Kennebec Journal from Augusta, Maine (2024)

July 13, 1991

Publication:

Kennebec Journali

Location:

Augusta, Maine

Issue Date:

Saturday, July 13, 1991

Page:

35

Extracted Article Text (OCR)

LIVING 14 The turn to More doctors recommending therapy they once considered chiropractic quackery A Pain In the Back The back is a complex arrangement of bones nerves and ligaments -Most acute low back pain produces no detectable findings on X-rays or traditional medical exam Treatment may involve bedrest special exercises pain killers and in ah increasing number of cases spinal manipulation Ligament Tom Hoffmann's jazzfusion ensemble Mains will perform at the Hail-Dale High School Theater Farmingdale on Friday at 730 pm Admission la $5 to benefit Hall-Dale arts Vertebra Disk Old Hallowell Day number of other maladies can be treated by manipulation the physical movement of joints past their normal range of motion In their view manipulation relieves aching backs because it restores normal mobility to vertebral joints that are abnormally stiff altering the function of adjacent muscles and nerves While few doctors accept the whole of chiropractic doctrine and remain skeptical of chiropractic explanations a growing number of physicians have turned to chiroprac- tors for their hands-on skills who used to be ostracized are now invited into major hospitals HMOs and Haldeman said' Dr Louis Sportelli past president of the American Chiropractic Association said two decades ago he could not get doctors to accept his -phone calls today he said new surgeons in town invite him to lunch and he often patients with neurosurgeons or orthopedists a few years ago they were still buying into the AMA effort to eliminate he no stigma attached to referring people to Until recently the American Medical -Association held that it was unethical for a doctor to associate with a chiropractor As acceptance of manipulation has spread physical therapists osteopaths and even conventional doctors are offering a service once shunned Traditional osteopathic doctors learned: manipulation -but that waned in recent decades as they took on mainstream medical jobs When Dr Stanley Paris a physical therapist joined the Boston University faculty two decades ago the university forbade him to practice teach or- write about the manipulation technique he had learned in his native New Zealand He now lectures at major hospitals across the country and at his private Institute of Graduate Physical Therapy in St Augustine Fla he trains 2000 physical therapists to manipulate backs each year' Spinal manipulation to treat back pain dates to Hippocrates and was widely practiced by American doctors until the last century when in the name of science it fell out of favor Overseas some medical doctors continued the practice after years of trying to discredit it people in this country are saying maybe something Shekelle said The current spate of interest started 10 years ago when reports began to appear in conventional medical journals showing that manipulation held some promise Four years ago Hadler and Dr Peter Curtis conducted a tightly controlled study to prove it said Hadler The researchers found that for patients with less than two weeks of pain manipulation did not make a difference But for people whose pain had persisted for two to four weeks a single manipulation produced significant relief and allowed patients to return to -activity four sooner on average Their findings were reported in the journal Spine a schedule of events for Old Hallowell Day July 20 and a few activities that are planned for the evening before All events are in Hallowell except those at Hall-Dale High School Farmingdale Friday July 19 5-7 pm Lobster Stew Supper Old South Congregational Church Parish House pm Organ Concert Old South Church 7 pm-mid night Moonlight Cruise and Dance Party with The Show Band Eclipse Longfellow II leaves the dock at 8 pm sharp cash bar hors 7 pm Student Musical Performance Hall-Dale High School Theater 7:30 pm Tom Quintet Maine Hall-Dale High School Theater Saturday July 20 am Maine Breakfast Sacred Heart Church Parish House 8-9 am Five-Mile Road Race and One-Mile Fun Run city hall 9 am-5 pm Old Hallowell Day Committee Booth Central and Water streets Sale of Old Hallowell Day souvenir items 9 am to 5 pm Art Show 1 parking lot behind Gardiner Savings Institution 9 am to 5 pm Grafts Fair Water and Central streets 9 am to 5 pm Old Hallowell Day Market Place River Parking Lot 9 am to 2 pm Cotton Mill Food White Elephant Sale at Cotton Mill Apartment complex 10-11 am Parade Water Street am Parade awards bandstand 11:15 am-flooa Hallowell Sources Stanley Pans Ph of Human Anatomy Natter (Ciba-Gergy) By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL NY Times News Service Frustrated by a lack of good treatments for back pain doctors are turning to a therapy they have long dismissed as chiropractic quackery: spinal manipulation The American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons this year for the first time included a symposium on back manipulation at its meeting and in a show of hands almost a third of the 1000-member audience bashfully admitted that they had referred patients for the technique question manipulation is more accepted" said Dr Scott Haldeman a neurologist who is also a chiropractor years ago if you practiced manipulation you were a quack you get published and were never invited to meetings Now I keep up with the invitations" This edition of the major textbook on backs The Adult Spine contains its first chapter on manipulation therapy But perhaps the most convincing sign that the therapy is moving center stage is that researchers at Rand Corp who have studied the medical utility of Coronary bypass surgery and hysterectomies have recently turned their attention to spinal manipulation And to their surprise early studies indicate that the technique holds up well In a report made public last week a panel of medical experts assembled by Rand to review the medical literature concluded that manipulation was appropriate for patients with certain types of low back pain The best candidates were patients whose pain had lasted less than three weeks who had no signs of spinal nerve damage and whose spines appeared to be normal in X-rays In studies patients in this group had significant relief after manipulation and were able to return to work sooner than similar patients treated with conventional methods was surprised at how much agreement there was on when manipulation was appropriate and surprised at the interest on the part of the said Dr Paul Shekelle an internist who is leading the Rand project At one time he said he would never have sent a patient to a chiropractor but he now does so on occasion Dr John Frymoyer director of the McClure Musculoskeletal Research Center at the University of Vermont says that a growing number of doctors practice manipulation themselves or more commonly refer patients to other professionals who are skilled in the technique from chiropractors to physical therapists Dr Nortin Hadler a professor of rheumatology at the University of North Carolina Medical School ait Chapel Hill describing himself as cantankerous doctor who would have never dealt with manipulation in the past" said not mainstream but it has become acceptable to' talk about because some of us establishment figures have become Today most hands-on back therapy is done by chiropractors who believe that back pain and a Antibiotics By DR STEPHEN SEARS KJ Contributor Did you know that if you have a heart murmur you might be at-risk for an infection called sub-acute bacterial endocarditis (SBE) especially if been to a dentist But blame your dtitjS this infection It often reciiifY'after a deanifljpbr dental caused by the bacteria that live in the' mouth -SBE canbe prevented and if it does occur and is diagnosed early enough it can be treated with minimal damage to the heart If not diagnosed bacteria can slowly destroy vital tissues Attack of the valves The heart has four chambers It also is divided into the right and left sides The little chambers are called the atria and the big chambers are called the ventricles The heart has four valves that separate some of the chambers from each other and some of the chambers from the blood vessels Each one of these valves is important but the mitral valve and the aortic valve -f- those found on the left side of the heart (the left side does most of the pushing of SHE'S HEREI rf Linda Lapferrei invites her friends to visit her HEADS UP hair SUN 1 12 GEORGE STREET AUGUSTA For an appointment call 623-5201 Nerves There are various kinds of manipulation ranging from short sharp taps to slower pushing on the vertebrae It is performed by chiropractors physical therapists osteopaths and a few medical doctors jVA Chiropractors who used to be ostracized are now invited into majors hospitals HMOs andf ufa scots iiaoemarv Neurosurgeon chiropractor AftTi "rf been damaged by rheumatic fever or other acquired valvular dysfunction 2) A condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy 3) Mitral valve prolapse if there is regurgitation (an incompetent valve) 4) A history of previous bacterial endocarditis and 5) The presence of prosthetic valves Other heart conditions such as coronary artery bypass cardiac 'pacemakers mitral" valve prolapse without valvular regurgitation and simple physiologic murmurs do not require prophylaxis It is important to know what type of valve condition you might have prior to going to the dentist so -the risk of endocarditis can be determined and the need for antibiotics decided before you undergo any procedures New guidelines from the AHA suggest taking amoxicillin a penicillin-like drug one hour before a procedure and then six hours afterward For those allergic to penicillin there are alternative regimens (Dr Sears is an infectious disease specialist and vice president ot Medical Affairs at Kennebec Valley Medical Center Augusta) Special Care For Special People Nursing and Home Care Services Hallowell 623-1655 Nurses Nurse Aides Companions A Licensed Agency Events added can be good for some hearts Community Band Concert bandstand 11 am to 3 pm Hubbard Free Library Book Sale and Show guest author 11 am-aooa games with down boat landing 11:30 pm Picnic Lunch Ice Cream Social St Episcopal Church 11:30 am-l pm Patriotic Lunch American Legion Hall Noon to 5 pm Dr Hubbard Museum grand tour and health screening Noon-1 pm Karate Exhibition by Jeff TAO Karate School bandstand pm Dedication oi the Hallowell Fountain Hallowell Cemetery Water Street 1-2 pm The Old Grey Goose kids entertainment dty hall 1-2 pm The Harmony Barbershop Quartet city bandstand 1 pm -whenever Local Jam Session at Union Water streets 1-5 pm Old Hallowell Day Lawn Croquet Tournament Warren and Winthrop streets 2-4 pm The Raven Blues Band dty bandstand pm American Scottish Music by Eclipse dty hall 3-5 pm Hash Run sponsored by the Hash House Harriers boat landing 4-5 pm Country rock band The Naggs city bandstand 5-6 pm WXGL Eagle Oldies Show dty bandstand 6-8 pm Chicken Pie Supper Cox Memorial Methodist Church 7-9 pm Middle School Dance dty hall 10 pm-mfdnight High School Dance dty hall pm Bellamy Jazz Band dty bandstand Approximately 9:30 pm Fireworks wanted to said Man-son took off we were really Visitors to the fair will also find a larger variety of food vendors and the much-acclaimed fireworks display This Old Hallowell Day poster features a painting of Water Street by local artist Florence Daly 1 Though organizers chosen a theme for this festival they do describe the event as a celebration of the' unique character is very small a river town with a well put-together downtown a diverse group of people artists craftspeople businesspeople theater said Davis Because of that a very accepting town and has an incredible amount of community spy turned thief and her- gang steal the most precious treasures and landmarks and flee across time or continents The player takes the part of a detective in pursuit using reference books included with the game to interpret clues -The latest release is1 in Past Is Carmen -The' licensing deals are a new unexpected source of revenue for a software company that has flourished in a home-and education-niche ignored by big guns like Microsoft and Lotus Development But they are enough to give Broderbund a 25 percent share of the education market according to the Software Publishers Association In the broader consumer market Print Shop the desktop publishing program has sold more than 2 million copies have prospered by goTrtg after the hoitie market when most of the industry says it said Tim Bajarin art analyst -with' Creative Strategies Inc in Cupertino Calif Other studies have since confirmed and expanded the results acute back pain the general drift from all these trials is that a short-term benefit for people who get manipulation that lasts three to six weeks" said Shekelle Although some of the studies have design problems he added control group never does are a lot more good studies on this than on other things doctors accept and do all the time" said Dr Robert Brook a leader of the Rand group ditis but certain types especially the streptococci have the ability to stick' to heart valves more easily than others When the dentist cleans your teeth some of -these bacteria may find their way into the bloodstream and land on a damaged heart valve It has been shown that if you take an antibiotic before a dental procedure you can prevent endo- carditis Tt is important to realize that the risk of endocarditis after any single-dental procedure is exceedingly low but since it is a serious medical condition it is1 recommended that -people with certain heart valve conditions take antibiotics to prevent this possibility The American Heart Association has issued a new recomenda-tion for the prevention of bacterial endocarditis in both medical and dental procedures Antibiotic prophylaxis (the taking of antibiotics prior to a procedure) is recommended for patients with underlying heart conditions such as those who have artificial valves or congenital heart defects -and any patients who have had endocarditis in the past or have underlying known valvular disease The specific cases in which taking of antibiotics is recommended include: 1) Valves that have FROM PAGE 01 Tom quintet Maine Among the many events are games and a performance of traditional music of England Scotland Ireland and France'by The Old Grey Goose sponsored by the Hail-Dale Fine Arts Committee A 70s-era tradition will also be revived this year local musicians will perform in a jam session at the comer of Union and Water streets starting at 1 pm on July 20 The croquet tournament a new event at last Old Hallowell Day will be expanded this year to! indude competition on two playing fields Participants are once again invited to wear proper croquet attire such as white linen suits or Victo-rian-style dresses- had so many people who TO YOUR HEALTH the blood around the are the valves at greatest risk for infection Any time bacteria get into the bloodstream it is posable they will lodge on the heart valve and begin gdtusiUup an infection Fortunately (his rarfcly occurs even though it is not uftwsual for bacteria to get into thf bloodstream occasionally What generally happens in the Condition called bacteremia (bacteria in the blood) is that our immune system is able to rid the body of the bacteria However if there is already a damaged heart valve the possibility of infection is much higher So people with underlying heart disease especially valvular disease due to genetic causes or rheumatic fever are at increased risk of having bacteria lodge on their valves when they have bacteremia Millions of bacteria What has this got to do with the dentist? Well many more than a hundred million bacteria live in our mouths These bacteria are found under the gums and around the sides of the tongue especially' in anybody whose teeth are not absolutely clean Any bacteria can cause endocar Carmen Sandiego to leap into new media this fall By LAWRENCE FISHER' NY Times 'rws Service SAN RAFAEL' Calif Pardon the managers of Broderbund Soft- ware Inc if they feel like celebrity parents these days Their favorite daughter is about to become a media star Broderbund' recently announced that Carmen Sandiego the red-' haired grand larcenist who is to personal computer games what the Mario Brothers are to Nintendo will become the first software character' -to make the leap to' other media Under license she will star beginning in September in books puzzles -and a weekday quiz show on the Public Broadcasting Service: The four Carmen software titles presenting history and geography lessons as challenging time-travel and pursuit games have already won fans among children parents and teachers Since beginning in 1985 with in the World Is Carmen the games together have sold more than 2 million copies In each game Carmen a former Manchester Dental Associates James Newton DMD: Marjan Seywerd DDS i' Are pleased to announce the opening of their office for the practice of general and family dentistry The Village Greet Route 202 Manchester Maine 621-0066.

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862,956

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1870-2024