Welcome to Dr. Armand Rossi’s email newsletter:

Kid’s Unlimited        

March 23, 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.  

Yours in Chiropractic, Armand Rossi

I have been taking singing lessons.  My Aunt is a voice instructor, so I decided it would be something fun to do, and it also exercises the diaphragm.  Singing can be strenuous and difficult at times and I notice that I have to work at it quite a bit.  When that happens, I tend to frown and get serious.  My Aunt usually yells at me.  “Relax and have fun, when you smile as you sing the muscles relax and the voice comes out stronger, clearer and easier.”  She is right.  As I learned to smile and have fun with the song, it was easier to perform and came out clearer and stronger.  I started realizing how similar this is to our practices.  When we work the practice with seriousness, we tend to block our own abilities to be stronger, clearer and make everything more difficult. When we learn to relax and have fun with the practice everything works better. We enjoy ourselves and the patients also enjoy the more relaxed attitude. So smile, and let the practice work for you instead of trying to work the practice yourself.

SCANDAL OF THE ANTHRAX BABIES

http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/content_objectid=14000046_method=full_siteid=106694_headline=-SCANDAL-OF-THE-ANTHRAX-BABIES-name_page.html

Feb 29 2004

By Mike Hamilton

Deaths, still-births, miscarriages, physical defects and sickness are all being blamed on anthrax jabs given to soldiers who went to Iraq.

In the case of 33 Field Hospital - an Army unit of 105 men and women who served in the Gulf last year - not one pregnancy has been trouble-free since the war. Among the victims were Lance-Corporal Andy Saupe and wife Alex, who lost baby Kye at just five weeks old.

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FIVE minutes was all they had. Five precious minutes to say goodbye. Five minutes to cradle baby Kye in their arms before he died.

Lance-Corporal Andy Saupe was among 105 men and women serving with 33 Field Hospital who were given anthrax vaccinations before being called up for Gulf War 2. Three months after returning home from Iraq he and wife Alex lost their five-week-old baby, born 10 weeks premature with growth problems and limb defects.

But they are not alone. The Sunday Mirror can reveal that since the war was declared over last May at least seven young couples linked to 33 Field Hospital have suffered pregnancy complications - most with tragic circumstances. In fact not one pregnancy has been trouble-free.

As well as the death of Kye there has been one still-birth, two miscarriages, a forced termination and two premature births. In every case one of the parents was given anthrax jabs.

The figures are shocking, especially when compared to the national average. Among the general population, around one in 20 babies are still-born. One in 85 babies is born with some sort of physical defect. One in 10 babies is premature. Miscarriages hit one in four pregnancies. Last night Kye`s distraught mother Alex said: "We want answers. "There have been too many problems in this unit for it to be a tragic coincidence."

33 Field Hospital was deployed to the Gulf at the beginning of last year and stationed on the Iraq-Kuwait border. The unit - comprising medics, chefs, Royal Engineers, drivers, clerks and quartermasters - then moved up to Basra in southern Iraq.

Army sources say that in Gulf War 1 women soldiers were warned not to conceive within 12 months of various vaccinations being administered. But members of 33 Field Hospital, based in Gosport, Hants - and other troops who served in the Gulf - say no warnings were given about anthrax jabs. Experts now fear thousands of British troops who had the vaccinations face problems with having children.

The victims of 33 Field Hospital include:-LANCE-CORPORAL Andy Saupe, 23, and wife Alex, 25, whose son Kye died after five weeks fighting for life. -LANCE-CORPORAL Johann Haggerty, 28, and wife, Zoe, 23, whose son Joshua was still-born after a healthy pregnancy. -PRIVATE Justin Bowen, 27, and his 20-year-old wife Vicky, and Army Nurse, whose son Scott was born premature and is still fighting for life. -A ROYAL Engineer whose wife had to have a forced termination at five months because the baby was not developing properly. -A WOMAN Fusilier who had a miscarriage. -AN NCO whose wife, in her mid-30s, suffered a miscarriage. -ARMY Medic Kirsty Wilson, 21, whose pregnancy was plagued by illness.  Her son, Ryan, born eight days early, now suffers serious skin problems.

Last night the MoD was facing demands to stop anthrax vaccinations immediately and there were calls for the Government to hold a full public inquiry. Professor Malcolm Hooper, a member of the MoD`s independent vaccines panel, said: "This situation looks like a cluster and I am sure it is linked to the Anthrax vaccine. "The numbers are relatively small and the Army will try to dilute them out with everyone else. But this is hugely significant and should not be ignored. "Somebody should go down to Gosport and look at this problem carefully, not  belittle people and brush this under the carpet."

Paul Tyler - a Liberal Democrat MP and member of the Royal British Legion Gulf War Group - said: "This sounds like conclusive evidence that the cocktail of vaccinations given to troops was totally unsafe. "I`m afraid this is too much to be a coincidence. There should now be a full public inquiry - out in the open - into the inoculations given to troops.

"But instead there has been a constant state of denial from MOD officials and ministers over what amounts to a dereliction of duty and care to people serving their country." Shaun Rusling, President of the National Gulf Veterans and Families` Association, praised the Sunday Mirror`s investigation. "It is extremely worrying that you have discovered these seven cases in one small unit," he said.

"Veterans across Britain are having problems but may not realize there is a wide scale problem until they read something like this. "It is disgraceful that the Government will not hold a public inquiry into the erroneous vaccinations regime that is causing deaths and deformities in the children of war veterans."

Last night an MoD spokeswoman said: "Congenital disabilities are unfortunately common, affecting about one in 33 live births. "In about two-thirds of these cases, no cause is found. "The anthrax vaccine has been used for many years by both military and civilian professions, and no serious side-effects have been reported. "People that are pregnant are advised to see a doctor on a one-to-one basis regarding vaccinations. "No advice was issued to military personnel with regard to conception in either conflict because no adverse reactions have been reported."

-The NGVFA`s helpline number is 01482 833812.

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OUR WORST NIGHTMARE:  BABY KYE: DIED, 5 WEEKS

LANCE-CORPORAL Andy Saupe had two anthrax injections 10 days apart in December 2002 after his unit was called up for The Gulf. Weeks later his partner Alex became pregnant and the couple married a week before Andy was sent to the Gulf on February 16 last year.

While Andy, a chef, was in the Gulf, an initial scan showed Alex and baby were well. But when Alex went back a few weeks later doctors noticed serious problems. The baby was showing a lack of movement. His limbs were also not forming properly. As concerns about her pregnancy grew, Alex went into St Mary`s Hospital in Portsmouth for more tests and was also sent to see geneticists at Southampton General Hospital. Alex said: "Doctors were baffled by the whole thing and could not tell me what was causing the problems." On July 24 last year Alex and Andy were in bed at their Army home in Gosport, Hants, when she went into labour 10 weeks early. She said: "I was having really bad stomach pains. Eventually I got up and phoned the hospital and they said to come in. Andy borrowed a friend`s car and we started heading to the hospital in Portsmouth."

On their way there Alex went into labor. "We pulled over and I got into the back seat," said Alex. "I gave birth and Andy had to deliver Kye. He did a great job although he has only got basic Army first-aid training. The ambulance got there soon afterwards and they had to perform CPR (heart resuscitation) on Kye. They rushed him straight to hospital and then I had to wait for another ambulance to come and get me."

Kye, who weighed just 2lbs 10oz, was taken into intensive care. His facial features were not formed properly and his limbs were "fixed". He had 10 times the normal level of fluid around his heart and dark patches on the brain. For five weeks Kye fought for his tiny life, but eventually doctors told devastated Andy and Alex to prepare for the worst. The couple then took the heart-breaking decision to turn off his life-support equipment. "Eventually they told us to say our goodbyes," said Alex. "I spoke to Kye and said, `If you are going to go, you can go now`."

Before Kye died Alex and Andy held him for five minutes to say goodbye. Alex said: "It was heartbreaking - every parents` worst nightmare."

Alex initially thought they had suffered an unexplained tragedy like those that hit many couples. But then she began hearing about others in Andy`s unit who had suffered miscarriages, had premature births or had babies born desperately ill. Alex asked doctors if the problems could be linked to the jabs Andy was given. She was told it could be possible - that preservatives used to store the anthrax could be to blame.

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THE VICTIMS

LANCE-CORPORAL Andy Saupe, 23, and wife Alex, 25, whose son Kye died after five weeks fighting for life.

LANCE-CORPORAL Johann Haggerty, 28, and wife, Zoe, 23, whose son Joshua was still-born after a healthy pregnancy.

A ROYAL Engineer whose wife had to have a forced termination at five months because the baby was not developing properly.

A WOMAN Fusilier who had a miscarriage.

AN NCO whose wife, in her mid-30s, suffered a miscarriage.

PRIVATE Justin Bowen, 27, and Army Nurse wife Vicky, 20, whose son Scott was born premature and fighting for life.

ARMY Medic Kirsty Wilson, 21, whose pregnancy was plagued by illness. Her son, Ryan, now suffers serious skin problems.

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A DEADLY CHEMICAL WEAPON

ANTHRAX is a deadly spore-forming bacteria which multiplies if it gets into the body.

Humans inhale the spores or can be infected through breaks in the skin. Spores then produce a toxin that is released into the bloodstream. The toxin starves tissues of oxygen, eventually inducing respiratory and heart failure.

Allied Forces feared Saddam Hussein had a stock of anthrax, which he was prepared to use against troops. The controversial vaccine given the soldiers involved using dead anthrax bacteria to produce an immune response to the disease. The vaccine cannot be given to pregnant women, under-18s or over-65s because their immune systems are weaker than others. Short-term side-effects include swelling, muscle-aches, fever and nausea. One in 50,000 end up in hospital after suffering severe reactions.

Campaigners claim the vaccination is among causes of Gulf War Syndrome. And research in America shows children of Gulf veterans exposed to vaccines, including anthrax, are more prone to birth abnormalities. Last month we told how a three week-old baby had become Britain`s youngest Gulf War Syndrome. The American study also found veterans and their partners ran twice the risk of miscarriages.-DO you know a Gulf War Syndrome scandal we should investigate?

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Dawn Richardson

PROVE(Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education)

prove@vaccineinfo.net (email)

http://vaccineinfo.net/ (web site)

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PROVE provides information on vaccines, and immunization policies and practices that affect the children and adults of Texas.  Our mission is to prevent vaccine injury and death and to promote and protect the right of every person to make informed independent vaccination decisions for themselves and their family.

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February 24, 2004

ESSAY

When Your Doctor Goes to the Beach, You May Get Burned

By ABIGAIL ZUGER, M.D.

A doctor I know maintains a fairly typical relationship with the pharmaceutical industry.

He deplores its influence on medical practice and worries that his colleagues` prescribing habits are increasingly swayed by omnipresent drug advertisements and sales agents pumping new products.

Regarding his own independence and integrity, though, my friend has no doubts. He feels that, as a man of science, he is trained to recognize an advertisement when he sees one, and to file it away in that corner of his brain reserved for potentially biased information.

The facts stored there have no influence on his professional judgment, he believes.

In fact, he says, it amuses him to take advantage of everything the drug companies have to offer — the free pens and flashlights, the free lunches, the expensive dinners, the occasional all-expense-paid jaunt to a balmy resort to participate in a focus group and depart with a generous check.

He shrugs.

"I need the money," he says. If the drug companies are naïve enough to imagine that their largess will buy his loyalty, then so be it — it is their gamble, and their loss.

In fact, he points out that if a 21st century doctor is too principled to participate in pharmaceutical-sponsored education, that doctor winds up without much education at all, since so much of it is now financed by industry.

Studies show that most doctors feel the way my friend does, and not only the ones who are hard up for cash. Travel to any medical meeting and you will see the most eminent medical minds in the country taking full advantage of pharmaceutical generosity.

Some just sip the odd cup of free cappuccino, while others bed down in free hotel suites. Some influential specialists make a point of accepting consultant fees and gifts from as many companies as possible, to emphasize their impartiality. On surveys, almost all doctors affirm that their clinical judgment is unaffected by such activities.

But the pharmaceutical industry is not known for its naïveté, and is unlikely to continue providing their treats without getting something big in return.

Relatively few researchers have investigated the question of exactly what that something big is. Among other considerations, it is one of the few research topics in medicine that will not attract drug company financing.

A handful of studies have looked at the common practice of giving doctors free drug samples and have shown that it unquestionably induces them to prescribe drugs they would otherwise avoid. The other gifts also appear to bring a nice return. In one clever 1992 study published in the journal Chest, Cleveland researchers surreptitiously tracked doctors` use of two drugs before and after all-expense paid educational jaunts to sunny resorts. They found that drug prescriptions more than tripled, an effect that persisted for more than a year, while the use of equivalent drugs remained stable.

It is all quite deplorable, my friend says. He used to add routinely that none of this data was applicable to him, but a recent series of events may have changed his mind.

A new AIDS drug was introduced into the marketplace a while ago, with some interesting features that set it apart from older drugs. For one thing, it was a new class of drug whose potency was not altogether certain; for another, it was a long-acting drug that could be taken once a day — a wonderful and liberating detail for patients otherwise tethered to a twice- or thrice-daily schedule.

The drug was released into the marketplace with a minimum of published information on its success in patients — not an unusual occurrence in these days of rapid drug approvals. The pharmaceutical company`s representatives outdid themselves, introducing their new product with lunches, dinners and far-flung focus groups.

My friend, a little skeptical of the drug, took full advantage of these opportunities to learn all about it. After many conversations with the drug representatives, a half-dozen nice meals and a few trips to warm, sandy beaches, he had plenty of information.

Time passed. More studies were done. The new drug seemed to perform somewhat less effectively than had been hoped. Advisory bodies began to warn that in some situations, the new drug should not be used at all: it was so ineffective it could get patients into trouble.My friend, nothing if not conscientious, went through his list of patients to identify those with H.I.V. infection who were on the new drug, so that he could contact them and change their pills.

The next time I ran into him he was a little subdued, newly conscious of the power of subliminal advertising.

There is an article that was published in Life Extension magazine by three MD`s and 2 PhD`s titled "Death by Medicine". The article was too long to put in the actual magazine, but they published the whole thing on the web site. In the article, which is over 50 pages long, these five doctors analyze all of the deaths that occur due to our health care system. In the end, these doctors (none of which are chiropractors) determine that the monumentally flawed United States health care system is actually the number one cause of death in this country. Prior to this article it has been widely accepted by those in the know that our health care system was either 3rd or 4th as far as causes of death behind heart disease and various types of cancer. This report now exposes it as the number one cause of death. I know that this is a lengthy article and few, if any of you will take the time to read it. However, I ask that all of you take the time to print it out and reference it as needed. I do not mean this to be an anti-medicine propaganda email. The medical community has its place, and should I find myself the victim of severe trauma or disease, I will be the first to ask for medical intervention. However, I think that it is crucial that we do not take the word of the medical practitioner as gospel. Please do yourself a favor and review the facts in this article. Every statistic is backed by reputable sources cited at the end of the article. If you find the conclusions of this article as alarming as I did, then please share it with others close to you. The link to the article is below. http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2004/mar2004_awsi_death_01.htm

Private Parts

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

March 10, 2004

Dear Reader,

Here`s how you know when a drug`s side effects are completely out of control: When the federal government requires you to place your name and personal details about your sex life in a national registry in order to purchase the drug.

Sound extreme? It is. But this is the plan that an FDA advisory panel has come up with in an effort to reduce birth defects caused by Accutane, the prescription medicine designed to treat severe acne. As for other Accutane side effects (mostly associated with emotional instability), well, with those you`re on your own.

But for anyone, young or old, who copes with the discomfort and embarrassment of serious acne, the need for a drug and all its side effects might be made completely unnecessary with a simple change in diet.

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Someone to watch over you 

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In the e-Alert "Dying of Embarrassment" (1/15/02), I first told you about the problems associated with Accutane use. Here are some of the highlights...  or rather lowlights:

* According to the FDA, between 1998 and 2000 Accutane was linked with at least 160 cases of suicide, attempted suicide, suicidal thoughts, and hospitalization - more than 50 cases a year.

* Other side effects (listed on the web site of Roche, Accutane`s manufacturer) include depression, psychosis, acute pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease and vision and hearing impairment.

* In 1990, the FDA estimated that since the drug`s introduction in 1982, there had been 11,000 to 13,000 Accutane-related abortions, and 900 to 1,100 Accutane-related birth defects.

All of these side effects are troubling, and the suicides are particularly alarming. But last week`s recommendations from the FDA advisory panel specifically address the tragic tendency of Accutane to cause severe birth defects when used by pregnant women.

In 2001, Roche began a program to help prevent birth defects associated with the drug. Under this program, all females who take Accutane are encouraged to use two forms of birth control and take regular pregnancy tests. Even though these guidelines make it very clear that Accutane users who become pregnant are putting their unborn children in grave danger, the rate of birth defects stayed about the same. In

response, the FDA panel recommended that the guidelines become mandatory, and that a registry be established to list every Accutane user (male or female), along with a record of pregnancy tests and birth control use.

If the FDA decides to accept the panel`s recommendations, Big Brother will be looking over the shoulders - and in the bedrooms - of all Accutane users.

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Three strikes

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To say the least, the FDA is a very aggressive regulatory agency. But this plan for a registry that will record details about a patient`s sexual life is an extreme invasion of privacy, even by FDA standards. Furthermore, it`s not even necessary because it simply won`t work. Here are three reasons why: 

1) The program to prevent pregnancy among Accutane users is already in place. If users don`t follow the current program, they`re not likely to follow it when it`s mandatory, unless each female user is escorted everywhere she goes by an FDA Accutane policeman.

2) The regulations can`t possibly be monitored and enforced. During a time of budget cutbacks throughout government agencies, is the FDA really going to mount an Accutane Task Force to make sure all the pregnancy tests have been submitted and everyone is taking their birth control? And if not, what`s the alternative? Will they start arresting Accutane users when they become pregnant?

3) If you go to the Internet and search "Accutane" and "without a prescription," you`ll get scores of responses - site after site after site - offering Accutane with no questions asked. Needless to say, these sites don`t require pregnancy tests or any assurances about birth control.

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Potato pushaway

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According to a dermatologist who`s also a member of the FDA advisory panel, one of the problems with Accutane is that it`s over-prescribed. The drug is intended to address only very severe cases of acne that create large cysts. Inevitably, however, many doctors prescribe the drug for relatively normal acne cases.

This is a shame, because for people who don`t have extremely aggressive acne, a change in diet will often help clear things up.

In a 2002 article published in the Archives of Dermatology, researchers at Colorado State University wrote that acne is a problem for as much as 95% of adolescents, and half of the men and women over age 25 in westernized societies, while the rates are much lower in non-westernized countries. In fact, they call the difference in the rates "astonishing."

For many years, alternate medicine practitioners and nutritionists like Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., and Adelle Davis have known that wheat intake can prompt acne outbreaks. And recent studies confirm that acne thrives when the diet is rich in high glycemic foods. Here`s the suspected chain of events: Bread, cereal or potatoes are consumed, digestion increases glucose levels, insulin production rises and triggers hormones to secrete sebum in pores of the skin, and the sebum attracts acne-promoting bacteria.

According to many dermatologists, a wide body of anecdotal evidence supports the theory that a low-carbohydrate diet may be the best first defense against acne for patients of all ages. If you know a young friend or family member who suffers from this painful and often embarrassing problem, let them know that there may be a safe dietary alternative to powerful drugs with dreadful side effects. 

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Same old same old

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Once again I can`t help but note that if an herbal supplement were associated with the level of problems that Accutane is, we would hear nothing but long howls of indignation that such a product is available to minors, let alone frequently prescribed to them. And it would be followed by a mob of congressmen demanding its immediate removal from the market, which would probably still be preferable to them monitoring the activity in your bedroom. 

To learn more about HSI, call (203) 699-4416 or visit

http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/HSI/WHSID618/home.cfm.

February 25, 2004

ADVERTISING

A Report on Childhood Obesity

By NAT IVES

MADISON AVENUE was challenged again yesterday over the way it markets food to children, as a new report was released suggesting that advertising contributes to childhood obesity.

The report, by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, summarized existing studies on obesity and the media like television, video games and movies that capture children`s attention. Although it endorsed no solutions, it did discuss possible policy changes, like regulating or reducing food advertising aimed at children.

And it is far from the first examination of ads focusing on children; just on Monday, the American Psychological Association recommended that the government put restrictions on marketing to those younger than 7 or 8 because they are unable "to recognize advertising`s persuasive intent.``

Big marketers have been busy lately responding to the growing concern over obesity, particularly when it relates to children and advertising. McDonald`s fought off a lawsuit from two teenagers who accused the company of failing to provide necessary information about health risks associated with its meals. McDonald`s and other chains like Burger King, Jack in the Box and Subway revamped their menus or marketing, or both, to emphasize healthier foods like salads. Kraft Foods promised to shrink portion sizes and trim fat and calories from some products. Even KFC tried to market its fried chicken as healthier than consumers might have thought.

But as the new study arrived yesterday, even with its carefully qualified statements, some marketers charged that it failed to support its conclusions adequately. Many called for parents to accept responsibility for their children`s health.

"We want kids to buy our products," said Steven Rotter, chairman of the Rotter Group in New York, an agency that specializes in marketing to children. "But Mom and Dad, if your kid is eating too much and eating the wrong stuff, don`t let them have it."

The report cites statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that 15.3 percent of children ages 6 to 11 were overweight in 1999 and 2000, more than triple the average of 4.2 percent from 1963 to 1970.

The studies surveyed in the report did not spell out how television, video games and movies might have contributed to childhood obesity. But the report suggested that children`s food advertising loomed large in the mix.

Some of the most compelling evidence came from studies that reduced children`s exposure to media, said Vicky Rideout, vice president and director at the program for the study of entertainment media and health at the Kaiser Foundation.

"What`s really powerful are the interventions that have succeeded in reducing children`s weight problems by reducing the time spent with media," Ms. Rideout said. "If you find that something is succeeding, you don`t necessarily have to wait for 100 percent proof explaining why it`s succeeding."

That is particularly true, Ms. Rideout said, when parents are overwhelmed by the volume of marketing messages aimed at children.

In the marketing context, "media" is a term that is broadly defined to include not only direct broadcast and print advertising, but also things like subtle product placement in programming, artwork on product packaging and licensing arrangements that tie products to popular broadcast icons.

A Nickelodeon executive, who also participated in a panel where the report was released, said that waiting for all the evidence to come in was not good enough when the issue was children`s health.

"While there is still much to be learned, we at Nickelodeon are not waiting to be proactive on this," said Marva Smalls, executive vice president for public affairs at the channel, part of the MTV Networks division of Viacom.

Nickelodeon`s efforts have included six months of "reconnaissance" on the issue through conversations with trade associations, nutritionists, marketers, government officials and others; the introduction of a campaign with the theme "Let`s just play," to encourage more physical activity among children; and restricting commercials during programming for preschoolers to the very beginning and very end of shows.

Procter & Gamble, one of the world`s biggest advertisers, also said it was working to market itself fairly and responsibly. "We feel we need to have responsible marketing, especially in this obesity environment," said Gary Dowdell, director for external relations.

But marketers rejected the premise that advertising, marketing and promotions aimed at children made up the "main mechanism by which media use contributes to childhood obesity," as the report says is likely.

"There are a lot of questions about whether this advertising is a major force," said Daniel L. Jaffe, executive vice president for government relations at the Association of National Advertisers. "It would be very unfortunate, if we got off on some dead-end alley trying to manipulate advertising, when that may not be the driving force in this area."

Dick O`Brien, Mr. Jaffe`s counterpart at the American Association of Advertising Agencies, agreed. "All of us are trying to figure out what`s the best way to solve the epidemic," Mr. O`Brien said. "The Kaiser study goes at it in a fairly balanced way. Where they make a huge leap in judgment is where they say that advertising may be part of the problem."

To counter that, Mr. O`Brien cited the experience of Sweden and Quebec, which he said showed that restrictions on advertising food to children had not reduced obesity.

"Another alternative mentioned in the study, which we all here agree with, is to expand public education programs to promote healthy eating and exercise," Mr. O`Brien added.

The Children`s Advertising Unit of the Council of Better Business Bureaus is also at work on the issue, searching for ads that may mislead children about nutrition. But Elizabeth Lascoutx, director at the unit, said that food-related issues constitute only a small portion of the possible infractions it has investigated. Of the 144 campaigns examined by the unit either informally or in a formal review last year, just 12 addressed food-related advertising, she said.

"It`s hardly the biggest thing we`re dealing with," Ms. Lascoutx said, calling children`s privacy, especially online, a far more frequent concern.

But critics like Gary Ruskin, executive director at Commercial Alert in Portland, Ore., said the Kaiser Foundation report did not go far enough.

"The report reconfirms the obvious: that advertising to children works and that television is basically an obesity machine," Mr. Ruskin said. The report failed to delve deeper into questions over issues like product placement, which children in particular may not recognize as marketing, he said.

Worse, blaming parents for abdicating control over their children`s diets fails to recognize the extent of advertising and marketing surrounding families, Mr. Ruskin said. "It`s time for these large junk food companies to stop injecting themselves in the relationship between parents and kids," he said.

William MacLeod, a spokesman at the Grocery Manufacturers of America and another participant in yesterday`s panel discussion on the report, said one challenge of being a parent is finding foods that children like and are good for them. Blaming advertising when children eat poorly misses the bigger picture, he said. "There has to be some balance in consumption of media, just as there needs to be in consumption of food," he said.

February 24, 2004

Chickenpox Vaccine Found to Fade in a Year

By ANAHAD O`CONNOR

Vaccination against chickenpox has been routine in the United States for nearly a decade.

But outbreaks of the illness among children who have already been immunized have raised new concerns about the effectiveness of the vaccine and the age when it is given.

Now a new study is adding to the debate. Researchers at Yale Medical School reported last week in The Journal of the American Medical Association that the effectiveness of the chickenpox vaccine fades substantially a year after it is administered. The vaccine also appears to confer less immunity to children younger than 15 months.

The chickenpox vaccine has been approved for use in the United States since 1995. Some experts have questioned whether it should be used at all, arguing that immunizing children just pushes the disease into adulthood, when it is usually more severe.

The study, carried out over several years, tracked 339 children who had chickenpox and compared them with 678 children who had never had the disease.

A year after the vaccine was given, the researchers found, its effectiveness waned, slipping from an average of 97 percent to 84 in years two through eight.

For children who had the shot at 15 months or older, the protection reached 99 percent in the first year. But in children who had been vaccinated before 15 months, the researchers found, immunity in the first year was 73 percent.

Still, the children who came down with chickenpox, also known as varicella, after receiving shots mostly showed just mild symptoms, the researchers found.

"I think the evidence shows that there`s no reason for people to worry," said Dr. Marietta Vazquez, a researcher at Yale and the study`s lead author, noting that the vaccine`s effectiveness stabilizes after the second year.

Dr. Vazquez suggested that lifting the age to vaccinate children from 12 to 15 months might help.

Other experts disagreed.

"It would be a shame and incorrect to start waiting until 15 months instead of 12 months to get vaccinated," said Dr. Edward P. Rothstein, a pediatrician in Bucks County, Pa., who helps the American Academy of Pediatrics issue immunization recommendations. "If that happens," Dr. Rothstein said, "it`s more likely we`re going to miss kids, because a lot of them aren`t going to come back."

Although no vaccine is ever 100 percent effective, some authorities see the findings as highlighting a potentially serious problem. If chickenpox becomes less prevalent, fewer unvaccinated children will contract it. That vulnerability follows them into adulthood, critics say, and it increases their chances of suffering severe complications if the disease does eventually strike.

Adults whose childhood immunity has worn off will also be in trouble, said Barbara Loe Fisher, co-chairwoman of the National Vaccine Information Center.

One solution, experts say, is to combine the chickenpox vaccine with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, known as M.M.R., usually given around the same time. That would mean that children would receive a second, or booster, dose of varicella vaccine, because M.M.R. is administered twice.

"It depends on what the objective is," said Dr. H. Cody Meissner, chief of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Service at the Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston. "If the objective is to prevent all cases of chickenpox, even the breakthrough cases, then we`d consider the possibility of a second dose."

Giving a second vaccination might become more attractive if immunity to chickenpox is shown to decline steadily as vaccinated children become adults. As it stands, what occurs beyond age 8 remains unclear.

"Up to 8 years, the protection is very good," Dr. Vazquez said. "But will it hold 10, 12, or 20 years down the line? We don`t know yet."

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

FATE OR INNATE?
by Dr. Bobby Braile, Chiropractor

I have a great idea.  Let`s dream up a scenario that is totally illogical, totally impossible, and could never happen.  And let`s make it a defining moment in chiropractic. So, where do we start?

Let`s start our fantasy by having the largest school in chiropractic have its accreditation yanked away by an agency made up of chiropractors.  Let`s have almost 65% of the student body of that school be displaced, and their lives interrupted.  Let`s have the founder of that school removed from the school and barred from coming on campus.

OK, now let`s take our oldest most recognized chiropractic school and let`s get the leader of that institution to resign after several years of unparalleled success. Let`s throw in more drama by having the students and Alumni of that school vote no-confidence in the school`s Board. And just for fun, why don`t we invite the media to both of these events so this all plays out in the public eye?

Are we having fun yet?  Hey, just for kicks, let`s get the Florida State Legislature to vote to spend $9 million to open a school of "Chiropractic Medicine" at a Florida State University system. Since that would be a state school, how about we set the tuition at about one-third of what it would cost to go to our other college?.

Hmmm, what else?  Oh. I know!  Let`s increase the requirements to get into our schools so that it reduces the potential pool of possible students by over 25%, and increases the overall costs of a chiropractic education by about 20%.  Now, because of this, let`s reduce student enrollment so severely that for the first time in decades, we have more chiropractors leaving practice and dying, than we have new students to replace them.  So, from this we can actually shrink the number of chiropractors in our profession.

What else can we do?  I got it!  Let`s change the name of several schools so that they are not really chiropractic colleges. Let`s appoint several non-DCs presidents, and let`s make most of the faculty PhDs or MDs, and let`s open schools all over the world that are called chiropractic but do not teach any chiropractic in their curriculum.

Boy, I`m sure glad this is only my fantasy dream!  If this were real it would be a nightmare! 

Every one of the things I have mentioned above is true!  Every one has happened and every one is real!  The reports I have listed above tell us that we are at a crossroads in our profession.  Now, more than any other time in our history, our profession stands on the brink of dissolution into oblivion and medical absorption.

In the scenarios I have reported on above, the one bright point has been that Dr. Guy Riekeman has been appointed to the presidency of Life University.  This adds some hope that all is not lost for that school and that a strong principled voice remains in our chiropractic educational institutions.

So what can we do?  BJ once said, "One man and Innate constitute a majority." Each of us need to be a beacon of chiropractic principle, each of us need to be involved, each of us needs to refer students to chiropractic school, and each of us needs to care.

New Beginnings offers us a rally point to renew our chiropractic souls. We need to be a part of a movement and transformation within ourselves and our profession that turns the tide and moves us in the right direction. The truth shall prevail! This is something that cannot be altered.  So with this in mind, each of us needs to do what we can, to become involved, to spread the message, and to be an active part of the principled chiropractic movement.

We really have two choices, we can either sleep and dream, or we can awaken our spirits, and awaken the world to the truth and freedom that chiropractic offers the world. If we act, we are fulfilling an innate plan to spread the truth.  If we fail to do anything, we leave the future of chiropractic to fate.

Noah`s Ark

Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah`s Ark.

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

 March 27 - 28, 2004        Dallas, Tx.               ICPA certification – Intro. to Chiropractic for the Family

April 3 - 4 2004                Nashville, Tn.         ICPA certification – Intro. to Chiropractic for the Family

April 17 - 18, 2004          San Francisco, Ca.   ICPA certification – Intro. to Chiropractic for the Family

April 24 -25, 2004           Boston, Ma.             ICPA certification – Intro. to Chiropractic for the Family

April 29 - May 2, 2004    Long Branch, N.J.     Pediatric Extravaganza/New Beginnings

June 4 - 6, 2004             St. Pete. Fl.                Florida Chiropractic Society Convention

July 10 - 11, 2004          Northern Virginia      ICPA certification – Intro. to Chiropractic for the Family

August 7 – 8, 2004       E. Stroudsburg, Pa.    Introduction to Chiropractic for the Family

August 20 - 22, 2004        Palm Beach, Fl.       Florida Chiropractic Society Convention

Sept. 30-Oct 2, 2004        Marietta, Ga.            Life University, Homecoming

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