Kids’ Key Health Principles

1. We were born to be healthy.

2. Healthy food intake is a must.

3. Kids need outdoor activity.

Kids’ Key Health Principles

4. Kids need a lot of sleep.

5. A strategy for building self-esteem is a must.

6. Parents must lead by example.

7. A child must have proper nerve function as they grow and develop.

Kids’ Key Health Principle #1

• They were born to be healthy.– Kids don’t get sick because there is a

lack of drugs in their blood.– Most times, fevers are friends, not

something to be ‘fought.’– There are no ‘sickly kids,’ just sick

behaviors and environments that interfere with the expression of health.

• Physicians who treat children often prescribe drugs for off-label uses because little information is available from well-controlled studies on dosage, formulation, effectiveness, and safety in children.

Nightingale SL: Off-label use of prescription drugs. American Family Physician August 1, 2003.

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Off-Label Drugs Used for Children

Off-Label Drugs Used for Children

• Three-fourths of the prescription drugs on the market do not have labeling indications for children, leaving their use for children to physicians' discretion.

Benjamin DK, et al.: Peer-reviewed publication of clinical trials completed for pediatric exclusivity. JAMA. 2006;296:1266-1273.

• Almost 80% of hospitalized children get drugs that are not approved for pediatric use.

• Using drugs that have been insufficiently studied in children has contributed to adverse outcomes, which have been documented in the medical literature.

Shah S, et al: Off-label drug use in hospitalized children. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. March 2007.

Off-Label Drugs Used for Children

Off-Label Drugs–Efficacy

• 73% of off-label uses lacked evidence of clinical efficacy.

• The greatest disparity between supported and unsupported off-label uses was found among prescriptions for psychiatric treatment usage (4% strong support vs. 96% limited or no support) and allergies (11% strong support vs. 89% limited or no support).

Radley DC et al.: Off-label prescribing among office-based physicians. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:1021-1026

Incidence of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) in Children

• The incidence of preventable ADRs is similar to that found in adult literature.

• Over 50% of the reported ADRs resulted in treatment intervention and/or temporary patient harm.

Temple ME, et al: Frequency and preventability of adverse drug reactions in pediatric patients. Drug Safety 2004;27(11):819-29.

Children’s Deaths Caused by Medical Errors

• In hospitals, medical errors are responsible for the deaths of nearly 4,500 children in the United States every year.

• "The bottom line is that none of these events should have happened," said Dr. Marlene R. Miller, the study’s lead author and Director of Quality and Safety Initiatives at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore.

Study finds US pediatric medical errors kill 4500 children a year. BMJ  2004;328:1458 (19 June).

Adverse Drug Reactions in Children

• A recent review of all studies concerning the reasons for pediatric hospitalization (children under the age of 19) found that 2.09% of all pediatric hospitalizations were caused by adverse drug reactions and that 39% of these were life-threatening.

Impicciatore P, Choonara I, Clarkson A, Provasi D, Pandolfini C, Bonati M. Incidence of adverse drug reactions in pediatric in/out-patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Jul 2001; 52: 77 - 83

Adverse Drug Reactions in Children

• There were 3.8 million children under the age of 19 hospitalized in the United States in 1997. This means that in one year, there are 79,000 children (2.09% x 3.8 million children) admitted to the hospital because of adverse drug reactions; 31,000 of these children having life-threatening adverse reactions.

Miller MR, Elixhauser A, Zhan C. Patient safety events during pediatric hospitalizations. Pediatrics Jun 2003; 111: 1358 - 1366.

Worstpills.org

Kids’ Key Health Principle #2

• Healthy food intake is a must!

Most of what kids eat today is poisonous, so:– Reduce or eliminate refined sugars, artificial

sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats (fast foods), and preservatives.

– Sweeten with honey, agave nectar, stevia. – Increase omega-3’s (fish oil), organic foods,

pure water consumption, fruits and veggies, and have them take a daily multi-vitamin.

– Read “Crazy Makers” by Carol Simontacchi

Childhood Obesity

• Type 2 diabetes is closely linked to those who are overweight or obese.

• Type 2 diabetes, previously considered an adult disease, has increased dramatically in children and adolescents.

• In 2002, 16% of children aged 6 to 19 years of age in the United States were overweight – nearly tripling the totals of the past two decades.

• Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight, or worse yet, obese adults.

• Without change, these children become overweight or obese adults who are at risk for a number of health problems including: heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, orthopedic problems, and some forms of cancer.

Obesity Also Takes an Emotional Toll!

Kids’ Key Health Principle #3

• Kids need to move and be active!– Outdoor activities are the best.– They need physical activity every day.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that kids get at least 60 minutes of moderate activity (i.e., brisk walking, playing tag, jumping rope, or swimming) each day.

– The TV and the computer are the enemy!

Kids’ Key Health Principle #4

• Kids consistently need lots of sleep– Normal health, development and performance

require normal sleep.– According to a NW University study published

in “Child Development,” children who do not get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight.

– Experts recommend:• Toddlers: 13 to 14 hours per day (including naps)• Children (5 -12): 10 to 11 hours of sleep per night • Adolescents (12 -19): 8 to 9 hours of sleep

– You can go a day or two without eating right or exercising. Try going two days without sleep!

– Bedtime rituals are important.

Kids’ Key Health Principle #5

• A strategy for building healthy psychology and self-esteem is a must!– They didn’t come with an instruction manual, so

knowing how to manage kids’ psychology is hard.

– They need to feel safe, loved, and trusted.– For starters, affirmations. – Read:

• Between Parent and Child by Haim Ginott• How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids

Will Talk by Faber and Mazlish• Siblings Without Rivalry by Faber and Mazlish

Kids’ Key Health Principle #6

• Parents must lead by example!– Your kids will live like you live.

• If you smoke, it is much more likely your kids will smoke.

• If you are obese, it is much more likely your kids will be obese.

– Even if you have gotten out of shape or are unhealthy, just being in the process of making healthy lifestyle changes sends a great signal.

“Be the change you want to see in your children.” Gandhi

Kids’ Key Health Principle #7

• A child must have a properly functioning nervous system.– We live our lives through our nervous system.– The benefits of healthy food, exercise, and

other positive lifestyle habits are significantly diminished in the presence of nervous system interference.

– Subluxations: The enemy of proper childhood development.

Health Status of Children

• Two hundred pediatricians and two hundred chiropractors, each randomly selected, were surveyed to compare the health status of their respective children – who were raised under different health care models. – Nearly 43% of the ‘medical’ children had suffered

from tonsillitis, compared to less than 27% of the ‘chiropractic’ children.

– Lower antibiotic use and lower incidence of disease were also reported in the ‘chiropractic’ children.

A comparative study of the health status of children raised under the health care models of chiropractic and allopathic medicine. Van Breda, Wendy M. and Juan M. Journal of Chiropractic Research Summer 1989.

Health Status of Children

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CHIROPRACTIC IS SAFE FOR CHILDREN!

Adverse events linked to pediatric chiropractic care are virtually non-existent– The risk of neurologic and/or vertebrobasilar

complications from a chiropractic visit was estimated at 1 in 250 million pediatric visits.

Pistolese RA. Risk assessment of neurological and/or vertebrobasilar complications in the pediatric chiropractic patient. J Vertebral Subluxation Res. 1998;2 :77 –85

“…not a dry eye.”

Christina was born with a diagnosis of “failure to thrive” and her APGAR scores “were terrible,” 2 and then 3. Although Christina had been perfect in utero, the doctor who delivered her was in a hurry and made the decision, without consent, to use forceps. For three months after birth, Christina had bruising on both sides of her head, from her eyes and ears to the base of her skull.

Christina presented with a glaring bony displacement so severe that her chiropractor “could not understand how she was alive or how anyone could have missed such a glairing bony displacement.” She was about half the size of a normal eight year old. When first introduced, “she held her arms out front with her wrists dropped down. Her skin was almost transparent and seemed to be so thin. She could not form sentences or move other than at a slow shuffle.”

Christina’s grandmother brought her in to see the chiropractor and a few minutes after Christina’s first chiropractic adjustment, “her face got beet red and her eyes became as big a saucers.” Then she began to smile. Her chiropractor was the first person to ever see her smile. Christina then asked, “Can I sit up?” It was her first formed sentence. Christina went from sitting, to standing, to running into her mother’s arms in that one afternoon at her chiropractor’s office. There was not a dry eye in the room.

Christina continued to see her chiropractor several times a week for a year and a half. Today, she is a beautiful young girl who is full of life.

“…not a dry eye.”

Born with a Weaker Immune System

Two-year old Matilda presented with a history of frequent recurring ear infections for the previous 18 months. She was also suffering with frequent fevers, upset stomach, colds, coughs and fitful sleeping patterns. During a difficult delivery, Matilda’s shoulder had been caught on her mother’s pelvis. Matilda’s parents had tried all kinds of things to relive Matilda’s suffering including antibiotics and homeopathic supplements. They had basically spent every last dollar on health care. The only conclusion that the medical doctors could come to was that this girl was born with a weaker immune system. Mom was frustrated and upset, and didn’t know where to turn.

Two months after her chiropractic care began, Matilda had improved greatly. Her mom reported an improved disposition, that she was no longer taking medications and that she was now sleeping through the night. Matilda’s mother, father and sister have all started receiving chiropractic care.

Born with a Weaker Immune System

Matilda’s ScansFirst scan After 2 months

An Important Policy

Because we understand the damaging effects of vertebral subluxation to human health and development, it is the policy of our office that all children of patients get checked for subluxation. We will screen them with our cutting-edge Insight technology.

If they look fine, we will report the good news.

If they have a disturbance to their nervoussystem, we will make recommendations.

Kids, because they are developing, especially benefit from chiropractic care.