From WNYC (radio) the Leonard Lopate Show on Feb 19th was about chiropractic. Leonard interviews Christine Goertz, D.C., Ph.D, Vice Chancellor for Research and Health Policy at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, and James N. Dillard, M.D., D.C., C.Ac. who used to run Columbia Med School’s CAM clinic.
Source Michigan Policy Network
A new state legislative proposal brought forth in Michigan by the senate, if passed, would create new boundaries for insurance coverage pertaining to chiropractic and optometric services. Senate Bill No. 969 was introduced on November 5, 2009 by Senator Richardville. This is inclusive to bills 968 through 973. These bills all call for the same type of change in insurance coverage, however they entail different aspects of the insurance field. The new bill is meant to expand the role of chiropractic service in the state of Michigan, and will allegedly have no fiscal impact on the State or local government. To address this fiscal impact, the cost of insurance for state and local employees would be increased by an unspecified amount. The areas under consideration for amending include motor vehicle personal and property protection, the Prudent Purchaser Act, the Nonprofit Health Care Corporation Reform Act, the Workers Disability Compensation Act, disabilities insurance policies, and group and blanket disability insurance. Under the new bill, any coverage for these specific policies would be subject to the Public Health Code as of January 1, 2009. Anything not covered in the Public Health Code after that time would be required for them out of their own pocket. (more…)
Source Southern California University of Health Sciences
For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, include chiropractic care inside the Olympic Village Polyclinic, a multi-disciplinary facility offering comprehensive healthcare and medical services.
While DCs have historically been included on the Olympic medical staff, this year’s events mark the first time that DCs from the host country will be treating athletes and officials from around the world directly inside the Polyclinic.
“This is an historic event not only for the chiropractic profession, but also the athletes who will now have access to the care that will help them prepare their bodies for competition,” states Michael Reed, DC, MS, DACBSP, and team USA’s medical director (USOC). “These athletes train hard and endure significant physical demands. Sports-focused DCs, along with other members of the sports medicine team, are specially skilled to assist them in reaching peak performance.”
Chiropractic care has experienced several major moments in Olympic history, dating back to Leroy Perry, DC, who provided chiropractic care to athletes representing Antigua during the 1976 Games in Montreal, Canada. During the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, NY, George Goodheart, DC, became the first official chiropractor appointed to the U.S. team.
With each subsequent Olympic Games and Pan American Games, the U.S. teams — along with a growing number of other national teams — have included at least one doctor of chiropractic on their medical staff.
“Inclusion inside the Polyclinic is another major milestone for the chiropractic profession, and we are grateful to the host city of Vancouver, the head of medical services at the Polyclinic, Jack Taunton, MD, and to Robert Armitage, DC, who helped make this possible,” says USOC Director of Sports Medicine Clinics, Bill Moreau, DC, DACBSP.
LONDON (Reuters) – Intelligence is second only to smoking as a predictor of heart disease, scientists said on Wednesday, suggesting public health campaigns may need to be designed for people with lower IQs if they are to work.
Research by Britain’s Medical Research Council (MRC) found that lower intelligence quotient scores were associated with higher rates of heart disease and death, and were more important indicators than any other risk factors except smoking.
Heart disease is the leading killer of men and women Europe, the United States and most industrialized countries.
According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes accounted for 32 percent of all deaths around the world in 2005.
It is well known that people with poorer education and lower incomes often face higher risks of ill health and a range of diseases. Studies have pointed to many likely reasons, including limited access to healthcare and other resources, poorer living conditions, chronic stress and higher rates of lifestyle risk factors like smoking. (more…)
Retraction of 1998 Wakefield Study May Not Sway Those Who Fear Vaccine-Autism Link
Source ABC News
It was the scientific paper that served as a central pillar for the idea that vaccination could increase children’s risk of developing autism.
Now, with a formal retraction from the Lancet, the medical journal which in 1998 published this piece of research by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, most researchers will view the study as if it had never been published in the first place.
In a statement explaining its retraction of Wakefield’s paper, the Lancet said: “Following the judgment of the U.K. General Medical Council’s Fitness to Practice Panel on Jan. 28, 2010, it has become clear that several elements of the 1998 paper by Wakefield et al are incorrect … in particular, the claims in the original paper that children were ‘consecutively referred’ and that investigations were ‘approved’ by the local ethics committee have been proven to be false. Therefore we fully retract this paper from the published record.” (more…)
Use the slider at the Genetic Science Learning Center to view a stunning example of scale.
Some cells are visible to the unaided eye
The smallest objects that the unaided human eye can see are about 0.1 mm long. That means that under the right conditions, you might be able to see an ameoba proteus, a human egg, and a paramecium without using magnification. A magnifying glass can help you to see them more clearly, but they will still look tiny.
Smaller cells are easily visible under a light microscope. It’s even possible to make out structures within the cell, such as the nucleus, mitochondria and chloroplasts. Light microscopes use a system of lenses to magnify an image. The power of a light microscope is limited by the wavelength of visible light, which is about 500 nm. The most powerful light microscopes can resolve bacteria but not viruses.