For Text format
viewers visit :
http://www.icpa4kids.org/wellness/0011.htm
Family Wellness First
The E-newsletter for Parents to make Informed Health Care Choices
"Experimental
and Investigational"
Proposed
Myth:
Care First
Blue Cross/Blue Shield policies in Maryland are denying chiropractic care
for children under
the
age
of 12. Labeling chiropractic care for children as "experimental and
investigational,"
Care First BC/BS is seeking to intimidate parents into believing that chiropractic
care is not safe or effective for children.
Reality:
Doctors
of Chiropractic have been adjusting children for over 100 years. The reported
incidence of
malpractice
with children is extremely minimal. As one chiropractic insurance claims
adjuster told me, "In fifteen years, I have seen maybe five cases of
malpractice involving
children.
Most of them had to do with the child tripping over the adjusting table or
some similar type of injury."
Deceptive Intimidation:
The current attempt by Care First to intimidate parent's right to choose is
absurd considering all of the on-going treatments their policies cover without
question.
Listed below are just a few current
scenarios where questionable treatment protocols for our children were established
by conventional medicine without the sufficient documentation
to substantiate their safety and efficacy. These services were accepted
and covered without a blink and now current, published
research
studies are revealing the danger and ineffectiveness of these
"approved" treatments." To add insult to injury
to you as the consumer, these experimental treatments are still not being investigated
and
are
still
covered
by insurance policies in
spite
of
the
new
findings!
Double
Standard:
Keep
in mind; these are just a
couple
of instances
within
the
last month or so. These types of actual experimental and investigational
treatments have been occurring consistently and frequently throughout
the years of
conventional medical care. With recent media coverage of these atrocities,
parents are beginning to realize
that
the insurance
industry may have what appears to be a double standard for evaluating coverage.
If you are faced with this apparent dichotomy in insurance policy coverage,
your insurance company needs to know you are not willing to have your intelligence
insulted and your right to choose denied.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed
citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -
Margaret Mead
Flu shot
may not help tots
Last year there was a huge push for flu shots for infants. There was no data to substantiate it--was it perhaps an attempt to expand the flu vaccine market?
We reported
it to our readers here: http://www.icpa4kids.com/ped_ex_021.htm
We
cited the BMJ article: US encourages flu jabs for infants aged under two. http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/324/7336/502/b
This article offered a great overview of this flu vaccine frenzy as
well: http://www.medicalconsumers.org/pages/HowEffectiveIsTheFluVaccine.html
Here we announced the AAP flu vaccine recommendation for children
under two: http://www.icpa4kids.org/wellness/0005.htm
Now, a new study, published in the the Lancet, found that flu shots don't really work in children younger than two years of age. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673605179847/abstract
(Here are additional
articles about this study: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/general/news/feb2505flushots.html and
http://www.reflector.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/flu-/524183.html?urac=n&urvf=11181680737490.9035899568739426 and http://www.healthfinder.gov/news/newsstory.asp? )
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently began pushing
for vaccination of tots from 6 to 24 months of age, in addition to people older
than 65. But with babies and toddlers, the researchers discovered the shots
worked no better than placebos.
In addition, the scientists said they "recorded no convincing evidence
that vaccines can reduce mortality, admissions [to hospitals], serious complications
and community transmission of influenza" in young kids.
Article here: http://www.healthy.net/scr/news.asp?Id=7432&action=print
The interesting thing to note here is that without any scientific
data for efficacy, the flu shot was a recommended and paid for service.
Interesting to note is that the flu shot, like all vaccines, is considered "preventative
medicine" and frequently chiropractic care is denied
because it is preventative care.
Visit this link for pages of information and links about vaccinations:
http://www.icpa4kids.org/research/children/vac_info.htm
Leading
Drug Company Deceives Parents:
It was bad enough that the toxic substance thimerosal was ever put
into vaccines without even testing its effects however what is even
worse is that, when it was finally exposed
that
it may be having adverse effects on children, a leading drug company
continued to supply the infant hepatitis B vaccine, still
contaminated
with
thimerosal, for
two years after announcing that it had eliminated the toxin from
the vaccine.
It was September 1999, in the midst of concerns about the risks of mercury in childhood vaccines, when Merck stated that the FDA had approved a preservative-free version of the vaccine. Despite Merck's news release that stated, "Now, Merck's infant vaccine line is free of all preservatives," the company still distributed the vaccine containing thimerosal until October 2001.
Read the NY Newsday
article here: http://www.nynewsday.com/news/health/ny-usglan084168623mar08,0,3713664.story?coll=ny-health-headlines
Comments from the FDA on thimerosal: http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm#tox
Pediatrics' published research in about the dangers of
thimerosal in vaccines: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11331700
Again, it is interesting to note that in spite of the
known toxicity of thimerosal and its presence in childhood vaccines, insurance
companies continued to cover these contaminated vaccines without any consideration
of safety for the treatment they were covering.
There are numerous studies showing the dangers of mercury toxicity for young
children . Here is a recent study abstract about the neurotoxicity of
vaccines: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15527868
Ritalin and Cancer Risks
The rise in the
use of Ritalin in this country is already frightening. In
an
alarming study conducted at the University of Texas, researchers have discovered
that
every
child they tested who was taking Ritalin (methylphenidate) developed chromosomal
aberrations that have been associated with an increased risk of cancer (El-Zein,
2005).
This study was stimulated by previous animal research that showed an increase
in liver tumors in mice at high doses of methylphenidate (Dunnick et al, 1995).
Laboratory studies have also shown chromosomal changes in both hamster (Gallaway
et al, 1987) and human cells grown in cultures (Walker et al, 1977).
The Texas researchers tested 12 children before and three months after beginning a daily Ritalin prescription for treatment of ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder). Every child experienced an increase in genetic damage that is associated with the development of cancer after taking the drug. In the words of the authors, "In every individual examined, there was a statistically significant increase in every genotoxic endpoint analyzed… for each of the parameters tested."
Read more about Ritalin and Cancer Risks here: http://www.ghchealth.com/ritalin-and-cancer-risks.html
While there has been significant criticism and cause for alarm in prescribing psychotropic drugs to children, rather than a decrease of use, the amount of children taking these drugs has escalated in the past few years. With all of the literature cautioning its use, how can this be? Perhaps the accessibility of Ritalin and other drugs via coverage in "health" insurance policies may be contributing to its frightening rise? It remains to be seen whether the insurance industry will act on behalf of our children's safety and question their routine claim coverage for these questionable substances.
Read more about Ritalin here: http://www.icpa4kids.org/research/children/ritalin.htm
Read more about ADHD here: http://www.icpa4kids.org/research/children/add.htm
Read about chiropractic
care in children diagnosed with ADHD: http://www.icpa4kids.org/research/chiropractic/adhd.htm
Remain Empowered Here:
Our quarterly publication Pathways is
now available to the public.
Here are some of the thought
provoking articles from our winter issue:
We still have some winter editions
available to order.
Subscribe here: https://secure.icpa4kids.com/pathways_subscription.htm
Family Wellness First comes to you as a courtesy of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association.
Please remember to credit the ICPA as a source when publicizing an article
and tell your readers they can subscribe directly to Family Wellness First here: http://www.icpa4kids.org/e-news.htm
Forward this e-mail to friends and family who are interested in making informed health care choices.
If you are not yet subscribed to this newsletter, or wish to unsubscribe, please do so here: http://www.icpa4kids.org/e-news.htm
To find a doctor of chiropractic in your area who works with children visit: http://www.icpa4kids.org/find.htm