0 Of Intellectual Enclaves and Self Reinforcing Media Crossing The Health Care Reform Divide

Watch for and report any
contrary opinions!

Theres an interesting Saturday Essay in The Wall Street Journal that describes the self-perpetuating socioeconomic-neighborhood enclaves that separate Americas "haves" and "have nots."  Its turning out that zip code is not only associated with health, its becoming associated with destiny.

Not only fascinating, says the Disease Management Care Blog, but the essay reminds it of the pernicious twin intellectual enclaves in the health care debate.  While the progressive-liberals and the market-oriented conservatives in D.C. remain stuck in their closed information loops, the political process has been boiled down to the Supreme Courts nine lawyers and vague threats to unilaterally "repeal Obamacare."   Yikes, says the DMCB, the Dark Knights Joker had it right: we deserve a better class of politician criminal.

And if you think Newt is being wacky over the media bearing some responsibility, check out this NPR interview with the author of the book The Information Diet.  Unrepentant lefty Clay Johnson points out that the news outlets are becoming less of a solution and more of a problem.  By serving pre-digested and ined reports that cater to our pre-existing biases, organizations like CNN, Fox, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal are creating an epidemic of intellectually obese brains that are hooked on the sugar and fat of what wed like to know, not what we should know.

Which is why the DMCB steeled itself, stepped outside its right-of-center comfort zone and sat through this C-SPAN broadcast of pro-Obamacare Jonathan Gruber being lobbed softballs by the fawning attendees at a Seattle Town Hall.  It makes for a spirited retread of the merits of enlightened central government, the villainy of the health insurers and the intrusion of politics, even as Dr. Gruber characterizes opponents as either 1) uneducated or 2) mistaken.  Thats why hes written this comic book designed to help both classes of simpletons.

The DMCB suspects its readers wont need to order a copy.

+++++++

As an aside, the Penn State graduate DMCB sadly notes the passing of Joe Paterno, the recently fired Penn State football coach. Despite his legendary stature, even "JoePa" was no match for the toxic Sandusky scandal.  It wasnt too long afterwards that Coach Paterno was diagnosed with what was eumphemistically characterized as a "treatable" form of lung cancer.  Occasional news reports since then described an increasingly frail 85 year old man struggling with the side effects of his cancer treatment.

Like many friends and colleagues, the DMCB wondered if the "stress" of his ignominous departure was the real cause of his death.  According to this Psychosomatics case series of 43 lung cancer patients based on used of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, baseline depression was associated with a poorer 6 month survival, but not overall survival. 

In other words, they die sooner.
 
Image from Wikipedia

0 Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Otitis Media Ear Infections

A common infection that settles in the middle portion of the ear is called Otitis Media. Although adults can develop this particular ear infection, it is most commonly seen in infants and toddlers. The thing that makes this infection so unique is that both a virus and bacteria can be the cause. In addition, treatment is not the same across the board in that a persons age, exact symptoms, and an array of other factors would dictate the right type of care.
Infection Symptoms
The individuals age would determine the exact type of symptoms caused by this infection. As an example, chronic pain would be seen in adults while irritation and tugging on the ear are more common symptoms in smaller children. However, along with this, the following are symptoms commonly associated with Otitis Media in children.

• Low-grade fever
• Balance issues
• Trouble sleeping
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Diminished hearing
• Fluid draining from the infected ears

Although there are similar symptoms regardless of the type of ear infection, Otitis Media does present with a few unique symptoms. However, before the right treatment could be offered, a firm diagnosis would be required. During a medical examination, the ear would be checked for fluid, as well as inflammation. Because Otitis Media is an infection, antibiotics might be needed but not always.

Safe and Effective Treatments
As mentioned above, antibiotics are not always the first treatment option for Otitis Media. Recent medical studies show that in many cases, the body can heal itself in three to five days. Because of this, some medical doctors now recommend a patient wait this amount of time to see if the ear infection clears up on its own. If not, then antibiotics can be prescribed but only for infections caused by bacteria, not viruses.
During this period, an individual could take over-the-counter medication to reduce pain and inflammation such as ibuprofen, which comes in formulas for adults and children but no younger than age four. Then, based on a series of factors, other treatments would be considered.

However, chiropractic care should not be ruled out as a viable treatment for Otitis Media. Using children as an example, it is common for a child to get one ear infection by age two and then one or more by age three. Usually, the lymph system in the neck cannot drain properly due to a blockage or narrowing of the tube but in some instances, it is the Eustachian tube that does not drain properly.

With conventional medicine, small children are often put under general sedation to have tubes surgically inserted in the ears. For one thing, any time a small child is anesthetized there is risk but in addition, placement of the tubes is not guaranteed to work. It has been discovered that a highly trained chiropractor would possess the necessary skills and knowledge to use gentle spinal adjustments as a means of restoring normal function to the neck and its components. As a result, occurrences of Otitis Media are greatly reduced or eliminated altogether.

As far as treatments for small children, obviously the goal is to ensure safety while finding something that actually works, which is exactly what chiropractic care offers. Sometimes during the birth process or from falling down, a childs spine will experience subluxation, which means the spine is misaligned. As nerves and nerve roots become irritated, the entire bodys ability to function normally becomes compromised. By using spinal adjustments to bring the spine back into normal alignment, the body heals.

More and more parents are turning away from conventional medicine to alternative treatments for ear infections and other health issues. While there are many great options, chiropractic care has a track record of being successful. Remember, both children and adults with Otitis Media can be treated by a chiropractor and in most cases, heal faster than with standard medicine.
In addition to being an effective treatment option, spinal adjustments used as part of chiropractic care for Otitis Media does not cause any discomfort or pain. However, another benefit is that no prescription medication is administered, which reduces or eliminates risks of side effects.

Dr. Rick Galla, Chiropractor. Are you searching for a natural solution for your childs ear infection? Have they become chronic? Medications and surgery still not solving the problem? Then your child needs to be checked by a chiropractor for spinal misalignments (subluxation) to find out of that is the cause of the problem. Or even better before they get an ear infection. Simple tests can be performed to find out if subluxation is the cause and then easy spinal adjusting can remove the subluxation, allowing the body to heal itself. I urge you to go to http://gallachiropractic.com or http://topencinitaschiropractor.com to find out more and get our internet special to make it easy to get started. I would love to be a part of your wellness team.

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