OBAMA HEARTS CHIROPRACTIC

The couple in the picture with the Obamas is Dr. Steve and Jill Kraus. Dr. Krause is a doctor of chiropractic, and is an Iowa Delegate to the American Chiropractic Association. Obama visited Dr. Krause twice at his clinic in Carroll, Iowa during the campaign.

OK, I won't keep you waiting. Here is a bit of what our President wrote to the American Chiropractic Association when he was a candidate for the presidency:

"We need to knock down unreasonable barriers of access and discriminatory insurance coverage so Americans in need of quality chiropractic care can access it without difficulty. We need to expand the range of chiropractic services covered by Medicare, facilitate integration of doctors of chiropractic into the health care systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, and allow commission of doctors of chiropractic as officers in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service. And again, under my health care plan, many, if not all, chiropractic services would be included in the benefit package offered in the public plan."

And here is the link to the complete letter.

To support the call for chiropractic care in our national health care reform, please register - now - with http://ChiroVoice.org

Osteoporosis Cure

Well, I don't know about a cure, but I know a few things about osteoporosis and bone health.

One thing I know is that the human body needs adequate vitamin D to maintain healthy bone. Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin. Most people don't get enough vitamin D from their food to have healthy blood levels. Most Americans don't spend enough time in the sun to get what they need.

Yesterday was just another great day at the office. A new 91 year-old female patient told me that she had been diagnosed with osteoporosis and had been put on medication to treat it. After a few more questions, and it was clear that this patient's medical doctor had not looked into the causes of this patient's poor bone health. The patient's vitamin D blood levels had not been checked. There are many other things to check, but vitamin D is a good start.

It is not wise to assume, even in a 91 year-old patient, that she has osteoporosis just because she is elderly. It is wise to make sure that the patient's body has what it needs to make bone, before simply prescribing a drug to slow the progression.

In case after case, the lesson is the same; try to understand what is going on with the person's health before resorting to a drug.

If your doctor doesn't bring up the idea of trying to understand your condition, I recommend that you bring it up. It is your body, and it is your health.

Health Care Reform Now

Hello!

First, I would like to acknowledge how powerful it is to be able to share information on a blog! I will do my best to provide you with news to use and things to consider.

Immediately below I have posted a letter that I submitted yesterday to the Ventura County Star and the Ojai Valley News.

Letter -

Have you EVER heard ANYBODY say that health insurance and health care are affordable in America? Me neither.

Our health care system is broken, has been so for a long time, and is bankrupting our Country.

We have tried the free-market approach, but greed, waste, and the absence of wellness and preventive care, have made it an expensive and abysmal failure. Since 2000, health insurance premiums have almost doubled and health care premiums have grown three times faster than wages.

It is not time for more of the same. It IS time for change. It is time to provide an affordable public option for health care.

Insurance companies, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and providers, all big-money and big-lobbying players, just met with the President and offered to try to cut the 6% annual inflation of health care costs by 1.5 % per year. Such a deal. This offer is business as usual; more of the same.

Join “Health Care for America Now” to make certain that everyone in this Country has accessible, quality health care they can afford, and to guarantee coverage and real choice: keep your private insurance plan or join a new public health insurance plan so you are no longer at the mercy of the private insurance industry.

Contact: Health Care for America Now, 1825 K Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006
(202) 454-6200 info@healthcareforamericanow.org http://healthcareforamericanow.org/

Stand up this year, stand up now, for your family’s health and for our Country.