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Healthy Living
October 7, 2009
Swine Flu: Crisis du jour?
I’m a wise guy. I kid around a lot. When I cough or sneeze in the office I’ll say “just a touch of Bubonic or Eboli” and lean in for the adjustment. Now I simply say “H1N1”. Who’d of thought a lowly influenza strain could become so popular?
Lately I’ve been asked for my opinion regarding the swine flu vaccine as well as the seasonal influenza vaccine. As a chiropractor the conventional wisdom suggests I’m likely to be anti-vaccine. Yet I don’t subscribe to conventional wisdom. I strive to be a practitioner of evidence based medicine and when it comes to vaccination I am decidedly not anti ALL vaccines. Rather I am PRO vaccine effectiveness and freedom of choice.
When it comes to this year’s swine flu issue, the available evidence suggests that this has and will be a relatively benign epidemic. While infection rates are beginning to climb, pneumonia and influenza death rates are low. In fact the mortality rates are on the low side of what is typically reported this time of year WITHOUT the H1N1 new strain. Simply stated, the H1N1 appears no more dangerous than any other seasonal influenza.
If you have been getting yearly flu shots than I see no reason why you would not include the new one. Well, except if there was a question of its effectiveness. There are some compelling studies that question the effectiveness of the yearly influenza vaccine and the new H1N1 vaccine is too new to measure it’s effectiveness. I found this interview, Why the swine flu virus is not a major threat, with one of the world’s leading authorities on the quality of the evidence supporting seasonal influenza vaccines, to be very interesting. The article references the Cochrane Collaboration which is a leader in evidence based medicine. Their reviews are worth a look.
In the public health arena there have been calls for mandated or forced vaccination and I find this troubling. I believe an individual should have the freedom to choose what is put into their body. I’ve asked myself, if this were the great influenza pandemic of 1918 would I still take a stand against forced vaccinations? I hope so, but make no mistake, you would find me in line getting my family and myself vaccinated. Fortunately, this swine flu outbreak is more bark than bite.
Want to do something less invasive to boost your resistance during the fall and winter months? Try taking 2000 IU/day of vitamin D. There has been intriguing evidence to suggest a connection between seasonal flu incidence and lowered serum vitamin D levels. Get over to Grassroots Health and sign up to get your D levels checked!
Prescription Drugs Leading Cause of Fatal Overdose
This should not come as any big surprise, but prescription drug use has risen dramatically and now is the leading cause of fatal overdoses. The prime leader is opioid pain medication for chronic pain. Often chronic back pain is the driver of pain prescriptions. Could regular chiropractic care be a safe drug free alternative for sufferers of chronic low back pain? Of course. Unfortunately not all patients get complete relief with chiropractic or any treatments. Yet if temporary relief with a safe non-drug approach is achievable, doesn’t it make sense to continue care, even if it’s only palliative? I’m dumbfounded when supportive chiropractic care is questioned, yet conventional medicine is comfortable with never ending, expensive and quite risky pharmacological pain management. Here is the entire article on prescription overdoses.
Health Care Reform;: ChiroVoice
I’m not letting go of this issue! Will chiropractic be included in a government option? My biggest fear is that chiropractic will be left out of any government option. I’ve been writing my congressmen about maintaining provider equality and protecting individual state laws providing insurance equality. I’m reminding you to join ChiroVoice and lend your support. A heartfelt thank you, thank you to the many people who have joined and written letters. I really appreciate you!
Subject:
You think English is easy? Read on
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The bandage was wound around the
wound.
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The farm was used to produce produce.
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The dump was so full that it had to refuse
more refuse.
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We must polish the Polish
furniture.
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He could lead if he would get the lead
out.
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The soldier decided to desert his dessert
in the desert.
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Since there is no time like the present, he
thought it was time to present the
present
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A bass was painted on the head of the bass
drum.
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When shot at, the dove dove into the
bushes.
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I did not object
to the object.
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The insurance was invalid for the
invalid.
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There was a row among the oarsmen about how
to row…
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They were too close to the door to close
it.
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The buck does funny things when the does
are present.
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A seamstress and
a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
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To help with planting, the farmer taught
his son to sow.
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The wind was too strong to wind the
sail.
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Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed
a tear.
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I had to subject the subject to a series of
tests.
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How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
Thanks for reading. Please be sure to forward to any friends or family. Know what would really make me happy? Feedback! Let me know what you think. Drop me a line!!
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