AUTISM-CAUSING PESTICIDES FOUND IN BREAKFAST CEREALS & ELSEWHERE"Each year, more than 250 million pounds of glyphosate are sprayed on American crops, primarily on 'Roundup-ready' corn and soybeans genetically engineered to withstand the herbicide. But when it comes to the food we eat, the highest glyphosate levels are not found in products made with GMO corn. Increasingly, glyphosate is also sprayed just before harvest on wheat, barley, oats and beans that are not genetically engineered. Glyphosate kills the crop, drying it out so that it can be harvested sooner than if the plant were allowed to die naturally." From Dr. Temkin's article by the EWG being discussed today. Monsanto has a line of GMO seeds known as "Roundup Ready". The plants produced by Roundup Ready seeds have the ability to withstand being doused in the broadleaf weedkiller, Roundup. Although there are a host of health problems associated with exposure to Roundup or similar pesticides / herbicides (ENDOCRINE SYSTEM DISRUPTION is a major one), one is rightfully gaining a great deal of media exposure.
It's become obvious that there is an intimate relationship between GLYPHOSATE (Roundup's active ingredient) and autism --- a relationship which is becoming more pronounced with every published study (HERE and HERE) not to mention those that are never published (HERE). And now this. Last week we discovered from the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) testing of oat-containing cereals and cereal-like products (breakfast bars, granola, etc) that they all contained glyphosate; most of them significant amounts of glyphosate. In fact, one of the samples of Quaker Old Fashioned Oats contained a whopping 1,300 parts per billion (ppb), with another sample coming in at 1,000. And while several "TRUST US" governmental watchdog agencies have said that glyphosate is safe to consume in concentrations of 160 ppb or less, a quick peek at the chart produced by the EWG (using independently verified lab results) showed that several products contained much higher levels. For instance, Cheerios came in at almost 500 ppb, while Quaker Dinosaur Eggs, Brown Sugar, Instant Oatmeal averaged a stunning 700 ppb per sample. Study author, Dr. Alexis Temkin, wrote..... The EPA has calculated that 1-to-2-year-old children are likely to have the highest exposure, at a level twice greater than California’s No Significant Risk Level and 230 times EWG’s health benchmark. Did you catch that? 230 times higher? By the way, this is not the first study of its kind. Back in October of 2016, the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) published a report titled Do Breakfast Cereals Contain Endocrine-Disrupting Pesticides? which stated, "Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are natural or artificial substances that are foreign to the human body. Exposure to these chemicals can interfere with the endocrine system and induce many adverse effects on an individual or on a person's children or grandchildren. Many pesticides or biocides are either proven or strongly suspected to be EDCs. On average, 9.4 residues were found in the non-organic samples. Of the 70 non-organic samples that could be quantified, the average concentration of residues was .177 mg/kg per sample - a level 354 times higher than the maximum allowable concentration (MAC) tolerated in drinking water for all pesticides!" And now this; just days ago the American Journal of Psychiatry (Association of Maternal Insecticide Levels With Autism in Offspring From a National Birth Cohort) concluded that this relationship to AUTISM is not only real, it's strong. "Prenatal exposure to neurotoxins including persistent organic pollutants are common in the pregnant population and are suggested to influence risk of neurobehavioral syndromes including outcome. The odds of autism among offspring were significantly increased with maternal DDE levels that were in the highest 75th percentile, with adjustment for maternal age, parity, and history of psychiatric disorders. The odds of autism with intellectual disability were increased by greater than twofold with maternal DDE levels above this threshold. These findings provide the first biomarker-based evidence that maternal exposure to insecticides is associated with autism among offspring." Here's what's really crazy about this study. When the authors were interviewed by Kristen Monaco for MedPage Today (Pesticide Exposure in Pregnancy Tied to Autism Risk), they made it clear that these results were not a shocker. "Brown added that his group wasn't particularly surprised by this DDE-autism link, given that this chemical class was associated with other developmental outcomes in prior research." All of this begs the question of what are DDE's? According to PubChem, "Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) is a chemical compound formed by the loss of hydrogen chloride from DDT. DDE is an organochlorine pesticide, it is the ethylene metabolite of DDT. DDE is a breakdown product of DDT, which was used in the past as an insecticide." DDT was banned decades ago because it weakened the shells of various bird's eggs. For instance, when I first started running the CURRENT RIVER 25 years ago, there were no eagles. About 15 years ago or so I started seeing a few eagles, and when you saw one it was a big deal. Now, if you don't see an eagle (or several) it's a big deal. The reason I mentioned DDT is because our government's ATSDR profile on DDE (Toxicological Profile for DDT, DDE, and DDD) states, "Birds of prey, waterfowl, and song birds are more susceptible to eggshell thinning than chickens and related species, and DDE appears to be more potent than DDT." Wikipedia says this of DDE. "DDE is particularly dangerous because it is fat-soluble like other organochlorines; thus, it is rarely excreted from the body, and concentrations tend to increase throughout life. The major exception is the excretion of DDE in breast milk, which transfers a substantial portion of the mother's DDE burden to the young animal or child." What can you do to protect yourself and your family above and beyond limiting their exposure? The studies mentioned above show that while eating organic oats or other foods is helpful, thanks to cross-contamination, it doesn't completely solve the problem, and it certainly doesn't solve the problem of it getting into groundwater. Speaking of cross-contamination, if you want to see what it looks like, look no farther than the increasingly common phenomenon known as "Dicamba Drift". Dicamba is a weed killer that has gotten more popular as weed resistance to Roundup has increased (just like ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE), and has the propensity to vaporize after spraying and then "drift" over to neighboring fields. How big is this problem? One short month ago, EcoWatch (New Dicamba Drift Estimate: 1.1 Million Acres Damaged Already in 2018) stated that, "A University of Missouri report estimates that drift damage from the pesticide dicamba has occurred across 1.1 million acres of agricultural crops...." The most famous case of Dicamba Drift in these parts happened down in Missouri's boot heel area in Campbell. Campbell, MO is famous for their peaches. If you've never had a Campbell peach, you are truly missing out. Unfortunately, thanks to Dicamba Drift, enjoying these peaches has gotten much more difficult as the St. Louis Post Dispatch (Missouri's Largest Peach Farmer Sues Monsanto Over Alleged Damage from Illegal Herbicide Use) recently revealed. "In 2015, about 7,000 trees in Bader’s orchards were damaged, leading to a loss of $1.5 million, according to the lawsuit. This year an estimated 30,000 trees are considered a permanent loss, amounting to a financial blow that has yet to fully come into focus. 'Those numbers are still being estimated,' said Bev Randles of Randles & Splittgerber, a Kansas City law firm. 'The losses will certainly be in the millions.'" The point of today's post? We are swimming in a sea of chemicals, including not only those you just read about, but PRESCRIPTION DRUGS and VACCINES as well, which have side effect profiles that are, according to scores of studies, underestimated by almost two orders of magnitude (100 times --- HERE). It's also why taking care of your body's natural detox systems (BIOTRANSFORMATION) is more critical than ever, and part of THE PROTOCOL I give my patients and readers to help them start the process of taking their lives back. 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WHAT ABOUT YOUR BABY'S REFLUX PROBLEM?Although PROTON PUMP INHIBITORS (PPI's, otherwise known as stomach acid blockers) are one of the more commonly-prescribed class of drugs in a nation that consumes mass quantities of drugs in the first place (HERE), they've been in the news for the past several years not only because of their increasingly-exposed SIDE EFFECT PROFILE, but because they are mis-prescribed almost 100% of the time. I well remember the shock I had the first time I had a patient tell me that their baby had been prescribed a PPI --- some time around Y2K. Now it's common. How common?
"GER in preterm infants is most often diagnosed and treated on the basis of clinical and behavioral signs rather than on specific testing to prove or disprove pathology, and many infants continue to be treated after they are discharged from the hospital. Indeed, routine use of anti-reflux medications for the treatment of symptomatic GER in preterm infants was one of the therapies singled out as being of questionable value in the recent American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Choosing Wisely campaign. The primary mechanism of GER in preterm infants is transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxation (TLESR). TLESR is an abrupt reflex decrease in lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure to levels at or below intragastric pressure, unrelated to swallowing. Preterm infants have dozens of episodes of TLESR each day, many of which are associated with some degree of GER. As such, GER is a normal phenomenon in preterm infants, which is exacerbated by a pure liquid diet and age-specific body position. Preterm infants with clinically diagnosed GER are often treated with pharmacologic agents; however, a lack of evidence of efficacy together with emerging evidence of significant harm (particularly with gastric acid blockade) strongly suggest that these agents should be used sparingly, if at all, in preterm infants. GER is a normal developmental phenomenon that will resolve with maturation." Not particularly effective and not nearly as safe as we've been led to believe (not surprisingly they are also being linked not only to OSTEOPOROSIS in adults, but BONE FRACTURES IN CHILDREN). Not to mention the fact that (are you ready for this shocker?) babies burp up (TLESR). What's a person to do if you feel they may be burping up more than "normal" (whatever normal really is)? Firstly, read Dr. Robert Mendelsohn's book (he is a pediatrician), HOW TO RAISE A HEALTHY CHILD IN SPITE OF YOUR DOCTOR. Secondly, if your child has COLIC, click the link. And thirdly, if you want to learn why stomach acid is not your enemy but your friend, HERE is the place to start. And if you know someone that needs this information, a great way to reach them is on FACEBOOK (like, share, or follow). WHY AREN'T WE ASKING WHAT'S |
Typically, it is caused by a direct impact to the head but can occur as a result of any ‘impulsive’ force transmitted to the head. In the United States, between 1.7 and 3.8 million TBIs occur each year, with over 240,000 of these injuries occurring due to sports and recreational activities. Between 2001 to 2009, the number of sports-related TBIs seen in emergency departments (EDs) increased 62%, from 153,375 to 248,418; the highest rates are among males between 10 and 19 years of age, with 70% (173,285) of the TBIs occurring in this population. TBI was cited as a contributing factor in approximately 30% of all injury-related deaths—accounting for 52,000 deaths per year. From an article in the latest issue of Practical Pain Management, called Recognizing and Treating Concussions Related to Sports Injuries. |
PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH TBI AND SRC (SPORTS-RELATED CONCUSSIONS)
- Headache (this is the most common of the four)
- Sleep Disturbances (an inability to either get to sleep or stay asleep)
- Cognitive Deficits (slow reaction times, feeling like you are in a fog)
- Neuropsychiatric Issues (emotional reactions or lack of reaction, mood swings, irritability, rage, depression)
DRUGS -vs- NO DRUGS FOR TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES
The authors tell us that the single best form of treatment for individuals who have been through an SRC / TBI, "involves physical and cognitive rest until the acute symptoms have resolved". They specifically mention that this means resting from things like, "homework and video games" as well as "at least 24 to 48 hours" of physical rest after the concussion. From there, the young athlete is supposed to, "follow a stepwise graduated return to play protocol". As you can see, there is potential wiggle-room for coaches who want their athletes back quicker than they should (and let's face it, as a coach myself, I can assure you that no coach likes playing without their best players on the field). Beyond this, you have to understand that in order to get back on the field, athletes will often lie (just Google "I lied about concussions" to see how prevalent this phenomenon is in all levels of athletics).
Coaches must be educated about this --- particularly the specifics of the return-to-play protocol. My sincerest wish is that once they understand the potential for lifelong, yet often occult (hidden --- at least at first) consequences of these supposed "mild" brain injuries, they will err on the side of caution. Ethically, they must. When you add the fact that the authors tell us that most ("80-90%") of these concussions take "7-10 days" to recover from, due to the fact that, "athletes who have suffered previous concussions are at a significantly higher risk for incurring a repeat concussion, especially in the acute post-concussive period," you can see the potential for disaster.
This would be as good a time as any to allow me to reiterate the "no drugs" message being touted by these authors. After talking about some of the drugs that these children could be prescribed for their post-concussive symptoms, and then discussing the array of potential side effects, they come to a final conclusion in the paper's last paragraph. "The evidence behind the majority of these pharmacologic therapies is lacking..... Non-pharmacologic therapy with physical and behavioral rest, as recommended by CISG2 should be attempted prior to the initiation of pharmacologic therapy." This is good advice for coaches, parents, and athletes themselves. Just remember that your young athlete is likely to lie in order to get back on the field. You must be aware of this fact and protect them from themselves!
MANAGING THE ATHLETE WHOSE SYMPTOMS LAST LONGER THAN 10 DAYS
Take my word for it when I tell you that the drugs chiefly discussed in this article are for the purpose of covering the symptoms listed earlier. This is because, "there have been few clinical trials of medications that modify the underlying pathophysiologic processes" associated with TBI's. This is not really news. Ask those who have PCS (Post-Concussive Syndrome) whether the drugs really help them, and virtually all will answer in the negative (HERE IS AN EXAMPLE). The authors do let us know that athletes on drugs for TBI caused by SRC are not allowed to return to the field / court while still on drugs. Furthermore, because HEADACHES are the most common symptom (slightly less often, these can be MIGRAINES), I feel that I must mention that the authors concluded that they, "strongly recommend against the use of opioids in PTH [post-traumatic headache]". They also discussed "Rebound Headaches" (aka "Medication Overuse Headaches") --- headaches that are actually caused by the very medication(s) people take for their headaches.
POST-CONCUSSION DEPRESSION & INSOMNIA
I found it interesting that while they discussed INSOMNIA, they were not enamored with the drugs used to treat it. They did promote the concept of "Sleep Hygiene," which entails things like, "using the bed only for sleeping, avoiding coffee, alcohol, and nicotine, going to bed at the same time every night, and avoiding sources of stimuli in bed, such as televisions, computers, and mobile phones". Interestingly enough, they also talked about supplementing with Melatonin --- a chemical made by your body to regulate Circadian Rhythms and Sleep Cycles. I was troubled to see that they promoted RITALIN and similar drugs (HERE) for the "Cognitive Deficits" seen with TBI / SRC.
Overall, I think the article was good. It seemed however, that despite the fact that over and over again the authors spoke about drugs not being good options for treating children with concussions, they spent an awful lot of time talking about various drugs used to treat children with concussions. To better understand why this is, you can read a commentary I wrote on this topic a few years ago (HERE). Honestly, the more one understands the way that EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE works (or doesn't work), the less you are surprised by this frequent doublespeak. If your child is suffering the after-effects of a TBI (whether it's sports-related or not), have them checked out by a Functional Neurologist trained by Ted Carrick. Trust me when I tell you that TBI's can lead to some places you do not want your children to go (HERE).
ANTIBIOTICS, INFANTS, AND ASTHMA
"Antibiotic use in the first year life is associated with an increased risk of early-onset childhood asthma that began before 3 years of age. The apparent effect has a clear dose response. Heightened caution about avoiding unnecessary use of antibiotics in infants is warranted." The conclusions of a study published in the March, 2014 issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology (Consequences of Antibiotics and Infections in Infancy: Bugs, Drugs, and Wheezing). "Overall, children given antibiotics in their first half-year were 2.6 times more likely to develop allergic asthma, the team told a meeting of the European Respiratory Society on Tuesday. With broad-spectrum antibiotics, which kill a wide range of bacteria, the risk was far higher: children were 8.9 times more likely to suffer from asthma." From the October 1, 2003 "Biomedical Archives" of FuturePundit.com. The study itself was done in the Henry Ford Hospital of Detroit, Michigan (they have 5 hospitals in their network). |
Asthma is not the only consequence of prescribing infants antibiotics. A quick review of the scientific literature tells us that Asthma is not the only thing that Infant Antibiotics are associated with. Studies tell us that this class of drug is related to everything from ALLERGIES to OBESITY, to DIABETES, to IBS, to eczema and other AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES (including FIBROMYALGIA), to CHRONIC EAR INFECTIONS, to ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE, to SYSTEMIC YEAST / CANDIDA INFECTIONS, and on and on and on. These are just some of the many reasons that I have been telling my readers that Antibiotics are one of the single largest long-term health destroyers in America.
We do not really need more taxpayer-funded research telling us that ANTIBIOTICS DESTROY HEALTH and cause lifetime health-related problems. We need educated parents and doctors who will stand up and say, "no; I am not giving little Junior an antibiotic. That's not what he needs right now". But the solution to this problem does not end with simply not killing off one's good bacteria with antibiotics. One must actually expose themselves / their children to bacteria in order to be healthy (I have written about this previously HERE, HERE and HERE). Let me share with you what the 2003 article from the top of the page said about this matter.
"This "hygiene hypothesis" has been gathering strength in recent years. The latest result certainly strengthens the argument considerably. The idea is basically reminiscent of the saying "idle hands are the devil's workshop". Remove the normal antigens that the immune system is exposed to and it starts reacting to things it ought not react to. Our ancestors lived in dirt floor dwellings and had much more exposure to animals, dirt, and nature in general. We live lives which bring us in much less exposure to the antigens we evolved to deal with. Exposure to those antigens appear to be necessary to instruct the immune system on what it should identify as a threat." |
PROBIOTICS FOR BABIES?
WHY NOT?
"Infantile colic is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder of early infancy. ...Infantile colic has a substantial deleterious impact on society by negatively affecting parental health, resulting in decreased family functioning years later.... The immediate impact on the infant is unknown; they certainly do not seem happy. Ten years later, these infants with colic become children who have an 11-fold increased risk for developing recurrent abdominal pain, as well as an increased risk for allergic diseases and psychological disorders." - Bruno P. Chumpitazi, MD, MPH and Robert J. Shulman, MD from their recent editorial in JAMA Pediatrics called Five Probiotic Drops a Day to Keep Infantile Colic Away? Shulman is a Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. "Chiropractors are rarely qualified to diagnose a baby's ailment. A baby who cries inconsolably may have colic, or he may have constipation, acid reflux or a milk allergy" - Victor Turow, M.D., a pediatrician at North Shore University Hospital in Great Neck, New York from a 2011 post of mine called COLIC & CHIROPRACTIC. |
Not only do we know that virtually all drugs have wide ranging and nasty side effects, we should be aware of the lack of scientific validity for most of them (HERE). It all leads us to wonder what in the world we should do for our newborn's health? If you have been reading our posts on GUT HEALTH (particularly the one on NEWBORNS), you already know the answer to this one. Avoid ANTIBIOTICS as if your life depends on it, and do whatever it takes to RESTORE AND MAINTAIN GOOD BACTERIA. Although I used to be vilified as a quack for telling my patients these kinds of things, the medical community is finally starting to come around.
- Episodes of regurgitation / reflux
- Duration of inconsolable crying (minutes per day)
- Number of bowel movements per day
- Feeding changes
- Number of visits to pediatricians
- Number of visits to a pediatric emergency department for a perceived health emergency
- Hospitalizations
- Pharmacological interventions
- Loss of parental working days
Although Lactobacillus Reuteri --- an organism widely considered to be "universal" in animals --- has dozens of scientifically proven benefits (inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria, infections, E. Coli, H. PYLORI, yeasts, fungi, and protozoa; boosting immune system function; resolves diarrhea-causing ailments, including INFLAMMATORY BOWEL PROBLEMS; prevents tooth decay; helps the body absorb nutrients better; and promotes overall health). But again, like the probiotic Acidophilus, L Reuteri is only one organism. What can be done to see that your baby gets a plethora of beneficial bacteria into their systems?
ADULT HEALTH PROBLEMS
IN OUR NATION'S CHILDREN
The article in Time dealt extensively with the health problems that millions of school aged kids are going through, which are very different than what previous generations went through. Remember back when the worst health issue kids faced was acne (HERE)? Doctors who were interviewed for the article talked at length about the seriousness of this problem. One thing that really stood out to me was their saying they could not tell the blood work of unhealthy kids from the blood work of unhealthy adults who were 30 - 40 years older. I am not going to go into detail here, but it would be worth your time to take 10 or 15 minutes to read the article.
Listen up folks. You are the parent. If you put any sort of value on your health or the health of your family, it may be time to go to lifestyle boot camp. Fail to change, and you will never be anything more to Big Pharma / Corporate Medicine than what you really are ---- a commodity ---- a walking, breathing, dollar sign ---- a person whose health issues are severe enough that you are looked at by multiple entities as a lifetime source of income. Start clicking the links and educate yourself. Knowledge is power. Learn what it will take to get your family moving in a healthy direction. No go and do it! HEALTHY CHILDREN can be a reality if you change the way you are living.
Oh; for those of you who were wondering, the pic at the top left is of a teenage male.
SPANKING........
DOES IT REALLY CAUSE HEALTH PROBLEMS LATER IN LIFE?
There has been a steadily growing outcry against spanking over the course of the past several decades. I am not sure that I know any government schools that allow spanking today for fear of a lawsuit. But ask the average public school teacher why our schools are all too often more like the Wild West than a classroom, and you'll quickly realize that they have been neutered as far as their ability to administer effective punishment is concerned. Spanking is not only being associated with child abuse, it is now being cited as a causal factor in developing heart disease, arthritis, and obesity.
According to research from Dr. Tracie Afifi of the University of Manitoba in Canada, children who receive "harsh physical punishment" were nearly 25% more likely to be OBESE, 35% more likely to develop ARTHRITIS, and significantly more likely to end up with heart disease than those who were not punished in a physically harsh manner. And it was just a year ago that her research tied corporal punishment to DEPRESSION, mental illness, and addictions to things like drugs, alcohol, and gambling. The conclusions of Dr Afifi's study, as reported by the latest issue of the journal Pediatrics (Harsh Physical Punishment in Childhood and Adult Physical Health) are as follows.
"Harsh physical punishment in the absence of child maltreatment is associated with some physical health conditions in a general population sample. These findings inform the ongoing debate around the use of physical punishment and provide evidence that harsh physical punishment independent of child maltreatment is associated with a higher likelihood of physical health conditions." |
By the way, although I have not read it yet (I have read excerpts and articles about it), the same issue of Pediatrics contains an opposing editorial by Dr. Rachel Berger of the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and Dr. Adam Zolotor of the the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. They believe that her conclusions are "lacking".
HOME BIRTHS
SAFER OR MORE DANGEROUS THAN HOSPITAL BIRTHS
For women who were having their first child, the rate of serious complication was 1 per 1,000 higher in the home birth group than in the hospital group. When you put all of this together, it is probably why the rate of home births in Denmark is almost 50% higher than hospital births (in America, home births are less than 1% of all births). Could things ever work like this here in America? Not as long as groups like the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics have official policies against home births. In fact, the AAP's policy statement against home births says this about home births, "Obstacles are pervasive and systemic and include wide variation in state laws and regulations, lack of appropriately trained and willing providers, and lack of supporting systems to ensure the availability of specialty consultation and timely transport to a hospital". All of these "obstacles" to home births could be easily changed if the medical community wanted to change them. The truth is, there is not much money in a home birth.
And although C-sections can be potentially life saving surgeries, they were probably the chief reason that the risk factor was actually higher for hospital births than home births in this study (HERE). In fact, the study's authors went as far as actually stating in BMJ that, "It is important to limit the use of caesarean section because of its association with various adverse outcomes at the current birth, and the risk of uterine scar rupture during the next pregnancy and birth."
My suggestion in this matter is simple. If you are a healthy woman who takes care of herself, talk to a competent midwife about the potential for a home birth. Our midwife had done over 1,000 home births when our daughter was born over 13 years ago. Is there potential for things to go wrong? Certainly. But as you see in this study, with a competent mid-wife, home births for healthy women are actually quite safe and should not automatically be treated as a pathological condition requiring all sorts of medical intervention.
SOCCER HEADERS, BRAIN DAMAGE, & SCAR TISSUE
If you are even a casual sports fan, you know that other than Tony Parker's hamstring, concussions (TBI --- Traumatic Brain Injuries) are currently the number one discussed SPORTS INJURY. A brand new study from New York's Albert Einstien's School of Medicine ("Soccer Heading Is Associated with White Matter Microstructural and Cognitive Abnormalities"), is shedding some new light on this topic.
The study, from the medical journal Radiology, suggested that soccer players who repeatedly "head" the soccer ball, end up with significant amounts of brain trauma that cannot be explained away by repeated concussions. According to the study's conclusions, "Heading is associated with abnormal white matter microstructure and with poorer neurocognitive performance. This relationship is not explained by a history of concussion". These findings are consistent with patients who have undergone MTBI (Mild Traumatic Brain Injury), which is why I do not allow headers on the youth soccer teams I have coached.
CHILDHOOD OBESITY IS
OFF THE CHARTS
My son recently attended a grade school "Track Meet" at a Midwest suburban public school. His comment to me was, "I have never seen so many overweight little kids in my entire life!". According to government stats (the CDC), one in four children in the 2-5 age group is overweight, while about one in three school aged children is overweight. These stats are much worse if you are a minority or if you live in the South, nor does it take into account the numerous children that are MONW. It all begs the question of what you should do as a parent to combat childhood obesity and help your child get to and maintain a healthy weight.
- REALIZE THAT YOUR CHILD'S WEIGHT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY: That's right, your child's weight is up to you. This might mean no more SCHOOL LUNCHES. It might also mean that you will actually have to revive your role as the parent and decide what your child will and won't eat. I routinely get parents in my office make excuses for their children like this. "I realize what you are saying is true, but little Johnny simply hates vegetables". Or, "little Johnny won't eat anything other than chocolate cake and Cheetos" (HERE). Or here is one I heard the other day. "Little Johnny would not eat his lunch so I gave him cookies. He had to eat something didn't he?". Take a deep breath and repeat to yourself. I am the parent and they are the child --- I am the parent and they are the child. You will also have to...............
- TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN WEIGHT: Have you ever gone to an overweight doctor? Or a doctor who smokes cigarettes? When SOMEONE IN AUTHORITY tells you to do as they say and not as they do, there is a huge loss of credibility. If you are overweight and trying to get your kids to eat healthy while constantly eating JUNK yourself, you have no credibility with your kids. As a parent, make sure you are leading from the front. Period. Leadership means that you must........
- EDUCATE YOURSELF AND YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT HEALTH, DIET, AND EXERCISE: There is all sorts of advice on getting to and maintaining a healthy weight (HERE are some examples). It is up to you to educate yourself and then pass it along to your family (children included). The problem is that there is lots of conflicting advice out there. This is why I have simplified the process for you and given you some great links to follow. They are found in the paragraph below.
The first thing you need to do in order to lose weight and get healthier in the process is CONTROL YOUR BLOOD SUGAR --- even if you have not (yet) been diagnosed with DIABETES. Fail to do this and you are wasting your time. Next, you need to take a look at some of the things I have written on this topic of OBESITY. The great thing is that working with children is easy compared to working with adults. In most cases, they have not had their problem long enough to set up the diseases of obesity.
Do not wait another day to get started on this project. Oh, and one more thing. If you think that feeding your child a steady diet of crap is OK because they are of a normal weight (or even underweight), you are sadly mistaken (HERE). Not only are you setting them up for a future of overweight / obesity, you are likely condemning them to a lifetime of CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES as well AUTOIMMUNITY. As you can see, creating HEALTHY CHILDREN is not something that happens automatically without some effort on your part.
HOW TO RAISE A HEALTHY CHILD
IN SPITE OF YOUR DOCTOR
When I started Chiropractic School back in 1988, I was assigned a book. Along with the many big and expensive medical tests that I had to purchase, a 5 dollar paperback; Robert Mendelsohn's How to Raise a Healthy Child... in Spite of your Doctor was on my required-reading list as well.
Needless to say, when you are 21 years old, single with no children of your own, taking 30 credit hours per trimester, and working part time; reading a book like this is not at the top of your priority list. At the time, it was a book that I skimmed to get the information needed to pass the class, and then forgot about ---- that is until Malachi was born in 1998. Like all parents do, I quickly realized that there is nothing scarier than a sick child ---- a fact echoed by Dr Mendelsohn himself. Needless to say, I pulled the book off my office shelf and began reading.
In this easy-to-read book, Dr Mendelsohn lays out the medical issues that you need to be worried about (a short list) and the things that you needn't fret about (a very long list). He has chapters on protecting your child before they are born, NUTRITION, FEVER, headaches, stomach aches, colds / flu, strep throat, EAR INFECTIONS, skin conditions, orthopedic conditions, ASTHMA, ALLERGIES, ADD / ADHD, CHILDHOOD VACCINATIONS, choosing the right doctor, and many others. Amy and I found this book so valuable that for a very long time, it was what we gave young couples as a wedding gift, or for their baby shower.
I will admit, some of the information in his book is out of date (it was published during my senior year in high school). There are also some things that I would not agree with. My guess is that if Mendelsohn were alive today, he himself would argue against some of the things he wrote about nearly three decades ago. Just remember that reading this book is an exercise in logic and common sense when it comes to thinking about and taking care of sick children. If you are into numerous examples of EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE, I would suggest you take a look at his other famous book, CONFESSIONS OF A MEDICAL HERETIC.
DR MENDELSOHN'S BIO:
Robert Mendelsohn, America's most beloved Pediatrician, earned his medical degree in 1951 from the prestigious University of Chicago School of Medicine. In addition to several decades of seeing tens of thousands of children in his thriving practice, he wore many different hats. Some of these included......
- Instructor at Northwest University Medical College
- Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Community Health and Preventive Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine
- President of the National Health Federation
- National Director of Project Head Start's Medical Consultation Service
- Chairman of the Medical Licensing Committee of the State of Illinois
- Appearing on over 500 television and radio talk shows
- Author of several books.
Although Dr. Mendelsohn died a few short months before I was assigned to read his book, his legacy lives on. If you have children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or friends, I would STRONGLY suggest that you buy a copy of this book for yourself, and one to loan out or give away. Amazon still carries it. And while you are at it, read a few of the Customer Reviews. It's really a shame that more doctors are not bucking the system and carving their own trails like Medelsohn did. Great man. Great book. Thanks doc!
NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
As recently as a few years ago, Pharmaceutical Companies were touting medications like Toddler's Dimetapp, Triaminic Infant, and Little Colds ----- many with pictures of babies on the label. They said that the medications were "safe" if used as directed. Of course that's what they said, but is it really true? You know it's not!
Parents; if you have been paying attention, you are already aware that the FDA has recommended that no children under the age of two be given cough medications. In January of 2008, the FDA "strongly recommended" that OTC cough and cold medicines not be used for infants and children younger than two. America is talking about raising this age to six (Canada has already done this), and Britain (already at 6) is contemplating increasing their recommendations all the way to age 12. Why is this happening? Much of it comes down to narcotics.
Cough Syrups work because they contain NARCOTICS --- mostly HYDROCODONE or Codeine. They essentially suppress coughs by depressing the central nervous system. Too much depressing the CNS has caused the deaths of thousands of infants and young children (and probably a significant number of older children and adults as well). It also caused the arrest and ultimate failure of one multi-million dollar quarterback ---- JaMarcus Russell; the infamous first-round washout of the Oakland Raiders.
When I first heard about Russell's arrest, I was not surprised. He had proven himself to be a fat, lazy, oaf --- a prime example of the absurdity of throwing tens of millions of dollars at an athlete that has unlimited physical potential, but no interest in winning or keeping their lives in order. I was certainly not surprised by the fact that he was busted for drugs. What I was surprised about was the fact that his drug of choice was cough syrup. Yes, cough syrup.
Cough syrups containing Codeine or Hydrocodone are mixed with 7-Up, and then sweetened with Jolly Ranchers to make something called "Purple Drank" (yes, that's how it's spelled) aka "Sizzurp". Apparently, this is a huge and growing problem in many parts of the country ---- especially in the South. A 2004 study by University of Texas Medical School showed that over 8% of Texas high school students had used codeine-based cough syrup to get stoned.
Like I said, do you really want your babies taking this stuff? Come back for Monday's Blog on taking care of coughs naturally. And while you're at it, forward this message on to someone you know needs it. You can also spread the word by liking us on FACEBOOK as well.
Dr. Schierling completed four years of Kansas State University's five-year Nutrition / Exercise Physiology Program before deciding on a career in Chiropractic. He graduated from Logan Chiropractic College in 1991, and has run a busy clinic in Mountain View, Missouri ever since. He and his wife Amy have four children (three daughters and a son).
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