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Dynamic Chiropractic Canada
VOLUME 28, NUMBER 19
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Red Meat Vindicated?
Frustrated by mixed findings,...
Antidepressant Use Increases Miscarriage Risk
The use of drugs (prescription...
Sunlight Exposure Reduces Risk of MS
Two studies suggest that the...
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Hoodia
This fact sheet provides basic information about the herb hoodia—common names, uses, potential side effects, and resources for more information. Hoodia is a flowering, cactus-like plant native to ...
 
Hawthorn
This fact sheet provides basic information about hawthorn—common names, uses, potential side effects, and resources for more information. Hawthorn is a spiny, flowering shrub or small tree of the ...
 
NIH Announces Five Botanical Research Centers
Studies of the safety, effectiveness, and biological action of botanical products are major focuses for the five dietary supplement research centers selected to be jointly funded by the Office of Dietary ...
 
Comments Invited On NCCAM's Draft Strategic Plan
Throughout the year-long strategic planning process, NCCAM is seeking input from its stakeholders through many different channels, including both in-person and Web-based meetings and workshops and through ...
 
In the News: Creatine
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound in the body made from amino acids that supplies energy to muscles. Creatine is also found in meat and fish. The use of creatine supplements by athletes became ...
 
Message From the Director: Maybe It's All Placebo?
A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) showed a positive outcome for tai chi in the management of the troubling symptoms of fibromyalgia—a condition with which many patients ...
 
Vita Breath Supplement Contains High Levels of Lead
FDA notified healthcare professionals, their patients, and consumers not to consume Vita Breath, a dietary supplement manufactured by American Herbal Lab and marketed at health fairs and on the Internet, ...
 
Alternative Health News
A Rose By Any Other Name
In his July column, Will Morris asks "What's In A Name?" Rather more than Shakespeare's Juliet would imagine; indeed, more things than are dreamt of in her philosophy, to invoke Hamlet.
When a Client Crosses the Line
The sexual assault allegations against Al Gore has elicited much commentary about clients crossing the line sexually. Regardless of the veracity of this particular claim, it is an important topic to explore in-depth. Some clients may "test the waters" about sexual services, while others blatantly cross the line. Massage practitioners must know how to appropriately deal with those situations.
IMA's Demise
Will Green, the owner and founder of the International Massage Association (IMA), a business that was once a major insurer for the massage therapy community, said in an interview that depression was behind his failure to pay for more than $600,000 in insurance premium payments, an action that has effectively destroy the business.
TCM and Weight Management
According to the World Health Organization there are 1 billion people globally that are overweight and 300 million that are clinically obese. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey from 1999 to 2002, 65 percent of the U.S. population is obese or overweight and 30 percent are considered clinically obese.
Advanced Stretching: Using Neural Inhibition to Enhance the Stretch, Part 1
There is an art and a science to practicing manual and movement therapies. The science yields a set of guidelines that provide the structure for our therapy. We develop this science as an extension of our understanding of the anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology of the body.
As Time Goes By
I celebrated my 40-year anniversary in the field this summer. It was astounding to contemplate how my entire life has been built around learning, practicing, promoting, fighting for, and teaching this medicine all over the world. I have reminisced about the decades of struggle, passion, commitment and reward.
The Snackwell Effect, Part 2
The Snackwell Effect, Part 1  talked about how we lost our ability to regulate blood sugar by overwhelming our bodies with cereal, bread and Ho-Ho's. This article is going to be about how to reverse this whole process.
2010 FSMTB Annual Meeting Held in Member Board Jurisdiction of Puerto Rico
The fifth annual Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) conference will be held October 7-9 at the El San Juan Hotel & Casino in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Registration is now open.
The Life of Per Henrik Ling
In the early 1800s, Peter Henry Ling (also Per Henrik Ling) was perhaps the first to discover what countless others have since learned in the past centuries: massage is critical for healing pain.
Cultural Competency in the Mormon Community
The federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) define cultural competency as "a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals that enables effective work in cross-cultural situations.
Corporate Clutter
Eighteen boxes, seven piles, and 167 assorted objects found their way from our home to the curbside last weekend. In addition, books from three four-foot shelves were removed and taken to the University Book Give-Away Center.
Adrenal Support Important for Coping With Prolonged Stress
When the famous physiologist Hans Selye  was conducting his original research on the stress response in the 1930s, he observed that prolonged and sustained stress eventually attacked the adrenal glands themselves.
Acupressure Treats Dysmenorrhea
Dysmenorrhea, which can be quite common in women, is characterized by lower abdominal pain and cramping, sometimes accompanied by heavy bleeding, that begins at the start of the menstrual cycle.
Falls to Remember
It's September! Hope you had a wonderful summer. This year fall will be really interesting because of a very important election. America now has two classes, a ruling class and the rest of us.
Centering the Umbilical Pulse and Akabani Testing
This article will address two very specific and important treatment protocols: the Umbilical Pulse and the Akabani Test, both of which can be incorporated with any style of practice.
What About My Feet?

During a recent session with a regular client of mine, we ended up having a conversation about feet. I cannot remember how the topic came up - maybe he was having particularly bad pain in his feet that day - but we ended up discussing what kind of shoes we wear the majority of the time.

The conversation made me realize that for as much time as I spend working peoples' feet, I have not yet written exclusively about feet and massage, or self-care of feet for practitioners.

Massage therapists are one of the groups of professionals who spend most of their time working on their feet; in addition to pulling, pushing, bending, leaning and lifting. We have a rather "physical" job, and after giving five to eight massages in one day, I know my feet have frequently felt the effects of this.


Making a Difference
Some people can live their whole lives unconcerned with the state of affairs of their community, the friends they have, or the profession they choose. I think we all know someone like this. It seems the only interest in life they have is simply to make more money.
Take It From Your Peers: You CAN Get Paid to Work in Eldercare and Hospice
My last article focused on keys to opening doors to eldercare and hospice. If you desire to work in these settings, my guess is you have wondered: 1) How do I get my foot in the door? 2) How do I generate a clientele? 3) How can I get paid? All very valid questions!
Dealing with Dangerous Clients
Recently, a colleague in another city called to inform me that a patient had been vandalizing acupuncturists' offices around town and, they believed, slashing tires of acupuncturists' cars. He wanted to know if I knew anything about this person, and to warn me.
Army To Include AOM for Pain Treatment
The statistics are sobering, to say the least. According to leading pain specialists  in the Veterans Administration, nine in 10 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans return home with some form of pain, and 60 percent have significant pain.

Proving East Asian Medicine
East Asian medical research focuses on quantitative means of proof. This affects the information obtained, thus what become considered best practices. I maintain that the world of East Asian medicine might also be understood through qualitative means.
CA Bill Heads to Governor's Desk

The highly controversial California Assembly Bill 1822 passed state legislature this week and currently sits on the governor's desk awaiting his review.

On Tuesday, the State Assembly concurred Senate amendments, which includes adding two law enforcement officials to the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC). The amendment also stipulates that the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) and the California State Sheriffs Association have only authority to select the law enforcement officials.
A Snapshot Of the Profession
Given the current debates taking place over the role complementary medicine (and acupuncture and Oriental medicine in particular) should play in the changing health care environment, it is important to understand where the profession is currently at.
Police Group Seeks Even More Control Over Massage Board

After controversial amendments were made to the infamous "anti-prostitution" law of adding "hostile" law enforcement professionals to a California massage board, the bill gets even more contentious with its most recent language.


The Pulse of Aging
What would the pulse of aging look like? I use the term "look like" rather than "feel like" because I look at the pulses as the flow of qi through the organ systems rather than as a single or multiple of textures.
Major Massage Associations Call for CA Legislators to Kill Bill
After months of discussions regarding the infamous "anti-prostitution" law, the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC), American Massage Therapy Association-California chapter (AMTA-CA) and Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP) have ended negotiations and have called for an end to Assembly Bill 1822.
Soft Tissue Pain: Calcific Tendinitis
Calcific tendinitis in the shoulder is a soft-tissue pain complaint that may be acute but is usually chronic, and affects the rotator cuff tendons. Its symptoms somewhat mimic other conditions such as adhesive capsulitis, rotator cuff disorders, shoulder impingement syndrome.
The Changing World of Education
Back in December 2003, I attended a lecture by William A. Wulf, then president of the National Academy of Engineering. One of his comments that struck me was on the difference between small improvements in technology that make something already being done easier and on the continuing and often unexpected social changes stemming from huge quantitative changes in technology.
Microcurrent Treatment of Headaches
You will frequently have good success in relieving localized bodily pain with microcurrents by simply "circling the dragon"; that is, stimulating where it hurts. This is usually not the case, however, in the treatment of headaches.
Plotting Your Course

It's not enough to want to make a living to do what you do. Nor is it enough to be extraordinarily talented - the world is full of passionate, talented failures. If you want to earn money with your passion, you'll be running a business, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to plot your course.
Dynamic Chiropractic – July 30, 2006, Vol. 24, Issue 16
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Going Global With Spinal Health

World Spine Day/National Spinal Health Day Is Oct. 16

By Ron Kirk, DC and Stephen Simonetti, DC

Remember it. Plan for it. Why, you ask? What's so special about that day? Oct. 16, 2006 is the day the chiropractic profession and Straighten Up America celebrate World Spine Day/National Spinal Health Day in collaboration with the United States Bone and Joint Decade.

Several years ago, the International Bone and Joint Decade initiated World Spine Day to call attention to the burden of spinal disability and promote better spinal health habits during the Decade's National Action Week. This year, World Spine Day in the U.S. features "Straighten Up America" as its theme. On Oct. 16, doctors of chiropractic have the unique opportunity to serve the public on the front lines of spinal health promotion and wellness in collaboration with the Bone and Joint Decade.

image We strongly encourage doctors to get involved in public outreach educational events to empower their communities. We will be teaching patients, schoolchildren, civic organizations, corporations, faith congregations and others simple, enjoyable exercises and active healthy lifestyle recommendations to improve their spinal health. We also will conduct a World Spine Day/National Spinal Health Day kickoff event/outreach in Washington, D.C., on the same day.

We have structured our national launch along the lines of the highly successful kickoff of "Straighten Up Australia" this past May, with both national and local outreaches. Our efforts in America are bolstered by the added benefit of collaboration with the Bone and Joint Decade. Adding further cultural authority to our efforts, Straighten Up America is proud to be a "50th Anniversary Partner to Get America Moving," an initiative of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports during its 50th anniversary (1956-2006).

The Congress of Chiropractic State Associations and Life University are currently finalizing implementation kits to enable doctors to teach their patients and their communities "Straighten Up" exercises and healthy lifestyle recommendations on World Spine Day/National Spinal Health Day. The great news is that "Straighten Up" is a natural fit for nationally mandated wellness programs, designed to increase students' activity and fitness levels in schools across the nation. Schools are currently searching for activity-based programs to combat obesity and its associated health risks.

Though still in its infancy as a health initiative, "Straighten Up" has garnered a number of accolades from health and fitness leaders, including Lee Haney, past chairman of the U.S. President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Lee describes the program as "awesome," with "vision and much promise." In January 2005, Tommy Thompson, then-U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, "commended" the individuals who developed "Straighten Up" for their "leadership in the field of spinal health."

"Straighten Up" is endorsed by the Congress of Chiropractic Organizations, the presidents of ACC chiropractic colleges and the World Federation of Chiropractic. The initiative has received financial support from the American Chiropractic Association, the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and a number of state chiropractic organizations and individual doctors. "Straighten Up" also has received participatory support from the International Chiropractors Association and many other chiropractic organizations.

image Our hope is that children around the world will practice these beneficial spinal health habits. Dr. Jose Carlos Martines, coordinator of the Child and Adolescent Health and Development Cluster of the World Health Organization (WHO), shares this hope and helped to shape the program as a Delphi panel member. We are currently creating multiple language translations of "Straighten Up" to begin global implementation and habituation in collaboration with the WHO.

To date, "Straighten Up" has received excellent reviews in every venue in which it has been presented. Some of these venues include the U.S. House of Representatives Wellness Center; the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade Meeting at the National Institutes of Health; the American Public Health Association annual meeting; and the Healthier US Fitness Festival.

Through presentations, endorsements and collaborative efforts, the initiative has gathered positive momentum very rapidly. It provides a perfect format for patient and community education in spinal health promotion and wellness.

How to Get Started

Here are some simple steps to start preparing to celebrate World Spine Day/National Spinal Health Day:

  1. Thoroughly familiarize yourself with the "Straighten Up" exercise module and lifestyle recommendations.

  2. Begin to practice the "Straighten Up" activities and lifestyle recommendations daily in order to improve spinal health, posture and core stabilization. Make sure the activities are appropriate for you and not contraindicated by disorders which prohibit exercise and movement of your spinal column and related joints. If you experience sharp or shooting pain while exercising, stop the activity and consult with your doctor.)

  3. We recommend beginning with the "Posture Pod/Flying Friends" exercises. (Please refer to illustrations accompanying this article.) Perform these exercises in front of a mirror before or after you brush your teeth. The Posture Pod is fun and only takes about 30 seconds to complete. You should feel refreshed and will improve your appearance and self image through consistent performance. The Eagle, Hummingbird and Butterfly are simple and immediately invigorating. "Straighten Up" mirror decals will help you promote habitual performance.

  4. Once you are comfortable with the exercises, you may begin to share them with others. Doctors will educate and motivate their patients and their communities (including schools, corporations, faith congregations and civic organizations) to improve their spinal health through consistent practice of "Straighten Up." World Spine Day/National Spinal Health Day is a great time to start your community educational outreach at a nearby school, civic organization or corporation. Be sure to always screen individuals carefully to make sure the exercises are appropriate for them, taking particular precautions with individuals who have disorders which limit exercise or activity, and the elderly.

Making World Spine Day/National Spinal Health Day Real

We believe there is a very real need for improvement in the area of spinal health promotion and prevention of disability. In the digital information age, most people are working and playing inactively in slouched awkward postures. Spinal disability is increasing in prevalence, even in children and youth. Now is the time for us to take proactive steps to teach others how to "Straighten Up" and lead active healthy lives.

Working together, we can positively impact on our society for generations to come. That is the vision for "Straighten Up." Let's make it real together. It's our vision, our health and our future. It takes all of us. So remember World Spine Day/National Spinal Health Day educational outreaches on Oct. 16. Why not make a difference in your practice and your community in collaboration with the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade?

Further instructions and more educational materials for getting started with "Straighten Up" and World Spine Day/National Spinal Health Day are available at www.life.edu and www.cocsa.org or http://media.sevensides.com. Complete implementa tion kits will be available soon.

For more information about "Straighten Up," please contact Ron Kirk at 770-426-2709, or Janet Jordan at 803-356-6809, .

Sincerely,

Stephen Simonetti, DC
President, Congress of Chiropractic State Associations

Ron Kirk, MA, DC
Professor, Life University
Facilitator of the Seed and Delphi Panels for Straighten Up America

Dr. Ron Kirk is a professor at Life University and was Dynamic Chiropractic's 2007 Person of the Year. For background information on the Straighten Up campaign to promote spinal health, visit www.straightenupamerica.org/.

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