Archive for June, 2007

Connecting the toxic dots

Tuesday, June 12th, 2007

by Darrel Crain, DC

If you are traveling to New York City, be careful. Trans fats are now illegal in that town, so empty that stash of stick margarine from your trunk before you drive into the city. Word from the street is that they won’t arrest you for carrying a small quantity for personal use, but I wouldn’t push my luck.

The new law in New York reflects a growing trend here in the United States, the outlawing of toxic substances. This is a noble idea and recognizes the important negative influence that poisonous substances have on our health. However, as you can imagine, such efforts at promoting public health sometimes challenge the principal of individual liberties.

On the one hand, I support the personal freedom of anyone who chooses to eat hardened vegetable lard if they so choose, they can even slather on mayonnaise for all I care. Smoking? Well, if people enjoy paving their lungs with tar, I believe that is their choice, as long as they don’t light up near my dinner table or ask me to pay for a lung transplant.

On the other hand, some substances are so toxic, even the smallest contact is unforgivable, and that stuff should definitely be illegal. For example, in recent history we quit adding lead to the gasoline for our cars; we got rid of mercury batteries and mercury light switches, and even mercury thermometers are on their way out. In fact, except for mercury from the environment and in our seafood, the only remaining sources of mercury are vaccines and amalgam dental fillings.

Newly published research suggests that toxins are responsible for far more of the rampant rise of chronic illness than we previously thought. Asthma, allergies, neurobehavioral disorders, increased infections, autoimmune diseases, cancer, cerebral palsy, atherosclerosis, hypertension and male sterility are now strongly linked to toxic exposure in the womb and during infancy.

“Developmental immunotoxicity (DIT) is increasingly recognized as a significant risk factor contributing to later life immune dysfunction as well as chronic disease,” writes Rodney Dietert, PhD. in a study published in the April 2007 issue of Current Medicinal Chemistry.

Chalk up one more study showing that compared to adults, the developing immune system of the fetus and growing baby is more easily damaged with far less toxin, and the toxic effects are far greater and more persistent.

“In light of the current findings, as well as studies showing the vulnerability of the developing immune system, it seems time to reconsider the wisdom of exposing pregnant women, infants, and children to drugs and chemicals with unknown developmental immunotoxic risks,” writes Dr. Dietert in the August 2006 online Public Library of Science Medicine.

We must include in the list of “drugs and chemicals with unknown developmental risks” a staggering number of standard medical interventions because of their known and unknown risks, including antibiotics, drugs during pregnancy and labor, heavy metals and vaccines. Mainstream medicine has yet to connect the dots and acknowledge its own role as a major contributor to society’s toxic burden.

The medical doctors are doing the best they can with the tools they currently have to deal with chronic illness, but modern medicine’s remarkable crisis-oriented, life-saving acute care only alleviates short-term symptoms, leaving the immune disorders at the root of these problems untouched and people’s bodies more toxic than ever.

Medical disasters that haven’t happened yet seem to stir the media’s attention and attract the really big bucks. We hear on the news repeatedly that it is only a matter of time until biological attacks reach us. The only question ever raised is which one will get here first, the spread of anthrax and smallpox as an act of terror, or the bird flu pandemic as an act of nature?

Medical disasters such as toxin-induced chronic illness are already here and plague millions of people. Unfortunately, this escalating spiral of suffering inspires few headlines and even fewer politicians, resulting in little official concern or funding to address the problem.

My personal opinion is that defending our collective immune system from further damage and malfunction from toxic exposure ranks as a National Security Issue. Perhaps instead of naming a War Czar the president should name a Detoxification Czar with the supreme power to make a clean sweep and wipe out the toxins across the land.

The new Czar, or perhaps a Czarina, will head up an agency called the Detoxification and Nutrition Administration (DNA). She and her deputies will be mandated to locate and root out the bad stuff all across the nation that poisons our babies, our children, and all citizens, regardless of where the toxins are found.

The new DNA mandate will also instruct medical professionals in the art of heavy metal and chemical detoxification, coupled with therapeutic nutritional intervention. A massive nationwide program will be launched to get the lead out, and the mercury, the aluminum, the pesticides and the herbicides, the PCBs, the hydrofluorosilicates, the rocket fuel, food preservatives, aspartame, and all the other poisons breaking down our birthright of good health. The potential for improving society’s health is as mind boggling as the list of toxins is long.

Our new Czar will measure risk versus benefit using a yardstick based on precautionary principles, sustainability and innate healing. Our new toxin removal and nutritional intervention programs will restore and revitalize the nation’s immune function, providing an enormous cost savings compared to the “management” of chronic illness we have now. As we lose our toxins and balance our nutrients, we will likely discover the populace is better prepared to overcome any biological attack, whether by terrorists or Mother Nature.

Which brings us back to the streets of New York, where I’m told you can buy just about anything, legal or not. Once we muster the political will to face down the toxicity producers, I can picture this scene in the not-too-distant future. The Marlboro man ducks down a side alley to catch a smoke. A man in a long trench coat wearing his hat brim low emerges from the shadows and speaks, “Pssst! Wanna buy some trans fat French fries? How about a gram of mercury?”

Vaccine Related Autism Cases Killed in Press

Tuesday, June 12th, 2007

by Michael Dorausch, DC

When it comes to the press, the near 5000 parents suggesting vaccines were the cause of their child’s autism and who are seeking compensation from a federal vaccine fund, have a better chance of getting Paris Hilton elected as president in 2008 than they do getting their stories told without bias in the news.

It was late Saturday night when I noticed the first 50 or so articles appearing on Google News, related to hearings that began on Monday, involving parents of autistic children that believe vaccinations are the cause of their child’s disorder.

These were all pre-release articles and they were being distributed by major newswires, appearing in the most local of papers, both on Sunday and Monday. By Sunday afternoon there were about five hundred indexed and the court cases had not even started.

The articles were written by different authors but nearly every one of them contained the same information, all content probably being derived from the same original source. You can do a Google News search to view articles that were published on Sunday, a day before the court hearings began.

The theme in nearly every article painted a picture of scientists versus activists. In every article I viewed there was a suggestion that scientists had strong evidence, citing government supported studies, that vaccinations have nothing to do with autism. In my opinion, the majority of articles also portrayed activists as hysterical parents that were not interested in science, but instead fear a government conspiracy cover-up.

In all articles I viewed, the scientific evidence cited comes from government supported studies and some even featured comments from “experts” that have ties to vaccine manufacturing. What I expect you won’t see in the news are any independent studies that may suggest otherwise. However, what you may see in the news will be researchers and scientists that have taken a stance against the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal (thy-MEHR’-uh-sahl), having their credibility attacked.

Regardless whether who is wrong or right, both parties deserve an equal voice. In my opinion, methods used in creating and distributing current news, make this nearly impossible.

It would be nice to someday see an author actually do research on a topic such as this, and deliver a story that was equally weighted, providing unedited quotes from both governmental and nongovernmental scientists, parents, activists, researchers, and others knowledgeable on the topic. Getting it published and distributed in the major media is a whole other story.

- - - - - - - - - -
For clarity I just want to point out that this is not an issue of Google News. Their news system is automated and aggregates content from many different sources without bias or prejudice.

Childhood Vaccines Thimerosal Autism in Court

Monday, June 11th, 2007

By Michael Dorausch, DC

Nearly 5,000 families of autistic children have filed claims for compensation from a federal vaccine injury fund, with many parents believing a mercury compound (thimerosal) found in vaccines is at least partly responsible for their childrens autism. Cases began being heard today in US court.

Below is a list of articles I’ve indexed, spanned over seven years, that mention the term thimerosal within content. The information may be helpful to those seeking to get some history on the topic of vaccinations, thimerosal, and autism.

October 31, 2006
Autism, mercury poisoning, thimerosal and the flu vaccine

After increased pressure from consumers, parents of autistic children groups, and government elected officials, vaccine manufacturers and the FDA have collectively agreed to begin removing thimerosal from childhood vaccines. Problem is, up until these recent recommendations, the flu vaccine was not considered a childhood vaccine.

November 2, 2006
Mercury in your child’s flu vaccine

California government health officials today agreed to override a statewide ban on a mercury based compound (thimerosal) so that more kids under the age of three could get flu shots even though recent research suggests the shots may not be safe or effective.

March 20, 2006
Tuna, or not tuna? That is the question

Curiously, only ten years before that time, drug companies began adding mercury to vaccines using a compound called thimerosal as a preservative. Remarkably, the safety of this practice was based on a single study done by one researcher in the 1930s in which a handful of terminally-ill patients was given mercury-containing thimerosal. All the patients died, but hey, weren’t they dying already? This stunning example of meticulous scientific inquiry was all it took for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the drug companies to enthusiastically promote mercury as “safe and effective” for close to 70 years.

February 9, 2004
Study Links Vaccine to Autism

In tests on human brain cells, researchers found two natural chemicals—one compound that stimulates cell growth and also dopamine, which transmits nerve signals—are key to a process in the brain called methylation. Methylation helps DNA work properly and is crucial to the normal development of the brain. The team found thimerosal, ethanol and mercury all interfere with methylation. What’s more, thimerosal not only did so in amounts typically found after a child is vaccinated, but even at doses 100 times lower than a child would receive after a single shot with a thimerosal-containing vaccine. “It was by far the most potent,” says investigator Dr. Richard Deth, a professor of pharmacology at Northeastern University in Boston. “Some would consider (thimerosal) a smoking gun,” he said. “I think it is.”

June 21, 2002
The Status of Research into Vaccine Safety and Autism
It has been parents who have formed non-profit organizations to raise research dollars to conduct the research that the CDC, the FDA, and the NIH have neglected to do. We have heard from many of these parents in the past, Elizabeth Birt, Rick Rollens, Shelley Reynolds, and Jeanna Smith, to name just a few. Each of these parents had healthy babies who became autistic after vaccination.

July 23, 2001
Mercury and Vaccines

According to the article, thimerosal has been used in vaccines and other medical products since the 1930s. (but vaccines were not given with such frequency as today) And although mercury has long been known to be a neurotoxin, both vaccine makers and some federal officials have argued that it is harmless in the doses found in vaccines.

May 8, 2001
Vaccine Safety Concerns Are Up

The article suggests that “skeptical vaccination information on the Internet” has also fed fears and misconceptions about the effectiveness of vaccination. Yet those involved in the survey, reported that issues related to the roto-virus vaccine (which was pulled from the market) and concerns over vaccine additives such as thimerosal have played a role in their increased concern regarding vaccine safety. According to the article, just over one-third of all physicians surveyed said the roto-virus vaccine recall had increased their concern.

July 14, 2000
Mercury in Vaccines to be Reduced

According to the article, “Federal health officials and the doctor groups have said the slight risk of neuro-developmental effects from the mercury compound in thimerosal is outweighed by the value of childhood vaccinations.”

May 19, 2000
Autism and Mercury Relationship

In July of 1999 when the FDA first released preliminary statements that the amount of mercury injected into infants and toddlers through childhood immunizations exceeded government safety levels, a few parents, including myself, began to investigate whether mercury toxicity might be a contributing factor in our children’s autism. Our review of the available medical literature, summarized in our report, “Autism, a Unique Type of Mercury Poisoning”, found that the symptoms and abnormalities which characterize autism are identical to those found in past cases of mercury poisoning.

International Chiropractic Pediatric Association Continues Growth

Friday, June 8th, 2007

by Michael Dorausch, DC

The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) is on a continued growth spurt and may soon become the largest organization representing chiropractors worldwide.

While membership numbers in some US based national chiropractic associations have been dipping downward, membership in the ICPA has been continuing to grow, putting the Pennsylvania based international organization on track to become the largest professional organization to represent chiropractors and chiropractic students worldwide.

According to the ICPA, 2007 active chiropractor membership is currently over two thousand, with an additional several hundred student members, representing members living throughout North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Other chiropractic organizations throughout the world can benefit by applying some of the many methods that have shown to be successful for the ICPA.

Pathways MagazineICPA membership provides all members with a complimentary subscription to Pathways magazine, by far the most information rich and chiropractic lifestyle focused publication the profession has to offer. Members also enjoy the benefits of numerous national advertising campaigns, an active online referral directory, and a wonderful clinical on-line members only forum.

When it comes to clinical training the ICPA is 2nd to none, offering the most sought out diplomate program launched in around 10 locations throughout the world annually. The ICPA 360 hour diplomate program is: 180 hours certification with hands-on clinically applicable classroom hours and 180 hours of in office clinical and research projects. Their diplomate program is co-sponsored by: Cleveland Chiropractic College, Northwestern Health Sciences University, Parker College and Life University. Additionally, the ICPA certification and diplomate program is overseen by the Academy of Chiropractic Family Practice, an independent, academic board who administers testing for the certification and Diplomate programs.

The organization coordinates and runs approximately 150 seminars annually around the world, which are often held in conjunction with numerous state and national groups. In June of 2008 is the ICPA annual extravaganza which will be held in Philadelphia. Scheduled dates are June 18-22.

In the area of research, the ICPA has a full time research director (Dr. Joel Alcantara) who assists ICPA Diplomates with case writing and maintains a continuous presence at international research symposiums on behalf of chiropractic family wellness care.

In addition to providing a public educational website: www.icpa4kids.org, the ICPA has long been running a public advertising program, benefitting the entire chiropractic profession (and of significant benefit to ICPA members). The ICPA places paid advertising in numerous magazines and maintains a continued presence at holistic conferences on a monthly basis.

The ICPA has formed strong collaborations with two additional non-profit organizations: the Alliance for Holistic Family Health and Wellness and Families for Natural Living.

The Alliance is an organization made up of vitalistic / holistic practitioners. ICPA members receive a substantial discount in their membership and are placed on their well sought out referral directory. The Alliance also facilitates networking and collaboration on a community level.

Families for Natural Living is a grass roots “mothers” organization where mothers form groups in their communities to support and foster the natural vitalistic, wellness lifestyle. ICPA members are given the opportunity to initiate these community groups and thus become the hub of vitalistic family care in their communities.

Doctors of Chiropractic can visit the ICPA website at: icpa4kids.com and Parents can visit the website at: icpa4kids.org.

Planet Chiropractic congratulates the ICPA on the exceptional work the organization has done and continues to do for chiropractic, and more importantly, for children.

Michael Moore on Chiropractic

Tuesday, June 5th, 2007

by Michael Dorausch, DC

The Michael Moore I know is no Sicko, he is a third-generation chiropractor serving masses of people in Redding, California. Dr. Michael Moore is a 1980s graduate of Palmer Chiropractic College in Davenport, Iowa. Since that time, he has been serving not only his community with chiropractic care, he has educated hundreds of other chiropractors, and has participated in numerous humanitarian mission trips to other countries, bringing the wonders of chiropractic to those that would not have access to it otherwise.

Michael Moore is one of the most caring, loving, and humble individuals I know. He has a deep-seated desire to serve others and he is a walking wealth of information on chiropractic technique, philosophy, history, and research.

I’ve spent time with Michael in Panamá during various chiropractic missions to that country. While we were there his work never stopped. While most of us cared for patients throughout the day, Michael would often be going home with families that had loved ones that were bed ridden and could not leave the house. He would catch up with us the next day, providing chiropractic care to all that he could reach, from early morning hours, late into the evening.

When I think about chiropractors serving others, I think about Michael Moore. Recently in Carefree, Arizona, I captured some brief video of him performing assessments and demonstrating adjusting technique on a chiropractor visiting from Canada. Michael is well known in chiropractic circles for helping other chiropractors stay at the top of their game. Quite a few chiropractors have been known to visit his home in Redding, California to receive chiropractic care from him, when other approaches have failed them.

In this world of user generated content, this video is nothing out of the ordinary. It was filmed on a handheld digital camera and there is excessive background noise resulting from kids running around in the room we were filming in. The noise quiets down about halfway through and you can sometimes hear Michael Moore talking about listings (such as Atlas left, Atlas right) and making comments about muscle weakness and vertebral subluxation patterns.

It’s worth watching just to get a glimpse of how he works. If you enjoy the video don’t hesitate to pass it on and share it with others.

Those looking to get in touch with Michael Moore can reach him at his office in Redding, California. Information is available here: Redding Chiropractor

This is Your Chiropractor

Tuesday, June 5th, 2007

by Michael Dorausch, DC

Ever wonder what your chiropractor is doing on the weekend? Some may be golfing, fishing, exercising, spending time with family, organizing their chiropractic office, or participating in countless other activities that people typically do on the weekends. For those of you that are receiving chiropractic care, at times you may have heard your chiropractor mention they were going out of town for a conference, seminar, or some other chiropractic event. I recently spent some time with a chiropractor doing just that and wanted to share his story.

Dr. Adam Church his wife and daughterDr. Adam Church practices chiropractic in East Haven, Connecticut, where he lives with his wife Liz and his one year old daughter Sabela. This past weekend they were all in Phoenix, Arizona attending a chiropractic event. I took a ride with the Church family from the hotel back to the airport and mentioned it typically results in an article on Planet Chiropractic, and here it is. (photo was taken on the shuttle bus en route to the airport)

I live in Los Angeles, California, so travel to Phoenix for me typically involves a backpack, computer, cell phone, camera, MP3 player, half a dozen power cables, and Starbucks card. The Church family had most of those items as well (probably no Starbucks card) but also had a baby stroller, car seat, baby toys, two large suitcases, and miscellaneous other items required when traveling with children.

I traveled with the Church family to the car rental return, and even with my assistance, there was quite a bit carry and load onto the shuttle back to the airport, and then unload from the shuttle to the check-in counter for their departing airline. One thing I learned was why parents with small children get preferential treatment when it comes to boarding flights, it’s a lot of work just getting there.

The bigger picture for me though was the reason behind all this effort Dr. Adam Church and his wife go through, better service for their patients. You see, I was home in Los Angeles within about an hour and a half after reaching the security checkpoint at terminal four at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. I had time to unpack, play with my dogs, have dinner with my honey, and do a number of things that I do on Sunday afternoons, perhaps maybe taking it for granted.

At about 8:30 Sunday night my phone rang and I noticed the number was the cell phone of Dr. Adam Church. I figured he was calling to let me know they arrived safely, but when I listened to the call it sounded like his cell phone was in his pocket and had dialed me by “accident.” I could hear what sounded like the rustling of bags and it occurred to me that they were probably just getting off the plane or getting into their car, and Adam had turned his cell phone back on. It was 11:30 p.m. on the East Coast and for all I knew they still had another hour and a half until they were home in East Haven Connecticut.

What does any of this have to do with chiropractic? Here’s a man who takes his wife and child with him on the weekend (we do this nearly every month). They travel more than halfway across the country to learn and share what they’ve learned with other chiropractors. They received no continuing education credit, no licensing renewal, no certificates, no accolades, and nothing physical to bring home to show their community what they had accomplished. What they did bring home was a reinforced desire to serve the people in their community. I remember being in the car with Dr. Adam and asking him about the hour and a half drive to the airport, the five-hour flight, the hour drive to the hotel, the short time he spent with others, then repeating the trip in reverse order less than 48 hours later. “To better serve our patients” was his simple reply.

To Dr. Adam Church and countless other chiropractors across the planet, chiropractic is not about cracking backs and collecting money from insurance companies. Chiropractic is a lifestyle, it’s a way of serving one’s community to the best of one’s ability, always working to improve. It’s about sharing the message of that lifestyle by living it, talking the talk, and walking the walk. It’s about getting people well without the need for drugs or surgery. It’s about natural healing from above down and from the inside out.

Ask your chiropractor what they did this weekend and they’ll likely respond briefly, quickly bringing the topic back on you and your health. It’s all about you, you are the reason we’re here.

- - - - - - - -
East Haven Chiropractor, Dr. Adam Church

City Chiropractic Directory Has New Editor

Monday, June 4th, 2007

Someone new is editing chiropractor content pages at Planet Chiropractic. The chiropractic directory portion of the site which has city and local listing pages for some 2000 locations in the USA is now being edited and updated by NearMe Networks.

Instead of having information sent to webmasters at planetc1.com, new accounts have been created for web editors at NearMe, allowing them to access, edit, and update all pages existing within the structure of the NearMe directories.

The arrangement allows planetc1.com writers and editors to focus on news content, RSS development, multimedia (both audio and video), and other more “PC” focused areas of interest.

This is good news for chiropractors as well since now the update of address and phone information can be implemented with one less party involved. Besides the Google Adwords program, NearMe is the only company delivering advertising across the many thousands of content pages indexable on the chiropractic site.

Chiropractic Adjustments Google Video

Monday, June 4th, 2007

Los Angeles Chiropractor, Dr. Michael Dorausch demonstrates how chiropractic videos can be created, both easily and affordably.

The video shown here was shot simply on a Casio Digital Exilim 10.1 Mega Pixel Camera, purchased for about $225.00. The introduction and closing images were added via Windows Movie Maker, a program installed on most XP versions of Windows. Image files were created in Microsoft Paint, also installed with the OS. This demonstrates a very simple setup that is easy to duplicate.

Video was filmed at ADIO Chiropractic in Los Angeles, CA. The chiropractor demonstrates a leg-check on a female patient, performs a sacral check, talks about drop-table adjusting, and discusses some chiropractic adjustment related topics.

If you are a chiropractor and would like to get your videos online, indexed on Planet Chiropractic, and/or displayed on your chiropractic website, contact them at mail[@]planetc1.com.

If you are someone seeking chiropractic care or just want to learn more about the benefits living a lifestyle free from nerve interference (vertebral subluxation) call your local chiropractor today. ADIO Chiropractic is located only minutes away from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Loading...

There is a number of chiropractic videos similar to this one indexed on the video blog pages at > > blog.planetc1.com/video/

Google buys FeedBurner RSS Website

Sunday, June 3rd, 2007
Google announced on Friday, June 1st, 2007 that they were purchasing popular RSS Feed website FeedBurner.com. I was excited to hear this news as I believe it will greatly advance the utilization of RSS (Really Simple Syndication) online. FeedBurner is not an old website, according to whois records, the domain was ...

Google buys RSS Feed Company FeedBurner

Friday, June 1st, 2007

by Michael Dorausch, DC

The current King of all Internet, Google has announced on Friday, another jewel in their crown, with the purchase of Chicago-based company FeedBurner. The Really Simple Syndication (RSS) company, FeedBurner, is a distributor of what is known as syndicated content, typically used with blogs, news and other media websites.

There had been lots of talk online recently that the purchase was expected, which will provide Google with another avenue to deliver their already dominant advertising product, ad words, to more end users. According to what I have read online, the terms of the purchase have not been disclosed yet the rumor is FeedBurner sold for somewhere in the ballpark of $100 million.

RSS feed image I said it over a year ago, RSS will become as popular tomorrow as mp3 is today.

Remember when you could not listen to an mp3 file without installing some sort of software on your computer? It was not that long ago. And yet today, at least in the Windows environment, executing mp3 file formats will likely launch some brand of installed player, providing the end user with an mp3 audio experience.

Up until recently, before upgrades to Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firebox browsers, RSS feeds were likely not readable without the use of some 3rd party RSS reader software technology. That is changing quickly and the pace now will begin to burn at a much greater rate.

According to FeedBurner CEO and co founder, Dick Costolo, more than 430,000 publishers are using RSS technology to provide an estimated 67 million feeds daily to subscribers. Among those publishing RSS feeds online are USA Today, Craigslist, Reuters, the New York Times, and Planet Chiropractic (a FeedBurner client).

According to reports, one of the downsides for RSS publishers had been the inability to include contextual advertising, such as Google Adwords, into RSS content. While some RSS aggregation websites, such as KickRSS.com, have been incorporating adwords into both html and XML versions of the feeds they produce, the technique has not yet become mainstream, and even KickRSS reports using XSLT to “wrap” ads into feeds (not straight XML). Mixing adwords advertising directly into RSS content will make the process a reality for more publishers of the XML based protocol.

To view how RSS is being used in the distribution of chiropractic content, visit these links… 247chiro.com, an hourly updated chiropractic news and blogs RSS aggregation system. Chiropractic Blog Feeds, half a dozen websites delivering RSS in a mix of content.

RSS is being used for news, blogs, classifieds, podcasts, finding lost dogs, and more. Its use will certainly continue to grow, even expanding onto other platforms such as mobile and handheld PDAs. Tomorrow RSS will become to article and blog content what mp3 is to music today.