It’s that time of the year again…you know the drill – getting school supplies, backpacks, vaccinations, school physicals, school clothes, etc…
In my opinion there are several things to add to the list and also some modifications.
Chiropractic Checkup: You and your child will fare better with reduced stress on your nervous system. Getting a chiropractic evaluation and needed adjustments will put, both you and your children, on the path for a healthier school year.Consider Immune Bolstering Instead of Vaccines and Endless Antibiotics: I see so many children during the school year with recurrent upper respiratory infection symptoms, the flu, and other illnesses.
Several studies have shown the effectiveness of chiropractic care in enhancing immune function. You can read many of them here: http://www.chiro.org/research/ABSTRACTS/Immune.shtml
Vaccines really don’t bolster your immune system and are full of toxic compounds. Antibiotics, while helpful in times of severe need, are way over used in America. Why not consider an improved diet, chiropractic care and special immune supportive nutrients. Those who have made the switch say they will 
never go back to the old ways. Did you know that the United Stated is 37th in the world in life expectancy and 50th in healthcare based on a review of 100 countries by the World Health Organization? This is despite the fact that the United States spends more on healthcare than any other country in the world!
Did you know that medical research demonstrates that early exposure to antibiotic use and pertussis vaccination contribute to the development of atopic disorders such as asthma, and hay fever, and may also be associated with the onset of pediatric lymphoblastic leukemia? You can read about this in an article entitled; Early Life Infections Improve the Function of the Immune System as publish in the American Journal of Clinical Chiropractic 2006 (Apr); 16 (2): 22–25. For a list of references and abstracts see http://www.chiro.org/Immunity/
My three children were never vaccinated and did receive chiropractic care since birth, ate a diet full of fresh vegetables, fruits, protein and whole grains. They never had outward signs of ear infections, mumps, measles, etc. Several patients’ families over the years adopted the same strategies and discovered that their once sickly children were able to change their health around to enjoy a similar experience as we did with our children.
While I am on the subject, don’t be fooled or harassed or bullied into forced vaccination. The good news is that in the great state of Michigan, it is your right to choose whether you vaccinate or not. To get the forms and information about, opting out see http://www.momvaccines.org/. I am not opposed fully to vaccines, but rather I am opposed to having any medical procedure mandatory; including vaccination. I want to make an informed choice. My wife and I put careful thought into the decision not to vaccinate and after weighing the pros and cons, we decided to take on the responsibility to provide excellent chiropractic and nutritional care for our children as the way to make sure their immune systems had the best chance at accurately adapting to the environment at school and everywhere else.
Consider getting rid of the soda pop in you and your child’s diet. Another sad fact is the United States is the number one position for yet another dubious distinction: the highest per person per year consumption of soda pop (216 liters)! Soda pop and many of the other nutrition-poor-chemical-laden-junk foods are loaded with sugar. Sugar is one potent immune system depressant.
In a USA Today article entitled; “Add sugar, subtract immunity?”, Denver nutrition therapist Kate Pfeiffer states,
"Limiting sugar should be the first line of defense against infectious disease," she says. She wrote a column for Examiner.com titled: "Worried about the Swine Flu? Avoid Sugar!" In it she cites a 1973 study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The same study is cited at AskDrSears.com and on many alternative-medicine sites.
In the study, researchers at Loma Linda University gave volunteers 100 grams of sugar (20 teaspoons, roughly the amount in a liter of soda). The researchers then drew blood from the volunteers and mixed in some bacteria. They found that infection-fighting white blood cells from people who had just gorged on sugar gobbled up many fewer bacteria than those who had just fasted or eaten an unsweetened starch.
My staff often hear me state that we will see an onslaught of adults and children with various illnesses right after Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and other holidays where excess sugar consumption occurs.
My hope is you have a very healthy and happy school year, but some preparation and changes in the diet and attention to the health of your nervous system go a long way to making health a daily reality.
Injection photograph By Kuebi = Armin Kübelbeck (Own work) [www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html or www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
