TC Online -- Volume 1, Issue 52 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONTENTS - Wednesday, March 14, 2001 ** INTRODUCTION ** SITE OF THE WEEK ** HOT NEWS - The latest health-care news ** UPDATE - Chiropractic news ** RESEARCH - Research and other interesting findings ** THE OTHER SIDE - Medical sites and other sources _______________________________________ INTRODUCTION Welcome to the 52nd issue of TC Online, a weekly E-newsletter for those interested in chiropractic and alternative health care news. As always, please distribute this to friends, discussion lists and other groups as long as the entire issue is included. Best Regards, Pattie Stechschulte Associate Editor/Webmaster _______________________________________ SITE OF THE WEEK HEALTH AND AGE Focuses on gathering and sharing information on recent, practical and cost-effective measures for health and disease management of older people. The site fosters knowledge-sharing among users who have different backgrounds, disciplines and concerns. Key services include weekly news, summaries of research publications relevant for practice, mini-sites dedicated to different experts in aging, and interactive illustrated educational courses for healthcare providers. ______________________________________ HOT NEWS WORLD REACTS TO DISEASE SPREAD European farmers are recoiling from international bans on meat products after the first case of foot-and-mouth disease was discovered in France. The confirmed case in the northwest province of Mayenne prompted the U.S. and Canada to ban all imports of animals and animal products from the European Union in a bid to prevent the contagious disease from reaching their livestock. ARKANSAS PASSES ACT TO PROTECT CHIROPRACTIC On February 6, 2001, the Arkansas State Legislature sent Governor Mike Huckabee a bill protecting the practice of chiropractic; six days later, the bill (SB229) became part of the Chiropractic Act of Arkansas (Act 197). The new act makes it illegal for anyone other than a doctor of chiropractic or a medical doctor to "perform spinal mobilizations, spinal adjustments, or spinal manipulations." Any person who does violate this new law "shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), and each violation shall constitute a separate offense." BUSH BUDGET STRESSES HEALTH PRIORITIES Physician groups say they are pleased with President Bush's call for tax credits for the uninsured and a patients' bill of rights. President Bush laid out an ambitious health care agenda - from reforming Medicare to creating tax credits to help uninsured Americans buy coverage - in his fiscal year 2002 budget and his recent address to Congress. RECENT REPORT IMPLICATES FDA, DRUGMAKER IN DIABETES DRUG DEBACLE When there is a major train wreck, the government often investigates the possible underlying causes. Now a newspaper report has sparked the question among some consumer watchdogs of whether the same investigative reaction should occur when prescription medications are withdrawn. According to the newspaper's account, prescription drugmaker Warner-Lambert Co. assured the FDA that its type 2 diabetes drug Rezulin was safe prior to its approval in January 1997 -- even though the company knew of at least 12 people who suffered life-threatening liver damage during clinical trials of the drug. JUST THINKING ABOUT WORK MAY TRIGGER STRESS While on-the-job stress is a well known and widely felt presence, new research suggests that even thinking about Monday morning may send people's stress hormones upward. In a study of 75 men and women, UK researchers found that the participants showed steeper increases in the stress hormone cortisol on workday mornings than on days off. Since this rise occurred within 30 minutes of waking up, the mere ``anticipation'' of work may trigger job-related stress, according to Dr. Andrew Steptoe and his colleagues at University College London. _______________________________________ UPDATE ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER STARS AT ICA NATURAL FITNESS SYMPOSIUM Global superstar and ICA celebrity spokesman Arnold Schwarzenegger was once again the headline speaker at ICA's 9th Annual Symposium on Natural Fitness held March 2-4, 2001 in Columbus, Ohio. A strong supporter of chiropractic and a chiropractic patient himself for many years, "Arnold" told the ICA group: "I depend on chiropractic and so does my whole family. I have been making a movie in Mexico and all of us on the set saw the chiropractor to keep us going. All of the crew, electricians, stunt people, actors, all of us, were adjusted regularly by this great woman chiropractor who worked around the clock to take care of us all. That's what chiropractors do, take care of people like no other kind of healer." REP. WATKINS INTRODUCES CHIROPRACTIC PATIENTS' FREEDOM OF CHOICE ACT Rep. Wes Watkins, R-Okla., has introduced legislation that would require Medicare to reimburse doctors of chiropractic for the full scope of services they are licensed to provide under state law. Titled the "Chiropractic Patients' Freedom of Choice Act," or H.R. 902, the legislation would ensure Medicare beneficiaries access to high-quality, cost-effective care and could save Medicare and other payers billions of dollars annually. FORMER HEAD BASKETBALL COACH, ROGER KAISER, WAS HONORED BY THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE Athletic Director and former Head Basketball Coach of Life University, Roger Kaiser, was honored by the Atlantic Coast Conference at their annual Legends Luncheon in Atlanta, Thursday. The three-time NAIA National Championship Coach of Life University and Georgia State Hall of Fame inductee joins Larry Nance, Bobby Hurley, Brad Johnson, Dickie Hemric, Norman Sloan and Walter Davis as this years honorees. The ACC Legends Luncheon is just one of many events to highlight the conference tournament. Fox Sports Net South will broadcast interviews of the legends and introduce them during halftime of the first semi-final game at 2:15 PM Saturday, March 11th. _______________________________________ RESEARCH STUDY TRACES FOOD POISONING TO TUNA BURGERS Tuna burgers may be hazardous to your health, according to a government study that traced food-poisoning outbreaks in North Carolina to the relatively new menu item. Made with ground tuna, the burgers may be especially susceptible to contamination with histamine, a chemical produced by bacteria. The grinding process can mix bacteria into the fish or increase the tuna's temperature through friction, the researchers reported in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. SCHWARZENEGGER TERMINATES RETARDATION MYTHS Arnold Schwarzenegger, best known as The Terminator, is back again. But instead of battling a liquid metal cyborg, the action star now faces a far more destructive foe ã ignorance. Schwarzenegger's latest mission is to help the flesh-and-blood heroes of the Special Olympics go for the gold by conquering the unfair stigma of mental retardation (MR). "We see the unbelievable joy in these kids' faces and in their eyes because they feel they are participating," says Schwarzenegger, who has seen Special Olympics positively change public opinion from Austria to China. "And, the most important thing ã they feel included in society." HEATING NERVES HELPS FIGHT FACIAL PAIN People with the stabbing facial pain known as trigeminal neuralgia may get long-term relief from a minimally-invasive procedure in which the nerve is damaged with a heat-generating electrode, researchers report. The condition occurs in the trigeminal nerve, which affects perceptions of touch, pain and temperature in the face and jaw. People with trigeminal neuralgia experience shock-like or stabbing facial pain that may be triggered by everyday motions such as talking, tooth brushing or chewing. Drug treatment can often quell the pain, but some patients require surgery to relieve pressure on the nerve from surrounding blood vessels. EATING WHOLE GRAINS MAY PROTECT AGAINST DISEASE Eating whole grain bread may promote longevity and protect against certain diseases, study findings suggest. Similar findings among Americans have prompted the United States Department of Agriculture to recommend that Americans ''eat a variety of grains daily, especially whole grains.'' In the study of nearly 34,000 Norwegian adults, those who ate the highest amounts of whole grain had a 23% reduced risk of death from heart disease, and a 21% reduced risk of death from cancer compared with people who ate little or no whole grains. ______________________________________ THE OTHER SIDE NEW GAUZE FROM JOHNSON & JOHNSON CONSUMER PRODUCTS COMPANY STOPS BLEEDING TWICE AS FAST AS REGULAR GAUZE From minor cuts to more serious injuries, stopping a wound from bleeding is often easier said than done. We¼re taught to wrap a wound quickly with sterile gauze and apply constant pressure until the bleeding subsides. Now, with new JOHNSON & JOHNSON First Aid Brand Advanced Care Quick Stop Gauze Pads, consumers can follow this important wound care procedure and achieve faster results. Proven to stop bleeding twice as fast as regular gauze, Advanced Care Quick Stop Gauze Pads feature the same breakthrough technology used by hospitals to control bleeding during surgery. DRUG THERAPIES HELP U.S. AIDS PATIENTS LIVE LONGER Against a backdrop of controversy over access to AIDS drugs in the developing world, a study published Tuesday illustrates just how effective these drugs have been in the US. According to the report in The Journal of the American Medical Association, Americans who are diagnosed with AIDS today can expect to live nearly 3 years longer than patients diagnosed in the mid 1980s. The study found that half of all adults and adolescents diagnosed with AIDS in 1995 could expect to survive for 46 months or more, compared with 11 months for those diagnosed in 1984. Survival time increased every year from 1984 to 1987 for all ethnic groups.