Category: Newsflash

DALLAS, October 20, 2011 – Parker University introduced its new logo to Parker students, faculty, and staff during a logo unveiling on Monday, October 17. The institution’s recent transition to its new name, Parker University, has intensified its status as a leading chiropractic and holistic educational institution.

A thought leader redefining health care, Parker University’s future expansion of new degree offerings and programs signals Parker’s focused long-term strategy of educating the world’s top health care and wellness practitioners for the changing health care landscape.

Parker created a logo selection committee to assist in reviewing, voting, and deciding on the new logo. The selection committee included a group of 22 Parker students, alumni, board of trustees, faculty, and staff members.

“The new logo is something that we’re very proud of,” said Dr. Fabrizio Mancini, president of Parker University. “Many of you [students] will see when you open your own practices that a logo plays a big part of distinguishing your identity as a brand and who you are, which is why this new logo is so important to all of us as an institution.”

The university’s new tagline, “Igniting Passion. Transforming Lives” was also revealed.

Parker University partnered with The Richards Group, America’s largest independent agency that has over three decades of experience in building brands, to develop a logo that speaks to the institution’s future. Stan Richards, founder of The Richards Group, has grown the agency from a boutique design shop he started in 1955 to a company of multiple divisions, with more than 650 employees, today.

“The Richards Group did an amazing job of interpreting our vision and making it a reality,” said Dr. Mancini.

With just 27 students in its first graduating class in 1985, Parker has grown into a leading chiropractic and wellness institution with 270 employees and more than 5,700 graduates.

# # #

About Parker University

Dallas-based Parker University, formerly known as Parker College of Chiropractic, is one of the world’s leading educators of health care professionals. Founded in 1982, this private, nonprofit, educational institution prepares men and women to become doctors of chiropractic. In addition, Parker University awards additional wellness-focused degrees including a bachelor of science with a major in anatomy and a major in health and wellness, massage therapy certificates, and continuing education specializations and certifications. Parker University also includes Parker Research Institute, which provides sound, scientific evidence supporting health and wellness; three chiropractic wellness clinics in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex; Parker Seminars, the largest chiropractic seminar organization in the world, and Parker SHARE Products that provide innovative, high quality products, and current information on chiropractic wellness. For additional information about Parker University, visit the website at www.parker.edu.

Roanoke, VA- October 7, 2011- Foot Levelers has launched new software, V7+, which will enhance the Associate® Platinum and scanning patients’ feet. With sharper, more detailed images, the V7+ is designed to explain the severity of pronation and how imbalances in feet can lead to problems in the knees, hips, back and shoulders. 

“We used our vast database of foot scans and new technology to enhance our V7 software. Our new features will make the scanning process more personalized for patients and individualize doctors’ assessments,” said Brad Wilton, Foot Levelers’ Chief Information Officer. “This is an exciting step in chiropractic technology and patient evaluations.”

Similar to previous versions, the V7+ delivers a quick scan of patients’ feet and produces reports to help them evaluate the importance of Stabilizing Orthotics.

New enhanced features include:

• Pronation/Stability Index- Personalized index number and calculated measurements reveal severity of imbalances in patients’ feet

• Increased Reliability-Updated and more dependable technology

• Body Assessment- Demonstrates the foot-pelvis-body connection to clearly illustrate how foot imbalances lead to pain throughout the body

• Vibrant Graphics- Displays sharper images of the foot to show pressure points and imbalances

V7+ is a more in-depth assessment tool that can help evaluate patients from the ground up. The new software enables healthcare professionals to choose the correct Stabilizing Orthotics for their patients. Stabilizing Orthotics help align the feet, ankles, knees, and hips to provide a balanced foundation for the body. Stabilizing Orthotics also help chiropractic adjustments hold longer, helping prolong patients’ wellness.

Foot Levelers

Foot Levelers, Inc., world’s exclusive provider of individually designed Stabilizing Orthotics and other therapeutic products, has been serving healthcare professionals for more than 58 years. Foot Levelers supports every step patients take to enjoy fuller and happier lives at work, home, or at play.

MELVILLE, N.Y., Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — In a newly published paper, medical researchers at FONAR Corporation (NASDAQ-FONR) report a diagnostic breakthrough in multiple sclerosis (MS), based on observations made possible by the company’s unique FONAR UPRIGHT® Multi-Position™ MRI. The findings reveal that the cause of multiple sclerosis may be biomechanical and related to earlier trauma to the neck, which can result in obstruction of the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is produced and stored in the central anatomic structures of the brain known as the ventricles. Since the ventricles produce a large volume of CSF each day (500 cc), the obstruction can result in a build up of pressure within the ventricles, resulting in leakage of the CSF into the surrounding brain tissue. This leakage could be responsible for generating the brain lesions of multiple sclerosis.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/major-diagnostic-breakthrough-in-multiple-sclerosis-achieved-with-advanced-fonar-upright-mri-131115283.html

The paper, titled “The Possible Role of Cranio-Cervical Trauma and Abnormal CSF Hydrodynamics in the Genesis of Multiple Sclerosis,” has just been published and appears in the latest issue of the journal Physiological Chemistry and Physics and Medical NMR (Sept. 20, 2011, 41: 1-17). It is co-authored by MRI researchers Raymond V. Damadian and David Chu.

Commenting on the study, the lead researcher and president of FONAR, Raymond V. Damadian stated, “These new observations have uncovered biomechanical barriers that appear to give rise to multiple sclerosis, and, even more excitingly, these barriers may be therapeutically addressable.” Damadian is the medical doctor who discovered the abnormal signals from tissue that are the basis of every MRI image made today and who went on to invent the MRI and build the world’s first MRI by hand at New York’s Downstate Medical Center.

The findings are based on viewing the real-time flow of cerebrospinal fluid in a series of eight randomly chosen patients with multiple sclerosis.

The cerebrospinal fluid, known as CSF, lubricates the brain and spinal cord. Utilizing FONAR’s patented Advanced UPRIGHT® Multi-Position™ MRI technology, the team was able to view the flow of cerebrospinal fluid in and out of the brain with the patients lying down and upright. These invaluable dual observations have only been possible since the invention of an MRI capable of imaging the patient upright.

Damadian and co-researcher, Chu, discovered obstructions of the CSF flow in all eight patients in the study and, in seven out of eight patients, the obstruction was more pronounced when the patient was in the upright position. The UPRIGHT® MRI also revealed that these obstructions were the result of structural deformities of the cervical spine, induced by trauma earlier in life.

The research was initiated when Damadian and Chu scanned a patient with multiple sclerosis. In reviewing the MRI scans, Damadian noted that one of the MS lesions in the patient’s brain was directly connected with the CSF within the ventricles of the brain, which are the structures in which the body continuously produces CSF fluid. It does so through a network of blood vessels within the ventricles known as the choroid plexus. This network generates a large volume of CSF daily, approximately 500 cc.

Damadian knew that in multiple sclerosis the lesions are typically concentrated adjacent to the ventricles and are peri-ventricular in distribution (i.e. surrounding the ventricle). He had also determined that the patient had a history of severe trauma to the cervical spine. When a careful history of subsequent patients in the study was taken, it revealed that all but one had also experienced some form of serious traumatic injury to the cervical spine.

When viewing MRI scans of the first patient, Damadian hypothesized that any obstructions of the continuous circulation of the daily volume of CSF out of the brain to the spinal cord and back could cause increased pressure within the ventricles, which could result in leakage of the fluid into the brain tissue surrounding the ventricles.

Damadian knew that CSF fluid contains proteins, which are made up of polypeptides, in fact, that the fluid contains more than 300 polypeptides. Nine of the proteins they form are known to be antigens that stimulate the production of antibodies. He wondered if these proteins, leaking into the brain tissue, could be initiating the antigen-antibody complexes in the brain that cause the pathology and symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

The disease results in the destruction of the coverings, or myelin sheaths, that insulate the nerve fibers of the brain. The destruction prevents the nerves from functioning normally and produces the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. The destruction is the origin of the multiple sclerosis lesions seen on the MRI images.

But, unlike nerve tissue, the myelin sheaths can regenerate – once the cause of their destruction is eliminated. The paper suggests that surgical or biomechanical remediation of the obstruction of the flow of CSF in the cervical spine could relieve the increased CSF pressure within the ventricles and eliminate the resultant leakage of fluid into the surrounding brain tissue and the inflammation of the myelin sheaths that it generates. Once the leakage has been stopped, the myelin sheaths could be repaired by the body’s myelogenesis process with the prospect of a return to normal nerve function for these nerves.

Images in the recumbent and upright positions of one of the MS patients from the study follow.  Note the presence of ventral CSF flow when the patient (MS patient #6) is recumbent (Figure 6c) but the loss of ventral CSF flow when the patient is upright (Figures 6b).

To see more examples and images visit www.fonar.com/news/100511.htm.

See the attached photo of a patient in the FONAR UPRIGHT® Multi-Position™ MRI. Unlike traditional lie-down MRIs, patients walk into the UPRIGHT™ MRI and sit in the scanner. In the diagnosis of usual spine problems such as back pain, the patients are asked to place themselves in the position that causes their back symptoms. Then an upright MRI image is generated. As a result, the spinal pathology that is causing the patient’s back pain can be more accurately and more completely identified and defined. Since the seat in the MRI can be tilted to any position and also flattened into a bed in the horizontal position, the researchers were able to view the patients in the MS study in both the recumbent and upright positions.

The study was part of ongoing research at the UPRIGHT® MRI CENTER at FONAR Corporation, which invented the UPRIGHT® MRI scanner. Research at the center, which is located in Melville, New York, has already provided unique diagnostic views of the upright spine with the weight of the body on it, including the spine with the patient bending forward and backward, radiation-free monitoring of scoliosis, upright imaging of pelvic floor problems in women, such as a prolapsed bladder or uterus, sit-down imaging of the prostate without the usual endorectal coil, and a walk-in, sit-down 10-minute scan that allows for cost-effective MRI scanning of patients undergoing chemotherapy to monitor tumor responses biweekly.

The complete study that led to the diagnostic breakthrough in multiple sclerosis can be accessed at the company website at www.fonar.com/pdf/PCP41_damadian.pdf

To see the full release and additional images visit www.fonar.com/news/100511.htm

About the Researchers

Raymond V. Damadian is the medical doctor who first proposed scanning medical patients by NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance, the original name of the MRI) based on his discovery of the principle on which all modern MRI is based – the different NMR signals that tissues emit in a magnetic field. The amplitude of these signals accounts for the pixel brightness in every MRI image. He discovered that the NMR signal amplitudes of cancer tissue differ markedly from the NMR signal amplitudes of the normal tissues because of the differences in their rate of decay. He simultaneously discovered that the NMR signal amplitudes also differ markedly among the normal tissues themselves because of the differences in their rates of decay. These signal amplitude differences enabled cancer tissues and other tissues to be visualized in MRI images because the signal differences generate the needed brightness differences (contrast) in the picture elements (pixels) needed to visualize detail in the MRI image. The contrast in pixel brightness allows the cancer pixels in the image to be distinguished from the surrounding normal pixels. It also allows the different normal tissues to be distinguished from each other and achieve the exceptional anatomic detail MRI pictures are known for. Damadian went on to build the first MRI scanner by hand, assisted by two post-doctoral students, at New York’s Downstate Medical Center and achieved the first MRI scan of a healthy human body in 1977 and a human body with cancer in 1978. For these discoveries he received the National Medal of Technology from President Reagan in 1988, was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1989 as the inventor of the MRI and was named Inventor of the Year in 2007 for his invention of the FONAR UPRIGHT® Multi-Position™ MRI. He founded FONAR to bring MRI diagnosis to patients. The company manufactured and installed the world’s first commercial MRI in 1980. Damadian is currently FONAR’s president and chief research officer.

David Chu is the head MRI scientist at FONAR who specializes in the imaging of the cerebrospinal fluid with advanced cines, or movies, which allow for observation of CSF flow in real time. The technology, which the company calls TrueFlow™ Imaging, made the diagnostic breakthrough in multiple sclerosis possible.

The University of Western States and Northwestern Health Sciences University recently received a $3.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine for a randomized trial to study on cervicogenic headache (CGH). The purpose of the study is to determine the optimal number of chiropractic spinal manipulation treatments for CGH sufferers in regards to clinical and cost-effectiveness. The study will be led by Drs. Mitchell Haas and Gert Bronfort, leaders in the field of chiropractic research.

A total of 256 participants will be randomized to 4 treatment groups (n = 64/group). All participants will attend 18 sessions with a chiropractor: 3 visits per week for 6 weeks. All participants will receive treatment at each visit. The dose levels will be 0, 6, 12, or 18 sessions for manipulation or a light massage alternative.

The grant period is from 8/2011 through 5/2016.

Find UWS on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UniversityofWesternStates

Follow UWS on Twitter: http://api.twitter.com/#!/UWS_news

The mission of the University of Western States is to improve the health of society and advance the science and art of integrated health care through leadership and excellence in health sciences education, service, and the enhancement of knowledge through research and scholarship.

San Diego, CA – September 9th, 2011 – Integrated Practice Solutions, Inc, (IPS) developer of the nation’s leading chiropractic software ChiroTouch™, was recently named by Inc Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in America.

“To be identified as one of the nation’s fastest growing companies was a pinnacle moment for all of us at Integrated Practice Solutions who have worked tirelessly to deliver our family of practices the best software and service available in the industry,” said Robert Moberg.  “As President, I could not be more proud of the amazing team that made this accomplishment possible.”

Integrated Practice Solutions (IPS) is a development company that, through its core competency in practice management software (ChiroTouch), and its funding arm (IPS Financial), equips chiropractors with the most advanced software available in the industry.  The combination of its industry-leading technology, source funding for prospective clientele, and recent moves in business development have catapulted the company into a leadership position, and one that is poised to dominate market penetration for years to come.  With the industry’s top practices, consultants, and technology suppliers endorsing Integrated Practice Solutions, Inc., it stands as the premier partner in practice management solutions.  As evidenced by being honored as one of America’s fastest growing companies, its growth in the industry has been explosive.

The company’s flagship product, ChiroTouch, was designed from the ground up to maximize efficiencies for virtually every process, including patient self check-in, scheduling, SOAP notes, billing, interoffice communication and more; IPS developed its HIPAA-compliant system to drastically reduce the time it takes to perform tasks that chiropractors are already doing.  That gives chiropractors more time to see more patients—resulting in increased referrals, improved efficiencies, and a direct, measurable impact on practice profitability.

From Inc Magazine:  Making the Inc. 500|5000 list of the fastest growing companies in America means that you’ve overcome the odds, that you are part of an elite group of companies at the top of their games.  It also means you get to join the company of American business icons such as Microsoft, Oracle, Jamba Juice, Zappos, UnderArmour, Intuit and countless others who once graced the list. There are nearly 7 million private, employee-based firms in America.  Only the very best are awarded the distinction of being named to the Inc.500|5000, the gold standard of entrepreneurial success.  Having your company listed at the top recognizes your prowess as an entrepreneurial leader.

“There is no doubt in my mind that we earned our spot among America’s fastest growing companies as a direct result of our inclusive, collaborative approach to our industry,” added Robert.  “By working closely with chiropractors and staff to create both our software offerings as well as our support services, we’ve been able to achieve explosive growth.  And so this award also reflects well on our family of chiropractors.”

To learn more about Integrated Practice Solutions, Inc, please visit www.chirotouch.com.

About Integrated Practice Solutions

Integrated Practice Solutions is a development company that, through its core competency in chiropractic software (ChiroTouch), its funding arm (IPS Financial), and its educational seminars, equips chiropractors with the most advanced solutions available in the industry.  Visit www.chirotouch.com.

PITTSBURGH, PA – Douglas Laboratories, a leader in innovation in the professional healthcare supplementation market, is proud to introduce its newest, most potent form of omega-3 supplementation: QÜELL Omega-3 Fish Oil. The QÜELL difference lies in its supercritical CO2 extraction method, providing a highly concentrated triglyceride form of omega-3.

Using supercritical CO2 extraction technology, omega-3 fatty acids are extracted without high temperatures, oxygen or chemical solvents, ensuring that the oil is protected from oxidation, microbiological contamination, solvent residue and isomer formation. This is also the preferred extraction method as it is more environmentally responsible and also purifies and concentrates to a higher degree. Additionally, a growing body of scientific evidence supports the triglyceride (or re-esterfied triglyceride) form of the fatty acids as having the greatest absorption (compared to the ethyl ester form), significantly increasing the index of EPA and DHA in the blood. QÜELL Omega-3 Fish Oil is unique in that it is the only fish oil on the market utilizing supercritical CO2 extracted fish oil in a triglyceride form to achieve the highest benefits.

“We are always looking for ways to make tried and true products even better,” says Dr. Andrew Halpner, PhD. “Using precision German engineering and manufacturing, we can offer fish oil products that use this unique supercritical CO2 technology provides a unique extraction method. We can now provide an enhanced omega-3 product with critical purity due to extremely low levels of contaminants; critical bioavailability for better absorption; and critical concentration of EPA and DHA—so patients can reap the benefits of the purest fish oil on the market.“

QÜELL Omega-3 Fish Oil contains highly concentrated amounts (75%) of essential fatty acids DHA and EPA—providing more DHA and EPA per capsule than other leading brands.  Additionally, Douglas Laboratories’ QÜELL Fish Oils come in a fish gelatin softgel making it more suitable for patients not wanting to take bovine or porcine gelatin. They provide less odor and taste due to the supercritical CO2 purification process, allowing for a more pleasant experience when consuming fish oil.   

QÜELL Omega-3 Fish Oil comes in 3 versions: High EPA, High DHA, and High EPA + DHA with Vitamin D. It is now available to healthcare practitioners exclusively through Douglas Laboratories. For more information on QÜELL Omega 3 Fish Oil and to view our Supercritical QÜELL video, visit www.douglaslabs.com/quell.

ABOUT DOUGLAS LABORATORIES
Subsidiary of Atrium Innovations Inc. [TSX: ATB], Douglas Laboratories, the trusted choice of thousands of healthcare professionals for more than 50 years, is at the forefront of the nutritional health industry, proudly researching, developing and manufacturing superior quality, science-based supplements that help people improve their health. Recognized throughout the industry for its uncompromising operational practices at its state-of-the-art, GMP-compliant manufacturing facilities, Douglas Laboratories continues to provide the added insurance of multiple domestic and international GMP certifications, including ISO-9001 certification and ISO-17025 accreditation for in-house laboratories, as well as NSF International Registration. Douglas Laboratories currently offers more than 600 branded products, introducing new products on a continuous basis. Working with an experienced research staff of PhDs and a prestigious medical advisory board, Douglas Laboratories is committed to bringing innovative, science-based products to the marketplace. Douglas Laboratories distributes worldwide, with its headquarters located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. For additional information, visit www.douglaslabs.com.             

Including valproate sodium (Depacon), divalproex sodium (Depakote, Depakote CP, and Depakote ER), valproic acid (Depakene and Stavzor), and their generics

AUDIENCE: OBGYN, Neurology, Psychiatry

ISSUE: FDA notified healthcare professionals that children born to mothers who take the anti-seizure medication valproate sodium or related products (valproic acid and divalproex sodium) during pregnancy have an increased risk of lower cognitive test scores than children exposed to other anti-seizure medications during pregnancy. This conclusion is based on the results of epidemiologic studies that show that children born to mothers who took valproate sodium or related products throughout their pregnancy tend to score lower on cognitive tests (IQ and other tests) than children born to mothers who took other anti-seizure medications during pregnancy. See the Drug Safety Communication for a data summary and additional information.

BACKGROUND: Valproate products are FDA-approved drugs to treat seizures, and manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar disorder (manic-depressive disorder), and to prevent migraine headaches. They are also used off-label (for unapproved uses) for other conditions, particularly for other psychiatric conditions.

RECOMMENDATION: Healthcare professionals should inform women of childbearing age of the increased risk for adverse effects on cognitive development with prenatal valproate exposure, and should continue to counsel women of childbearing potential taking valproate about the increased risk of major malformations, including neural tube defects, when valproate is used during pregnancy. In addition, healthcare professionals should weigh the benefits and risks of valproate when prescribing this drug to women of childbearing age, particularly when treating a condition not usually associated with permanent injury or death. Alternative medications that have a lower risk of adverse birth outcomes should be considered. Patients should not stop taking valproate without talking to a healthcare professional.

Healthcare professionals and patients are encouraged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of these products to the FDA’s MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program:

• Complete and submit the report Online: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm
• Download form or call 1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form, then complete and return to the address on the pre-addressed form, or submit by fax to 1-800-FDA-0178

Read the MedWatch safety alert, including links to the Drug Safety Communication and FDA Questions and Answers, at:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm261610.htm

SENECA FALLS, NY: New York Chiropractic College’s first Master of Science in Clinical Anatomy (MSCA) fellow, Kathy Dooley, DC, accepted a teaching consultant (adjunct professor) position at Cornell Medical College and Einstein College of Medicine and will be teaching gross anatomy lab to medical students at both colleges.

Dooley intends to further develop her teaching skills at the medical colleges while building a practice in chiropractic and acupuncture. Having earned a DC degree in 2007 and begun her acupuncture studies at the Finger Lakes School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine of NYCC – a program she called “fantastic” – she now plans to complete her acupuncture master’s course work in New York City while practicing and teaching. “I am so immensely grateful to the faculty and staff of NYCC. Without amazing mentors like Dr. Rob Walker my life would not have been possible. I am extremely happy, and doors seem to be flying open due to my experience gained at NYCC in the MSCA program,” she said.