| The entire national conversation on "Health Care | | | | Why not reduce your bad test levels by doing natural |
| Reform" is based on the idea that if everyone just | | | | things: daily oatmeal and vitamin C for cholesterol |
| had health insurance ("access" to "health" care) then | | | | lowering; exercise/dietary changes and chiropractic |
| everyone would be healthier. Left unexamined in this | | | | for lowering blood pressure. The Journal of Human |
| assumption is where health actually comes from-does | | | | Hypertension published a medical peer-reviewed |
| health really come from health insurance? | | | | study demonstrating the reduction of high blood |
| Does fire insurance make you immune to fire? Does | | | | pressure by chiropractic care; the lead reviewer Dr. |
| auto collision insurance prevent damage to your car? | | | | Bakris had this to say: |
| No, insurance is simply a way to pay for correcting | | | | Compared to the sham-treated patients, those who |
| damage to your house/car/body after it occurs. | | | | got the real procedure saw an average 14 mm Hg |
| Health itself comes from doing things that are | | | | greater drop in systolic blood pressure (the top |
| healthy, such as exercise, proper nutrition, adequate | | | | number in a blood pressure count), and an average 8 |
| rest, pure air and water, positive mental attitude and | | | | mm Hg greater drop in diastolic blood pressure (the |
| of course a nervous system free of interference. | | | | bottom blood pressure number). |
| This is sometimes referred to as prevention, as in | | | | None of the patients took blood pressure medicine |
| preventing illness before it starts, rather than trying | | | | during the eight-week study. |
| to correct it after the fact. | | | | "When the statistician brought me the data, I actually |
| Much of the argument for universal health insurance is | | | | didn't believe it. It was way too good to be true," |
| based on the idea of preventative medicine, that it's | | | | Bakris says. " The statistician said, 'I don't even |
| cheaper to prevent illness than to treat it later. While | | | | believe it.' But we checked for everything, and there |
| this is undoubtedly true, just what medical | | | | it was." |
| procedures do we have that actually prevent health | | | | So if preventative medicine doesn't offer prevention, |
| problems without causing other ones? Unfortunately | | | | what's a body to do? You might consider doing as |
| the answer may just be: none. Let's look at some of | | | | my family and I have done for years: keep your |
| the ones usually used as examples of prevention. | | | | body's control system working well through regular |
| Vaccination is sold to prevent illness yet vaccines | | | | chiropractic care and exercise, with as much organic |
| cause so many illnesses (called side effects) that the | | | | food as you can get, and pure water and air. We |
| federal government has been forced to give the | | | | have not needed to take any medications during my |
| vaccine manufacturers immunity from lawsuits to | | | | 35 years as a chiropractor, and we have not needed |
| ensure vaccine production. The Government Vaccine | | | | medical services aside from first aid for any of our |
| Damage Compensation fund has paid out over $1.3 | | | | family members during this time. We do not have |
| billion dollars in proven vaccine injuries over the last | | | | aspirin, Tylenol, Aleve, Advil etc in our medicine |
| decade. | | | | cabinet. In fact, we don't even have a medicine |
| Medical checkups are used as another example of | | | | cabinet-it's a bathroom cabinet! You can have a similar |
| prevention, but they do not actually prevent, but | | | | lifestyle if you like; it's easy and fun to have your |
| simply detect problems earlier, and lead to drug | | | | body function well without any drugs! |
| regimens or surgical procedures if any abnormal | | | | Are we in favor of universal health insurance? Of |
| values appear. Recently the annual mammogram, | | | | course, as long as it actually insures we will have |
| probably THE preventive test in medicine, has been | | | | health. Unfortunately, most plans only insure our |
| recommended against for women under 50, due to | | | | medical visits, tests and surgeries will be paid for. |
| its failure to lower the death rates from breast | | | | Medicare is a plan that has been largely successful |
| cancer, and the high percentage of false positives | | | | because the contributors to the system vastly |
| which cause unnecessary surgeries and complications | | | | outnumber the recipients; that is about to change, as |
| therefrom, as well as anxiety, depression, and other | | | | the baby boomers enter their Medicare years (and |
| problems associated with mastectomy. | | | | may change even quicker if Congress alters it). |
| Cholesterol checks have become popular in many | | | | Medicare covers chiropractic care fairly well, and the |
| medical practices, yet the cholesterol meds (statins) | | | | profession anticipates we will be covered in Medicare |
| have some of the worst, and best-documented, side | | | | to an even greater degree as the doctor-shortage |
| effects in all the pharmacopeia. Liver damage is | | | | becomes more acute in the next decade or two. |
| documented in 5% of statin users, and | | | | The Muse and Associates 2001 Medicare Study of |
| rhabdomyolysis (muscle destruction) has been | | | | chiropractic claims versus similar patients who did not |
| demonstrated in over half of all users. Further, it is | | | | see the chiropractor, was very revealing: |
| common knowledge that over 50% of fatal or | | | | Beneficiaries who received chiropractic care had lower |
| serious heart attacks occur in people with normal | | | | average Medicare payments for all services than |
| blood cholesterol readings. Obviously some factors | | | | those who did not ($4,426 versus $8,103). Yes, you |
| are responsible other than just "high cholesterol". | | | | read that right! Adding chiropractic care reduced the |
| "Statin drugs are known to inhibit our very important | | | | average total medical bill by almost half! The obvious |
| production of coenzyme Q10. Importantly, while | | | | conclusion: patients who see a chiropractor spend |
| many cardiologists insist that lowering cholesterol is | | | | less(much less) on medical care than the patients |
| correlated with a reduction in the risk of heart | | | | who don't. |
| attacks; few can say that there is a reduction in the | | | | The journal JMPT reported in 2000 that senior |
| risk of mortality (death). That has been much harder | | | | citizens who had been under "maintenance" or |
| to show. In other words it has never been | | | | wellness care for five years or longer had health care |
| conclusively shown that lowering cholesterol saves | | | | spending of only 31% of the national average and |
| lives. In fact, several large studies have shown that | | | | had 50% fewer medical provider visits. |
| lowering cholesterol into the range currently | | | | Whatever enlargement of government-paid health |
| recommended is correlated with an increased risk of | | | | care occurs this year in Congress, chiropractic is likely |
| dying, especially of cancer." | | | | to be included, in some form.It's too vital not to be. |
| ---Ron Rosedale,M.D. | | | | But you don't have to wait for Congress; you can |
| Blood pressure meds for asymptomatic patients? | | | | start or get back in the habit of regular chiropractic |
| The number one side effect of pressure pills is | | | | care for a healthy productive and long life and you'll |
| reduction of blood flow in the extremities, including | | | | be able to say, like Senator Strom Thurmond (he |
| the head(and brain). Is this something to be desired? | | | | served as a US Senator until age 100) "I owe my |
| The listed side effects for your pills will scare you | | | | longevity to daily exercise and chiropractic care". |
| senseless if you ever look them up. | | | | |