Kid’s Unlimited Welcome to Dr. Armand Rossi’s email newsletter:
Kid’s Unlimited May 21, 2004
Kid’s Unlimited is a monthly, or semi-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 submitted to me directly. If you wish to be removed from my list, just reply with the word “remove” in the subject line.
Thank you… Together we will make a difference.
So I woke up angry the other day. One of my patients came into the office crying. Her son (who is also a patient) had finally found a good job after struggling at it for a while. He is also in the Air National Guard. His guard unit was called up and he is going to Iraq next week. The mother was, of course, distraught. She was especially upset at the cases of the Iraqi prisoner abuse and how that could lead to more death and retaliation against the Americans.
I am angry because this once again illustrates how subluxated the world is. I am angry because I realize how much work needs to be done and how so many in our profession want to take the easy way out and just treat back pain. There was a chiropractor recently talking to a friend of mine. He was saying how happy he is in his new multi-disciplined practice. “No more of that ‘power that made the body, heals the body’ crap.” If he really believes that it is “crap” then he really isn’t a chiropractor. So we go out and profess what the masses want to hear, and we get paid well. We dare not talk about correcting the subluxation because it’s an interference to normal function. We hold back on communicating that a person with interference is not connected to the source and therefore can act in an abhorrent way. So we take the easy way out and the public perception is “I don’t have back pain, so I don’t need a chiropractor.” Meanwhile they are dying of subluxations.
Then I noticed how God gives us mirrors to learn more about ourselves. I wasn’t so angry with others in our profession as much as I was angry with myself. Angry at the times I give in to that public perception; angry at not speaking out more; angry at falling into complacency. I realized that my anger was really at my own failings and complacency.
I was fortunate enough the other day to read a quote by Dwight D. Eisenhower: "People who put privilege above principle will, in the end, lose both."
So from this day forward, I will wake up from my complacency and spread the word of chiropractic. I will not back down. I will not back down!
Baltimore Sun
Possible link of vaccine, autism is debated
Federal medical panel is about to issue report, but concessions unlikely
By John A. Macdonald
The Hartford Courant
May 16, 2004
WASHINGTON - Lyn Redwood`s son Will was a happy baby who "ate, slept well, smiled, cooed, walked and talked, all by one year," his mother recalls. But shortly after his first birthday, Will developed several infections, stopped talking, lost eye contact and suffered intermittent bouts of diarrhea. He ultimately was diagnosed as having a form of autism, a severe neurological disorder.
A couple of years later, his mother read a report that said children who received vaccines containing thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, could have been exposed to more mercury than federal guidelines recommend. Since then, Redwood has been convinced that the vaccines Will received five years ago led to his autism and that the federal government is ignoring the vaccine-autism issue.
Thousands of parents share Redwood`s belief, while most of the nation`s medical establishment says there is no scientific basis to believe that vaccines are responsible for autism.
After a lengthy investigation, the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, is about to issue a report that will attempt to answer an increasingly contentious question: Is there a connection between vaccines and autism?
The report takes on special significance because the number of parents refusing to have their children follow traditional vaccination schedules is on the rise. Many think the trend has been fueled by news stories, Internet sites and word-of-mouth reports of adverse effects from vaccines, the American Medical Association said.
Meanwhile, the prevalence of autism grew at a rate of 10 percent to 17 percent a year through the 1990s, before manufacturers began removing thimerosal from pediatric vaccines, according to the Autism Society of America.
Today, as many as 1.5 million Americans are believed to have some form of autism, the society says. Many parents say signs of autism began to appear shortly after their children received vaccines containing thimerosal.
While the Institute of Medicine might deliver the most complete study yet of the suspected vaccine-autism connection, it is not likely to be the last word on the issue. Many parents say they do not trust federal agencies to tell them the truth.
Meanwhile, many doctors think parents have been misled by researchers and others offering a simplistic explanation for a complex problem. Neither side appears in a mood to concede.
The ABC News program Primetime Live said in a recent profile of a family with three autistic children that doctors dismiss any vaccine-autism link.
"This is not only not true, but Primetime`s assertion flies in the face of the best current research being performed by the recognized experts in this field," said Redwood, a nurse in the Atlanta area and president of SafeMinds, an organization investigating what it says are the risks caused by medical products that contain mercury.
In Cheshire, Conn., Lynne Avram, a nurse and mother of a 6-year-old autistic son, said she is not anti-vaccine but is convinced that vaccines containing thimerosal can trigger the onset of autism. "To me this is crystal clear," she said. "There`s a lot of research out there that nobody`s acknowledging." Several other Connecticut mothers of autistic children expressed similar opinions.
In Missouri, parents and doctors crowded into a Jefferson City meeting hall to support legislation sponsored by Rep. Roy Holand that calls for the state to become the first in the nation to impose a ban on vaccines that contain thimerosal. A local newspaper quoted one parent of an autistic child as saying, "This is the biggest story of the 21st century."
Vaccine supporters have begun to respond. The Sabin Institute, a vaccine think tank based in New Canaan, Conn., distributed statements from parents testifying to the positive effects of vaccines. In one, a Texas mother whose son was not vaccinated and died of meningitis said she was moved to speak out "by the loss of my only son [and] to make sure all children everywhere are protected against infectious diseases."
Dr. Louis Z. Cooper, a Columbia University professor of pediatrics and past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, added his voice to those who urge parents to have their children vaccinated. Cooper, who has practiced medicine for 43 years, said vaccines prevent children from getting diseases that might kill them. "I know how serious these diseases are," Cooper said. "I know what good vaccines do. There is no science to suggest that thimerosal plays a role in autism."
Cooper`s view is shared widely, both in the United States and abroad. "There is no convincing evidence of harm caused by the small doses of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor effects like swelling and redness at the injection site due to sensitivity to thimerosal," the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention currently advises parents in the United States.
Other organizations that downplay the risks of thimerosal in vaccines include the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the World Health
Organization and the National Health Service of Great Britain. Health Canada, a government agency comparable to the FDA, says it strongly favors continued use of vaccines containing thimerosal when no alternative exists.
The causes of autism remain elusive. Federal health officials say several studies show that genetics might play a role. There is less evidence that pregnant women who consume lead or alcohol or the prescription drug thalidomide might be more likely to have autistic children, the officials say. Autism is four times more prevalent in boys than girls.
Those who believe in a vaccine-autism connection suffered a setback in February when The Lancet, an influential British medical journal, questioned the impartiality of a researcher who is a leading proponent of the theory. The Lancet took the unusual action of retracting an article that Dr. Andrew Wakefield, a British researcher, co-authored in 1998 that linked the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, to autism. At the time, Wakefield did not disclose that he was gathering information for lawyers representing parents who suspected their children developed autism after receiving the MMR vaccine, The Lancet said.
Wakefield, who still has many defenders, denied any conflict and has hired a lawyer. But researchers who say vaccines are safe cite the article to discredit the work of those who have a different opinion.
The setback has not shaken parents such as Redwood, the SafeMinds president, who continues to lash government agencies that disagree with her organization. "It has been our long-held fear that our federal health agencies lack the desire or will to fulfill their duty in this matter," she said.
Calls for the removal of thimerosal from vaccines began with the passage of legislation in 1997 that required the FDA to identify and provide an analysis of foods and drugs containing intentionally introduced mercury compounds. Two years later the FDA said its study showed that some children over the first six months of life could be exposed to a cumulative level of mercury exceeding one of the three existing guidelines for exposure to mercury.
After the FDA study, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Public Health Service jointly recommended in 1999 that thimerosal be eliminated or reduced in vaccines as soon as possible. Manufacturers began to comply, although it took some longer than others.
The CDC says that today all routinely recommended pediatric vaccines manufactured for the U.S. market contain no thimerosal or only trace amounts. Critics respond that old stocks of vaccines containing thimerosal have never been recalled. In addition, flu vaccines routinely recommended for children still contain thimerosal. Many parents said they also find it strange that the government has issued warnings about mercury in tuna fish but still allows thimerosal in some vaccines.
The debate moved to the political arena in April, when U.S. Reps. Dave Weldon, a Florida Republican, and Carolyn B. Maloney, a New York
Democrat, introduced legislation that would remove all vaccines that contain thimerosal from the market. Congress has yet to act on the measure. In another development, Weldon, a medical doctor, took the concerns of many parents who distrust federal health agencies to the Institute of Medicine.
At a February meeting to examine vaccine safety issues, Weldon said the CDC "has a built-in conflict of interest that is likely to bias any views" the institute arrives at in its new study. The reason, he said, is that the CDC asked the institute to prepare the vaccine safety study. Weldon repeated his concerns at a recent meeting of parents of autistic children.
Dr. Frank DeStefano, a CDC official, disputed Weldon. "We approach these studies in as objective and scientific manner as possible," DeStefano said.
The committee heard from a nearly equal number of experts on both sides of the thimerosal-vaccine safety issue at the meeting.
Still, Weldon`s comment reflected some parents` frustration that a 2001institute study concluded the evidence was inadequate to accept or reject a "causal relationship" between thimerosal and the onset of autism, attention deficit disorder and speech or language disorders.
Marie C. McCormick, head of the institute`s vaccine study panel, has acknowledged that "some parents and researchers are concerned" about the presence of thimerosal in vaccines, but the findings of the forthcoming report remain closely guarded.
Not all parents agree about the issue. Kim Newgass, president of the Autism Society of Connecticut, said the sharp rise of autism cases should spur continued research. But she is not yet willing to point an accusing finger at thimerosal. "I think this is one of those things that is going to be up in the air for a long time," she said.
Another Connecticut woman who is the parent of an autistic child said: "This disease, as do most, has trailing behind it an array of snake oil salesmen, flocks of lawyers with product liability complaints in hand, and endless heaps of alarmists and those offering false hopes." She asked not to be identified because she said her views would put her at odds with friends who also have autistic children.
As Redwood looks at her son, she has no such doubts. "To me the continued use of mercury [in vaccines] is almost barbaric," she said.
Jeanne Lenzer
A whistleblower that uncovered evidence that major drug companies sought to influence government officials has been removed from his job and placed on administrative leave.
Allen Jones, an investigator at the Pennsylvania Office of the Inspector General (OIG), was escorted out of his workplace on 28 April and told "not to appear on OIG property" after OIG officials accused him of talking to the press. Reports of Mr. Jones`s findings were widely reported in the New York Times, BMJ (7 February, p 306), and elsewhere.
His findings showed that the pharmaceutical company Janssen had paid honorariums to key state officials who held influence over the drugs prescribed in state-run prisons and mental hospitals.
Mr. Jones filed a suit on 7 May against his supervisors charging that the OIG`s policy of barring employees from talking to the media was "unconstitutional." Mr. Jones claims, in the complaint filed in the Middle District Court of Pennsylvania, that he is being harassed by his superiors and Pennsylvania governmental institutions in order to "cover-up, discourage, and limit any investigations or oversight into the corrupt practices of large drug companies and corrupt public officials who have acted with them."
Mr. Jones had been earlier removed as lead investigator on the case after being told by a manager "drug companies write cheques to politicians on both sides of the aisle."
In July 2002 Mr. Jones was appointed lead investigator when he uncovered evidence of payments into an off-the-books account. The account, earmarked for "educational grants" was funded in large part by Pfizer and Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Payments were made from the account to state employees who developed formulary guidelines recommending expensive new drugs over older, cheaper drugs with proved track records.
One of the recommended drugs was Janssen`s antipsychotic medicine risperidone (Risperdal)—a drug that has recently been found to have potentially lethal side effects. The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to Janssen on 27 April saying that Janssen`s "Dear Healthcare Provider" letter about risperidone was "false or misleading" because it failed to disclose or minimized risks of the drug relating to "serious adverse events including ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar coma, and death."
Don Bailey, Mr. Jones`s attorney, said the case is a critical test of the right to a free press. "If they shut the employee up and they have all the documents locked up in a drawer there is no free press," he said.
Amy Wasserleben, spokeswoman for the OIG, said they would not comment on Mr. Jones or the corruption allegations. When asked about the status of the corruption investigation she refused to answer. In response to a question about whether the state OIG could withhold information of public interest, she said, "The OIG is specifically exempt from right-to-know laws."
The
However, Dr Peter J Weiden, who was a member of the project`s expert consensus panel, charges that the guidelines are based on "opinions, not data" and that bias due to funding sources undermines the credibility of the guidelines since "most of the guideline`s authors have received support from the pharmaceutical industry."
Subject: Warning for animals!! Swiffer Wetjet toxic!
Warning for your animal`s health:
I recently had a neighbor who had to have their 5-year old German shepherd dog put down due to liver failure. The dog was completely healthy until a few weeks ago, so they had a necropsy done to see what the cause was. The liver levels were unbelievable, as if the dog had ingested poison of some kind. The dog is kept inside, and when he`s outside, someone`s with him, so the idea of him getting into something unknown was hard to believe.
My neighbor started going through all the items in the house. When he got to the Swiffer Wetjet, he noticed, in very tiny print, a warning, which stated, "may be harmful to small children and animals."
He called the company to ask what the contents of the cleaning agent are and was astounded to find out that antifreeze is one of the ingredients. (Actually he was told it`s a compound, which is one molecule away from antifreeze).
Therefore, just by the dog walking on the floor cleaned with the solution, then licking it`s own paws, and the dog eating from its dishes which were kept on the kitchen floor cleaned with this product, it ingested enough of the solution to destroy its liver. Soon after his dog`s death, his housekeepers` two cats also died of liver failure. They both used the Swiffer Wetjet for quick cleanups on their floors. Necropsies weren`t done on the cats, so they couldn`t file a lawsuit, but he asked that we spread the word to as many people as possible so they don`t lose their animals.
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!
You need to check out this website www.cognitiveliberty.org It’s a great sight for all caring parents to look at.
A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods." The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this in. At last she said, "I sure wish I`d gotten to know you sooner!"
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My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo while I asked, "No, how are we alike?" "You`re both old," he replied.
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I didn`t know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me, and always she was correct.. At last she headed for the door, saying sagely, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these yourself!"
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When my grandson, Billy, and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It`s no use, Grandma. The mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."
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When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I`m not sure." "Look in your underwear, Grandma," he advised. "Mine says I`m four."
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Pay special attention to the wording and spelling. If you know the Bible, even a little, you`ll find this hilarious! It comes from a Catholic elementary school test. Kids were asked questions about the Old and New Testaments. The following statements about the Bible were written by children. They have not been retouched or corrected (i.e., incorrect spelling has been left in).
1. In the first book of the bible, Guinessis, God got tired of creating the world, so he took the Sabbath off.
2. Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. Noah`s wife was called Joan of Ark. Noah built an ark, which the animals come on to in
pears.
3. Lot`s wife was a pillar of salt by day, but a ball of fire by night.
4. The Jews were a proud people and throughout history they had trouble with the unsympathetic Genitals.
5. Samson was a strongman who let himself be led astray by a Jezebel like Delilah.
6. Samson slayed the Philistines with the axe of the Apostles.
7. Moses led the Hebrews to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread which is bread without any ingredients.
8. The Egyptians were all drowned in the dessert. Afterwards, Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten amendments.
9. The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat the apple.
10. The seventh commandment is thou shalt not admit adultery.
11. Moses died before he ever reached Canada. Then Joshua led the Hebrews in the battle of Geritol.
12. The greatest miracle in the Bible is when Joshua told his son to stand still and he obeyed him.
13. David was a hebrew king skilled at playing the liar. He fought the Finklesteins, a race of people who lived in Biblical times.
14. Solomon, one of David`s sons, had 300 wives and 700 porcupines.
15. When Mary heard that she was the mother of Jesus, she sang the Magna Carta.
16. When the three wise guys from the east side arrived, they found Jesus in the manager.
17. Jesus was born because Mary had an immaculate contraption.
18. St. John the blacksmith dumped water on his head.
19. Jesus enunciated the Golden Rule, which says to do one to others before they do one to you. He also explained, a man doth not live by sweat alone.
20. It was a miracle when Jesus rose from the dead and managed to get the tombstone off the entrance.
21. The people who followed the lord were called the 12 decibels.
22. The epistles were the wives of the apostles.
23. One of the oppossums was St. Matthew who was also a taximan.
24. St. Paul cavorted to Christianity. He preached holy acrimony, which is another name for marriage.
25. Christians have only one spouse. This is called monotony.
I don`t know how they wrote this with a straight face! This was a real memo sent out by a computer company (IBM), to it`s employees, in all seriousness. It went to all field engineers about a computer peripheral problem. The author of this memo was quite genuine. The engineers rolled on the floor.
Re: Replacement of Mouse Balls....
If a mouse fails to operate, or should it perform erratically, it may need a ball replacement. Mouse balls are now available as FRU (field replacement units). Because of the delicate nature of this procedure, replacement of mouse balls should only be attempted by properly trained personnel. Before proceeding, determine the type of mouse balls, by examining the underside of the mouse. Domestic balls will be harder & larger than foreign balls. Ball removal procedures differ depending on the manufacturer, of the mouse. Foreign balls are replaced by using the twist off method. Mouse balls are usually not static sensitive. However excessive handling can result in a sudden discharge. Upon completion of ball replacement, the mouse may be used immediately. It is recommended that each person have a pair of spare balls for maintaining optimum customer satisfaction. Any customer missing his balls should contact the local personnel in charge of replacing these necessary items. Please keep in mind that a customer without properly working balls...is an unhappy customer!!
WHAT IS A GRANDPARENT?
(taken from papers written by a class of 8-year-olds)
Grandparents are a lady and a man who have no little children of her own. They like other people`s.
A grandfather is a man grandmother.
Grandparents don`t have to do anything except be there when we come to see them. They are so old they shouldn`t play hard or run. It is good if they drive us to the store and have lots of quarters for us.
When they take us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars.
They show us and talk to us about the color of the flowers and also Why we shouldn`t step on "cracks."
They don`t say, "Hurry up."
Usually grandmothers are fat, but not too fat to tie your shoes.
They wear glasses and funny underwear.
They can take their teeth and gums out.
Grandparents don`t have to be smart.
They have to answer questions like "why isn`t God married?" and "How come dogs chase cats?".
When they read to us, they don`t skip. They don`t mind if we ask for the same story over again.
Everybody should try to have a grandmother, especially if you don`t have television, because they are the only grown ups who like to spend time with us.
They know we should have snack-time before bedtime and they say prayers with us every time, and kiss us even when we`ve acted bad.
A 6 YEAR OLD WAS ASKED WHERE HIS GRANDMA LIVED.``OH,`` HE SAID, ``SHE LIVES AT THE AIRPORT, AND WHEN WE WANT HER WE JUST GO GET HER. THEN WHEN WE`RE DONE HAVING HER VISIT, WE TAKE HER BACK TO THE AIRPORT.``