The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that about 119 million, or 64.5%, of US adults are either overweight or obese. According to projections, this number is expected to increase to 73% by 2008. Young Americans today now face a lower life expectancy rate than their parents, thanks largely to the effects of poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyles.

The AP reported on May 14, 2008 that for the first time, it appears that more than half of all insured Americans are taking prescription medicines regularly for chronic health problems. The most widely used drugs are those to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol — problems often linked to heart disease, obesity and diabetes, all of which are nearly 100% preventable with lifestyle modification.

The data shows that last year, 51 percent of American children and adults were taking one or more prescription drugs for a chronic condition, up from 50 percent the previous four years and 47 percent in 2001. Most of these drugs are taken daily.

Medication use for chronic problems (read taken daily for life) was seen in all demographic groups. Almost two-thirds of women 20 and older, one in four children and teenagers, 52 percent of adult men and three out of four people 65 or older take one or more prescription drugs regularly.

Most horrific is that among seniors, 28 percent of women and nearly 22 percent of men take five or more medicines regularly. All of which carry side effects too numerous to list, up to and including death. The estimated total number of iatrogenic deaths—that is, deaths induced inadvertently by a physician or surgeon or by medical treatment or diagnostic procedures— in the U.S. annually is estimated to be approaching 1,000,000.

The current state of affairs in the U.S. with respect to diet is too bleak to even discuss in detail in this article, but here are some highlights:

The U.S. Census bureau data indicate that Americans drink a significant number of their calories. Americans drink about a gallon of soda a week along with a half gallon each of milk, bottled water, coffee and beer.

The biggest single source of calories in America is not pizza or burgers, but soft drinks. Soft drinks containing High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) supply just over 7% of all the calories consumed in the U.S. every year. The consumption of HFCS increased by more than 1000% between 1970 and 1990, far exceeding the changes in intake of any other food or food group. A possibly toxic chemical sugar alternative made from genetically modified, government subsidized corn is the leading staple of the American diet.

Americans are exposed to thousands of different food chemicals including: food additives, preservatives, synthetic sweeteners, pesticide residues, environmental contaminants, mycotoxins, novel food ingredients, packaging-material migrants, flavoring substances and other added nutrients. Food chemicals make up only part of the 75,000 synthetic chemicals developed and released into the environment since World War II. Fewer than half have been tested for potential toxicity to human beings.

America is a nation of poorly nourished, overly sedentary, chemically exposed individuals. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle requires a diet of natural, healthy, nutrient rich food, reducing toxin exposure from foods and drugs, regular exercise, normal sleep, emotional, spiritual health, and a fully functioning nerve system.

These factors all contribute to sickness and disease because they interfere with the body’s ability to produce new healthy cells. The brain controls and regulates, through the nerve system, all cellular function in the body. Proper cellular function is the key factor which determines ones health. The human organism is a community of 70 trillion cells working together, in harmony. This symphony is conducted by the brain and orchestrated by and through the nerve system. Chiropractic adjustments remove any impediment to the communication between the conductor and the orchestra.

Any attempt to extricate one’s self from the current disease care system requires an individual to radically alter their lifestyle. To begin an exercise program, change one’s diet, reduce their exposure to toxins, or work on their emotional health all take a considerable amount of effort on the part of the health seeker.

To improve one’s health through chiropractic requires nothing more than scheduling an appointment. We have in our offices the best kept secret in healthcare. Isn’t it time you find out what regular chiropractic care has to offer you and your family? As the only passive method of altering one’s health and well-being, chiropractic offices around the country will be inundated with more clients than they can handle in the coming decade.

Spread the word that chiropractic care is the fastest, the easiest and the most effective way to start off 2010 on the path toward health, happiness and abundant life.

The Georgia Council of Chiropractic, The Georgia Chiropractic Association and Life University, in order to develop a “Unity of Purpose” and a strong working relationship in the state of Georgia, embarked upon a project to develop a common, agreed upon definition of chiropractic.  The resulting document was signed by the Presidents of the organizations, and those members of the committee who had worked together to finalize the language.

The document reads as follows:

THE FOUNDATIONAL TENETS OF CHIROPRACTIC

We embrace the concept that chiropractic philosophy, chiropractic science, chiropractic art, chiropractic technique, chiropractic diagnosis and spinal subluxation complex denote areas of ongoing research, continuing intra- and inter-professional dialogue and growing understanding.

We embrace the philosophy that life is intelligent.  The human body possesses the inherent potential to maintain itself in a natural state of homeostasis through its innate, inborn intelligence.

We maintain that the science of chiropractic emphasizes the relationship between structure, primarily of the spinal column, and the nervous system, and how that relationship affects function and health. Implicit within this statement are the significance of the nervous system to health and the effect of the spinal subluxation complex upon the whole body.

We hold that all chiropractors should recognize the value of all phases of patient care, including condition-based care, health care and developmental care, as well as both therapeutic and non-therapeutic approaches to patient care.  Individual chiropractors may choose to focus on one phase of patient care, one demographic segment of the patient population or one area of chiropractic expertise.  They may also choose to become a certified specialist in one particular facet of chiropractic.  Such specialization should require advanced, post-graduate education.

We recognize that:
·         The primary clinical objective of chiropractic is the enhancement of human health through the adjustment of the subluxation, and that;
·         Diagnostic expertise in chiropractic should focus on differential diagnosis of spinal subluxation complex, with other conditions assessed at a level of diagnosis appropriate for chiropractic management, or intra- and inter-professional referral, (referential diagnosis), and that;
·         Spinal subluxation complex involves at the least biomechanical and related neurological dysfunction, and that;
·         “Adjustment” in chiropractic refers to a specific spinal manipulation directed toward the objective of the reduction or correction of spinal subluxation or extra-spinal subluxation complex .

We recognize that core chiropractic competencies include:
Patient assessment, diagnosis, adjustment, patient education, management, referral, and co-management.

We maintain that chiropractic care incorporates the use of diagnostic and adjustive procedures when indicated, including some or all of the following:

• Patient history
• Physical examination
• Examination for spinal or extra-spinal subluxation complex
• Biomechanical functional assessment
• Laboratory and imaging studies
• Spinal and/or extremity adjustment
• Chiropractic case management
• Spinal Hygiene
• Patient education
• Participation in coordinated care

We maintain that chiropractic care focuses primarily on the chiropractic adjustment.  Procedures ancillary to this and the other core chiropractic competencies are and should remain optional components of the practice of chiropractic.

These ancillary procedures may include some or all of the following:

• Physiotherapy
• Spinal/extremity manipulation
• Nutritional supplementation
• Exercise/rehabilitation

This list is not intended to be inclusive of all services ancillary to chiropractic that may fall within the scope of chiropractic licensure of a particular jurisdiction.

We hold that the conservative essence of the practice of chiropractic is not consistent with the performance of surgery or prescribing, administering, or dispensing of pharmaceuticals.

We further hold that the full spectrum of chiropractic practice from broad-scope to focused-scope will be defended equally, vigorously and pro-actively in order to protect the rights of all chiropractors to practice in the manner and method they deem appropriate within the law.

Your thoughts and comments are welcome and are very much appreciated.

According to Dr. Deed Harrison (Chair of PCCRP), “The PCCRP guideline is the most comprehensive evaluation of the chiropractic and biomedical literature on the topic of the utilization of X-ray in a Chiropractic setting. PCCRP Contains a thorough review of the reliability, validity, clinical utility and risk-benefit ratio of numerous radiographic views, including all standard views and specialty Chiropractic views like the Nasium, Vertex, and Base Posterior.”

Also, according to Dr. Harrison, “The extent of evidence contained in the PCCRP (nearly 2000 references) robustly refutes the contention that radiography in the Chiropractic profession should be used for Red Flag conditions only (suspected tumor, infection, fracture, etc).”

Some of the key topics that are reviewed in the PCCRP Guideline include:

• Guidelines for the use of radiography in the assessment of subluxation of adults and children;
• Biomechanical definitions for 6 subluxation displacement categories with supporting evidence from the literature;
• Discussion of the risk benefit ratio associated with the use of radiography in Chiropractic practice, including the radiation hormesis vs. the linear no threshold (LNT) theory;
• Comprehensive reviews of the literature on the reliability and validity of measurement of the biomechanical component of the subluxation through line drawing mensuration, as well as the reproducibility of patient positioning for radiographic views;
• Evidence based foundation for video fluoroscopy and digital motion X-ray;
• Reviews and rates the evidence on post-treatment use of radiography, in addition to follow-up radiography to assess the effectiveness of the Chiropractic methods employed and the long-term stability of the improvements achieved;
• Legal issues of Chiropractic radiography usage as determined by the existing State Law.

The PCCRP serves as a clinical guide, specifically for Chiropractors, on the utilization of X-ray, versus adopting/supporting the guidelines written for the use of X-ray in a medical setting. It is anticipated that the PCCRP document will provide supporting evidence which may assist Chiropractors using methods that rely upon X-ray analysis to determine appropriate management and to assess the effectiveness of the care plan for a variety of patient populations.

Although, the PCCRP is officially a sub-committee of the International Chiropractors Association (ICA), the guideline committee members were a diverse group and included individuals such as Dr. Christopher Kent (one of the 5 Principle Investigators) and Dr. Dan Murphy. Of importance, the PCCRP was reviewed and endorsed by numerous Chiropractic political associations, organizations and leaders of Chiropractic Technique Methods:

National Organizations

International Chiropractors Association
World Chiropractic Alliance
Federation of Straight Chiropractors and Organizations (FSCO)
Council on Chiropractic Practice (CCP)
Norway Chiropractic Association,
Ukraine Chiropractic Association

State and Provincial Associations

Arizona Chiropractic Society
Chiropractic Awareness Council of Ontario
Chiropractic Diplomatic Corps
Chiropractic Fellowship of Pennsylvania
Connecticut Chiropractic Council
ICA-California (ICAC)
ICA-Indiana (ICAI)
Massachusetts Chiropractic Society
Michigan Association of Chiropractors (MAC)
Nevada Chiropractic Association
Virginia Society of Chiropractic
Washington State Chiropractic Association
Wyoming Chiropractic Society

Technique Methods

ASBE
Atlas Orthoganality
Blair
CBP
Gonstead
Grostic
NUCCA
Orthospinology
Pettibon
Toftness

If you would like a copy of the PCCRP Guideline you will be able to access these at http://www.ngc.gov/ in the coming weeks or you can contact the ICA at www.chiropractic.org for a printed bound copy.

To learn more about PCCRP, the principle investigators, the esteemed committee members and the international panel of reviewers assembled to guide and facilitate the creation of the guidelines, please visit the PCCRP website at http://www.pccrp.org/.

This important recognition represents the culmination of a three-year effort, involving thousands of hours of study, research and analysis on the part of a team of several dozen doctors of chiropractic from around the world, chaired by Dr. Don Harrison. “We are very excited about the ICA Best Practices being accepted for inclusion by the National Guideline Clearinghouse,” said Dr. Harrison. “To see this ICA Guidelines reach this point is, indeed, historic. It was no simple feat to produce these guidelines. I feel this document and its future revisions will benefit thousands of chiropractors for generations to come, as well as enhance the quality of patient care for countless millions.”

According to the agency’s website, “The NGC mission is to provide physicians, nurses, and other health professionals, health care providers, health plans, integrated delivery systems, purchasers and others an accessible mechanism for obtaining objective, detailed information on clinical practice guidelines and to further their dissemination, implementation and use.” Over 1,400 clinical papers were reviewed by multiple analysts as a basis for the guidelines decisions made by the team, more than utilized by any other guidelines effort in chiropractic’s history.

All levels of evidence were included in an effort to gain a comprehensive and balanced foundation for the guidelines, from the randomized controlled trial to the individual case report. In addition, the draft document was available for review and comment on the Internet for nearly a full year, yielding hundreds of comments and recommendations from doctors of chiropractic worldwide.

The guidelines document and grade the clinical evidence of the efficacy of the chiropractic adjustment for 339 specific health challenges.

“The chiropractic profession owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to Dr. Don Harrison, Dr. Leonard Siskin, Dr. Deed Harrison, Dr. Joseph Betz, Dr. Dwight George, Dr. Stephanie Cheney, Dr. Eric Huntington and many others who devoted their selfless energy and meticulous attention over a period of many years to this project,” said ICA President Dr. Gary L. Walsemann.

The Guidelines text has been published in a limited hardback edition available by contacting ICA at 1-800-423-4690. The full text of the document will also be available on the NGC website in the coming months.

“The level of professionalism and objectivity that went into this process is astounding and reflects a commitment to excellence rare in any professional endeavor,” said Dr. Walsemann. “I believe we can clearly attribute this exceptionally high standard to the Guidelines Committee Chair, Dr. Don Harrison.”

Donald D. Harrison, DC, PhD, MSE, received his DC degree from Western States Chiropractic College in 1979. He received his MSE (Mechanical Engineering) in 1997 and his PhD (Mathematics) in 1998, both from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He originated CBP Technique in 1980 and is the author of numerous textbooks and clinical manuals and more than 50 articles in peer-reviewed indexed journals. He has served on ICA’s Board of Directors and was ICA’s Chiropractor of the Year in 2006.

While the focus of the show is stress, the research confirms tenets that, unlike the allopathic medical community, chiropractors have emphasized since the early 1900s. The “educated brain” impacts the “innate” function of the body at the level of the end organ, the tissue cell.

Sapolsky, who holds the John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Professorship, is particularly interested in how social standing makes one more or less susceptible to stress. His research in baboons is consistent with findings done by other researchers studying humans and monkeys.

One research study followed a cohort of British civil servants, who have a discrete hierarchical structure as follows:

* Administrative Assistant – Lowest of the low, although the numbers in this grade are slowly going down and most permanent staff are being upgraded to Administrative Officer.

*Administrative Officer – The legions of AOs are what keeps the civil service running.

* Executive Officer – This is considered to be the first management grade. An EO may be responsible for a number of AOs, but in some departments an EO would be the standard grade for staff.

*Higher Executive Officer

*Senior Executive Officer

The findings in this research revealed results strikingly similar to the studies in baboon troops (which have a strict hierarchical social structure) and in studies of colonies of macaque monkeys (who also live in large groups where constant and stressful competition establishes the social hierarchy).

In all three studies, the results were the same. Emotional stress causes those lower on the social ladder to exhibit higher blood pressure, higher levels of atherosclerosis, higher levels of stress hormones, weakened immune system function, additional fat storage and even reduces life span.

In other words, nearly identically matched humans and primates exhibited vastly different physiology, based on their THOUGHTS and FEELINGS. The “educated brain” produced vastly different cellular function, vastly different physiology, vastly different immune response, and different physical tissue cells, despite the fact that all other environmental factors were virtually identical.

As is so often the case, the latest scientific research bears out that the chiropractic view of health is correct: That health is controlled by the brain, all bodily function is regulated by the brain, physical, chemical and emotional stressors are the primary cause of disease in the human body and the educated brain impacts the innate function of the human organism. This is truly “must see TV” for every chiropractor.

Sapolsky is part of a group of researchers appearing in the program, whose collective work is illuminating just how big an impact stress has on our health. The documentary is based partly on Sapolsky’s best-selling book Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers. The broadcast represents the first time National Geographic has joined forces with a major research university to create original programming in the areas of science and technology for television audiences. Randy Bean of Stanford served as an executive producer.

When BJ Palmer developed his father’s discovery into a health care discipline that was separate and distinct from the allopathic model, he did so with the knowledge that treating symptoms rather than cause was misguided. He taught that the logic of diagnosing and labeling symptoms as diseases and treating with chemicals and surgery was flawed. He maintained that finding the true cause of infirmity and reversing the cause was the only true path to health.

He fought to develop a separate and distinct health care system based on addressing the cause of disease rather than treating the symptoms. Considering the period in American history when this was achieved, he accomplished the impossible. He took on organized medicine and the fledgling pharmaceutical industry and offered an alternative. He fought to maintain the integrity of chiropractic from both inside and outside the profession. As a result, chiropractic still exists today as a separate and distinct health care profession..

Chiropractic is not complimentary. It is diametrically opposed to the allopathic model. It is the only true alternative to the drugs, radiation and surgery model of modern industrialized medicine. And an overwhelming body of evidence has proven that BJ Palmer and the chiropractors that followed were correct in their condemnation of this allopathic model and justified in the extreme measures taken to keep the profession separate and distinct.

The Wisdom behind the Model

The basic tenet of chiropractic was that nerve interference disrupts the normal function of the innate intelligence within the body and unless this interference was corrected, normal healthy function could not take place.

This radical view was the cornerstone of chiropractic and it had the profound impact of encouraging chiropractors to reject the prevailing allopathic medical view that man could control the innate intelligence of the body through chemical/surgical intervention. Chiropractic held that the body has this innate ability to adapt, self regulate and heal, which when given the proper environment would produce healthy tissue cells and in turn, a healthy person. BJ Palmer understood that the human body, properly maintained would provide a lifetime of health. We now know that other factors impact the function of the end organ, the tissue cell, beyond the nerve system alone.

What We Know Now

We know that nutrition is a key factor in proper cell function. We now that environmental toxins introduced into the body from drugs, pollution, chemical food additives and other sources negatively affect cell function. We know that one’s emotional state affects cell function. And we know that all disease is a result of improper cell function. Since the brain regulates and controls most cellular function in the body through the nerve system, we can form a more modern tenet of chiropractic which is congruent with the current body of knowledge. That is: Nerve interference is a possible causal factor in all disease.

It turns out that health is no more mysterious than maintaining your car. Regular maintenance (exercise and chiropractic care) combined with proper fuel (a healthy diet of natural foods and clean pure water) along with additives when needed like coolant and brake fluid (whole food nutritional supplements) and avoiding environmental contaminants such as dirt clogging your air filter or foreign matter in your gas tank (avoiding drugs, chemical food additives, toxins in air, water, etc.) results in a lifetime of useful service. It really is that simple.

One chiropractic leader recently put it this way: Regular low cost, low risk interventions such as regular exercise, proper nutrition, chiropractic care to keep your nerve system functioning properly and stress reduction (applied consistently throughout life) allows you to avoid high risk interventions such as drugs, radiation and surgery, except in emergencies.

The Toxic Lie

Yet somehow the majority of Americans have been convinced by “scientific experts” that health is a great mystery and we need highly trained scientists to dictate to us, using ever more elaborate tests and evaluations, what the body needs. And what we need are chemicals. And we need them in ever larger quantities for an ever growing list of labeled diseases like: ADD, ADHD, Restless Leg Syndrome, Osteopenia, Erectile Dysfunction, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Peripheral Artery Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, Fybromyalgia, Bi-Polar Disorder, Depression, etc.

And these are just the advanced cases. We need cold remedies, cough medicines, pain relievers, antacids, cholesterol lowering drugs, blood pressure medications and the like to survive between doctor visits for these other, more serious “conditions”.

The public has become convinced that they need doctors and chemists to develop and refine these chemicals and adjust the dosage. And they now need ever more expensive health insurance to pay for these chemicals and the experts that dispense and monitor them.

This is a lie, a very toxic lie. BJ Palmer left a great legacy. His legacy is an organized, licensed body of health care providers that do not rely on chemical intervention. Those that sought his wisdom, adopted his teachings and held his skepticism of organized medicine are now in a unique position to change the world, more specifically to save the world. To save us from the madness of the pharmaceutical fantasy, to save us from bankrupting our people at the hands of the robber barons of modern medicine and health insurance who are medicating the human species into oblivion through disease mongering and fear tactics.

But we need the help and support OF and to offer reciprocal help and support TO those that are championing the other requisite components of the aforementioned recipe for avoiding high risk interventions. We cannot do it alone. Chiropractic care alone is not a health care solution. It only becomes a health care solution when it is combined with education on how the body functions and honest, accurate, non-prescriptive information on the other components necessary to regain and maintain health.

The Opportunity

Chiropractic needs to combine and align to grow and prosper, to combine adjustments with information regarding the other facets of the chiropractic lifestyle that promote health. We must align our messaging with others that share our view. And there are many who now share our view. We must combine our power with others in the profession who share our passion. Align our power with the power of others outside the profession who share our vision and stand in opposition to the allopathic model.

The list of groups that have a philosophy that is congruent with chiropractic is long and prosperous:

The natural/organic food industry
The whole food supplement industry
The exercise industry
The personal development industry
The ergonomic products industry
The environmentally friendly products industry
All organized religious and spiritual practitioners
All meditation practices including TM, Yoga, Qi Gong, etc.

Along with a growing number of organizations which exist to expose the harm being inflicted by the food and pharmaceutical industries and the corruption of the FDA that is charged with protecting consumers.

There exists an opportunity to serve as a very valuable ally to those with health promoting products or messages. The position of trusted health care provider carries considerable appeal, particularly in today’s fast paced, and media saturated economy.

The average consumer is bombarded with nearly 3000 commercial messages a day. The appeal of having a message conveyed or supported by a trusted, licensed health professional (or their staff) is invaluable, in order to have it stand out in the crowd. If that message is one that is of value to you and your practice members, by assisting in its dissemination, you are helping your practice members achieve health, elevating the importance you play in their lives and increasing the likelihood they will fully experience the benefits of your service and be more likely to stay and refer. Help others spread their message of health and they in turn can help spread the chiropractic message.

We don’t have to become mattress salesmen or vitamin distributors. But we do need to cooperate with these other industries for the common good of those we serve.

Let’s Change the World, One Spine at a Time

So here we are, with more momentum than has ever existed to support the principle and philosophy that is chiropractic. It is time to combine and align. The chiropractic lifestyle is health. It is life fully expressed. Tell the story effectively and you will never want for more practice members again. Help those that support health to tell their story and you will never want for more practice members again. Give your practice members the gift of health and the gift of life and you will never want for more practice members again. You have been empowered with a great legacy and a destiny as yet unfulfilled. You have the power to change the world and impact the future of mankind. Use it wisely for you and humanity

]]> http://chirounity.com/331/a-sacred-trust-guard-it-well/feed/ 0 http://chirounity.com/221/golden-opportunity-for-chiropractic-fraud-and-scandal-surrounding-central-nerve-system-depressant-drugs/ http://chirounity.com/221/golden-opportunity-for-chiropractic-fraud-and-scandal-surrounding-central-nerve-system-depressant-drugs/#comments Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:58:51 +0000 Herb Newborg http://chirounity.com/?p=221 Tuesday’s bombshell that a key researcher involved in the Neurontin and Lyrica research faked the study results and invented patients takes the fraud and deception surrounding these drugs to a whole new level. This comes as new reports continue to surface about alleged fake medical articles Pfizer planted to sell the earlier half of this dynamic duo of central nerve system depressants, Neurontin, for unapproved uses from 1995 to 2002.

But it doesn’t seem to be slowing down the marketing machine promoting these new chemicals, which work by shutting down nerve system function. Remember, the pharmaceutical answer to nerve interference is to chemically shut down the messenger network.

Pfizer gave nonprofits $2.1 million in grants in 2008 for medical courses about the pain-and-fatigue ailment fibromyalgia for which its Neurontin follow-up pill, Lyrica, just happens to be approved.

Lyrica (pregablin), affectionately called Son of Neurontin at Pfizer, was discovered by Northwestern University chemist Richard Silverman in 1989, earning the university a cool $700 million when it sold royalties in late 2007.

Pfizer is funding the $100 million Richard and Barbara Silverman Hall for Molecular Therapeutics & Diagnostics, under construction now, which will employ 245 faculty, staff and research assistants.

Like Neurontin (gabapentin), Lyrica (Pregablin) is an anti-epilepsy drug (AED) that modulates calcium channels to dampen the excitability of nerve endings. And, like Neurontin which made $3 billion a year from unapproved uses like pain, bipolar disorder, attention deficit disorder and restless legs syndrome, Pfizer has high hopes for Lyrica’s “crossover appeal.”

Lyrica was approved in 2006 for partial onset seizures and nerve pain associated with diabetes and shingles. But the FDA’s approval of Lyrica as the first drug for fibromyalgia in 2007 is what kicked sales up 37 percent in the third quarter to $465 million.

Fibromyalgia, with no clear cause, blood test, definition or cure “is almost a textbook definition of an unmet medical need,” enthused Pfizer VP Ian Read in a conference call to analysts when the drug first launched.

Datamonitor predicts the fibromyalgia market can be “grown” from $400 million to $2 billion thanks to all the people who do not know they have it yet.

And even before the name Lyrica appeared, Pfizer’s initial “unbranded” campaign of public service announcements (PSAs) in conjunction with the National Fibromyalgia Association that featured people describing their symptoms and hawking the web site www.fibrohope.org laid the groundwork for massive sales of Lyrica, once FDA approved.

(Think Merck’s “unbranded” HPV awareness campaign that preceded the vaccine Gardasil’s FDA approval)

Despite a temporary Lyrica scare in 2001 when Pfizer had to freeze patient trials because mice developed cancerous tumors–luckily for Pfizer, rats did not-Lyrica was well received by the “medical community”.

Except the “medical community” was made up of Pfizer paid mouthpieces.

“Well tolerated,” said Pfizer paid doctors in Arthritis and Rheumatism in 2005.

“Proven efficacy” and “No new adverse events,” said Pfizer paid doctors in Drugs of Today in 2005 and 2007.

And, “Durability of effect for relieving FM pain,” said Pfizer paid doctors in the journal Pain in 2008.

Actual Lyrica users were less overenthusiastic, reporting memory loss, mental confusion, extreme weight gain, hair loss, impaired driving, disorientation, twitching and even two deaths reported on the website askapatient.com. The FDA added suicide warnings to Lyrica and all AEDs in 2008.

Pfizer and other drug manufactures will be ratcheting up the “patient education” and awareness campaigns for fibromyalgia. But in doing so, they have been forced to admit that a primary causal factor in these symptoms is nerve interference. Otherwise, there would be no justification for prescribing nerve system depressants as a treatment for said symptoms.

As chiropractors, it is our duty to inform the public that there is an alternative to treating nerve interference with a drug that causes all of the above side effects including an increased likelihood of suicide.

As a chiropractor, you know that chemically suppressing nerve system function cannot possibly be wise. The drug does not selectively shut down only nerves transmitting pain signals. It depresses all nerve function to all tissue cells: brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, etc. These chemicals have the exact opposite objective as the chiropractic adjustment. Just imagine what the long term effects of these drugs will be. They effectively create a chemical subluxation of the entire nerve system.

The fact that the drug was possibly approved based on faked research and promoted via fake articles in medical journals presents a unique opportunity for the chiropractic community. We must take full advantage of the awareness campaigns for the “unmet medical need” Pfizer VP Ian Read is so excited about. But instead of a suicide inducing chemical, we offer life enhancing subluxation correction with the only side effect: clinically proven increased quality of life.

Of course, this can only be accomplished with a unified effort, chiropractors working together and pooling their resources to get the message out there. This is exactly the type of opportunity Chiropractic America’s YourSpine.com initiative was designed to capitalize on. Do your part by becoming a member today!

A widely known Massachusetts anesthesiologist whose research has widely influenced how doctors treat surgery patients for pain has been accused of fabricating results in at least 21 published studies and, in some cases, even inventing patients.

Physicians and journal editors said the allegations, if proven, could constitute one of the largest and longest-running cases ever of medical research fraud.

Dr. Scott S. Reuben, who works at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, has published dozens of articles on “multimodal analgesia,” an important and emerging area of anesthesiology involving use of more than one type of drug to relieve post-surgical pain and foster faster recovery.

Last May, during a routine review of research summaries that were to be presented at the hospital’s research week, physicians discovered that the research Reuben intended to present had not been approved by an internal hospital review board that oversees research on patients, Dr. Hal Jenson, Baystate’s chief academic officer, said yesterday.

That discovery led to a full-scale investigation by the hospital, which was completed in January. The investigation uncovered 21 published papers over 13 years in which Reuben made up some or all of the data, Jenson said.

Jenson said that in many cases “there was no clinical trial because there were no patients.”

The hospital notified several medical journals about the results of its investigation, and the journals are in the process of retracting Reuben’s papers, said Jenson.

“This would be the largest research fraud in anesthesia,” said Dr. Steven Shafer, editor of the journal Anesthesia and Analgesia. “Doctors have been using [his] findings very widely. His findings had a huge impact on the field. The act of fabricating data is so difficult for me to comprehend. It’s beyond my ability to imagine.”

Dr. Greg Koski, an anesthesiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and former director of the federal Office for Human Research Protections, said the case is unusual, not because of the number of journal articles involved, but because of the number of years the deception is alleged to have gone on.

“That’s what makes this so remarkable,” he said. “. . It seems to have gone on for so long without being detected by the peer review process. It’s hard to fake something for that long. Pain research is not an obscure area; people look at it all the time.”

Celebex, Lyrica and Neurontin Research Part of the Fraud

In some instances, the studies in question involved data about drugs made by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc., including Celebrex, Lyrica, and Neurontin. The company gave Reuben five research grants between 2002 and 2007, and he was a member of Pfizer’s speakers bureau, in which physicians give talks about Pfizer drugs to colleagues.

In response to the news of this fraud, Pfizer spokeswoman Sally Beatty said the clinical trials that led the US Food and Drug Administration to approve Celebrex and Lyrica for pain did not include Reuben’s research. Celebrex was approved to treat acute pain, including that following surgery, in 2001. Lyrica is not approved for the treatment of acute pain, but doctors can use the drug for that purpose “off-label.” The company’s statement did not address Neurontin.

*It should be noted in the above quote from Pfizer spokeswoman Beatty that it is illegal for a drug company to suggest off-label use of the drug for pain as Beatty does above.

“It is very disappointing to learn about Dr. Scott Reuben’s alleged actions,” Pfizer said in a statement, adding that the company was “not involved in the conduct of any of these independent studies or in the interpretation or publication of the study results.”

The fraud allegations were first reported this week by Anesthesiology News.

Although Reuben often co-wrote papers with other researchers, Jenson said Baystate found that the other researchers did not know about or participate in the alleged fabrications.

In a Feb. 20 letter to readers posted online, Shafer said his journal will publish formal retractions of Reuben’s studies published in Anesthesia and Analgesia in May.

Anesthesiologists agreed there will be an impact on the field, but disagreed over how significant it would be.

Dr. James Rathmell, chief of the Massachusetts General Hospital pain clinic, said the effect is unknown.

“Reuben’s idea of adding Lyrica and Neurontin to the mix.”

“He had some important findings that were very encouraging to all of us,” he said. But, he said, many other researchers have published positive results for Celebrex and other Cox-2 inhibitors for treatment of surgical pain. More in question, he said, is Reuben’s idea of adding Lyrica and Neurontin to the mix. “He’s done the few studies in that area,” Rathmell said.

Shafer, however, said researchers and physicians are going to reexamine the literature and may have to repeat clinical trials. “We have to be open to the possibility there was patient injury,” he said, despite the relative safety of the drugs in question. “Nothing is without risk.”

This should come as no surprise if what we call “health care” is a complex web of powerful chemicals, elaborate tests and billions of dollars in marketing and public relations with the overarching purpose of convincing every American that they suffer from a multitude of “conditions” that require these very expensive chemicals and tests.

However, the chiropractic model of health care is far easier to grasp. Any literate adult should be able to understand that the central nervous system regulates all cellular function in the the body. The brain is protected by the skull. The brain stem, spinal cord and nerve roots are protected my the bones of the spine. Care and maintenance of this vital system, through chiropractic care, is a firm foundation on which one can lay all five of the basic tenets of achieving and maintaining health:

1. Consume a diet of nutrient rich, unprocessed foods and clean, pure water.
2. Minimize emotional, physical and chemical stress on the body.
3. Exercise regularly.
4. Get adequate, restful sleep.
5. Pro-actively maintain the structural integrity of the central nerve system.

Unfortunately, one of the greatest hindrances to achieving health is the current medical model. The pharmaceutical/medical industry is second only to the food industry in terms of destruction of the health of individuals.

Many seem to have forgotten that the human body is capable of healing itself of any “disease” known to man. The body is a community of 70 trillion cells, working in harmony to sustain life. When we remove the impediments (poor nutrition, poor nerve supply, lack of exercise, inadequate sleep, physical, chemical and emotional stresses), the body moves away from disease and toward health. This is the ” wellness” model that everyone is talking about, yet no one has yet adequately defined in the mind of the health care consumer.

Chiropractic care offers the firm foundation on which to build a true wellness model of health care. Chiropractors have been outspoken opponents of the overuse of drugs and critical of the medical model for 113 years. The foundational concept of the current medical model, that a medical doctor can ask someone to describe their symptoms and then select a chemical from the thousands available to “treat” those symptoms, is misguided.

This fundamental flaw in the medical paradigm is at the very core of much of the teachings on which chiropractic was founded. The fact that this flawed model is beyond the comprehension of most individuals is not surprising and should be considered a blessing.

The intelligence in the human body that transforms 2 cells into a perfectly formed human in 280 days is far superior to anything yet created by man. The human body needs nothing more than what is described above to produce perfect new cells to replace those cells that the body naturally purges every second of every day. The same power that made the body can heal the body of any challenge that presents itself, as long as the interference from outside (that which is not under the body’s control) is not greater than the body’s natural inclination toward health and survival, bolstered and supported by following the five tenets referenced above.

This is something that anyone can understand. They just need to hear it. Over and over and over again.

Senate Bill SB5230 would allow PTs to perform spinal manipulation. It would also remove the requirement that PTs must show evidence of adequate education and training in spinal manipulation and submit to the secretary an affidavit that includes evidence of adequate education and training in spinal manipulation for all PTs graduating in 2009 and later. The bill would also allow Washington State PTs to advertise spinal manipulation and mobilization. Dr. Armantout states: “It’s been proven, in studies, that spinal manipulation is the most effective treatment for patients to get better faster for neck pain and low back pain”.

Here is the video that appears on the Seattle Times website:

Fortunately for chiropractors that detect and correct subluxations, this poses no concern. PTs performing “chiropractic adjustments” is specifically excluded in the language of the bill. Thankfully we have several national groups that have worked long and hard to maintain the specific language of chiropractic in the scope of practice laws in the individual states, including but not limited to: the ICA, FSCO, and WCA . Many state associations have been equally as diligent.

With more than 187 doctorate physical therapy degree programs in the US beginning to graduate doctors of physical therapy, chiropractors who have been content to document and manage soft tissue injuries for PI attorneys and managed care organizations are going to quickly see their practices seriously impacted, not just in Washington, but across the nation.

Let’s face facts. These new doctors, DPTs, are much better aligned to co-manage back and neck pain with their MD/DO brethren than chiropractors. The recent inroads many PI / pain based practices have been making establishing referral arrangements with MD/DOs will be much less attractive when they can now refer to a Doctor of PT for both rehab and manipulation.

As we reported last year, the folks behind the Necks911 campaign (who also take credit for derailing the FSU chiropractic college effort) are actively preaching their anti-chiropractic rhetoric to doctorate PT program students and to practicing PTs as continuing education classes.

The PT associations have already begun to cite “concerns raised of injury resulting from manipulation of the upper cervical spine. By contrast, within the physical therapy profession studies have been published on effective methods for addressing neck pain by manipulating the thoracic spine, where less risk exists”.

Get it: Safe, effective spinal manipulation by a member of your traditional, allopathic medical team good. Chiropractic bad.

Thankfully there are those that have remained true to chiropractic by maintaining this sacred trust as a separate and distinct profession with separate and distinct language. It is time for like minded chiropractors that provide chiropractic adjustments for the purpose of correcting vertebral subluxations to rally together and let the public know what we do, why we do it and what we don’t do. Chiropractic as episodic treatment for low back / neck pain is no longer a viable long term business model.

Vertebral subluxation correction for the purpose of allowing the maximum expression of life and health in the human body remains the exclusive domain of the chiropractor. Our vitalistic roots, our 113 year history of opposing: the overuse of prescription drugs, mass vaccination and toxins in the water and food supply along with our patient satisfaction ratings that are unmatched in the healing arts are exactly what the public is searching for. There has never been a better time to tell our story to the masses and get them under chiropractic care. Efforts like this should serve as a wake up call to chiropractors nationwide that the time is now to better define what we do and take our message to the public. I’m all in. Care to join me?