Remember last year’s swine flu scare? I sure do. I visited many hospitals in this time period, especially from November to March, due to my mother’s failing health. The anti-bacterial hand soap dispensers were everywhere.  The doctors and nurses wore protective gloves, masks and clothing at times.  The patient floors were restricted to allowing only persons over 16 years of age, making it difficult for my younger children to visit their grandmother.  In keeping with these rules there was a lot of “control games” played in those hospitals and we had to play along with these games or my kids couldn’t catch a last chance to be with their grandma. No problem, don’t want to be a bother.  Then one day in March, all the signs disappeared and the restrictions for children were lifted.  I guess the H1N1 left the building.

My mother died on March 16, 2010.  That is a long story to tell, maybe in a different post.

After the passing of my mother it dawned upon us that none of my kids, myself, my wife or my extended family got H1N1, or for that matter MRSA, or C-diff, or pseudomonas aeruginosa (common hospital acquired infections). They didn’t even get a cold or the flu. Were we lucky? To many of the medical staff, it was as though we all walked through a raging battlefield unharmed, a medical miracle. To us, however, we were not too surprised, as we were getting adjustments regularly, exercising often and trying to eat healthy. We had to. If we did not, then getting sick would have been expected and the natural response. Healthy bodies are not a good place for infections to start. Worn down, stressed out bodies are breeding grounds for disease.

Now that the H1N1 scare is ended (last week it was officially declared over), was it as bad as the news and the doctor and nurses had warned? The CDC claims that as many as 17,000 people in the US died. This number is a guess as the range was stated as between 8,330 and 17,160 persons. That seems like a lot of people, but let’s look at other death statistics:

Ten years ago the number one cause of death in the US was tobacco use (435,000 deaths) followed by poor  diet/inactivity (365,000), alcohol, (85,000), microbial agents (75,000), toxic agents (55,000), motor vehicle crashes (26,347), adverse reactions to prescription drugs (32,000), suicide (30,622), Firearm incidents (29,000), homicide (20,308), STD’s (20,000), illicit drug use (17,000), and NSAIDS (like aspirin) (7,600).  SOURCE

Granted this list is 10 years old and quite frankly I am doubtful of the accuracy of the numbers as reporting of these deaths are often subjective (I believe more people die due to medical complications than are reported as doctors often use the “big words” they learned in med school to avert their malpractice when listing cause of death).  However they are a good indicator of the relative magnitude of different types of causes of death.

Now we have to ask ourselves if the 17,000 (or so) deaths due to H1N1 were really worth all the time, energy, news attention, money, and panic that came about when the H1N1 was first reported.  I had many patients who were literally scared they were going to die and were frustrated at the lack of access to the vaccine at first.

To me, I think the only people who gained in the end were the pharmaceutical companies who made the vaccine, the doctors who got more business due to scare tactics,  the drug stores who administered the flu shots and the researchers who got big government grants to push their drug agenda.  The tax payers got the short end of the stick.

What about all the poor people who died from H1N1.  That is indeed a shame, but when one looks at the general statistics, we should be more saddened with how tobacco, obesity, poisons, prescription drug misuse, illegal drugs, car accidents, other microbial agents than H1N1, suicide, and gun-related incidents kill even more people than the H1N1.

All I am saying is when we spend too much energy on the small stuff, we lose perspective of the reality of things.  And when I feel I am being pushed into a way of thinking that is disproportionate to the magnitude of its reality then I feel I am being manipulated.  Follow the money and the wise person finds out what is really behind the push: money, power and control.

Now fast-forward to today.  As Gomer Pyle stated succinctly, “Surprise, surprise!”.  A new, even more deadly than the H1N1 virus (that isn’t a big statement) germ is coming to your town intending to kill every man woman and child.  It is called the New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase, or NDM-1.  This super-duper germ is so bad that it makes bacteria highly resistant to almost all antibiotics (even the strongest ones).  To the detriment of drug companies, there is no current drug that will keep it at bay.  One of the biggest ways this bad-bug will spread is by medical tourism.  That is a fancy term for how Americans (for example) will go overseas to another country (in this case India seems to be the country of problem) to get cheaper or more frowned upon medical procedures.  The surgeries of choice are mostly cosmetic in nature.  So, in general we are talking about cheap thrifty, vain self conscious, and ugly physically repulsive people who may be contributing to a potential pandemic. While they get their plastic surgery they acquire the bug and bring it home to share with friends and others, including you and myself.

So what will happen? Well, the  NDM-1 might fizzle out naturally (I would love to see this happen).  Possibly, the media will turn it into another big time scare that will rival the H1N1 scare.  This would be helped along if there was some sort of treatment (that would make some people rich – VERY NICE!!! /sarc).  So there needs to be developed a drug or vaccine that will kill the NDM-1.  That will require research which means big grants by our government and more tax money to be spent.  And then there will be the vaccine demands and the supplies will be limited at first, creating more scared people.  Then people will rush into the ER’s when they think they have a symptom of NDM-1 causing overcrowding and spreading of other bugs.  Then the hospitals can ban children from the patient floors (who wants pesky kids roaming the halls anyway?).  Then there will be the fear mongers who will convince other people that they are negligent to society if they don’t vaccinate every man, woman and child in their family. And so on, and so on……

Sounds a bit familiar?  Welcome my friend, welcome to the machine.

What can you do to help yourself now and avoid becoming next year’s potential casualty?

Naturally speaking, the first thing to do is keep your body in optimal condition.  That means getting adjusted regularly, regardless of if you are in pain.  This keeps the nerve system working optimally, and the nerve system controls everything.  Secondly, eat a good balanced and predominantly alkaline diet, avoiding excess alcohol, sodas, fried foods, and cooked foods (raw is best).  Eat in more often.  Thirdly, limit tobacco and unnecessary medications or drugs.  Fourth of all, exercise daily.  Even a 20 minute walk is good to get your circulation going and burn off excess calories.  Fifth, stay of sound mind.  Do not fall for “chicken little” scares.  Pray for wisdom to know the difference between an overblown panic and a real-deal concern.  Stay away from people who try to get you to fall for their scare tactics, they will only bring you down to their level.  Finally, supplement as necessary and be sure to include enzymes in your list to help digest food and keep down any level of inflammation in your body.

By all means, avoid medical tourism and encourage others to postpone their surgeries in other countries, especially India.  And don’t fall for sucker scams like one: click here.

The natural approach is the superior approach.  It is also the “road less traveled”, meaning you have to be a strong individual who investigates and researches their opinions and does not spew out the garbage that the media or a friend or even their doctor throws at them without any back up proof other than “trust me”.

SOURCE

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2009 has been a roller coaster of a year, to say the least.  We have witnessed births, deaths, illnesses, hardships, and radical changes in our country and in many people’s lives and lifestyles.  The pendulum has swung far in both directions, hardly ever staying in the center for too long.  Never have I witnessed a year like 2009.

Overall, I am truly grateful for all the great people that God has allowed me to encounter and share my life-journey.  I realize that nothing can be or should be taken for granted in this world.  I give many thanks to all of you for your support through 2009 and wish you countless blessings in 2010.

On this last day of the year we all need to stop and think not only on the past year, but also the future.   Where do we see ourselves in one year?  Our actions, or lack of action will determine a great deal of our future.  Choose wisely.

I will return to normal business hours starting Monday, January 4, 2010.  Until then, Happy New Years!

A devoted and hard working businessman and a die-hard fighter for all whose voices can not be heard, John Finn left our world last Saturday at the age of seventy-two.  He leaves behind his wife of over fifty years, six children (one of which is my beautiful wife Kathleen),  and seventeen grandchildren.

John Finn understood natural and alternative care better than most people I knew.  He was generous in all aspects of his life.  His humor was unique and insightful. He taught me more about life than any other man I know.

John Finn was more than a father-in-law to me.   In many ways he was more of a father to me than my own father, whom I also love dearly.  Having known John Finn for over eighteen years, I selfishly wish I could have had another ten or so, but I know he is happy now.  I understand why I love my wife so much when I think about John.

Thank you for the wonderful times and the great memories John.

We want to wish all a merry Christmas and a Happy 2010!

Please note the office hours are slightly different for the weeks of Christmas and New Years Day.  Since both holidays fall on a Friday this year, our office will be closed Friday through Sunday, December 25 to 27, 2009, as well as Friday through Sunday, January 1 to 3, 2010.

We will be open on Thursday December 24, 2009 and Thursday, December 31, 2009.  The hours may be shortened on these evenings though.

Thanks and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We hope everyone had a happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday.

Now is a very good time to take a few minutes to think about all the people and things for which we are thankful.   In good times and bad, whether sick or healthy, no matter how old we are, there is always something/someone to be grateful for.

God Bless America!

Take a moment and ask yourself what 9/11 means to you. Maybe it means hugging a loved one or a friend, maybe it means saying thanks a police officer and a firefighter, maybe it means making a new connection or contacting an old friend, or maybe it means remembering those who were lost on this day 8 years ago. Whatever today means to you, remember that personal connections are too often neglected and sometimes taken lightly, especially with so many distractions in today’s world.

A Message to all from Dr. Kevin R. Miller:

Hello to all who are visiting this site, whether you are a current patient or are looking for a Chiropractor in the South Bay area of Southern California.

If you are in need of a chiropractor and live or are visiting the South Bay, I highly suggest you read my article entitled “5 Reasons You Should Call Dr. Miller”. In addition, feel free to browse the content section, where you will find our office hours and contact information, pictures of my office, office newsletters and various articles that I wrote to educate patients on various topics.

For existing patients, you can log in to this site and check out additional material that is exclusive to you and your health quest.

I look forward to seeing you in person soon or communicating with you by email or phone.

Yours Truly In Health,

Dr. Kevin Miller