Not only is U.S. health care inefficient and wasteful, much of it is dangerous.
George Halvorson, CEO Kaiser Healthplan, Washington Post, December 1, 2008

The U.S. ranks 29th in infant mortality, 48th in life expectancy and 19th out of 19 industrialized nations in preventable deaths. We pay more than anyone else in the world for this kind of care.

Is it any wonder that more and more people are seeking out chiropractors, homeopaths, midwives, nutritionists, naturopaths, acupuncturists and other natural, non-drug, non-surgical healers?

Use the safest healthcare procedures first.

There are generally two approaches to healing.

One approach is the Mechanistic or medical approach. This approach sees symptoms as problems that need to be eliminated. Got a fever? Take an aspirin. Got pain - have a painkiller. Infection? Take an antibiotic. Nauseous? Here's a pill. Diarrhea? Got something for you. High blood pressure? Depressed? Anxious? Shy? Low energy? Here's a chemical to suppress your symptoms.

Of course none of these drugs gets to the cause of your problem. For example. no one has ever discovered an aspirin or Prozac™ deficiency - these drugs affect symptoms only.

There is another approach to healthcare. That approach is the expressive or Vitalistic approach. Vitalists see symptoms as the way your body cleanses, heals, repairs and rebalances itself.

You'd do anything to get your child and yourself well. Yet interfering with symptoms, while creating comfort in the short run, could actually interfere with one's healing ability and lead to health damage in the long run.

Vitalistic healers (such as chiropractors) understand that suppressive healthcare drives disease deeper so that it may never leave the body.

Children and adults who let their acute illness run its course are, overall, healthier than those who take drugs to suppress their symptoms.

Fever and other dramatic symptoms are powerful tools by which a body resolves illness. Although uncomfortable, they will pass. In fact, suppressing fever may make you stay sick longer. In one study adults who had the flu stayed sick 3 ½ days longer if they took something to lower their fever. (1) Other studies have shown that acute infections in childhood result in less cancer and heart disease later in life. (2-4)

Interfering with symptom expression may cause a temporary, acute illness (cold, flu, fever, malaise) to become chronic - a lifelong condition that never resolves.

At times, drastic interventions requiring drugs or surgery may be needed. However that is relatively rare; most people who suffer from acute illness do best with watchful waiting. It is however especially important that a child (or adult) be free of subluxations so their body may function optimally. For that reason all sick individuals need chiropractic care.

Additionally, you may want to investigate homeopathy, acupuncture, aromatherapy, enemas or other natural means to work with the body to help promote true healing that strengthens the body so it is better able to cope with future infections.

Tamiflu is a prescription medication for flu prevention and treatment in adults and children aged 1 year and older. In the US, Tamiflu is being accused of causing children to have visual and auditory hallucinations, self-injury, abnormal behavior and psychosis.

Your Hips

Your hips balance your entire spine. Conversely your spine balances your hips. If your spine has subluxations (misalignments causing nerve interference) your hips can be thrown off balance.

Similarly, if your hips are misaligned your spine will suffer.

Sometimes you can easily see this as you watch people walk. For example, does one foot (or both feet) appear to flare outward or inward? While this can be a sign of spinal pressure coming from anywhere in the spine, it most often comes from the upper neck.

If your spine and hips are off balance, your legs may be affected. Your femur head (the top of your thigh bone) may not properly fit into your hip. This can result in lower back, knee, ankle and foot problems. This imbalance can also cause wear and tear to your hip joints, affect how easily or effortlessly you can walk and lead to arthritis and disc degeneration. Spinal subluxations can also affect your internal organ health - prostate, bladder, intestines, kidneys and sexual organs.

Chiropractors are able to locate subluxations in your body structure and correct them to help ensure your hips (and spine) and all your organs, muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments have a healthy nerve supply to ensure better health.

Help avoid a future of aches and pains, canes, walkers and wheelchairs. Keep your body structure balanced with chiropractic care.

The year is 1904

Only 14% of the homes in the US had a bathtub.
Only 8% of the homes had a telephone. 
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost $11.00. 
There were only 8,000 cars in the US, and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph. 
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union. 
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower. 
The average wage in the US was 22 cents an hour.
The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year. 
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year. A veterinarian could earn between $1,500 and $4,000 per year. And a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year. 
More than 95 percent of all births in the US took place at home.
Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee was fifteen cents a pound. 
Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason. 
The five leading causes of death in the US were: 
  1. Pneumonia and influenza 
  2. Tuberculosis 
  3. Diarrhea 
  4. Heart disease 
  5. Stroke 
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30! 
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented. 
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.