CONTACT: Barbara Bigham, WCA Director of Communication, bbigham@worldchiropracticalliance.org

Children’s Health Day International Set for Sept. 18

Chandler, Ariz -- The World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA), a global association for doctors of chiropractic, will hold a “Children’s Health Day International” event on September 18, 2004. The goal of the event, organized by the group’s Council on Children’s Health, will be to raise awareness of several important health issues affecting infants and children. It will give parents an opportunity to learn more about chiropractic and other drug-free ways to enhance health and wellness for all members of the family.

“Our children are being put at serious risk from the abuse and overuse of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs,” warned WCA President Terry A. Rondberg, DC. “In the past few years, the medical literature has been filled with dire reports about the dangers to our children. Many of these reports were ignored by the mainstream press, which receives a huge amount of income from drug advertising.”

Among the reports he cited were:

** During a two-year period, nearly 300 children – including some who were under the age of five – were admitted to a single Detroit poison control center suffering from the effects of a Ritalin overdose. (Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Dec. 2000)

** Nearly half of U.S. school nurses surveyed for a University of Iowa study reported medication errors in their schools in the prior year. In addition, three quarters of the nurses reported that unlicensed personnel such as school secretaries, health aides and teachers dispense medications to students in their school systems. (Journal of School Health, Nov. 2000)

** An average of 27,000 accidental childhood acetaminophen overdoses has been reported annually over the last few years. (The Institute For Safe Medication Practices, Oct. 29, 2003)

** In Britain alone, an estimated 30-40,000 thousand children and teenagers are prescribed a class of anti-depressant drugs known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs. Half of them are treated with fluoxetine (Prozac). Yet, according to a report by Alasdair Breckenridge, Chair of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, the majority of these drugs are not suitable for people under 18 years of age. (British Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, Dec.11, 2003)

** As many as 10% of all children in second through fifth grade have been given prescriptions to the powerful drug Ritalin, even though many of them probably don't have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). According to researchers, doctors are over-prescribing the drug at an alarming rate. It is estimated that, at most, only 3-5% of school age children can clinically be classified as having ADHD. (American Journal of Public Health, September 1999)

** Most drugs – both prescription and over the counter (OTC) – have never been tested on children. Doses are “guesstimates” and little or nothing is known about side effects and risks for children. One FDA report noted that the 10 drugs most commonly prescribed to children were prescribed more than 5 million times in a single year to children in age groups for which the drugs were not adequately labeled. (“Pediatric Drug Studies,” Food & Drug Administration)

The WCA hopes to educate parents around the world to the risks associated with prescription and OTC drugs, and to educate them about various aspects of wellness, including nutrition, exercise, posture, and alternative care approaches such as chiropractic.

“Parents need to know there are alternatives to drugs and surgery,” Dr. Rondberg explained. “They also need to become aware of the tremendous cost savings of preventive care and healthful living.”

Doctors of chiropractic throughout the world will hold the one-day “Children's Health Day International” event in their communities, often inviting other health care providers and local businesses to participate. Many also plan to have family friendly activities such as face painting or games available during the free event. “We want this to be an opportunity for parents to receive information on a wide variety of important health topics, and for their children to have fun,” said Joel Miller, DC, chairman of the WCA Council on Children’s Health.

The specific health topics to be addressed during the event include vaccinations, back pack safety, “Say No to Drugs” programs, ear infections, attention deficit – hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs, asthma, anti-smoking campaigns, and childhood obesity.

In addition, the doctors of chiropractic will provide information on vertebral subluxations, misalignments in the bones of the spinal column that can cause nerve interference which, in turn, can cause a variety of dysfunctions in the body. Doctors of chiropractic are the only health care professionals specifically trained and licensed to detect and correct vertebral subluxations.

The care of children is consistent with recommended chiropractic guidelines, as set forth in the Council on Chiropractic Practice “Clinical Practice Guideline Number 1, Vertebral Subluxation in Chiropractic.” The Guideline states: “Since vertebral subluxation may affect individuals at any age, chiropractic care may be indicated at any time after birth. As with any age group, however, care must be taken to select adjustment methods most appropriate to the patient’s stage of development and overall spinal integrity. Parental education by the subluxation-centered chiropractor concerning the importance of evaluating children for the presence of vertebral subluxation is encouraged.”

The date chosen for Children’s Health Day International – September 18 – is considered the anniversary of chiropractic’s birth since it was on that date, in 1895, that Daniel David Palmer gave the first chiropractic adjustment to Davenport, Iowa. He went on to establish Palmer College of Chiropractic and is known as the founder of the profession.

The World Chiropractic Alliance is an international organization representing doctors of chiropractic that promotes traditional, drug-free and non-invasive chiropractic to correct vertebral subluxations. The WCA is an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information and publisher of the peer-reviewed chiropractic research journal, Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (http://www.jvsr.com). For more information, contact the WCA at 800-347-1011 or http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.org