Thousands of medical reports have been examined, the numbers have been tallied, and the conclusion is sobering: the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the United States.

The medical profession and the media have always claimed that the leading causes of death, for both men and women, are heart disease and cancer. Records show us that in 2001 cancer claimed 553,251 lives, with heart disease in the lead with 699,697 attributed deaths. But when medical reports were more closely examined, analysts found that 783,936 deaths—in a single year–were directly related to medical care misdiagnosis and carelessness.

Never before has a complete overview of the medical field been examined where medicine related deaths have been combined and totaled. Here are some of the horrific results derived from a one-year period:

• Adverse Drug Reactions: 106,000 people dead with $12 billion in expenses.
• Medical errors: 98,000 dead with $2 billion in expenses.
• Bedsores leading to other complications: 115,000 dead with $55 billion in expenses.
• Hospital acquired infections: 88,000 dead with $5 billion in expenses.
• Outpatient mishaps: 199,000 people dead with $77 billion in expenses.
• Unnecessary Procedures: 37,136 people dead with$122 billion in expenses.
• Surgery-Related complications: 32,000 people dead with $9 billion in expenses.

Dr. Jason, what our healthcare system doesn’t tell you is that the human body is a powerful entity, designed to heal itself during times of illness or disorder. The spine plays a very important role in this process. If spinal vertebrae are misaligned, malfunctions and health disorders can arise. That’s why it’s so important to receive regular chiropractic adjustments. 

More importantly, chiropractic adjustments are safe and involve no medicine or radical invasive procedures. In fact, it’s one of the safest and healthiest forms of care available. If you are dealing with a health problem, or are just feeling ‘under the weather’, consider chiropractic care before you put your life in the hands of the number one killer in America.

Yours in health,
Jason Goldstein, DC

[Source: Death By Medicine, Gary Null PhD, Carolyn Dean MD ND, Marin Feldman MD, Debora Maslo MD, and Dorothy Smith, PhD.]

Did you know that chiropractic adjustments provide more than back/neck pain relief and increased range of motion? Significant improvements in other areas of the body are commonly associated with chiropractic adjustment.  To find out exactly what types of non-musculoskeletal improvements occur most, 1,504 questionnaires were distributed to people who had just been given a chiropractic adjustment. Here’s what the results found:

• 98 patients reported easier breathing
• 92 patients reported improved digestive function
• 49 patients reported clearer/better/sharper vision
• 34 patients reported improved circulation
• 10 patients reported less ringing of the ears
• 8 patients reported reduced acne/eczema
• 6 patients reported fewer symptoms of asthma/allergies

The number of spinal areas treated was also related to the number of reported improvements. 15 percent of patients experiencing positive reactions after having a single area adjusted, as compared to 35 percent of patients having four areas adjusted. Overall, 23 percent of chiropractic patients reported experiencing changes in symptoms that were not musculoskeletal in nature.

More research on this topic will paint a clearer picture of non-musculoskeletal improvement associated with chiropractic adjustment. Until then it is safe to say that patients experience positive impact in their quality of life due to chiropractic adjustment. Are you one of them?

Yours in health,
Jason Goldstein, DC

[Source:  Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Nov./Dec. 1999]

A new 30-year study released in February suggests that administering the Flu shot to the elderly may be a waste of time and resources.

According to the authors of the study, the Flu shot has done nothing to save the lives of our senior population. Instead, researchers suggest that the Flu vaccination would best serve all age groups if given to children—the biggest spreaders of the virus. By reducing the Flu’s ability to spread, less of the adult population would be affected.

Since the 1960s, yearly flu shots have been recommended for people 65 and older. In the year 2000, government health officials moved the age up to 50. But while vaccination rates did rise among the elderly from 20 percent before 1980 to 65 percent in 2001, researchers could find no corresponding decrease in death rates.

It should be noted that this study examined data from the whole elderly population over time—but did not directly compare elderly people who have been vaccinated with those who have not. Previous studies that made that comparison found a decreased rate of winter deaths from all causes among those who had been vaccinated.

Regardless of what age you are, your best defense against the flu is to enhance your body’s ability to stay healthy and well. Regularly scheduled chiropractic adjustments are one of the best ways to improve your health and ward of sickness, without the use of medication or potentially risky vaccines.

Blanks, Schuster and Dobson investigated the quality of life and wellness associated with people who regularly receive chiropractic care. This study, the largest of its kind, consisted of 2,818 chiropractic patients attending 156 different chiropractic offices. An overwhelming 95 percent of the people involved in the study reported a strong connection between receiving chiropractic adjustments and experiencing a healthy, more active, improved quality of life. 95 percent of these people said that chiropractic had met their expectations and 99 percent wished to continue regularly scheduled chiropractic care.

This study and many others all draw the same conclusion—chiropractic adjustments can eliminate or decrease pain and illness, while improving quality of life.

Chiropractic care has also been found to produce statistically significant improvements in general physiological functions of the body. The following is a list of functions that can be improved through chiropractic adjustment.

• Respiration
• Range of motion
• Heart rate variability
• Autonomic function
• Endocrine function
• Cardiovascular function
• Immune system
• Muscle strength
• Overall athletic ability
• Neurocognitive functions
• Reaction-time
• Information processing
• Visual acuity
• Stress
• Reproductive hormones
• Healing
• Recovering time
• Reduced labor times

So, if you and your family haven’t already made regularly scheduled chiropractic adjustments a part of your healthy lifestyle, make it a habit starting today. In the long run you’ll enjoy a better quality of life and numerous health benefits.

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