Guest guest Posted July 5, 2005 Report Share Posted July 5, 2005 DC FOR KIDS TM Welcome and now consider yourself one of the most well informed practitioners on everything pediatric! ___ THIS WEEK IN PEDIATRICS: The debate about autism continues, headlined this week now about a "NEW DRUG" for autism. Today's headlines read: Reported July 4, 2005 New Drug Treatment for Autistic Children (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- There’s a new medication option for children who suffer from autism. New research finds the antipsychotic medication risperidone (Risperdal) decreases aggression, reduces repetitive behavior, and increases social interaction. Study authors also say the drug had very few side effects............................. Well, if any of you have ever seen a child on this medication you will concur that it is one of the most side effect ladened therapy one could do for a child.Here is the list............ What are the possible side effects of Risperdal? (from Drugs.com) • Contact your doctor immediately if you experience fever, sweating, severe muscle stiffness (rigidity), confusion, fast or irregular heart beat. These could be symptoms of a potentially fatal side effect called Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS). • If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop taking Risperdal and seek emergency medical treatment or contact your doctor immediately: · an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue, or face; or hives); · uncontrollable movements of the tongue, face, lips, arms, or legs; · muscle spasms of the face or neck; · severe restlessness or tremor; · severe drowsiness or fainting; or · irregular or very fast heartbeat. • Other, less serious side effects may be more likely to occur. Continue to take Risperdal and talk to your doctor if you experience · mild restlessness, drowsiness, or tremor; · insomnia; · blurred vision; · dizziness or headache; · nausea; or · weight gain. Weight gain is listed last, but if any of you have ever worked with a child with this problem, you will instantly know that a 20-25 or more pound weight gain in a school age child is NOT necessarily unusual. Many children on this medication look drugged. Risperdal is NOT a tradeoff for a child with autism. Some parents may consider it for a child with overt aggression who can not control themselves, but it not a drug that "cures" autism. _______ MORE THIS WEEK: CONSUMER REPORTS GIVES CHIROPRACTIC A POSITIVE NOD!!!!! For those of you old timers who were practicing when Consumers Reports came out with a nasty report on chiropractic, oh what difference a decade makes!! Which Alternative Treatments Work? Consumer Reports' Survey of 34,000 Readers Finds Hands-on Treatments Most Successfulby Consumer Reports 7/2/2005 1:23:07 AM YONKERS, N.Y., -- Alternative medicine is no longer truly alternative. A Consumer Reports survey of more than 34,000 readers reveals that many people have tried it, and more and more doctors are recommending it. Readers gave the highest marks to hands-on treatments, which worked better than conventional treatments for conditions such as back pain and arthritis. Chiropractic was ranked ahead of all conventional treatments, including prescription drugs, by readers with back pain. (Readers said it also provided relief for neck pain, but neck manipulation can be risky and is not recommended by CR.) Deep-tissue massage was found to be especially effective in treating osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. While readers suffering from back pain deemed acupuncture and acupressure less effective than chiropractic and massage, one-fourth of readers who had tried these therapies said they helped them feel much better. Of all the hands-on alternative therapies, acupuncture has the most scientific support.Readers also reported good results for exercise, not only for conditions such as back pain, but also for allergies and other respiratory ills, anxiety, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, insomnia, and prostate problems. Those results are consistent with a broad range of clinical studies of treatments for all of these conditions except allergies and respiratory ailments.On the other hand, well-known, heavily promoted herbal treatments such as echinacea, St. John's wort, saw palmetto, melatonin, and glucosamine and chondroitin didn't work as well for readers. Readers reported that alternative treatments were far less effective than prescription drugs for eight conditions: anxiety, rheumatoid arthritis, depression, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, insomnia, prostate problems, and respiratory problems. Interpreting these results of the reader survey is somewhat difficult because the U.S. regulates alternative and conventional medicines differently. Federal laws ensure that a bottle of prescription or over-the-counter pills contains the amount and kind of medicine stated on the label, and dosages are standardized, but no such standards apply to dietary supplements. Moreover, there are no standard recommended dosages. Treating symptoms of menopauseA separate Consumer Reports survey of 10,042 women who had gone through menopause or were experiencing it found that a large minority of women have turned from hormone replacement, which can be risky, to black cohosh, soy supplements, and vitamin E for relief from hot flashes. However, those alternatives were far less effective. Sixty percent of respondents who took estrogen plus progestin said it helped them feel much better, as did 53 percent of those who took estrogen by itself. The botanicals scored far lower. Black cohosh was typical. It helped 17 percent of women feel much better, but 51 percent said it did nothing at all. Some, but not all, studies have found that black cohosh is modestly helpful against hot flashes and night sweats. However, its long-term safety has not been studied. Most studies of soy supplements have suggested that they're not very helpful, and breast-cancer patients should talk with their doctor before taking large amounts of soy. For other supplements, studies show little or no evidence of benefit.For specific, free advice on how to choose an alternative treatment, visit ConsumerReports.org during the month of July. In general, CR recommends the following:-- Ask your doctor. Many doctors will refer patients to preferred alternative practitioners. And your doctor may be able to steer you away from potentially hazardous alternative treatments.-- Do your own research. Objective online references include the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (nccam.nih.gov), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health; Medline Plus (medlineplus.gov), for plain-language medical information; and Consumer Reports Medical Guide (ConsumerReportsMedicalGuide.org), which rates treatments, including alternative treatments, for several dozen common conditions. It costs $24 per year or $4.95 per month; the others are free.-- Consult other reliable sources. If your doctor doesn't have a referral list of practitioners, check with a local hospital or medical school. You can also turn to national professional organizations, many of which have geographic search functions on their Web sites.-- Check your health plan. Many cover some alternative therapies.-- Check the practitioner's credentials. Make sure your practitioner has the proper license, if applicable, or check for membership in professional associations, which require minimum levels of education and experience. Some also make practitioners pass an exam.The August 2005 issue of Consumer Reports is on sale now wherever magazines are sold. To , call 1-800-765-1845. ______ EVEN MORE Methylphenidate increases cigarette smoking. In a study released this week in Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2005 Jun 28;:1-9 a strong link was made between the use of Ritalin (methylphenidate) and smoking. It concluded that Methylphenidate dose dependently increased the total number of cigarettes smoked, number of puffs, and carbon monoxide levels. As expected, methylphenidate dose dependently decreased the number of food items consumed and caloric intake. These are significant findings for all children who are taking this medication. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstract & list_uids=15983792 & query_hl=9 ___ EVEN MORE ICA COUNCIL ON CHIROPRACTIC PEDIATRICS ANNUAL CONFERENCE The Annual Conference on Chiropractic and Pediatrics will be this year in Maui at the Westin at Kaanapali Beach. The program will again present the top people in chiropractic pediatrics. If you have never been to one of the ICA Pediatric Conferences, you have no idea what it is to be amidst one of the greatest "brain trusts" in all of Chiropractic. With 100+ Diplomates attending annually along with the many repeat attendees, you will find yourselves amidst a group of some of the most serious, successful and educationally minded practitioners in the country. TO REGISTER: www.icapediatrics.com or call ICA 800-423-4690 _____ PAPERS OF INTEREST A twelve-year-old teenager with bone pain and white papules.Champion V, Gerard M, Reinert P, Soria I.Arch Pediatr. 2005 Jul;12(7):1124-1128http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstract & list_uids=15964529 & query_hl=1 The world's longest surviving paediatric practices: Some themes of Aboriginal medical ethnobotany in Australia.Pearn J. J Paediatr Child Health. 2005 May-Jun;41(5-6):284-90. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstract & list_uids=15953330 & query_hl=1 ____________________ IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS IN ERROR OR HAVE WISHED TO DISCONTINUE, PLEASE BEAR WITH US AS WE UPDATE OUR MAILING LIST. THANK YOU! To discontinue this email newsletter type STOP in the subject heading and send email to: DCFORKIDS (AT) AOL (DOT) COM Copyright © 2005 The Chiropractic Educational Institute Inc. 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