Just a Reminder

I would just like to take this opportunity to give a reminder to anyone who follows my blog:

Your questions and comments are always welcome.

Whether you agree, disagree, have a quandary, or simply have something to say, I look forward to people commenting on my blog.  It means that the information is getting out there.

I will do my best to respond to your comments as swiftly as possible and make a solid effort on further explaining myself or answering any questions that may have been posed.  Even if the comments are to blog posts from last year.

One of the points of this blog is to start discussions and there's no better place to hold or continue a discussion than in the comment section.

I hope that everyone's health continues to reap life's benefits.  Especially with Halloween coming up!

Are You on Schedule?

I decided that I wanted to give a sneak peak of my upcoming Vaccination Education Class being held at the office on Wednesday, October 26th at 6pm.  So, my blog topic for this week is going to deal with the ever expanding vaccination schedule that we are to adhere to.

Ever since the first vaccines arrived way back in the late 18th century, there have been more and more vaccines added to the mandated list from our Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Back in the mid 20th century, it didn't seem like such a big deal.  You'd just get a couple shots and call it good.  Today, that's a whole different story.  Here's a look at how that vaccination schedule has changed over the years:

1980 - 20 vaccines

1995 - 40 vaccines

2011 - 68 vaccines

Now, I do need to state that these numbers may not be accurate.  The reason is, these numbers are the number of vaccines that someone is recommended to receive by the time they turn 18.  These numbers don't even accout for voluntary vaccines such as the HPV vaccine or Gardasil (future topic).  They also don't account for the adult vaccines that are recommended (flu vaccine, shingles vaccine, etc.)

As you can see, the number of vaccines that are recommended has skyrocketed over recent years.  I was able to do a little calculation, and by the year 2020, at this rate, our children will be required/recommended to receive 80 vaccines before the age of 18!

Now. if you don't think that's an issue, consider all of the stuff that gets put into vaccines and how much is getting put into your infant / child over that 68 vaccines time period.  Ingredients such as:

Formaldehyde

Aluminum
Mercury
Phenoxyethanol (ingredient in antifreeze)

Peanut oil

Latex

Human and animal cells

So if you'd like to find out more about vaccines, the vaccine schedule, or the new WA State Vaccine Laws, stop by the clinic if you're in the area on the 26th at 6pm to learn more and to join in on a hearty discussion.

Chronic Ear Infections - Just a Phase?

This past Sunday, I was sitting in church with the family and there was a prayer request for a little girl who would be going through surgery to put tubes in her ears because she had been suffering from chronic, multiple ear infections.  I have to say that my heart went out to her even though I had never met her before and wished that I had met her previously.  The reason is simple.  I believe that no child should have to get tubes put in their ears.

Even though the surgery seems relatively simple and harmless, you're always going to be messing with the body's natural state.  You have a barrier (ear drum) between your outer and inner ear for a reason.  One reason is so that you can hear, the other is to prevent things from getting into your inner ear.  Most of the time, tubes are put in the ears to prevent build up in the inner ear.  But why is there buildup in the first place?

What I would have told these parents to try (assuming they hadn't already) would be to get rid of the cause of the buildup.  Like so many other western medicine remedies, you treat the symptom, not the cause.  As a chiropractor, I like to treat the cause of the problem, preferably with minimally invasive procedures. 

So, what could be the cause of the buildup and chronic infections?  3 Things:

1)  Diet.  Most food that we and our children eat (mainly store bought dairy and foods with gluten) are high in sugar and cause general inflammation in our bodies.  The bacteria that are responsible for many ear infections like this.  They feed off of the excess sugar, multiply and cause our body to react by sending inflammation and mucus to the area to stop the bacteria.  many times, this inflammation, mucus, bacteria mixture travels up a tube in the back of the throat called the Eustachian Tube to the inner ear.  The tube gets blocked, more gunk builds up, and you get an inner ear infection.  So, if you get rid of the offending bacteria, no more infections right?  If only that were the case.

2)  Over Prescription of Antibiotics.  So when you take an antibiotic to kill the "bad" bacteria, it's all good right?  Wrong, you're also killing off the millions of good bacteria in your body that we referenced in an earlier post.  These good bacteria (probiotics) help fend off further infections.  When you take an antibiotic, it is ESSENTIAL to build the good bacteria back up by taking a probiotic to help fend off future infections.  Also, when you take an antibiotic, some of the bad bacteria are going to survive.  They stick around and multiply and can cause future ear infections unless further steps are taken.  When this happens, many pediatricians prescribe another and another round of antibiotics.  The circle continues until the last resort is tubes.  Or is it?

3)  Spinal Subluxation.  In the upper portion of the spine, there are nerves that travel into the ears and throat.  If there is some sort of irritation to those nerves, the area that the nerves go to will also be irritated.  This means that the ear, throat, or Eustachian Tube can be more easily irritated and more prone to ear infection.  I don't think that it's a coincidence that Dr. Stemp (the other chiropractor at Cascade Chiropractic & Massage) never had an ear infection growing up with both parents being chiropractors.

So, what would I have told the parents of this little girl?
#1)  Stop all dairy and gluten intake for your daughter for at least 6 months and supplement probiotics.
#2)  Let me take a look at her spine and ears.

At worst, it would do nothing and we would look into some other, more natural remedies.  At best, she wouldn't get ear infections anymore.  Just the thought that this might work over needing to put your child under anesthesia to have surgery would make me try it as a parent.