Welcome to Dr. Armand Rossi`s newsletter:

Kid`s Unlimited

February 17, 2006

Kid`s Unlimited is a monthly newsletter of various articles, funnies, tidbits and opinions relating to our children and chiropractic. My opinions will always be in red and italicized. Please feel free to share the appropriate articles with patients, friends and other chiropractors. I never buy any lists or put names on my email list unless the names were given to me directly. If you wish to be removed from the list, just type the word "remove" in the subject line and reply back to me.

Together we will make a difference.

Yours in Chiropractic, Dr. Armand Rossi and Grandbabies Bailey and Avery

Armand M. Rossi

February 17, 2006

Greetings to all. We have just had a wonderful Valentine`s Day here at the office and, of course at home. Each patient got a carnation and their normal adjustment hug. We do hug most all of our patients. Those that feel uncomfortable about it, we don`t hug. We do, however, make sure all the patients know that they are loved and cared for. Valentine`s Day reminds us of the love that we should be displaying and sharing every day of the year. There is a phrase that has been associated with B.J. Palmer: " I love you because you love the things that I love." A good quote. But recently, my son Aaron pointed out that it is a limiting quote. I love you because I love unconditionally! I love you if you don`t love what I love. I love you if you are mean and nasty. I love you if you are confrontational and attack. I love you even if you are in pain and suffering. This is the challenge we have. I propose to you that it is easy to love those that are sweet and nice and love us back. The challenge is to love all unconditionally. I love you because you are a creation of God.

Mirror,UK
10 February 2006
A JAB TOO FAR?

AS EVEN MORE VACCINATIONS ARE PLANNED FOR KIDS, HAVE WE GONE TOO FAR..
By Victoria Kennedy

IT`S a scene that`s unbearable for both parents and children alike - when a nurse moves a menacing needle towards their child`s arm.

But by April, this toecurling scene will be repeated in doctors` surgeries TEN times before a child is two, as a further four inoculations will be added to the immunity programme.

The current required 21 doses will be increased with an extra four pneumococcal vaccines - against meningitis, blood poisoning and pneumonia - and a booster against Hib, an infection that can cause bacterial meningitis.

The government says these jabs are vital as they will keep children safe.

However, questions have been raised as to how effective these inoculations are, and whether they are actually harmful to a child`s health.

This, in addition to parents` existing concerns over the safety of the current MMR jab - after all many parents born in the 80s only had five inoculations themselves.

Some experts believe that vaccines are contributing to the steep rise in immune-related disorders in very young children.

GP and child vaccination expert Dr Richard Halvorsen says: "I expressed my concern about the new pneumococcal vaccines a year ago and I haven`t changed my mind. The diseases it prevents - meningitis, pneumonia and blood poisoning - are serious but rare.

"Only 20 children under five die from pneumococcal disease every year in the UK. A tragedy for the families affected, but a tiny portion of all three million children in this age group.

"The new vaccine will not even prevent all of these deaths as it protects only two out of three children.

"There is also an extra Hib jab to be given in a combined injection that has not, to the best of my knowledge, been used before. The government may be launching a vaccine with inadequate safety tests, as it did when the meningitis C vaccine was first introduced in 1999.

"I am concerned it will contribute to the rise of immune-related disorders - such as diabetes and asthma - in very young children. The addition of four extra vaccines before 15 months may only make matters worse. As a doctor I want to protect children from serious disease but first and foremost my duty is to do no harm.

"The benefit-risk balance is becoming precarious.

"For every life saved with the introduction of an extra vaccine into the increasingly congested immunization schedule, there may be a growing cost to our children in future disease and suffering."

Announcing the new inoculation plans, chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson said the new vaccine program would in fact help ease parents` fears about their children contracting meningitis.

Sir Liam said: "Pneumococcal infection can cause serious illness, such as meningitis and pneumonia as well as being one of the most common bacterial causes of ear infections.

"The under twos are a particular risk group. The new vaccine will save lives and prevent hundreds more cases of serious illness and disability in both the young and old as well as reducing the need for medical care."

His views are backed by the fact the increased vaccination program has already proved successful in the US, with cases of pneumococcal disease in young children having fallen by 94 per cent.

Meningitis charities have also welcomed the new program.

Philip Kirby, Chief Executive of the Meningitis Trust said: "Vaccination is the only way to prevent meningitis and we welcome this announcement as it will help save lives."

Britain already has one of the highest immunization rates in Europe, with babies currently receiving 21 vaccines against nine different diseases between the ages of two months and 15 months.

In contrast, in Sweden babies under 15 months only receive 16 vaccinations, while in Denmark they are given 18.

Sir Liam said the idea that children are being overloaded with jabs is a myth.

He said: "Science shows a baby`s immune system can cope with thousands of vaccines. Children that are given vaccines tend to grow up to be more healthy."

1980 vaccines

UP TO AGE OF TWO:
Diphtheria
Tetanus
Whooping cough
Polio
Measles

2006 vaccines

2 MONTHS
Five-in-one jab protects against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio
and Hib (an infection causing bacterial meningitis).
Pneumococcal vaccine

3 MONTHS
Five-in-one jab
Meningitis C vaccine

4 MONTHS
Five-in-one jab
Meningitis C vaccine
Pneumococcal vaccine

1 YEAR
Combined Hib/meningitis C vaccine

13 MONTHS
MMR (measles, mumps and rubella)
Pneumococcal vaccine
victoria.kennedy@mirror.co.uk

We have a couple of fun things we do around this time of year. We have a decanter full of chocolate kisses on the counter. Everyone gets to guess how many kisses are in the decanter. The closest gets a prize of some type.

In a few weeks the Academy Awards will be on TV. We created a sheet with most of the nominees. Each patient gets to guess who will win in the different categories. The one with the highest number correct will win gift certificates to a local theater.

Oscar Statuette

These are some of the things in the office that make it fresh and fun both for the patients and the staff.

New Study: Common Food Additives Aspartame and MSG Damage Nerve Cells

Combining Food Additives May Be Harmful, Say Researchers
Aspartame and artificial colourings investigated · Mice nerve cells stopped growing in experiments
Felicity Lawrence, consumer affairs correspondent
Wednesday December 21, 2005
Guardian
http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,1671821,00.html
New research on common food additives, including the controversial sweetener aspartame and food colourings, suggests they may interact to interfere with the development of the nervous system.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool examined the toxic effects on nerve cells in the laboratory of using a combination of four common food additives - aspartame, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and the artificial colourings brilliant blue and quinoline yellow. The findings of their two-year study were published last week in the journal Toxicological Sciences (read full study here)
The Liverpool team reported that when mouse nerve cells were exposed to MSG and brilliant blue or aspartame and quinoline yellow in laboratory conditions, combined in concentrations that theoretically reflect the compound that enters the bloodstream after a typical children`s snack and drink, the additives stopped the nerve cells growing and interfered with proper signalling systems.
The mixtures of the additives had a much more potent effect on nerve cells than each additive on its own.
The study reported that the effect on cells could be up to four times greater when brilliant blue and MSG were combined, and up to seven times greater when quinoline yellow and aspartame were combined, than when the additives were applied on their own. "The results indicate that both combinations are potentially more toxic than might be predicted from the sum of their individual compounds," the researchers concluded.
The tests used are the same as those applied when testing combinations of pesticides for toxicity. "They are recognised as predictive of developmental outcomes in humans," said Vyvyan Howard, a toxicopathologist and expert in foetal development who led the study.
Exposure to food additives during a child`s development has been associated with behavioural problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Additives are licensed for use one at a time, but the study`s authors believe that examining their effect in combinations gives a more accurate picture of how they are consumed in the modern diet.
"Although the use of single food additives is believed to be relatively safe in terms of development of the nervous system, their combined effects are unclear," Professor Howard said. "We think there are signs that when you mix additives, the effect might be worse."
The colours used in the research are synthetic dyes certified as safe food additives in the EU. However, brilliant blue (E133) has been banned in several European countries in the past. Quinoline yellow (E104) is banned in foods in Australia, Norway and the US. Previous research has shown that MSG (E621) and aspartic acid, one of the breakdown compounds in aspartame (E951), are neurotoxins, according to the authors of the study.
Brilliant blue is found in sweets, some processed peas, some soft drinks and some confectionery, desserts and ices. Quinoline yellow is found in some smoked haddock, some confectionery and some pickles. MSG, which is banned in foods for young children, is found in some pasta with sauce products, a large number of crisps, processed cheese, and prepared meals. Aspartame is found in diet drinks, some sweets, desserts and medicines.
The Food Standards Agency said it would need further details and clarification on the research before making a full assessment. "All of the additives included in the study are permitted for use in food under current EU legislation following a rigorous safety assessment," it said in a statement. The agency added it was funding research on the effects of mixtures of colourings on children`s behaviour and kept the safety of additives under review.
Speaking for manufacturers, the Food and Drink Federation said the additives in the study had all been approved as safe by the EU`s expert scientific committee.
The Aspartame Information Service, which represents the sweetener industry, dismissed the research, saying that it "did not provide any meaningful information" because it exposed mouse cells in the laboratory to undigested aspartame. "When we consume aspartame it is broken down in the digestive system to common dietary components. Aspartame has been in safe use for 25 years and has been reviewed and approved by more than 130 countries," it said.

EducationGuardian.co.uk © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005

FDA: 25 died while using hyperactivity drugs Ritalin-SR methylphenidate hydrochloride USP sustained-release tablets
--------------------

BY KATHLEEN KERR
STAFF WRITER

February 9, 2006

Twenty-five people - including 19 children - died suddenly while using hyperactivity drugs, according to a 2004 Food and Drug Administration report made public yesterday.

Additionally, 43 people taking the drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder experienced serious cardiovascular events, including strokes, cardiac arrest and heart palpitations. Twenty-six serious cardiovascular problems were reported in children - including two heart attacks and two strokes.

"The rare occurrence of pediatric sudden death during stimulant therapy of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is an issue that warrants close monitoring," the report states.

The deaths, which occurred between 1999 and 2003, were culled from 309 death reports received by the FDA through 2003 that listed the drugs as suspect. Most of the deaths were associated with the drugs Adderall, Ritalin and Concerta.

The FDA posted the report on its Web site yesterday in advance of a meeting today.

The report said the deaths and side effects amounted to less than one case per million prescriptions for the stimulant drugs. It noted some deaths might not have been reported.

Last year, Canada pulled Adderall XR off drugstore shelves after officials there said 20 deaths - including 14 in children - had been linked to it. Canada later allowed Adderall sales to resume.

Adderall or Adderall XR were linked to 17 deaths the FDA report found - including 12 boys age 18 or under. Ritalin was linked to three deaths and Concerta to five. One death was associated with the drug Dexedrine.

"There`s no conclusive correlation between the adverse events experienced by patients taking Adderall or Adderall XR and the cause of those adverse events," said Matt Cabrey, a spokesman for Shire Pharmaceuticals, Adderall`s maker.

Novartis Pharmaceuticals, which markets Ritalin, said it had reviewed " ... data from over 50 years and found that there does not appear to be any increase in cardiovascular event associated with methylphenidate use in comparison to the expected rates in the general population."

Officials at Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline, which market Concerta and Dexedrine, could not be reached.

Copyright (c) 2006, Newsday, Inc.

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A portion of Eric`s Story and the Autism Epidemic will be published in an educational book for speech and language under Autism as an Example and speech pathologists and special education teachers in universities and colleges will use this book. This book will be published in June 2006 and when I get more information, the web link will be on our web site.

The full version is in this edition, Summer 2006, Vol 3, No 4, Eric`s Story is on pages 52-53

Per...................
http://www.informedvoice.com.au/

I`m writing this not as a doctor with a fancy degree from Harvard or another school. I`m a parent who graduated from Queens College in 1975 with a B.A. degree in Economics and served in the U.S. Navy as a radioman in 1966 to 1968. I was born on June 30, 1944 in St. Albans, Queens, New York. I received the pertussis vaccine when I was six months old and in the early 1950s I got a case of whooping cough despite getting the vaccine. In the mid 1950s I got a case of measles and was out of school for two weeks.

Before I tell my story about my son, Eric Gallup, I want to mention some important facts. Autism is increasing at an alarming rate. Five years ago, it was 1 in 500 that had autism spectrum disorders according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Recently, the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) said that 1 in 6 children are diagnosed with a developmental disorder and/or behavioral problem. Also, the CDC and AAP said that 1 in 166 children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. See...http://www.taap.info/A.L.E.R.T.asp
I have been documenting the autism epidemic from the 1990s using the US Department of Education figures. Here are the latest figures.
See...http://www.taap.info/epidemic.asp

I know that the autism epidemic can`t be genetic in nature. There never has been nor never will be a genetic epidemic. Like many parents who know their children, I know that vaccines are responsible for my son`s autism disorder. In Washington, DC there is concern about Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid running out of money. The politicians are only thinking of the growing numbers of the elderly putting a strain on system. They don`t realize that in 5 to 10 years from now, there will be a growing number of children with autism that will reach adulthood and will be eligible to collect SSI and Medicare benefits. What will happen then? Will the Federalgovernment have unlimited resources to deal with this crisis. Will the states have unlimited resources to deal with this crisis?

The vaccine link to autism goes beyond the thimerosal and
measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine as far as I`m concerned. Many in the medical establishment and Federal government health agencies deny a vaccine link to autism. Despite the denial, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) keeps a record of adverse reactions to vaccines. It is called the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
See...http://vaers.hhs.gov

Eric Gallup was born normal on January 17, 1985. While Eric was in the hospital with my wife, she was given the live virus rubella vaccine. He was normal at birth but regressed into autism after receiving the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine on April 28, 1986. In an Internet article by F. Edward Yazbak,MD (TLAutStudy@aol.com) titled, "Autism: Is There A Vaccine Connection?" Part 1 (there is also Part 2 and 3), Case 3 is about my wife, Helen and Eric.
See Vaccination....http://www.garynull.com/Article.aspx?article=Issues/Index.aspx&Head=Issues

In 1995, Vijendra Singh, PhD. of Utah State University did blood work on Eric and found that he tested positive for myelin basic protein antibodies indicating an autoimmune dysfunction. That same year James Oleske, MD of UMDNJ, Newark, NJ who is a world famous pediatric immunologist who
specializes in AIDS, found the following in blood tests done on Eric. "His measles antibody titers were extremely high, in fact, the highest I have ever encountered. This marked elevation of measles titers, despite normal Ig levels, further supports an immune dysregulatory disorder that has been associated with either debilitating neurological disorders such as sub-acute sclerosing panencephalitis." Dr. Singh later tested Eric for the measles antibody titers and came up with the same results. Looking back at home video-tapes, I could see what happened before and after the MMR vaccine was given to Eric. His speech was progressing and then after, nothing.
See...http://www.avn.org.au/Children%27s%20Gallery/eric.htm

In April 1995, September 1997 and November 2001 I went to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland and asked for immunology funding for autism looking into the MMR vaccine link. To date nothing has been done. In October 1998, I started The Autism Autoimmunity Project (TAAP)to fund independent research. To date we have raised over $130,000.00 to fund such researchers as Dr. Vijendra Singh, Dr. James Oleske and Dr. Andrew Wakefield. In 2002, we took Eric to see Dr. Arthur Krigsman, a gastroenterologist. Dr. Krigsman found that Eric had colitis and a very painful, quarter-size stomach tissue in Eric`s throat.

In 2002, Eric started to develop aggressions where he would bite, head-butt, kick, scratch and pull hair. Up to February 2004, we had to call the police numerous times and Eric had to be taken to the hospital. He was on various anti-depressant medications over those two years and in February 2003, Eric broke my left index finger with his teeth almost amputating it off. Eric grew to be 6`2" tall and I am 5`10" so he was a handful. We received no respite care from Eric`s school or any state agency. We lived a life of hell and we were under siege during that time. When Eric had an aggression, we would have to go behind our bedroom or bathroom doors and lock them so Eric couldn`t hurt us. Eric broke two bedroom doors by kicking on them and we had to replace them with stronger doors that were kick-proof. At a December 10, 2002 vaccine hearing by the Government Reform Committee in Washington, DC, Congressman Dan Burton read my letter to the members at the hearing.

Eric had aggressions at school and was suspended various times. In February 2004, Eric was terminated from school and when I took Eric to the store he had another aggression. The police were called and Eric was taken to the hospital where he was born and put in their psychiatric unit. After a couple of weeks, we were told by the hospital that he would either have to be taken
home or put in Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital and if we didn`t do this we would be sued. So we took him to Greystone. The staff and patients took good care of him and they said that Greystone wasn`t the appropriate place for Eric. Eric had been on a waiting list for Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland so they finally had an opening in March 2003.

He was released and taken to Kennedy Krieger Institute where they treated him for his aggressions.

In August 2004 he was released from Kennedy Krieger Institute and was placed in an out-of-state residential school. When we initially left him there, he was running to the door to get out because he wanted to go home with us. Since that time he has gotten better but he is on heavy duty medication such as haldol and adivan. It takes us 2 and ½ hours to drive one way to see Eric so we only see him every other weekend. In January 2005, another patient punched Eric in the eye giving Eric a black eye. Eric was on a couch and pushed the other patient and the patient took exception and punched Eric. I worry about Eric constantly and at times I wonder what his and our lives would be like if he wasn`t damaged by the MMR vaccine. Many a time, I shed a tear for him. In particular, Helen and I had to make funeral arrangements for Eric because the state said they had money for this. It was very morbid and stressful for Helen and I to do this. One person asked me why couldn`t the state do this and not cause us more grief. I had no answer for them.

Many times when we pick up Eric to go out for lunch he will ask us about "home" in his picture/word book. It is difficult to respond to him and we have to say not now. During the last year we have brought Eric home for the weekend but it is difficult for myself emotionally, the fact that Eric is no longer living with us. I`m sure that we won`t be the first family dealing with this. Unfortunately, we won`t be the last family dealing with a situation such as this.

Recently, I had a disagreement over Eric`s medications at the school that he attends. They have him on zyprexa, haldol, adivan and lithium. I asked them to put Eric on extra doses of Vitamin B6 to reduce the tremors he has from the medications. Eric also has drooling problems and he stares off as he is so heavily medicated. We now have to look for another facility for Eric because of our disagreement. Basically, the state, the education system and the medical community want our children vaccinated. When something goes wrong then none of these organizations are there to help. They leave it in the parent`s hands. It isn`t their problem, it is the problem for the families involved.

The most telling part of the vaccine/autism link controversy is how three researchers who have looked into the autoimmune, MMR vaccine link to autism have been dealt with. This is what has actually happened. Keep in mind that if these researchers were politicians and this happened to them it would be reported all over the media. Unfortunately because they are independent researchers who are trying to help families and children with autism, their story is ignored by the media.

Vijendra Singh, PhD of Utah State University has found it difficult to get funding for any studies related to autoimmunity and autism after he discovered and perfected tests that proved an MMR autism connection. Prior to that, funding was easily available to him including from NIH sources.

Famed researcher Andrew Wakefield, MD of London, England, the author of over a hundred scientific articles (and his organization, Visceral (http://www.visceral.org.uk) ) encountered worse persecution. His research was closed down and he was told that he had to leave the Royal Free Hospital in London, England because he found evidence of measles in the gut of children with autism. His career came to a screeching halt in the UK. His phone was electronically bugged and his attackers are still after him, even now that he is in the US. Recently Dr. Wakefield has reported evidence of vaccine-strain measles virus genomic RNA in the cerebrospinal fluid of children with autism. This only accentuated his enemies` attacks. Obviously all governmental funding had stopped years ago.

Arthur Krigsman, MD of Long Island, New York has replicated Dr. Wakefield`s research in the US. After doing some 250 ileal biopsies of children with autism at Lenox Hill Hospital, he was not allowed to have them further tested for viral genomic RNA. Dr Krigsman was then so restricted that he also had to leave his NY hospital base. The reason is obvious, he was replicating Dr. Wakefield`s clinical science and the powers that be weren`t happy with this. Congressman David Weldon (who is also an MD) asked that the NIH fund Dr. Krigsman`s research. To date, the NIH has not honored Congressman`s request.

Anybody looking at what happened to these researchers can see the obvious. Why do this to these men if people were not afraid of the research they were doing? It basically is a vaccine/autism Watergate cover-up perpetrated by the enemies of these excellent researchers. The sad part about this is that families and children will never be helped and more and more children will develop autism. Who will pay and care for these children when they turn into adults like Eric? Especially when the parents get older and can no longer care for them. Will they have enough group homes and residential centers to care for the coming adult epidemic of autism? It is a subject that should be addressed now, but unfortunately only when something becomes a crisis is it addressed in the US.

Ray Gallup, parent and Founder
The Autism Autoimmunity Project
http://www.taap.info/
highnoon@gti.net

DEFINITION * TREATMENT * PREVENTION
Autism is 1 in 150 children today, 1 in 68 families! TAAP (The Autism Autoimmunity Project) is a non-profit charity dedicated to obtaining funding for independent research into the cause, treatment and prevention of autism and other autoimmune disorders. Please learn from our mistake and `Educate BEFORE You Vaccinate!` For more information visit our website at www.TAAP.info and `TAAP into the Truth!`

Employer, State Support Stalls For Mothers Who Nurse at Work

By SUE SHELLENBARGER
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
November 22, 2005; Page D4

Just a few years ago, it seemed a wave of support was mounting for working mothers who breast-feed. Employers began offering more supports such as pumping rooms and lactation consultants. And six states passed laws from 1998 to 2001 mandating that employers provide scheduled breaks or a private space for breast-feeding mothers.

Now, despite mounting scientific evidence that breast-feeding is healthy for mothers and babies alike, employer and state-government support for nursing mothers seems to have stalled.

After more than tripling from 1998 to 2002, the proportion of employers offering supports for breast-feeding mothers in the workplace has remained at about 19%, based on a 2005 survey of 367 employers by the Society for Human Resource Management, an Alexandria, Va., professional group. At the state level, no additional workplace mandates have passed since 2001.

Many working mothers continue to face obstacles to pumping milk at work, threatening public-health officials` efforts to raise low U.S. breast-feeding rates. La Leche League International, a Schaumburg, Ill., breast-feeding advocacy group, gets about 10 to 20 calls a month from women meeting employer resistance, says Melissa Vance, an attorney there. "A lot of moms call and say, `I have the right to do this.` And I have to say, `No, you don`t,` " Ms. Vance says. In states that lack mandates, employers aren`t required to allow time or space for women specifically for the purpose of pumping milk.

There is increasing evidence supporting the health benefits of breast-feeding for mother and child. Breast-feeding protects infants against diarrhea; respiratory, ear and urinary-tract infections; bacterial meningitis; and gastrointestinal infections, according to dozens of studies summarized in a 2003 report by the Congressional Research Service.

Other studies suggest a link between breast-feeding and lower rates of obesity during childhood. And a study by a team of Danish and U.S. researchers, published in 2002 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, also found a positive link between the length of time a baby is breast-fed and higher intelligence as an adult.

For mothers, several large studies have linked extended breast-feeding to reduced risk of breast, ovarian and endometrial cancers, the Congressional Research Service summary shows. Mothers who breast-feed also experience less postpartum bleeding and an earlier return to prepregnancy weight.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all babies, with rare exceptions, be exclusively breast-fed for six months and that breast-feeding continue for a full year. The Health and Human Services Department has set a national goal that, by 2010, 50% of all babies will still be breast-feeding at six months of age.

But U.S. nursing rates are lagging far behind: Only 36% of U.S. babies are still breast-feeding at all by the age of six months, based on 2003 study by the Centers for Disease Control. Just 14% are still exclusively breast-fed at that age.

To continue breast-feeding, many working mothers need to pump milk periodically during the workday, both to provide milk that can be bottle-fed to the baby and to sustain breast-milk production.

Shirley Powell would have liked to nurse her first baby while working as a communications executive at a California company several years ago. But she "had a boss who was calling me all day long," she says. Trying to break from work regularly caused "way more stress than I wanted," leading Ms. Powell, who now works in Atlanta, to give up nursing when her baby was just 12 weeks old.

Soaring health-insurance costs have many employers taking an ax to benefits across the board, halting growth in new work-life supports. And lactation-support programs have been among the benefits affected. Interest among employers "is a little sluggish right now," says Rona Cohen, an assistant clinical professor of nursing at the University of California, Los Angeles, who developed some of the earliest workplace lactation-support programs.

Lactation-support programs can make a big difference. Based on a survey of 203 participants in a lactation-support program offered by Johnson & Johnson, 65% were still nursing at six months, more than twice the national average for mothers working full time, says Wendy Breiterman, director of work-life programs.

PricewaterhouseCoopers offers employees and spouses prenatal education on breast-feeding, a consultant`s support during maternity leave and the return to work, subsidized purchase of a $200-plus breast pump for a $50 co-pay and, in some locations, use of a private "Mothers` Room." Other employers with lactation support include Eastman Kodak Co., Fisher Scientific International Inc., American Express Co. and Verizon Wireless.

More than 40 states have laws that protect mothers` right to breast-feed in public. But no additional states have passed laws mandating workplace support for breast-feeding since 2001, when California, Illinois and Connecticut joined Hawaii, Minnesota and Tennessee in requiring support.

Write to Sue Shellenbarger at sue.shellenbarger@wsj.com

I have always felt that chiropractors can get too analytical. They are constantly thinking and evaluating everything. Some get to the point that they analyze their analysis.!!!!! You all need to read the next article.

Thinking may actually be harmful to some people

BY JAMIE TALAN
Newsday

February 3, 2006, 9:56 AM EST

The process of thinking may actually be harmful to people with chronic brain diseases such as HIV dementia and Alzheimer`s.

Scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center have discovered a rather alarming mechanism: The inflammation triggered by these conditions turns normal nerve impulses - neurons talking to one another - into a toxic language that can damage cells outright.

Dr. Harris A. Gelbard, a professor of neurology and principal investigator of the study published recently in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, has been researching the brain circuitry that goes awry in these mind-robbing conditions.

While colleagues in the neuroscience field have focused on the death of the neuron itself, Gelbard followed the destruction occurring beforehand when two cells were trying to talk to one another.

Gelbard and Matt Bellizzi witnessed under a microscope disturbing behavior in dendrites, the branchlike part of the neuron that conducts impulses from the body of the cell to another cell. Dendrites have spines sprouting out like twigs, and at the end of the curved branch is a synapse, a chemical handshake with the neighboring cell. Cells need the synapse to communicate.

Gelbard and Bellizzi saw that the dendrites growing in the damaged brain were beading - creating a foxhole and disappearing. The synapse couldn`t function properly. Then - surprise - the beading stopped and the dendrite`s disappearing act was over. The synapse was also restored.

Gelbard and his colleagues realized that the beading - the disappearing act - was associated with functional deficits in the cell. When inflammation wasn`t present, normal cell-to-cell communication flowed.

This dendritic beading has also been observed in the brains of animals with Alzheimer`s. AIDS brains had the same beading. When nerves tried to communicate during a learning experience, the inflammation triggered this beading and prevented information from getting from one cell to the next. Abnormal amounts of calcium also were produced.

"This is an exceedingly innovative discovery," said Dr. Howard Gendelman, chairman of experimental neuroscience at the University of Nebraska. "This work brings us a significant step forward in developing new ways to detect and treat brain diseases."

Once Gelbard realized that inflammation was at the heart of this process, he began testing drugs to quiet this abnormal immune response.

"We got the idea to use a drug that buffers calcium and reduces inflammation," said Gelbard.

And it worked. Pretreating with a medicine normally used in emergency rooms to treat severe hypertension, Gelbard found that it prevented beading.

"It saved the synapse," he said. "It has to get to the right place and in the right dose, but you can do almost anything to neurons and they won`t die."

He believes that this approach, conditioning neurons to withstand stress, could be used in early stages of dementia to strengthen vulnerable cells.

The National Institute of Mental Health is testing a variety of compounds to treat AIDS dementia. One class of drugs being studied is the anti-epileptic medicines that appear to have anti-inflammatory properties. Clinical trials are under way. Gelbard`s work was funded by the same agency.

Copyright (c) 2006, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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Twinkies and Root Beer

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer and he started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons.

The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.

The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.

Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?

"He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? God`s got the most beautiful smile I`ve ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked," Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added," You know, he`s much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!

~author unknown~

NO PARENT LEFT BEHIND

If you can read these and not laugh out loud, you are a better straight
man than I am.

These are supposedly REAL notes written by PARENTS in a Tennessee school district... (could easily have been "good ol` California as well
(Spellings have been left intact.)

1-- MY SON IS UNDER A DOCTOR`S CARE AND SHOULD NOT TAKE PE TODAY PLEASE EXECUTE HIM.

2-- PLEASE EXKUCE LISA FOR BEING ABSENT SHE WAS SICK AND I HAD HER SHOT.

3-- DEAR SCHOOL: PLEASE ECSC`s JOHN BEING ABSENT ON JAN. 28, 29, 30, 31,32 AND ALSO 33.

4-- PLEASE EXCUSE GLORIA FROM JIM TODAY. SHE IS ADMINISTRATING.

5-- PLEASE EXCUSE ROLAND FROM P.E. FOR A FEW DAYS. YESTERDAY HE FELL OUT OF A TREE AND MISPLACED HIS HIP.

6-- JOHN HAS BEEN ABSENT BECAUSE HE HAD TWO TEETH TAKEN OUT OF HIS FACE.

7-- CARLOS WAS ABSENT YESTERDAY BECAUSE HE WAS PLAYING FOOTBALL. HE WAS HURT IN THE GROWING PART.

8-- MEGAN COULD NOT COME TO SCHOOL TODAY BECAUSE SHE HAS BEEN BOTHERED BY VERY CLOSE VEINS.

9-- CHRIS WILL NOT BE IN SCHOOL CUS HE HAS AN ACRE IN HIS SIDE.

10-- PLEASE EXCUSE RAY FRIDAY FROM SCHOOL. HE HAS VERY LOOSE VOWELS.

11-- PLEASE EXCUSE PEDRO FROM BEING ABSENT YESTERDAY. HE HAD (DIAHRE, DYREA, DIREATHE), THE SH**S.

NOTE: [WORDS IN ( )`s WERE CROSSED OUT]. (Love it! :-) )

12-- PLEASE EXCUSE TOMMY FOR BEING ABSENT YESTERDAY. HE HAD DIARRHEA, AND HIS BOOTS LEAK.

13-- IRVING WAS ABSENT YESTERDAY BECAUSE HE MISSED HIS BUST.

14-- PLEASE EXCUSE JIMMY FOR BEING. IT WAS HIS FATHER`S FAULT. {You know, this could be legit! ;-) }

15-- I KEPT BILLIE HOME BECAUSE SHE HAD TO GO CHRISTMAS SHOPPING BECAUSE I DON`T KNOW WHAT SIZE SHE WEAR.

16-- PLEASE EXCUSE JENNIFER FOR MISSING SCHOOL YESTERDAY.WE FORGOT TO GET THE SUNDAY PAPER OFF THE PORCH, AND WHEN WE FOUND IT MONDAY. WE THOUGHT IT WAS SUNDAY.

17-- SALLY WON`T BE IN SCHOOL A WEEK FROM FRIDAY. WE HAVE TO ATTEND HER FUNERAL.

18-- MY DAUGHTER WAS ABSENT YESTERDAY BECAUSE SHE WAS TIRED. SHE SPENT A WEEKEND WITH THE MARINES. {I absolutely LOVE that one!}

19-- PLEASE EXCUSE JASON FOR BEING ABSENT YESTERDAY. HE HAD A COLD AND COULD NOT BREED WELL.

20-- PLEASE EXCUSE MARY FOR BEING ABSENT YESTERDAY. SHE WAS IN BED WITH GRAMPS.

21-- GLORIA WAS ABSENT YESTERDAY AS SHE WAS HAVING A GANGOVER.

22-- PLEASE EXCUSE BRENDA. SHE HAS BEEN SICK AND UNDER THE DOCTOR.

23-- MARYANN WAS ABSENT DECEMBER 11-16, BECAUSE SHE HAD A FEVER, SORETHROAT, HEADACHE AND UPSET STOMACH. HER SISTER WAS ALSO SICK, FEVER AN SORE THROAT, HER BROTHER HAD A LOW GRADE FEVER AND ACHED ALL OVER. I WASN`T THE BEST EITHER, SORE THROAT AND FEVER. THERE MUST BE SOMETHING GOING AROUND, HER FATHER EVEN GOT HOT LAST NIGHT.

NOW WE KNOW WHY PARENTS ARE SCREAMING FOR BETTER EDUCATION FOR OUR KIDS.

Gotta Be Over 40 to Understand

Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn`t get food poisoning.

My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter AND I used to eat a bite raw sometimes, too. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper, in a brown paper bag, not in icepack coolers, but I can`t remember anybody getting e.coli.

Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in Lake Ontario or the Don River instead of a pristine pool (talk about boring), no beach closures then.

The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school PA system.

We all took gym, not PE... and risked permanent injury with a pair of hightop Ked`s (only worn in gym) instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built-in light reflectors. I can`t recall any injuries but they must have happened, because they tell us how much safer we are now....

Flunking gym was not an option... even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be much harder than gym.

Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the National Anthem, and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention. We must have had horribly damaged psyches.

I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself. I just can`t recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations.

Oh yeah, and where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed!

We played `king of the hill` on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of Mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn`t sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked!

Now it`s a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.

We didn`t act up at the neighbor`s house either, because if we did, we got our butt spanked there, and then we got butt spanked again when we got home. I recall `Fishface Allen` from Stafford Street coming to our place and doing his tricks on the front stoop, just before he fell off. Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house. Instead, she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof.

It was a neighborhood run amuck.

To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a "dysfunctional family". How could we possibly have known that we needed to get into group therapy and anger management class? We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills, that we didn`t even
notice that the entire country wasn`t taking Prozac! How did we ever survive?

LOVE TO ALL OF US WHO SHARED THIS ERA, AND TO ALL WHO DIDN`T---- SORRY
FOR WHAT YOU MISSED. I WOULDN`T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2006 when...

1.You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.

2.You haven`t played solitaire with real cards in years.

3.You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.

4.You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.

5.Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don`t have e-mail addresses.

6.You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.

7.Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.

8.Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn`t have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.

10.You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.

11.You`re reading this and nodding and laughing.

12.Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.

13.You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.

14.You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn`t a #9 on this list.

AND NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.

Go on, forward this to your friends. You know you want to ;-)

Here are a list of my upcoming talks and seminars. Please note that these may change.

March 4 -5, 2006 Chicago, Il. Chiropractic Care for the Family - I.C.P.A.

March 25 - 26, 2006 San Fran., Ca. Chiropractic Care for the Family - I.C.P.A.

April 1 - 2, 2006 Atlanta, Ga. Chiropractic Care for the Family - I.C.P.A.

April 8 - 9, 2006 Montreal, Canada Chiropractic Care for the Family - I.C.P.A.

This newsletter does not replace pure, principled chiropractic care!!