiatric medication manufactured by pharmaceutical companies.

If you are brave enough or mad enough to do something, the first step would be to find out what is being done to your own children. Then how about your neighbor’s children, and then look into the juvenile system and find out what the government is doing to those children either in your local schools or jails. Yes, they have children locked up like criminals and drugged into a stupor so that they are easier to look after.

I’ve said enough. Do something before they come for you and yours.