July/August 2002
Feature Articles
Holistic Health Q & A
by Dr. George Forster
Of whiplash and prescription drugs.
What is... the Organic Movement?
by Robert Roman
Part one of a three-part article detailing
the author's personal experiences and the growth of the organic movement.
UnCommon Sense!
by David Findlay
The Middle East, terrorism, weapons
of mass destruction.
Articles on the theme "To Worry Or Not To Worry"
What, Me Worry?
by AnneMarie Dyer
A vacation leads to some spiritual
insights.
Worrier To Warrior
by Lisa Raphael
The difference between someone who
worries and a warrior, a person of courage and vigor.
The Righteous Worrier!
by Rev. D. Kaye Patrick
Does worry really mean loving and caring?
Or is worrying a waste of time and energy?
Let It Go!
by Tracy Woolrich
Easy to say, but how to do it?
Why Worry?
by Bob Murray PhD
The underlying cause of over-anxious
reactions and generalized worry - and the solution.
A Balancing Act
by Charles Larsen
Of over-reacting and under-reacting
and the attempt to find a middle ground.
Too Blessed To Be Stressed
by Rev. Pat Cross
The power to choose between a human
or a spiritual view of our problems.
Remember Scarlett O'Hara
by Dave Hunt
A life without worry? How to achieve
it?
Holistic Health Q & A
Dr. George Forster
Question
I am still suffering from the after-effects of whiplash. What can I do?
Answer
Your neck does much more than simply connect your head to the rest of your
body. Without your neck, you couldn't hold your head, or turn it easily
from one side to the other. Many complex parts of your neck, particularly
the seven cervical vertebrae and all of the connective tissue, work together
to perform a delicate balancing act. Your neck is an extremely fragile part
of your body, as well. When the powerful force of whiplash strikes your
head, it is tossed around like the head of a flimsy rag doll. Your neck
can seriously be injured; then it is unable to move and support your head
the way it normally does. If not corrected early, whiplash can lead to other
problems, such as arthritic degeneration.
Imagine balancing a 10-pound ball on the end of a stick. That is the delicate balancing act your neck performs throughout the day. Soft tissue is really the only thing keeping your head poised on top of your spine. If your cervical spine is aligned and the neck anatomy healthy, your head weight will be evenly balanced.
Whiplash turns your head's weight into a powerful force, hurling your neck past its normal range of motion. In the typical whiplash injury, your head is whipped backward, injuring muscles, ligaments, discs, and other structures. As your head whips forward, its speed greatly increases, adding to the force on your neck. If your neck is turned to the side at impact, injury is more severe.
After whiplash injury, your neck's balance is upset. The neck's natural curve may be reversed, which unevenly distributes the head weight and further misaligns your vertebrae. This leads to early degeneration of your joints and early capsular changes consistent with post-traumatic arthritis if left uncorrected. Your fragile, damaged neck is now strained to hold your head. Oftentimes, whiplash patients complain of severe pain between the shoulders because of loss of the normal curve of the neck. They also complain of numbness, tingling, and burning into the arms or extremities, and a grating sound when they turn their neck. If left uncorrected, scarring and even arthritic degeneration may develop. You will most certainly have recurring pain.
It takes time to heal a whiplash injury. They do not heal on their own if the spinal misalignment has been lost and the neck curve reversed. But with early diagnosis and treatment, a chiropractor has a good chance to help correct your spinal problem, and speed your healing, and relieve your pain and stiffness. You will also be instructed in self-care in a chiropractic office that helps heal your neck and can act as an insurance policy for a healthier neck in the future.
The kinetic forces that occur as a result of a flexion/extension, rapid acceleration/deceleration trauma are complex, and as a result of that injury the delicate nerve fibers and all of the connective tissue in the neck can be compromised. A doctor of chiropractic is fully trained to understand these problems and to begin the rehabilitative process for your cervical spine.
Question
How safe is prescription medication? How effective are herbal alternatives?
Answer
Herbal medicine today is a substantial and significant way of treating various
body ailments. As a result of herbal medicine, many people have regained
health. It should be noted that the mainstay of alternative medicine
vitamins and other nutrients and herbs have led to the regaining of
health for millions of people. Over 100,000 studies double-blind,
placebo-controlled studies in peer-reviewed scientific journals support
the effectiveness of natural substances in ameliorating, preventing, or
at times even eliminating chronic conditions. These conditions range from
heart disease to depression to cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. There is
a whole range of other conditions that can be treated as well. In addition,
herbs and nutrients have minimal side effects; they either work or they
don't.
According to government statistics, during the period of 1973 to 1992, no one died from taking any nutrient or herb. During that same time period, according to the government's conservative estimates, over a million Americans died from prescription medicines and other medical procedures.
Each year, 125,000 Americans are killed by drugs that the Food and Drug Administration approve safe. Approximately 107,000 patients are hospitalized annually for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug NSAID-related gastrointestinal complications, and at least 16,500 NSAID-related deaths occur each year among arthritis patients alone.
One-fourth of senior citizens are routinely prescribed prescriptions that are inappropriate and perhaps dangerous. In addition, in 1991, 349,000 unneeded Cesarean sections were performed. In infant mortality rate, the United States is tied with three other countries for the second to last place in 24 industrialized nations. With the exclusion of some childhood cancers, few find other exceptions. No substantial improvement in cancer therapy has been demonstrated over what treatment could have accomplished three decades ago. The U.S. spends 1.3 trillion dollars a year in healthcare, more than any other country in the world, yet ranks lower in life expectancy than 16 other developed nations.
I would go as far as to say that, with the exception of emergency medicine, which accomplishes wonders, orthodox medicine most probably is a failure. We have literature that has been on review in the past six years that shows that only 10% of the procedures currently done by orthodox physicians can be medically and scientifically justified for the conditions being treated.
It should be noted that pathologies are entered into the medical textbooks which previously were called normal, routine physiological processes. A prime example is the birth process, childhood disorders, with rampant attention to deficit disorders of students in school, menopause, and aging and depression.
For years orthodox medicine has been denying the value of vitamins and other natural substances, and poo pooing their patient's interest in these with a dismissive, "Well, try it if you want to," at best, or at worst, telling the patients not to bother to come back if they are going to get involved with all that alternative stuff. Many of those who did try "alternative stuff" and came back to report to the doctors that it worked were met with total lack of intellectual curiosity about exactly how these patients cured themselves. There is a kind of "don't ask, don't tell" attitude in conventional medical doctors towards any alternatives.
It is now time for our fellow medical colleagues in the medical establishment to note that we are here to integrate alternative methodology into mainstream America. We are here to stay.
Dr. George Forster can be contacted at Zephyrhills Chiropractic and Acupuncture Clinic. Zephyrhills, FL (813) 788-3232
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