August 1, 2010

Contents:

1. Spinal Decompression Treats Pain
2. Science Delivers Repeated Blows to Deluded Climate Change Deniers
3. ACTION ALERT: Bill C-311 is Before the Senate

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Spinal Decompression Treats Pain

by Peter Ting, B.Sc., D.C

Those suffering from back and neck pain associated with slipped or bulging discs may find relief in spinal decompression therapy. 

As one of the first chiropractors in Vancouver to offer this innovative treatment, I've had a chance to observe its beneficial effects on many patients with back and neck pain.

A herniated disc is a displaced piece of the center part or nucleus of the disc that is pushed through a tear in the outer layers.  Pain results when irritating substances are released from this tear and also if the jelly portion touches or compresses a nearby nerve. Herniation has some similarities to degenerative disc disease and discs that herniate are often in an early stage of degeneration, which is why immediate treatment is critical to the long-term health of a patient. 

Lifestyle habits such as smoking, lack of regular exercise and inadequate nutrition can all contribute to poor disc health. Poor posture, daily wear and tear, injury or trauma, and incorrect lifting or twisting further stress the discs. Discs that are already weakened are extremely susceptible to damage. An injured disc could herniate with a single movement or strain such as coughing or even bending to pick up a pencil. 

Spinal decompression therapy is estimated to have a greater than 90 percent success rate and research shows that patients can significantly reduce their back pain after 20 treatments. Most patients make a full recovery and can resume the same hobbies or activities they enjoyed before their disc injury.

Spinal decompression therapy involves specialized technology that is so advanced and precise that the machine allows me to target the specific disc that's affected, alleviating pressure. The duration of the therapy session is approximately 25 minutes, with patients receiving a series of 20-25 sessions over a period of seven to eight weeks.

For more information about the use of spinal decompression in Vancouver, visit http://www.VancouverSpineAndDiscCentre.ca/ or watch a video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sovOAe7R8Y

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Science Delivers Repeated Blows to Deluded Climate Change Deniers

by David Suzuki with Faisal Moola

It must be difficult, if not downright embarrassing, to be a climate change denier these days. After all, the scientists they've attacked have been exonerated, London's Sunday Times newspaper ran a retraction and apology for an article deniers were using to discredit climate change science, and more and more denier "experts" are being exposed as shills for industry or just disingenuous clowns. (Naomi Oreskes's excellent book Merchants of Doubt offers insight into how the deniers operate.) Meanwhile, evidence that fossil fuel emissions contribute to dangerous climate change just keeps building.

We use the term deniers deliberately. People who deny overwhelming scientific evidence without providing any compelling evidence of their own and who remain steadfast in their beliefs even as every argument they propose gets shot down do not demonstrate the intellectual rigour to be called skeptics.

Meanwhile, evidence of the harm our fossil fuel addiction causes beyond climate change mounts every day, as oil spews into the Gulf of Mexico and as industry and governments spend huge sums of money to keep us hooked.

Let's take a look at some recent events.

First, three independent investigations found that the unimaginatively named "climategate" was anything but the scandal or "nail in the coffin of anthropogenic global warming" that deniers claimed. Although the reports, the last of which was released in early July, found that East Anglia University climate scientists at the centre of the hacked emails brouhaha could have been more open about sharing data, their science was rigorous and sound.

And a review of criticisms of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's global assessment of climate change found that, despite "a very small number of near-trivial errors in about 500 pages," the report contained "no errors that would undermine the main conclusions." Yet another independent study supported Penn State University climatologist Michael Mann. Deniers have been attacking Prof. Mann's research for years.

Another blow to the deniers' arsenal came when London's Sunday Times was forced in June to run a fulsome apology and retraction for an article it published in January questioning the findings of the IPCC report on rainfall changes in the Amazon. The Times admitted that it had misrepresented the views of climate researcher Simon Lewis and that, contrary to its article, the findings of the IPCC report were backed by peer-reviewed research.

As their arguments fall apart, deniers have stepped up their efforts, even going so far as to send hate mail and death threats to scientists who are working to ensure our survival in the face of the greatest danger we face.

And then we have the spectacle of the fossil fuel industry and petro-fuelled governments doing all they can to prolong our addiction to nonrenewable and polluting sources of energy as oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico, threatening bird, marine, and human life, as well as local economies.

Our federal government recently cancelled an 18-month investigation into tar sands pollution of water and destroyed all draft copies of the report. And Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach paid $55,800 to place a half-page ad in the Washington Post promoting tar sands oil and a pipeline to carry it to the U.S. - after the newspaper refused to publish his arguments on its opinion pages. Meanwhile, Premier Stelmach has joined with Alberta and federal government officials and oil industry representatives to promote tar sands oil in the U.S. and to water down any U.S. regulations that might reduce fossil fuel consumption.

Of course, the deniers will ignore the evidence. Nothing would please us more than if they were right. Life really would be easier if fossil fuels like oil and coal did not cause environmental damage or pose risks to life on our small planet. But this is the real world, with real scientific evidence pointing to the urgent need to make changes in the way we live and get energy.

We have many ways to confront the threat of catastrophic climate change, from individual efforts to conserve energy and pollute less to government initiatives to encourage research and development into clean energy technology.

It's time to listen to the people who continue to look at the facts in the face of baseless accusations, break-ins, and threats. We need to listen to those are trying to do something about our predicament rather than wishing it away.

Learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.

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ACTION ALERT: Bill C-311 is Before the Senate

by Sierra Club Canada

Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act, passed the House of Commons, with your help, before it can become law the Senate has to approve it as well. The opposition does not have a majority in the Senate so the outcome has always been in doubt. To make matters worse, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce asked its members to write the Senate to oppose the bill.

The Chamber asked its members to oppose Bill C-311 in a letter filled with doublespeak. While the Chamber claims "we must respond to climate change," it suggests Canada do it by developing our dirty fuels sector. This makes no sense.

The Chamber of Commerce represents small and large businesses right across Canada. Sierra Club Canada has drafted a template letter for you to send to the Honourable Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. The letter will be copied to the Honourable Marjorie LeBreton, who is the Leader of the Government in the Senate.

To send a message: http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5654/p/dia/actio...

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