Chiropractic and Limited Antibiotics for Childhood Ear Infections

Chiropractic has been used for decades by 100's of thousands of people for addressing many common ailments.  One such ailment is childhood ear infections.  The question has always been; is it effective?

One of the biggest problems of childhood ear infections is the use and repeated use of antibiotic therapy.  Antibiotics can help knock out an infection, unfortunately they can also wreak havoc on the the good bacteria which helps buffer the digestive tract which possesses about 70-80% of the body's immune system tissues; thereby making the individual more susceptible to reinfection after a bout of antibiotics.  This is the reason we recommend that parents feed their child "active culture" yogurt while on antibiotics and for one week after, to replace the healthy bacteria that are killed off, if they decide to go the antibiotic route with ear infections

A new study with children 5 years of age and younger, found chiropractic care for childhood ear infections was extremely effective, recommending utilizing chiropractic care and limiting medical intervention.

"93% of all episodes improved, 75% in 10 days or fewer and 43% with only one or two treatments. Young age, no history on antibiotic use, initial episode (vs. recurrent) and designation of an episode as discomfort rather than ear infection were factors associated with improvement with the fewest treatments."

Keep your child's body as healthy as possible by including chiropractic into their well child schedule.

For your better health,

Dr. Heller

Chirpractic Care For All Over Better Health

Most everyone thinks of chiropractic for the care of back or neck pain. Some may turn to chiropractic for sport and leisure activity injuries.  Truth be told the benefits of regular chiropractic care are so far reaching is is one of the best kept secrets of the healthcare world.

Even our friends at TTAC understand how chiropractic helps the body function better to be healthier.

Check out the link below.

10 Reasons You Should Consider Chiropractic Therapy

Chiropractic: Health and Wellness

Enjoy this brief video with some very interesting information regarding the studies done which found Chiropractic care to beneficial in so many ways other than back and neck pain.

Wishing you great health,
Dr. Heller

Acetaminophen Now #1 Cause of Liver Failure

Acetaminophen is a readily available over the counter (OTC) drug that has been recommended regularly for pain relief and fever reduction. It is the most common drug ingredient in America.  It has been shown that it can be used fairly safely, when taken at the recommended dosage.  For adults and children 12 years of age and older, the recommended dose of acetaminophen is 650 to 1000 mg every 4 to 6 hours, not to exceed 4000 mg in 24 hours.  For children under 12 years of age, the recommended dose of acetaminophen is 10 to 15 mg/kg every 4 to 6 hours, not to exceed five doses (50-75 mg/kg) in 24 hours.  If you start to take more than one product for pain and/or fever, you may want to read the labels.


Acetaminophen is marketed under the brand names: Acephen, Actamin, Feverall, Q-Pap, Tactinal, Tempra, Tylenol, Uniserts, Vitapap, as well as being found in more than 600 different over-the-counter and prescription medicines.  You may also find it listed under other generic names such as APAP, N-acetyl-para-aminophenol, Paracetamol.
 
Acetaminophen is found in so many pain relieving formulas.  Combining those products can lead to over dose which can lead to liver damage and liver failure. 

Be safe, be healthy and see you chiropractor for those aches and pains to avoid inadvertently injuring yourself with unnecessary medications.

For Your Health,
    Dr. Heller

Children and Chiropractic Care: Birth to 18 Years

Chiropractic has been successfully caring for children for various conditions for over a millennium. The main issues are what conditions are cared for by chiropractors, what is the reported success rate and what is the incidence of side effects. Over time, research has started to catch up on what individual chiropractors have been realizing in their private practices and this article will outline the current state of the literature.

Conditions Cared For and Side Effects 2012 Report

The pediatric related conditions that were reported to be cared for by chiropractors were the following:

1. Musculoskeletal
   1. Joint pain
   2. Walking/crawling
   3. Neck pain
   4. Mid back pain
   5. Low back pain
2. Neurological
   1. Headaches
   2. Autism
   3. Balance
   4. Cerebral Palsy
   5. Movement Disorders
   6. ADD/ADHD
   7. Behavioral
   8. Crying/Irritability/Sleep
   9. Developmental
   10. Growing
   11. Cognitive
3. Gastrointestinal
   
   1. Colic
   2. Constipation
   3. Digestive
   4. Eating
   5. Drinking
   6. Reflux
   7. Hiatus hernia
   8. Bowel problems
4. Genitourinary
   1. Menstrual cramps
   2. Bed wetting
5. Immune
   1. Allergies
   2. Asthma
   3. Food intolerance
   4. Respiratory
   5. Eczema
   6. Skin rashes
6. Infections
   1. Ear infections
   2. Ear-nose-throat problems
   3. Common cold
   4. Flu     

As for side effects, "there was less than 1% of patients experiencing negative side effects and all of these adverse reactions to care were mild in nature; transient and required no medical care with serious complications. The typical reaction was transient crying."

"The incidence of adverse drug reactions among hospitalized children in the United States has not been well studied.....On the basis of [review] of 17 prospective studies conducted in the United States and Europe, the incidence of adverse drug reactions among hospitalized children was 9.5%, with severe reactions accounting for 12% of the total."    Comparatively speaking, chiropractic is a much safer choice than most alternative options.

The entire article can be found here.