On September 18, 1895, the first chiropractic adjustment was given by Dr. DD Palmer, a magnetic healer of the time, to Harvey Lillard.  Mr. Lillard, a janitor in the Ryan building on the corner of Brady and 2nd Street in Davenport, Iowa, was nearly totally deaf for 17-years.  After the historic first adjustment, Harvey`s hearing returned.  This revelation led Dr. Palmer to theorize that nerve interference from a spinal bone out of place was the cause of Harvey`s hearing loss.  He further postulated that returning the bone to a more normal position might help correct the problem. It was from this simple beginning that the chiropractic profession was born.

On this anniversary, it might be interesting to read the words of Dr. DD Palmer, the founder of chiropractic. We have presented them below.

"Harvey Lillard a janitor in the Ryan Block, where I had my office, had been so deaf for 17 years that he could not hear the racket of a wagon on the street or the ticking of a watch. I made inquiry as to the cause of his deafness and was informed that when he was exerting himself in a cramped, stooping position, he felt something give way in his back and immediately became deaf. An examination showed a vertebrae racked from its normal position. I reasoned that if that vertebra was replaced, the man's hearing should be restored. With this object in view, a half-hour's talk persuaded Mr. Lillard to allow me to replace it. I racked it into position by using the spinous process as a lever and soon the man could hear as before. There was nothing "accidental" about this, as it was accomplished with an object in view, and the result expected was obtained. There was nothing "crude" about this adjustment; it was specific, so much so that no Chiropractor has equaled it."

Within two years, Dr. DD Palmer opened the first school of Chiropractic on Brady Street in Davenport. It was his son Dr. BJ Palmer, who continued the school after his death. It is the son, BJ Palmer, who is given credit for growing and developing the profession into what it has become today.

Allowing direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs in Canada would be a bonanza for the media, generating an estimated $360-million a year in new ads. But the demand it created would also spur as much as $1.2-billion a year in new drug sales.  This was reported in the September 1st issue of the Globe and Mail from Canada.  The concern as reported in the publication, is that the bulk of that expense would be placed on the Canadian Medicare system. 

Opposition to allowing direct-to-consumer drug advertising was strongly stated in the September 1st issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal when the editor, Dr. John Hoey, stated his opinion that prescription drugs should not be advertised in Canada in the same manner as other consumer products because that could lead to dangerous excesses, as has occurred in the United States.

The article noted that pharmaceutical companies spent $2.7-billion (U.S.) on advertising in 2001, more than triple the amount they spent in 1996.  The article noted that for the drug companies, massive advertising pays off very well. For example, for each dollar that went to publicizing the allergy drug Claritin, sales of the drug increased by an estimated $3.50.  The financial return on anti-impotence medication such as Viagra and drugs to counter hair loss are believed to be even higher.

Dr. Hoey went on to say, "By being marketed in media traditionally used to flog cars, fast food and shampoo, prescription drugs have become name-brand commodities, enveloped in the kind of fantasy and desire that surrounds the purchase of lifestyle product."  The article continued, "Further, the barrage of advertising contributes to the `medicalization` of the normal human condition and transforms people into `two-legged bundles of diagnoses`."

An additional research article published in the same Canadian Medical Association Journal showed that the higher a patient's exposure to advertising, the more likely that patient was to request advertised prescription drugs.  Chief researcher for that study, Dr. Barbara Mintzes of the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research at the University of British Columbia concluded, "Our results suggest that more advertising leads to more requests for advertised medicines, and more prescriptions."

Researchers from Canada looked at 1,158 4-H Club members aged 8 to 20 and found allergic symptoms were lower among those youth who lived on a farm. These findings were presented at the American Thoracic Society's conference in Seattle on May 18th, 2003. These findings may be due to higher exposure to endotoxins that are found at higher levels on farms, which concur with other studies last year from the New England Journal of Medicine and the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine in 2000.

Other similar studies have found the children who live in homes that are "overly" clean have a higher incidence of respiratory problems, such as asthma.  Chiropractors have always contended that it's the soil and not the seed (the health of the individual and not the germ) that gives rise to disease and sickness.  Chiropractic is concerned with optimizing the health of the individual so that they may be less susceptible to all the bacteria and viruses that are always around us.  I might add that many of my patients have stated that since starting chiropractic care, they are much less susceptible to the flu, colds and sore throats.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are medications that treat inflammation, pain, and fever. There are several different types of NSAIDs. Some are available over-the-counter (aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, and ketoprofen) and others can only be obtained by prescription.  A new study published in the August 16, 2003, British Medical Journal finds that prenatal use of NSAIDs and aspirin increased the risk of miscarriage.

The study, based on a sample size of 1,055 pregnant women, points to a five times more likely risk of a miscarriage in women who took NSAIDs at the beginning of their pregnancies compared to women who took them later in their pregnancies. According to the study, there is an 80 per cent increase in the chance of a miscarriage in women who took these NSAIDs at any point in their pregnancy.  The researchers also found that the risk increased when the drugs were used for longer than one week but these risks were not affected by other factors such as drinking alcohol or coffee.

Researcher De-Kun Li from the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute in Oakland, California where the study was conducted says that there was a "striking contrast" between the effects of acetaminophen and that of NSAIDs in the results of this study.

This new study follows up on a study at the University of Aarhus in Denmark in 2001 in which researchers examined patients` medical records and the national birth registry. The team found an association between miscarriages after 28 weeks and NSAID usage in the weeks immediately before the miscarriage.

Pharmacologist Andy Gray of Natal University's Nelson Mandela School of Medicine in South Africa suggests, "Women should avoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs during pregnancy and not take anything without consulting their doctor."

Two recent news articles feature chiropractic care for general wellness and for children.  One article from the August 28, 2003, Press & Sun Bulletin from Binghamton NY, starts off by featuring 5-year-old Michael Smolinsky as he receives his chiropractic adjustment. Michael's mother Joanne, noted that her son started seeing Dr. McAulliffe three years ago because, after nine months of chronic ear infections, she didn't know where to turn. All of the pediatricians and ear, nose and throat doctors she took her son to couldn't figure out what was wrong and just kept prescribing medication that didn't seem to help. 

"It concerned me," Joanne Smolinsky said. "How much medicine can you put into a 2-year-old child?"  She then recalled that doctors suggested putting tubes in Michael's ears to drain excess fluids.  The idea of putting her son under anesthesia scared her, and after talking to her chiropractor she decided to give chiropractic a shot.  Her medical doctors didn't support the idea, so she couldn't get a referral for insurance purposes.  After receiving chiropractic every six weeks for three years, Michael has had only one ear infection in that time. He also experienced the same good results with dizzy spells that he had been previously having.

Another article featured in the August 18, 2003 Star Online News of North Carolina, starts off by saying, "In recent years, chiropractors nationwide have been increasingly successful in beating the "back-pain only" rap with statistics and growing testimonials about chiropractic care's benefits, for everything from stress and fatigue to sinus trouble and asthma. And whether young or old, folks in Southeastern North Carolina, too, are making use of what's renewing itself as one of the hottest trends in healthcare."

This story highlighted 3-year-old Christian Kent of Leland.  When Christian was a mere 6 months old, he developed recurring ear infections. These ear infections would clear up with medicine, but they would always return. After a year and numerous trips to an ear, nose and throat specialist, it was determined that at a year and a half old, he needed tubes in his ears. Cindy Kent, Christian's mother remembers her initial reaction, "I thought, `Oh no`." she then continued. "Instead, we brought him to the chiropractor and after six adjustments, the ear infection was gone."

"People should be focused on correcting the root of the problem," said Dr. Reese, a chiropractor interviewed for the article. "This is not an alternative, but its own distinct form of health care. People should have a chiropractor, just like they should have a doctor, a dentist or a mechanic."

A Reuters Health article of August 27, 2003, reports on research that shows that eating dark chocolate, but not milk chocolate, raises plasma antioxidant levels, an effect that could help protect against heart disease.  The new study from the University of Glasgow, showed eating chocolate increases blood antioxidants but consuming milk at the same time cancels the health benefits.

What are antioxidants?  They are compounds that combine with free radicals in the body and neutralize their damaging effects. What are free radicals? These are highly reactive molecules that are produced through normal body processes, as well as external stimuli such as air pollution and tobacco smoke. These free radicals react with billions of cells in the body and may lead to the development of a number of chronic diseases including cancer, cataracts and heart disease.  There are many studies in the medical journals demonstrating the positive effects of antioxidants on large populations to decrease the frequency of new cancers as well as decrease the recurrence rates in people who already have cancer.  Additionally, antioxidants have been shown to have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system by decreasing the heart attack rate.

Volunteers in the University of Glasgow study were given either plain (dark) chocolate or milk chocolate. Some were also given milk in the double-blind experiment. Then their antioxidant levels were tested. Blood analysis one-hour after dark chocolate was eaten revealed a significant rise in antioxidant levels.  "Those volunteers who had dark chocolate had a 20 percent increase in antioxidants in their plasma," said Alan Crozier, one of the research team. "But those who had milk chocolate, or milk with their dark chocolate, showed no increase in epicatechin plasma levels." 

It must be kept in mind, however, that this does not mean everyone should eat dark chocolate everyday for improved health.  Fresh organic vegetables and fruits provide a wide assortment of many different types of antioxidants, in addition to numerous beneficial nutrients.  Furthermore, vegetables and fruits lack the bad fats and refined sugars associated with chocolate.

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