Koren Comments

I have a similar problem to Kirsten under c7 I am flatterned out. I also have a spiral twist that slightly goes off to the right side. I was born with L4 the same shape as L5 and possibly attached to L5..strange I know. I have had a slight upper thoracic hump from the age of 18(now i am 38). I am a dancer and a dance teacher and I know quite a few other dancers that have studied ballet and have developed an upper thoracic hump.

Since the birth of my son 10 months ago it has gotten worse with a 2.5 cm fatty tissue lump over the top. I am getting very uncomfortable particularly when I am trying to sleep. The only relief I seem to get is by doing my two aerial classes a week on tissue and trapeze. Do you think KST could help to get some relief? I live in Australia, Sydney is there anyone you can recommend? Thank you
Marissa

Dear Marissa,
KST practitioners report very good success with the thoracic hump. I’m going to be giving a KST lecture in Sydney Feb. 26-28 where I could check you out. Until then I recommend you go to our web site at www.korenspecifictechnique.com Go to the directory and check out doctors in Australia.
Tedd Koren, DC

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I am a mother of a 22 year old son. Generally, we barely see a regular MD and see Chiropractors pretty regularly. I probably wouldn’t even think about the flu vaccine accept for the fact that my son was born with BronchoPulmonaryDysplegia where they damaged his lungs and airways with the ventilator. He spent the first 6 months of his life in the NICU and the next two years going back and forth even when he was quarentined from other people. He has really struggled over the years and we have been told that he will probably have emphasema when he is older. I, myself, have asthma quite badly where it takes around 3 months for me to recover from a normal flu.

I am terrified. I find myself slipping backward into worrying about my son dying. He doesn’t want to get the shot but one of the boys that was in the hospital with him when he was born is in a coma in the ICU on a respirator.

I have tried to tell my son that even if the slightest feeling of being sick occurs, he has to go to the hospital to be tested but I just found out that he was sick 2 weeks ago and didn’t tell me. The last time he went hiking up a tall mountain, he got one of those lack of oxygen headaches so I know he has some residual effects from his disease.

I guess I want to know what you think given his past illness and failure to thrive from the illness. He has finally caught up in size with the other young men but he is extremely thin, 160 lbs at 6′3″.
So what do you think?

Research shows that the flu shot does not help those with asthma. Keep up the great work with your son. Vaccines are not the answer. Here is some information from our mythbusting flu report (below)

Tedd Koren, DC

Myth: The flu shot protects asthmatic children
Fact: There is no evidence the flu vaccine helps asthmatics. In one study 400 children with asthma were given flu vaccine and 400 with asthma did not receive the influenza vaccine. The two groups were compared with respect to clinic visits, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations for asthma. The study failed to provide evidence that the influenza vaccine prevents pediatric asthma exacerbations. “Effectiveness of influenza vaccine for the prevention of asthma exacerbations.” Christly, C. et al. Arch Dis Child. 2004 Aug;89(8):734-5.

Myth: The flu shot will prevent my children from serious illness.
Fact: The flu shot will increase the chances my children will be hospitalized.
Not only is the flu shot useless for children, it is dangerous. At the 105th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego. May 20, 2009. it was reported that “Youngsters who had received the flu vaccine had three times the risk of hospitalization, as compared to children who had not received the vaccine. For kids with asthma, there was even a higher risk …”

In spite of these findings The Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics continue to recommend annual influenza vaccination for all children 6 months to 18 years and The National Asthma Education Program continues to promote annual flu vaccination of asthmatic children.