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The Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis

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Prescription drug abuse is out of control. Every day we hear stories in the news about celebrities, adults, and kids who have experienced the consequences of prescription drug abuse and have either died, been injured, or had to be admitted into some form of rehabilitation center. It is hard to believe that those little pills can grab such a powerful hold on your mind and body and spin your life out of control.

A recent report by the Executive Office of the President of The United States entitled “Epidemic: Responding to America’s Drug Abuse Crisis” revealed that prescription drug abuse is the nation’s fastest growing drug problem. Nearly one third of people age 12 and over who used drugs for the first time in 2009 began using a prescription drug non-medically.

In Canada, 54 percent of participants in a study reported misusing their prescription drugs at least once. 52 percent diverted the use of their drugs to a non-prescribed usage and 42 percent of the participants deliberately used their prescription with alcohol or another drug.

Drug ads on television, and in every other type of media, do not help the situation. Through beautiful scenery and highly paid actors, the commercials promise relief while disguising the side effects. Have you ever noticed how many drug ads come on during the popular time slots? One after the other we get hammered by them. Listen carefully to the side effects and do extensive homework before you ever put yourself in a position to get hooked. The highly addictive nature of some of these chemicals can own you for a lifetime once they get in you.

Seeing someone who is abusing prescription drugs, or any drug for that matter, is scary. The withdrawal symptoms can turn the calmest person into the image of a wild dog searching for food. A drug filled lifestyle can be dangerous. The side effects are many and are not communicated thoroughly. As time goes on, people often add a second, third, and sometimes many more drugs to their daily routine to offset the side effects of the one that they started with.

Nursing homes are filled with individuals who, over the years, increased the number of prescription drugs that they use and abuse on a daily basis. 45 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are on more than five drugs. If all these drugs were good for us and contributed to greater health and longevity you would think that the statistics would show it. But this is not the case. The World Fact Book ranks the United States 49th in life expectancy and Canada as Number 9.

If you think that you or someone you love is in the middle of a prescription drug crisis then you are probably right and you should trust your instincts. Consult with your doctor and get on a plan to change from a drug-oriented lifestyle to a drug free one. You can do it.

Chiropractic offices everywhere are filled with individuals who have taken charge of their health and made this critical transition. While the purpose of chiropractic care is not to take you off a drug it is very common that when people begin to get adjustments on a regular basis they find their need and dependency on both prescription and non-prescription medication goes down dramatically or disappears altogether.

No wonder more and more individuals and families are taking the drug- free approach to healthcare that chiropractic delivers. Now it is your turn.

Growing Concerns with Every Shot

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Optimal immune system development is essential for health. Our immune system distinguishes potential threats from non-threats, unhealthy cells from normal, and keeps a long list of tools that it uses to restore internal bacterial and viral balance. We have roughly 10 times more bacteria in our bodies than we have human cells! In addition, bacteria and viruses are encountered every minute of every day, so to having a proper functioning immune system is a key component to living your ideal 100 Year Lifestyle.

There is a growing concern that one of the major threats to the development of healthy immune systems has been the increasing emphasis on artificial immunity through vaccines. As of 2010, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States was recommending 30 vaccinations before the age of 2 years old. At the same time, rates of asthma, autism, allergies, digestive disorders, autoimmune diseases, cancer, and many other chronic conditions are also rising. Many scientists, chiropractors, medical doctors and parents have become alarmed that this massive volume and combination of inoculations is jeopardizing the long-term health of individuals and future generations. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over $2 Billion has already been paid to parents of vaccine-injured children.(1)

Japan, who has one of the highest life expectancy rates and lowest infant mortality rates, has had a voluntary vaccination policy since 1994. The US ranks 38 in life expectancy with a significantly higher infant mortality and has one of the most stringent mandatory vaccination policies in the world.(2)

A vaccine works by combining four major parts: the pathogen (bacteria or virus), an amplifier, a growth material and a stabilizer. A very small amount of pathogen is not likely to cause an immune response from your body, so an amplifier called an adjuvant is added that chemically causes an immune system reaction that puts your body on the “highest threat level.” With this type of stimulation, the immune cells become extremely reactive to anything that seems suspicious, whether it is the vaccine, pollen, a food or even normal human cells.

In addition to these adjuvants, growth materials like egg yolk, rhesus monkey embryo and, in some vaccines, aborted human fetus cells are included as the liquid medium for the pathogen.(3) As these materials are injected at the same time as the adjuvants, they may cause an immune reaction. The final ingredient in a vaccine is a stabilizer like formaldehyde, a known cancer-causing agent for which there is no safe allowable limit for your body.(4) These elements, introduced into your body through the process of a vaccination, can create hyper-stimulation, over-reactivity, and chemical toxicity. There is increasing doubt that the uncertain benefits of vaccines justify the risks.

Living the 100 Year Lifestyle can empower you and your children to develop a healthy immune system naturally. A healthy spine and nervous system, which can be achieved with chiropractic lifestyle care, is essential to a healthy functioning immune system. Factors like exercise, proper nutritional support and mental clarity have been researched and are powerful immune boosters as well. They are essential elements to sustain your health throughout your whole life!

Do your homework before you blindly get another shot or give one to your child. More information can be found on www.nvic.org or www.909shot.com.

References:

1 http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/statisticsreports.html

2 http://mothering.com/peggyomara/qpeditorials/voluntary-vaccines-in-japan

3 http://www.immunizationinfo.org/issues/vaccine-components/human-fetal-links-some-vaccines

4 http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/additives.htm

Side Effects? Or Direct Effects!

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www.100yearlifestyle.com

– The Laboratory Process
– Common Effects of Drugs
– Think Long Term

The Laboratory Process
The most common question that individuals ask before they ever take a prescription drug is, “What are the side effects?” Before you pop another pill, you must understand how medications’ side effects directly affect your body today and in years to come.

Medications are tested in a laboratory until the chemical reaction that they are designed to achieve is reproducible. The direct effects of this lab testing must be consistent before these chemicals are ever tested on animals or people. Once human testing begins, scientists measure the impact of these medications to see if they cause the same direct effects that were induced in a laboratory. If these effects are reproducible, the testing continues to see if any other effects occur. These are called “Side Effects” because they were not present in the laboratory setting and their impact on humans was outside of their intended effect. In actuality, these side effects are direct effects of these drugs on the body. Because we are all unique in our body chemistry, direct effects, labeled side effects, impact people differently, and they are much more common than people think.

Common Effects of Drugs
The direct effects of Lipitor, for example, are constipation, gas, headaches, stomach pain, weakness, rash, hives, itching, difficulty breathing, chest pain, swelling of the mouth or face, bone, joint or tendon pain, change in urination, fever, chills, sore throat, flu-like symptoms, joint pain, muscle pain, tenderness, weakness, bowel changes, skin changes, swelling of the hands or feet, yellowing of the eyes or skin. This “incomplete” list, according to www.drugs.com, shows that while Lipitor may affect cholesterol levels in the body, there can be dozens of other direct effects that impact you in an unhealthy way.

Drug companies prepare a list of side effects for the consumer, while also listing additional side effects that doctors should be aware of. If you go to www.drugs.com and type in any common drug, then select “side effects,” you will notice that the side effects to the consumer take up half a page while the side effects/direct effects for the physician to be aware of might be up to a dozen pages. Most people are unaware of all the effects that medications can cause, and often treat these symptoms with other drugs. This is dangerous because the interactions between drugs can cause even more severe direct effects. Too many people unknowingly go down this road until their body chemistry and health is completely screwed up.

Think Long Term
Additionally, as in the case of Lipitor, there are twelve different listings of side effects/direct effects showing adverse reactions in greater than 2percent of the cases. When you add the numbers of each direct effect, you will notice that nearly 60 percent of cases are experiencing at least one of these effects.

The direct effects of these medications, combined with the reality of our extended life spans to 80, 90, 100 years and beyond, and knowing that drugs only need to be tested for about 8 years before they are brought to market, makes it obvious that living a lifestyle that keeps you independently healthy and free from the need for medications is your best long-term option.

Thomas Edison saw this coming over 100 years ago stating, “The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.” The future is now. Our office will help you and your loved ones adjust your lifestyle so that you enjoy good health for a lifetime.

Tired of Chasing Symptoms?

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Symptoms are Signals

Isn’t it time you stopped chasing symptoms? These signals that you get from your body are frequently misunderstood. More importantly, treating symptoms without getting to the cause of a problem can lead to mismanagement of your health and more severe health problems as you age.

When you get sick, for example, and your temperature goes up, your body is naturally fighting off the infection. Bacteria thrive in a climate that is 98.6 degrees so your body’s Innate Intelligence raises your temperature to help fight off the infection on its own. The symptoms of this elevated temperature can be muscle aches, fatigue, weakness and general malaise. At the first sign or symptom of a fever, many people will immediately panic and try to bring the temperature down with medication, treating the symptoms rather than letting the body do its job and heal itself.

The medications that are used to treat these symptoms can lead to side effects and even weaken the body’s natural immunity. In recent years, the overuse of antibiotics has created an epidemic of superbugs within individuals that are untreatable and pose a serious threat to our long term health.

The CDC States

The CDC states, “If antibiotics are used too often for things they can’t treat-like colds or other viral infections-they can stop working effectively. Antibiotic resistance has been a concern for years and is considered one of the world’s most critical public health threats. Widespread overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics is fueling an increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

In the U.S., antibiotic-resistant infections are responsible for $20 billion in excess healthcare costs, $35 billion in societal costs and $8 million in additional hospital days.(1)

A report commissioned by the Canadian Coordinating Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance estimated that infections caused by antibiotic-resistant organisms increased direct hospital costs in Canada by $15-25 million annually(2).

How Your Body Heals Itself

Many experts say that it is better to give the body a chance to heal itself with rest and fluids along with chiropractic adjustments that remove pressure from the nervous system. Unless there is an extreme elevation in body temperature, and depending on other symptoms, allowing your body to heal itself naturally helps your immune system build the resistance it needs to keep you healthy and fight infections more effectively.

Consider the case for “referred pain.” This means you can feel a symptom in one part of your body while the cause or the origin of that pain is somewhere else. For example, very often the cause of arm, hand or finger pain is in the neck. Leg and foot pain will often originate from a problem in the back. Problems with the gallbladder will often refer pain to the spinal nerve roots in the middle part of the spine and vice versa.

Because chiropractic works to restore health and vitality to the nervous system, we are always amazed at how the entire body often becomes free of symptoms through our work with the spine. Since nerves control every cell, tissue and organ of your body, problems in the nervous system can cause or mimic nearly any and every symptom imaginable.

It is very common to hear our practice members say things like “I know I came because my neck hurt, and my allergies and headaches are gone too.” or “I didn’t even tell you about my menstrual cramping but since I’ve been getting adjusted, my cramps have been reduced dramatically.” or “I sleep so much better since beginning my care.”

The list goes on and on. Isn’t it time you stop chasing symptoms and get to the cause? You will enjoy a much healthier life when you do.

References:
1 Centers for Disease Control http://www.cdc.gov/features/getsmartGet Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work: Dangers of Antibiotic Resistance

2 Birnbaum D, Canadian Committee on Antibiotic Resistance. Antimicrobial resistance: A deadly burden no country can afford to ignore. Can Commun Dis Rep. 2003 Sep 15;29(18):157-64.

© 2013. The Family Practice, Inc., Dr. Eric Plasker and The 100 Year Lifestyle. All Rights Reserved.

Drugging Our Children – An Excerpt

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If you or someone you know has a child who is being considered for psychiatric drugs, here is some important information that you should consider. It is from the chapter contributed by Gwen Olsen in the book, Drugging Our Children. Gwen is also the author of Confessions of an Rx Drug Pusher and was a top-selling pharmaceutical sales representative for more than a decade. Her personal experience and unique insider’s perspective is both eye-opening and mind-boggling. Can you handle the truth?

Health Care or Scare Care?

“The pharmaceutical industry is continually on the lookout for expansion markets. Our children are recognized by the pharmaceutical industry to be the most lucrative, long-term expansion market currently available to them. Fear created in parents can send them racing to the doctor’s office and/or pharmacy in an attempt to protect their children. After all, isn’t that what all good parents do?”

Children Are a Lucrative Market

“Children are a lucrative expansion market for any drug, particularly one that requires lifelong maintenance therapy once initiated. Psychiatric diagnoses are highly subjective and based primarily on third-party interpretation of maladaptive behaviors, rather than medical diagnostic tests such as blood or urine tests, or PET and CAT scans. So, increasing psychiatric drug sales is primarily contingent upon increasing the number of psychiatric diagnoses and public awareness of the various diagnoses that will, in turn, result in the expansion of new patient populations to be treated.

The challenge that exists when marketing psychotropic drugs for children is that the pharmaceutical industry cannot market directly to the end consumer. In the case of children, doctors, parents, teachers, counselors, administrators, caretakers, legislators, and so on must be persuaded that these medications are both necessary and beneficial to children.

To meet this goal, it is necessary for Pharma to insidiously exert its influence in every aspect of pharmaceutical development, research, reporting, regulation, funding, advertising, promotion, and distribution. And, indeed, they do! The end result is a stealth marketing campaign that can wear many hats and disguises as it manipulates and promotes its self-serving agenda unilaterally throughout the entire health care system.”

Side Effects of Psychotropic Drugs

The side effects of psychotropic drugs are scary. According to Drugs.com, just a few of the side effects of Adderall, for example, are nervousness, restlessness, trouble sleeping, confusion, new or worsening mental or mood problems, aggression, agitation, anxiety, delusions, depression, slurred speech, uncontrolled muscle movement and tiredness. Adderall is an amphetamine with addicting properties that make it difficult to stop.

Healthier Choices Available

It is important to consider every alternative before you let fear drive you to medications. The body’s innate intelligence can become clouded by medications and their side effects. Prior to committing to take these potentially addictive drugs, review all of your options including the benefits of Chiropractic Lifestyle Care. You and your loved ones deserve to enjoy a healthy drug free life.

© 2012. TFP, Inc and www.100yearlifestyle.com. All Rights Reserved.

Flu Shot Fallacies

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Flu Shot marketing is in full swing. Before you blindly allow yourself or a loved one to be injected, it is important to do your homework. You will learn why 60% of MDs avoid the vaccine and why it can be more dangerous than the flu itself.
Here are some Flu Shot Fallacies:

Fallacy: Flu medicines are safe with no side effects

According to Drugs.com, the possible side effects of Tamiflu are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, nose bleed, eye redness, insomnia, cough or other respiratory symptoms.
Serious side effects in children can be sudden confusion, delirium, hallucinations, unusual behavior or self injury.

Nervous system side effects such as headaches have been seen in up to 18% of the people. When you go to the Drugs.com website to explore these for yourself, don’t just read the side effects for consumers. Continue reading what the health professionals are told to watch for. That list is much longer and more severe.

Fallacy: Flu vaccinations are safe with no side effects

According to NVIC, Gillian-Barre syndrome (GBS), an autoimmune disease, has been associated with the influenza vaccine since 1976. There is also a concern about idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP), another autoimmune disease which is a blood clotting disorder, and Bell’s Palsy facial paralysis.

Seniors are especially at risk as reported by the ACIP Provision Recommendations for the Use of Influenza Vaccines. In 2007, a study published in the Annals of Medicine concluded that abnormalities in arterial function and LDL oxidation may persist for at least two weeks after a slight inflammatory reaction. This could explain the earlier report of an increase of cardiovascular risk in the first weeks following vaccination.

Pregnant women should be aware as the flu vaccine has been officially listed as a Category C drug which means that its safety has not been established scientifically and adverse fetal effects in animals have been detected. The FDA states that “Category C drugs are more likely to cause problems for the mother or fetus.”

Fallacy: Flu shots work

There is no scientific evidence that supports the effectiveness of flu shots in preventing the flu. In fact, Michael Osterholm of The National Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy boldly stated that “flu shots don’t work in the elderly.”

Fallacy: Vaccines build your Immune System

Actually, the possibility of the vaccine impairing your immune system is a concern. There are components in vaccines that are neurotoxins which can depress your immune system and brain function.
According to the CDC, the flu vaccine, FluMist, which is often given to children, contains chick kidney cells and MSG. Many other flu vaccines contain formaldehyde and mercury which are neurotoxins. Christina England, a contributor on VacTruth.com just informed readers that there has been a 4,250percent increase in fetal death rates reported to VAERS after flu shots were given to pregnant women. That statistic is insane.

Not everything that feels like the flu is actually the flu. According to the CDC, only 13percent of the people with flu-like symptoms who were tested for the flu this year tested positive.

Natural Immunity

Keep your immune system healthy naturally with good nutrition, eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats. Avoid the white devils such as white sugar, white pasta and white flour. Eat more whole grains and legumes.

Exercise can also strengthen your immune system so follow the plan in The 100 Year Lifestyle Workout and Get Your ESS in Shape – your endurance, strength and structure. Build your endurance through cardio vascular training such a walking, riding a bike, running or fitness classes.

Build your strength through activities such as weight training, Pilates, or yoga. And take care of your structure, spine and nervous system by developing a habit of good posture and keeping your spine and nervous system healthy with chiropractic Lifestyle Care which can keep your resistance high.

Adjust your lifestyle today and build your immune system naturally.

Sources:
http://www.drugs.com/sfx/tamiflu-side-effects.html
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/01/flu-vaccine-and-its-side-effects.aspx
www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-flu.pdf

4,250% Increase in Fetal Deaths Reported to VAERS After Flu Shot Given to Pregnant Women


http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly
http://suite101.com/article/60-percent-of-doctors-dont-get-a-flu-shot-a136897

© 2013. The Family Practice, Inc., Dr. Eric Plasker and The 100 Year Lifestyle. All Rights Reserved.