CEO Newsletter 2008 - Number 6

Contents
1. Government Concedes Vaccine
2. A Flawed Flu Vaccine
3. As Drug Ads Surge, More Get Rx's Filled

1. Government Concedes Vaccine - Autism Case inFederal Court - Now What? - By David Kirby - February 25, 2008After years of insisting there is no evidence to link vaccines with the onset of autismspectrum disorder (ASD), the US government has quietly conceded a vaccine-autism case in the Court of Federal Claims.The unprecedented concession was filed on November 9, and sealed to protect the plaintiff’s identify. It was obtained through individuals unrelated to the case.The claim, one of 4,900 autism cases currently pending in Federal “Vaccine Court,” was conceded by US Assistant Attorney General Peter Keisler and other Justice Department officials, on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services, the “defendant” in all Vaccine Court cases.The child’s claim against the government --that mercury-containing vaccines were the cause of her autism—was supposed to be one of three “test cases” for the thimerosal-autism theory currently under consideration by a three-member panel of Special Masters, the presiding justices in Federal Claims Court.Keisler wrote that medical personnel at the HHS Division of Vaccine Injury Compensation (DVIC) had reviewed the case and “concluded that compensation is appropriate.”The doctors conceded that the child was healthy and developing normally until her18-month well-baby visit, when she received vaccinations against nine different diseases all at once (two contained thimerosal).Days later, the girl began spiraling downward into a cascade of illnesses and setbacks that, within months, presented as symptoms of autism, including: No response to verbal direction; loss of language skills; no eye contact; loss of “relatedness;” insomnia; incessant screaming; arching; and “watching the florescent lights repeatedly during examination.”Seven months after vaccination, the patient was diagnosed by Dr. Andrew Zimmerman, a leading neurologist at the Kennedy Krieger Children’s Hospital Neurology Clinic, with “regressive encephalopathy (brain disease) with features consistent with autistic spectrum disorder, following normal development.”The girl also met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) official criteria for autism.In its written concession, the government said the child had a pre-existing mitochondrial disorder that was “aggravated” by her shots, and which ultimately resulted in an ASD diagnosis.“The vaccinations received on July 19, 2000, significantly aggravated an underlying mitochondrial disorder,” the concession says, “which predisposed her to deficits in cellular energy metabolism, and manifested as a regressive encephalopathy with features of ASD.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/

Editor’s notes: There may be Justice but how many have to be maimed or die before the governments of the world actually defend the people? Thanks to those who have continued to fight!
This one’s for Dr. Tedd Koren.

2. A Flawed Flu Vaccine – The Week - March 7, 2008
The flu is rap­idly spreading through the population, and this year, your flu shot may not protect you against getting sick. Officials at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta say the flu vaccination - which usually prevents about 70 percent to 90 percent of infec­tions - this year is effective against only about 40 percent of circulating viruses.
That’s because health officials guessed wrong about which viral strains would be most common this winter- So the vac­cine they created for this flu season creates antibodies against viral, strains people are not likely to encounter, while leaving them unguarded against the strains to which they might be exposed. So far, 44 states have reported flu cases, up from 31 in just a week. Ten children have died. Another problem this year is that flu viruses are evolving to be immune to anti-viral drugs such as Tamiflu. “Five percent of this year’s strains are untreatable with anti-viral drugs, compared with last year’s 1 percent”, CDC epidemiologist Dr. Joe Bresee tells the Associated Press. “This represents a real increase in resistance,” says Bresee.

Editor’s Note: WOW, now they admit that this is at best a “CRAP SHOOT”! It is all based on the great medical evidence based care of “luck of the draw”. Even worse their messing around with this has now put us in more harm’s way! What happened to “First do no harm!”? OOPS, pardon me they have substituted “First make a profit!” for that line. Wait till you read the next article and see why I’m mad as Hell!

3. As Drug Ads Surge, More Get Rx's Filled - By Julie Appleby, USA TODAY

Prescription-drug ads prompt nearly one-third of Americans to ask their doctors about an advertised medicine, and 82% of those who ask say their physicians recommended a prescription. The findings in a national survey by USA TODAY, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health come as drug advertising hit a record $4.8 billion in 2006, up from $2.6 billion in 2002.
ANALYSIS: Public debates whose needs are being met with drug ads
"Our survey shows why the drug companies run all these ads: They work," says Drew Altman, president of the Kaiser Foundation. "Many people get drugs they otherwise wouldn't. While there's a debate about whether that's a good thing for patients, it does cost the country more." Among people who requested a drug, 44% said physicians gave the one they asked about, while slightly more than half said doctors prescribed a different drug. Sometimes, doctors did both. When duplicate answers were removed, the poll found 82% of patients got some type of prescription.
YOUR STORY: Have you ever asked your doctor for a drug you saw advertised?
The percentage of people getting a drug after asking about an ad shows an uptake from 2005, when Kaiser found that 75% said the doctors recommended some type of drug. The USA began allowing drug ads in 1997.
The survey of 1,695 adults was taken in January and has a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points. Americans are nearly evenly divided in their views of the industry: 47% have a favorable impression, and 44% have an unfavorable view, frequently citing high prices, large profits or company greed as the reason.
Billy Tauzin, president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the industry's lobbying group, says many of those surveyed were likely reacting to increasing co-payments from insurers rather than escalating drug prices. Drug costs rose an average of 3.5% in 2006 over 2005, government data show.
The poll also found that cost pressures have led 29% of Americans not to fill a prescription in the past two years and 23% to cut pills in half or skip doses to make their medications last longer. Buying drugs is sometimes a problem for 41% of families because of cost.
READERS: Have you ever asked your doctor for drugs you've seen advertised on TV, online or in print? If so, did your doctor prescribe the drug?

Editor’s notes: Based on the first article we must ask this question – “when it comes to your health, WHO do you trust?” You can’t trust the Government to act in your best interest – You can’t trust the Drug companies as all they care about is the profit margin, and now here is the evidence that the Medical profession has forfeited its right to your trust! Talk about the axis of Evil! Perhaps it is time to look at a profession whose future lies in providing a way for you to avoid the clutches of these three self serving groups.

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Richard G. Barwell, DC,Chiropractic Equity Offices Inc., #503 - 188 Pinellas Lane, Cocoa Beach Fl, USA – 32931 Phone 321 868 5690 E-mail: tequityc@aol.com Web site: http:www,subluxationinhd.com

CEO Newsletter 2008 - Number 5

Contents

1. Hats Off Award (Twice)
2. Linking Your Cholesterol to Stress
3. Heath Ledger – The Man Who Fell on His Tablets and Died?

1. Hats Off to Dr. Hawkins!
Hi Richard,
Thanks for the SRE's sent. Unfortunately I didn't get them till the next morning, but did the talk anyway. I rustled up one or two of mine and hid names, plus a couple of others already done on calls. Was going to use an adapted PP you sent as well, but had technical difficulties, so replayed a recording of me.
Only 3 G.P. 's came out of 60 invited. 11 others had commitments and 3 expressed an interest to visit at another time. (I wonder how much of my subconscious produced a small group - what I could handle)

They asked lots of questions regarding how I would schedule care. I told them it was dependant on what degree of neurological instability, based on examination findings. I gave examples. They loved the bilateral scales. Kept hopping on and off - couldn't believe they were 4kg off. Nice that it was reproducible.
Discussed the system and what "society" expects and where the "push" that drives the system comes from. I think they are very aware. One comment from one of the GP's that practices homeopathy rather than traditional med, was that he believed that we and others like himself would only affect the fringes of the health crisis as there is so much inertia, and money behind the way the system works.
All in all they stayed for 2 hrs, which was way beyond the time I had allowed for, but I was excited because they were interested, asked questions, had some philosophical differences that we debated and maybe ... little changes - one bite at a time!
Thank you Richard.
Steve

Editor’s notes: The first point you need to know here is that Dr. Hawkins is a rather strong introvert yet with that he leaps into the lion’s den and pulls this extraordinary event off with grace and style. The tremendous energy it takes him to do this costs him dearly; but, as he noted because he has pushed to do this type of confrontation it is getting easier.. Now just stop for a moment and apply this to not only your practice but to the profession. What do you think would be the end result if every one of us hosted one of these nights? Hats Off Award to Dr. Steve Hawkins!!!

2. Linking Your Cholesterol to Stress
MSNBC November 29, 2005 Health Psychology November 2005; 24(6)
Your body's reaction to stress may raise your odds of developing high cholesterol.
Chronic Stress and Heart Disease
A new study has shown that middle-aged adults, if their cholesterol rose in response to a stressful task, were more likely to develop high cholesterol years later. Several studies have shown a connection between chronic stress and heart disease; it's possible that stress-related cholesterol changes may contribute to this.
A new study has shown that middle-aged adults, if their cholesterol rose in response to a stressful task, were more likely to develop high cholesterol years later. Several studies have shown a connection between chronic stress and heart disease; it's possible that stress-related cholesterol changes may contribute to this.
Three-Year Study
Researchers tracked almost 200 middle-aged adults. At the start of the study, participants performed stressful tasks, and their blood cholesterol was measured before and after. Three years later, their blood cholesterol was measured again. Those who had the greatest cholesterol response to stress were also the most likely to have high cholesterol.
13 Times More Likely
It was determined that:
The group with the highest stress response was 13 times more likely than the group with the lowest response to develop high cholesterol
They were also four times more likely to have high levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol
Modifying Response with Stress Management
Changes in metabolism in response to stress may ultimately cause the liver to boost production of LDL particles. Stress can also temporarily limit the body's clearance of cholesterol from the blood.
It's possible that such effects could be modified if people changed their conscious responses using stress management techniques.

Editor’s notes: As we continue to look at Chiropractic as something beyond the limiting concept of a mechanical application and start viewing it as a way of improving our stress response, it means that we must go back to our College education and revisit much of what we deemed “not that important”. The first subject I suggest is Basic Neurophysiology. The CEO program started with the concept that we (individuals and the profession) needed to re direct the concepts of Chiropractic away from bone and joint manipulators and toward the neurological impact. I saw this as something we could easily grasp as we continue to recognize that Chiropractic does focus on the nervous system (albeit, for most at the vertebral level). So even with this limited approach we must have a sound understanding of the basic neurophysiological responses of the body. One of the most basic has to be the role of the Autonomic Nervous system. We need to know beyond any doubt information such as: Where is the centre of control of the autonomics locate?; What are the divisions? How to they effect our health? What does Chiropractic care do to them and how do we use this in relationship to patient’s health challenges? These questions reflect the future of the Profession. Part of our problem is that we are a very complaisant profession. Our focus has become more about monetary return than improving our effectiveness. When speaking to DCs, especially in the USA, one of the first questions I get is, “Can I bill for it?”, not “Will this improve the quality of my care?” or “Will this provide proof to expand the Scope of Practice?”
So where do we start? First you really need to stop for just a minute and ask yourself a couple of simple questions such as: If alI have to do is just keep “pounding down the high spots” or “cracking backs”, does that fulfil my hopes and dreams of Chiropractic practice?
How much effort am I willing to put into learning how to do Chiropractic better?
Am I willing to sit back and let the medical profession direct my practice and our profession to the point where we are under their control?
If any of this bothers you, then do something about it!

3. Heath Ledger – The Man Who Fell on His Tablets and Died?
Submitted by Dr Nick Hodgson on Sun, 10/02/2008 - 10:49am.

“Accidental Death” – that’s an intriguing choice of words to describe how the life of another highly talented, hugely successful, and overtly admired, rich and famous person ended. The words I would choose are “negligent death”.
Either Heath was negligent for taking such an obviously dangerous mix of strong medications without any knowledge of the possible interactions and outcomes; OR, negligent on the part of his health care providers for being responsible, or irresponsible, for him being in possession of such a lethal mix of drugs. This man should not be dead yet.
Let’s take a look at what this guy put into his mouth: In simple terms he took a mix of painkillers, sleeping pills, and anti-anxiety medications…
Oxycodone (OxyContin) – Narcotic pain killer – Usually prescribed for moderate to severe pain. Should not be combined with alcohol, other narcotic pain medications, sedatives, tranquilizers, muscle relaxers, or other medicines that can make you sleepy or slow your breathing.
Hydrocodone (eg Vicodin) – Narcotic pain killer – Has an analgesic potency similar to or greater than that of oral morphine. Hydrocodone may increase the effects of other drugs that cause drowsiness, including alcohol, antihistamines, pain relievers, and anxiety medicines: Dangerous sedation, dizziness, or drowsiness may occur if hydrocodone is taken with any of these medications
Diazepam (Valium) – Anti-anxiety pill – In a group of drugs called benzodiazepines. Diazepam is used to treat anxiety disorders, alcohol withdrawal symptoms, or muscle spasms. Before taking diazepam, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs: narcotic medications such as hydrocodone, oxycodone.
Alprazolam – Anti-anxiety pill - Alprazolam is used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. It belongs to a class of medications called benzodiazepines. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you take drugs that cause drowsiness such as: medicine for sleep, narcotic pain relievers, antihistamines.
Temazepam (Xanax) – Sleeping tablet – Is in a group of drugs called benzodiazepines: Used to treat insomnia symptoms, such as trouble falling or staying asleep.
Doxylamine – Sleeping tablet – Doxylamine is an antihistamine: Used for treating occasional sleeplessness and difficulty falling asleep.
Now if we summarise – that’s two types of narcotic pain killers (similar to morphine), three benzodiazepines, and one antihistamine – none of which should be mixed with the other!
These aren’t just over the counter Paracetamol and St John’s Wort tablets we are talking about – Each one individually could take someone’s life if taken in the wrong amounts.
I’ll be honest – I’m perplexed as to how bad Heath must have told his MDs that he was feeling for them to be swayed to prescribe some if not all of these meds? “Hey doc I’m having trouble sleeping and my mind is racing.” “Well, how about I give you some Hydrocodone – it’s as strong as Morphine.” What the…?
"Accidental death": What happened - did he walk into his bedroom, trip over and land on the bottles which knocked them down his throat? Let's be brutally honest, this guy sat with a glass of water (and hopefuly not a glass of scotch which would make the mix even more lethal) and swallowed at least six heavy duty tablets in a short space of time.
So what happens that these celebrities seem to have much more lethal tablets in their bathroom cabinet than the rest of us?
Do they get given stronger pills because they are more important than the rest of us? "I'm a very important person, I've gotta be filming on the set tomorrow - you'd better give me the best pills you've got". Do MDs bow to this kind of customer pressure and prescribe stronger than normal meds?
Do MDs get "star struck" and give "wonder drugs" that they would not normally prescribe. "I'd better give this famous person the best stuff, then they might think I'm the best doc in town - and I might become the "doctor of the stars"."
Do the pills not work very well, so the patient "doctor shops", getting a stonger and more potent med each time, while collecting the half-empty bottles, which in a moment of weakness, suffering or pain - the patient decides "maybe if I take one of each - one of them has gotta' do the job".
Do we have a well-concealed celebrity pack of prescription drug addicts (until they blow up in car parks, A-list parties or are found dead in their bedroom)? Five of the six drugs above are well-known addictive substances, often used by pill abusers, and often combined for maximum relief.
Do we have a medical system that lacks fail-safe precautions. These are dangerous drugs - how hard would it be to have an online prescription registry where a patient gets listed when prescribed this strength of med? Then if a person visits another MD they can cross-check the history before signing off on yet another bottle.

Editor’s Note: Having attended a module of Dr. Jay Holder’s Program on Addictionology this weekend, this article really hits home. I strongly suggest you look into program. What he has managed to put together is fantastic and if you think it isn’t about Chiropractic all I can say is “WOW are you wrong!” Another “Hats Off Award” goes to Dr. Holder and what he is doing for Chiropractic.

The article was send to me by Dr. Nick Hodgson who is hosting the Advanced TRT Seminar in Australia in June. I will be presenting there. Also something to note - This weekend is the basic TRT in Las Vegas. Contact www.acacd.com for details.


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Richard G. Barwell, DC,
Chiropractic Equity Offices Inc.,
#503 - 188 Pinellas Lane, Cocoa Beach Fl, USA – 32931
Phone 321 868 5690
E-mail: tequityc@aol.com
Web site: http:www,subluxationinhd.com