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The report goes on to say that chiropractors “allied themselves with the Red Cross initially in order to maintain access to the facility, but they were able to offer The April 19, 2004 issue of the Journal of a specific skill, which even if not planned for in advance, Vertebral Subluxation Research provides us with an seemed useful to those who already had access.” interesting article on the emergency response of chiropractors and the ensuing coordination efforts with government agencies in New York and Washington, DC after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In the afternoon after the attacks, New York area The June 2004 issue of the Journal of the American chiropractors began showing up at the scene as the Medical Association reports that nearly 11 million recovery process got underway. Initially, the women who have had their cervix removed are still chiropractors had to talk their way past security getting a Pap smear screening test to see if they barricades and set up their adjusting tables wherever they could, often in the streets around Ground Zero. Similar Study author Brenda Sirovich of Dartmouth Medical efforts were also underway in Washington, DC. School in Hanover, New Hampshire says it’s possible Eventually, through the efforts of the New York “that women who have had a total hysterectomy [in Chiropractic Council and the International Chiropractors which the cervix is removed] are not aware that they are Association (ICA) an alliance with the American Red no longer at risk for cervical cancer.” Remarkably she Cross allowed full access credentials to the chiropractic goes on to say the unnecessary testing may be the patients volunteers. The NY Council and the ICA established a fault since “they may simply be so enthusiastic about huge network of chiropractors known as the Chiropractic cancer screening that they continue to have Pap smears Relief Effort at Ground Zero and the Pentagon. regardless of the usefulness of the test.” How successful were the efforts? In New York, at the She does admit “it is also possible that physicians are five official sites manned around the clock, 1,500 largely responsible for continuing cervical cancer chiropractors donated $1.5 million in services by adjusting up to 500 people per day during the formal In 1996 a U.S. task force on preventative health chiropractic relief effort beginning September 28, 2001 recommended that Pap smear screening to test for cancer through May 30, 2002 when all Ground Zero work was of the cervix be discontinued in women who have had The Red Cross evaluation of the effort concluded “the most ‘successful’ volunteers…were those who were able to work with minimal supervision by official emergency workers. Far from requiring supervision, the chiropractor required only space in which to work and some pallets on which to place his [adjusting table]. In other words, the incorporation of these volunteers into the response required little or no effort on the part of emergency managers…” This Newsletter Compliments of: Timothy Knight, DC 90 Lowell St., Arlington (781) 641-2510 100 Fessenden St., Newton (617) 965-2510 having a positive attitude toward handwashing after patient contact and easy access to a sink. In a related editorial, Dr. Robert A Weinstein of Rush In a letter to the June 2004 issue of the British Medical College in Chicago says, “after more than 150 journal The Lancet the consumer advocate group years of prodding, cajoling, educating, observing, and Public Citizen called for a ban of the cholesterol surveying physicians, hand hygiene adherence rates drug Crestor, claiming that the drug causes life- remain disgracefully low. We must change the rules so threatening side effects. Crestor was approved for that health care workers expect to be observed (when use in the United States in August 2003. washing their hands) and given direct, immediate All of the cholesterol drugs known as statins carry a feedback until the behavior or role models becomes risk of muscle damage but Crestor has a higher risk and can also damage the kidneys. Public Citizen spokesman Commentary: That doctors would have to be stood Dr. Sidney Wolfe says, “everywhere you turn there are over and watched like a five year-old to make sure they ads for Crestor and there is no question that those ads wash their hands after coming into contact with a patient
help to sell drugs, but what patients have not known and before seeing the next one makes us feel like we just want what I think a lot of doctors have not known is that the Not surprisingly, the company that makes Crestor claims the drug has been tested and is comparable to other 13 million people are currently taking statins and sales The June 2004 Archives of Surgery reports that of statin drugs now total $14 billion a year. having breast cancer tissue biopsied with a needle seems to increase the chance that the disease will spread to the lymph nodes in the armpit known as sentinel nodes. The research was done by Dr. Nora Hansen of the A report in the July 6, 2004 issue of the Annals of John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John’s Health Internal Medicine discusses why doctors still are not Center in Santa Monica, California. She studied 663 following hospital handwashing guidelines. women with proven breast cancer. About half of the In the study, adherence to handwashing guidelines cancers were biopsied with a needle while the remainder averaged 57%. Internists had the highest rate of had the tumor removed and then checked for cancer cells. adherence at 87% and anesthesiologists had the lowest at Women who had the needle biopsy were 50% more likely to have cancer in the sentinel nodes. The reasons doctors gave for not washing their hands The researchers felt that this was “due in part to the included having a busy work schedule and being in a mechanical disruption of the tumor by the needle.” technical specialty like surgery or anesthesiology. The reasons doctors stuck with the guidelines included being watched, setting a role model for their colleagues, This Newsletter Compliments of: Timothy Knight, DC 90 Lowell St., Arlington (781) 641-2510 100 Fessenden St., Newton (617) 965-2510 Copyright 2004, In Touch P.O. Box 2353 Peachtree City, GA 30269 770-487-5612

Source: http://www.drtimknight.com/IT%208-04.pdf