Allergies Bothering You? Be Warned

This time of year, the rumblings about allergies and allergy problems are rampant. You hear about people's allergies "acting up" everywhere you go. During Tristan's first t-ball game this past weekend, one of our little players was really struggling with his. He didn't even want to play and was crying because his were so bad. Another of our little boys was really tired and cranky, and I kept hearing his mom say that she thinks it was because of the Zyrtec she gave him. So I'm hearing all of these things and am crumbling inside. Zyrtec for your sweet little boy?! AAAAGH! (I will say, during practice last week, I tried to offer natural alternatives. The moms looked at me like I was crazy. Much like some of you probably think I am).

I just found this website:

www.askapatient.com. It's a site where people tell their opinions about specific medications based on reactions they've had from taking it. I did a quick search of Zyrtec, and this is what one mom listed as the side effects her child had:

aggressive bad behavior, irritability, temper tantrums over tiny thing. Would go crazy like a wild animal then crash down to a sobbing little boy.

Here are her comments:

Never will i give this to my son!!! We know it's the Zyrtec causing this behavior for we tried it two different times. Claritin has given him the same side affects also. We would rather see him suffer the allergies than be on these meds.

If you want to see the side effects and opinions of others, click here.

On Friday, I dashed to Wal-Mart to pick up a couple of things I needed for Tristan's party. I was out a lot earlier than usual. As a matter of fact, I was out much earlier than I am normally even out of bed. I say that to say that God puts me in the "right place at the right time" in regard to medications. It happens ALL THE TIME. Like I've stated in previous posts, I usually don't seek this information. It literally hits me from every angle and in ways I would never expect. Anyway, back to Friday.

So I was in the car on the way to Wal-Mart and was listening to Rick and Bubba. That's when I heard it...Singulair has been linked to suicide. Rick and Bubba were talking about it and making jokes about it because Bubba is on Singulair. They were laughing because this is the second medication in like a month that Bubba has been on that has been linked to suicide. The other drug being Tamiflu. (Bubba detailed his effects of Tamiflu a few weeks ago. He said it was awful and that he experienced all kinds of crazy behaviors. He said that he would NEVER take Tamiflu again. He said next time, he'll just deal with the flu head-on. He said it again on Friday's show). Then they went on to laugh at how many medications Bubba is currently taking.

As I was listening to this, it just really got to me. I literally started crying. As I was listening and crying, Channing called, and I had to pour it all out to him. He agrees with me and just reinforced the need to get the information out there. People need to realize that every medication has a side effect, and that there are many medications that we could do without.

Today, our pastor started a new series titled "Sexual Revolution". A couple of verses he included in his message were the following:

John 8:44: "...When (the devil) lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

John 10:10: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

He said that the devil has us so confused on what sex is supposed to really be like and how it supposed to be used. He said that the devil isn't doing this to harm our bodies or to make us physically sick. He is doing this to steal our souls.

I think the same can be said for what he is doing in the world of health. Satan is polluting our minds with how we are to attain health. He lies to us and convinces us that we'll never be healthy without "that" medication. He lies and convinces many of us that we'll never truly be healthy. All the while, he is destroying families and stealing souls. Personally, I've seen three families (who are so close and dear to my heart) experience suicide as a result of prescription drug addictions. In each of these families, children were left without parents, and in two of them, grandchildren were left without the grandparents they so dearly loved. If that's not Satan, I don't know what it is.
BE ALERT! He wants to destroy all of us, and he'll use whatever means necessary. He cannot physically harm us, but he is the "Father of lies" and knows how to push our buttons. He knows where we're vulnerable. His is coming for you and your family!

Some of you are probably thinking that I'm going a little overboard here. I don't think that I am. Families are being destroyed. The drugs most abused by teenagers are PRESCRIPTION DRUGS!!! The thing is that there is a vicious cycle going on, and I feel like it's going over the heads of so many. Think about this...
At least once or twice a week, I see one of the "Anti-drug" commercials that is focusing on teenage prescription drug abuse. They are trying to stop it. However, their method isn't working. Why? Because when our teenagers are tiny kids, we are shoving medications down their throats every time they don't feel great. By doing this, we are convincing our very own children that they get healing and fulfillment from medication. It makes sense to me that as they grow older, they take these medications to escape feelings of insecurity, distress, abandonment, emotional hurts, etc.

So what are we so confused about? I see it in Christian families all the time. They want to tell everyone not to drink alcohol or to get drunk because the Bible says it's wrong.
According to Hosea 4:11, The Lord says, "Wine, both old and new, is robbing my people of their senses!" (TEV)
Then, in Ephesians 5:18, " Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you."

I, personally, don't believe that this applies just to wine. I think it applies to wine, beer, vodka, liquor, drugs (both prescription and non-prescription). Drugs are robbing us of our minds...just as much or more than alcohol is. We are being drunk and polluted on mind-altering medications...drugs! It's time to do something about this!!!

I've kind of gotten off on some tangents on this post. Sorry! If I offended you, I'm sorry about that too. I am just SO PASSIONATE about this. I am tired of seeing families destroyed and especially our sweet children who don't have a choice. Check out the Singulair article. Here is an excerpt:

With sales of $4.3 billion last year, Singulair is used by millions of patients in the U.S, according to Merck. First approved in 1998, it's part of a class of asthma and allergy drugs that includes AstraZeneca's Accolate and Critical Therapeutics's Zyflo.

Does it make sense that Merck wouldn't want us to find out the potential risks associated with Singulair? It's a huge cash cow for them! To me, I would rather deal with allergy issues than want to kill myself, but hey, that's just me.

If you are struggling with allergies, I encourage you to try a wellness chiropractor. In our office, we have so many patients that have come in because of low back or neck pain, only to be surprised that their allergy problems disappear as well. It is so funny (and encouraging) to hear their testimonies. They are always shocked, and I love it! As for our family, none of us struggle with these allergy issues. It is such a blessing! We make sure to keep ourselves (and especially our boys) well adjusted. Channing and I both get deep tissue massages once a month (that helps too!).

You can be healthy too! Please seek natural alternatives for yourself and your families whenever possible. Your kids deserve it, and you do too!

7 Ills That Don't Need Pills

According to the April 2008 issue of the Harvard Health Letter, researchers have found and described how seven common conditions can be managed without the use of medication. They explain that in many cases, "the nonpharmacological approach can do as much or more than pills." Check out this article to see if you or someone you know falls into one of these categories.

The Truth About Chiropractic

After a week long hiatus, I'm back. Last week was super busy, so I wasn't able to get anything posted. In addition, I'm still trying to find balance with my family, work, and keeping people informed on the health information I'm finding. So far, finding balance hasn't been easy for me, but I'm working on it. :)

I found this article today on mercola.com and wanted to share it. It was written by Dr. Lloyd Fielder, a wellness chiropractor in Illinois. I strongly encourage you to read it. It will help you to better understand what wellness chiropractors, like my sweet husband, are trying to accomplish and why.

The article is about three or four pages and will take you more than two seconds to read, but I assure you, it is worth every minute. Your health is SO important and definitely worth the five minutes it may take you to read the article.
Check it out:

The Truth About Chiropractic, And How it is Widely Misunderstood

Selling Sickness

Check out this article I saw on the home page of my hotmail account. Seriously, people, I'm not even having to seek this information. It is literally showing up everywhere I go.

And if you want to see The 10 Deadliest Drugs, check this out.

OR

FDA's Biggest Blunders

Drug Test Dummies

Off-Label Drugs and Medical Devices: Get the Facts

One More Great Quote from Dr. M

Ok, so as I was reading over Dr. Mendolsohn's quotes, I came across this one and had to share:

"What does a Catholic do when he decides that his priests are no good? Sometimes he directly challenges them, but very seldom. He just leaves the Church. And that’s my answer. Leave the Church of Modern Medicine. I see a lot of people doing that today. I see a lot of people going to chiropractors, for example, who wouldn’t have been caught dead in a chiropractor’s office a few years ago." Robert Mendelsohn, MD

A Great Quote from a Great Doc

I found this quote tonight from a doctor I have a huge amount of respect for, Robert Mendelsohn. When Tristan was a baby, a friend recommended the book, "How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor". The book was written by Dr. Mendelsohn and has been used as a referral source a lot around our home. If you don't have a copy already, you should check it out. It's slightly outdated (it was written in 1983) but filled with TONS of great health information. And for those of you out there who LOVE your medical doctors, you'll be glad to know that he was one.

Here is the quote I found:

"Despite the tendency of doctors to call modern medicine an 'inexact science', it is more accurate to say there is practically no science in modern medicine at all. Almost everything doctors do is based on a conjecture, a guess, a clinical impression, a whim, a hope, a wish, an opinion or a belief. In short, everything they do is based on anything but solid scientific evidence. Thus, medicine is not a science at all, but a belief system. Beliefs are held by every religion, including the Religion of Modern Medicine." Robert Mendelsohn MD

For more quotes for Dr. Mendelsohn, click this link.

Can We Trust the FDA?

That was one of the headlines I saw on my crisp new Reader's Digest that came in the mail. Immediately, it grabbed my attention. I already had my ideas and opinions about the FDA but was curious what Reader's Digest had uncovered. I flipped to the article and dug in. I'll share with you some of the more alarming information. Before I get started sharing, let me just say: If you believe your medicine is 100% ok because it was approved by the FDA, you need to read this article. If you are slightly questionable about the FDA, you need to read this article. Or if you're like me, and concerned about what is defined as "good" for you by the FDA, you need to read this article. It is eye-opening for those who feel completely safe with how the medicine in our country is being developed and dished out.

I'm going to share information in this article that really stands out. I am also going to take it upon myself to highlight those points I really think you should take note of.

Let's get started. The initial paragraph starts out with some disturbing information:

"Recent headlines have uncovered one shocking lapse after another at the Food and Drug Administration: A popular diabetes drug can sharply increase the risk of heart attack, a finding the agency knew but took two years to reveal. An FDA-approved antibiotic can destroy your liver in just five days (BABIES TOOK TH IS ANTIBIOTIC, PEOPLE!!!). And despite mounting concerns about the safety of Chinese-made drugs, the agency had only enough field inspectors last year to check a mere 13 of the 714 Chinese factories that produce medicines for U.S. consumers."

Scared yet?

"'Think your pacemaker, heart valve, microwave oven or morning vitamin was inspected?' asks former associate commissioner William Hubbard. 'Dream on.'"

In the article, FDA's own advisory Science Board describes the agency as "nearly out of control". They said they were "shocked and appalled" with the state of science in the organization. Garret Fitzgerald, an MD and a chairman of pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine compares the FDA to Hurricane Katrina. He says, "But we have to fix this before the hurricane hits." That's HUGE. Hurricane Katrina devastated so many families. Here, this man is saying that the FDA is about to (I say they already have) do the same thing if things don't change!

"Drug safety is perhaps the greatest concern. The respected Institute of Medicine, created in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, recently labeled the FDA's drug branch 'dysfunctional,' saying it muzzles scientific dissent, inadequately monitors drug safety and relies too heavily on drug company dollars."

The article describes one of the most recent troubles for the FDA. It was in 2004 when officials in the organization were at the receiving end of harsh criticism for "silencing" a scientist on their staff who "concluded that antidepressants could increase suicidal behavior in teens." In that very same year, the organization was "criticized for not acting quickly to take the painkiller Vioxx off the market after it was shown to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke."

Ok let's take a breather here. Think about what you've read already. AND you're trusting the medication that the FDA approves and you're putting it in your baby's body?! Please be cautious in dispensing medication to little ones. They don't have the power to choose!

The article describes some of the major problems within the FDA. The first mentioned is that they receive so much pressure from the industry. They have pressure to "speed decisions, and there's pressure to soft-pedal problems." So what they're telling us is that mediations are going on the market without adequate testing and with little to no follow-up testing. "Critics of the FDA like to say it's the best agency the pharmaceutical industry can buy."

They say that quicker approval of drugs can be beneficial if you need a life-saving drug on the market, but it often creates problems because, "The easiest way to make those deadlines is not to raise too many questions and just accept what the drug companies say about safety." This quote was made by a former FDA drug reviewer David Ross, MD. He goes on to say, "Too often, reviewers tel their FDA supervisors that a drug doesn't work or has a major safety problem and 'managers come up with contrived reasons to approve the drug anyway."

According to this article, there has been "an alarming spike in adverse drug reactions reported to the FDA recently, from 267,000 in 2000 to over 471,000 in 2006. And the number of reported deaths has nearly tripled, from 5,519 to 15,107.....That's only part of the story. The agency estimates that it learns of fewer than one in ten drug reactions." That WORRIES me! We are only hearing what is being reported. FEWER than one in ten is reported!!! According to Gwen Olsen's essay, that is because the drug companies make it so time-consuming for the MDs to report drug reactions. That make it seem "not worth the effort".

This article is so long, and I want to share everything in it, but I can't. I am going to share some more stand out quotes:

"Some risks of a new drug may not be revealed for years, until thousands or even millions have used it."

They list other problems within the FDA: sloppy record keeping, conflicts of interest, and muzzled experts.

"Many (FDA) staffers say they've felt pressure to soft pedal product dangers or suffer consequences."

Within the article, they share information and stories about an antibiotic that killed many people, including babies, by destroying their liver...in 3-5 days!!!

GET THIS MONTH'S READER'S DIGEST! April 2008. Read the WHOLE article. You won't be wasting your time, I promise. You need to see this information.

The Doctor Will See You Now

Check out this eye-opening essay written by Gwen Olson, a former pharmaceutical sales rep. She spent 15 years as a rep, working for large companies like Johnson & Johnson, Bristol -Myers Squibb, and Abbott Laboratories.
In this powerful essay, she shares some of her experiences working for Big Pharma. You need to see this. Check out this link.

After reading this essay, you should also check out her website. On it, she discusses her book,
"Confessions of an RX Drug Pusher: God's Call to Loving Arms".
On her site, she also has a short You Tube video detailing the experience that finally opened her eyes to the pharmaceutical industry. She had a terrible reaction to depression medication. Check it out: www.gwenolsen.com, or click this link.

Acute Otis Media...aka...Ear Infections

Chances are, if you have kids, you have had to deal with ear infections or know someone who has. It seems like every day I hear someone talking about their child and his/her second, third, or fourth ear infection. The people I hear talk about them are usually regular visitors to their pediatricians' offices, they've usually given their sweet babies round after round of antibiotics to get rid of this pesky problem, and are fearing the tubes (well, some are. Some don't think tubes are a big deal).

Every time I hear someone say their child has another ear infection and that they are heading to the pediatrician's office, I cringe. I cringe because I know the "solution" is going to be a prescription for antibiotics. I cringe because I know that a study published in the September 13, 2006 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows that "watchful waiting" is better than using antibiotics for the treatment of ear infections known as Acute Otitis Media (AOM). The study starts off by noting that AOM is the most common diagnosis for which antibiotics are prescribed to children. I cringe because, as lead researcher, David M. Spiro, MD, commented in a WebMD article, "In this country, 96% to 98% of physicians treat ear infections immediately with antibiotics, even though most cases will resolve on their own without treatment."

Most of us know or have heard about the superbugs that are being created due to our overuse and abuse of antibiotics. According to the Mayo Clinic, "Taking antibiotics when you don't need them actually can be harmful." Most people know, but don't adhere to, the fact that antibiotics are intended for bacterial infections, not viral. However, many are still prescribed antibiotics for viral infections. I got this chart off a Mayo Clinic page:

Bacterial infections cause:	Viral infections cause:
Some ear infections Severe sinus infections Strep throat Urinary tract infections Many wound and skin infections	Most ear infections Colds Influenza (flu) Most coughs Most sore throats Bronchitis Stomach flu (viral gastroenteritis)

They go on to say, "Superbugs emerge when an antibiotic fails to kill all of the bacteria it targets, and the surviving bacteria become resistant to that particular drug and frequently other antibiotics as well. Doctors then prescribe a stronger antibiotic, but the bacteria quickly learn to withstand the more potent drug as well, perpetuating a cycle in which increasingly powerful drugs are required to treat infections."

By giving your children antibiotics every time they get an ear infection, you are helping to create superbugs. You are, essentially, ensuring more problems to come as your child grows and ages...all in the name of "helping" your child.

When I hear my friends say their child has another ear infection, I want to tell them about chiropractic and how it can help, but I'm always a little resistant. I don't want anyone to ever think I'm trying to drum up business. I'm not about that at all. I just believe every child should be under wellness care by a wellness-centered chiropractor. It definitely does not have to be our office. I am always excited to refer people to wellness chiropractors located close to where they live.
Research has shown that chiropractic can help in the correction and prevention of AOM. Check out this article I got from chiropracticresearch.org.

I can honestly say, neither of my boys have ever had an ear infection...not one. We keep their spines adjusted because we know the importance of a healthy spine and its connection to overall health. I'll share more about this later. For now, be careful with your treatment of AOM. Try a wellness chiropractor. You'll be glad you did.

Do You Drink Diet Drinks?

Do you drink diet drinks or eat diet foods? If so, this image may change your habits. I hope so anyway. Check out this link to see what a woman discovered when she did a little experiment of her own.

Now THAT is scary! If you don't drink diet drinks, like me, I'm sure you know someone who does. I know people who drink several diet drinks a day. Can you imagine what all that aspartame is doing to their bodies? According to Mary Nash Stoddard, who presented research findings at a Tesla conference, shared the what aspartame contains and why it is so bad for us:

It's a synthetic compound. It's two amino acids: Phenylalanine 50% which lowers the seizure threshold in some individuals, and the head of Brain Science at MIT said that it causes seizures and can cause brain tumors. Aspartic Acid is 40% of the molecule and according to Dr. John Olney, the world expert on Aspartic Acid, who just held the News Conference in Washington, November the 18th, in connection with Aspartame and brain tumors, said that it caused lesions in the brains of lab animals. What's more, it changed the DNA ... which means that it will affect future generations. It skipped a generation and went on to the third generation in the lab animal experiments ... producing morbidly obese and sexually dysfunctional lab animals.

Did you catch the part about affecting FUTURE generations? So, when you drink these poisons, you're not only affecting yourself, but your children's children as well. Now THAT is scary! Exodus 20:5 says, "For I, the Lord, am a jealous God visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation." Ok, so I'm sure God wasn't specifically talking about Diet Cokes here, but it shows that these things we do here on Earth affect our children's children.

When asked if she really believed that the FDA would allow something so dangerous to be on the market, Stoddard replied with this:

Well, they actually would. We compare this to the cigarette issue because it's a very close parallel. How many cigarettes does it take to cause lung cancer or a stroke, or a heart attack? How many diet drinks do you have to consume to get a brain tumor? How many spoonfuls of Equal do you have to take to have a pancreatic tumor or liver damage? The answer is: We don't know exactly what amount because it does not show up in short term testing. It's the long term effect. I got into this in the first place because of children and the effect it is having on children. I saw the effects in my youngest, who began to have migraines when she started drinking this Kool Aid flavored drink (Crystal Light) that came in sample packets in the mail to us. She developed chest pains and heart attack-like symptoms ... which I took her to a Heart Specialist for. Finally, she was carried in from a school field trip, after having had a grand mal seizure.

Before I actually cared about my health (back in the days when I was most concerned about my figure and appearance), I tried to like diet drinks. I tried hard. I just never could acquire a taste for them. I praise God for that today. I know so many people (including people in my family and close friends that I dearly love) who drink a minimum of two diet drinks a day. A MINIMUM OF TWO! That means, some days they'll drink even more.

Aspartame is a known cancer-causing agent. An analysis published in the Journal of Oncology Practice, says the number of cancer patients and survivors will swell to 55% by 2020. It will grow to 18.2 million, up from 11.7 million in 2005.
Aspartame is not the lone contributor to cancer, of course, however, it appears to be contributing. Think about that before you buy that next pack of diet soda (I'm from the south, and typing 'soda' was incredibly difficult for me!).

The Death of Outrage

Here is another great newsletter from Dr. Dan Yachter. Thanks, Holly (and Heidi) for sharing this powerful information!
The Death of Outrage U.K. study casts doubt on antidepressant drugs
Researchers find placebos (sugar water) work just as well in many patients.
***Prozac, the bestselling antidepressant taken by 40 million people worldwide, does not work and nor do similar drugs in the same class, according to a major review released today.
The study examined all available data on the drugs, including results from clinical trials that the manufacturers chose not to publish at the time. The trials compared the effect on patients taking the drugs with those given a placebo or sugar pill. When all the data was pulled together, it appeared that patients had improved - but those on placebo improved just as much as those on the drugs. For more info. go to this link.
***Newly published research shows cholesterol medications have zero benefit in preventing heart disease or heart attack in patients without heart disease. Heart disease is now known to be caused by inflammation, high triglycerides/blood sugar, hormonal imbalances, with the primary cause being neurological/spinal interference. Side effects of Lipitor include: muscle wasting, brain fog, early dementia, and cancer. Zetia, one of the leading cholesterol medications on the market today, causes your arteries to clog twice as fast than if you were taking nothing at all - HELLO???
***Flu shot shown to have zero benefit in preventing the flu. It is impossible for this shot to work since it is based on the flu virus from 2 years previous - the flu strains from 2 years ago have mutated into something that has nothing to do with the flu this year. Are you still not sure about skipping the shot this year? You may want to find out what the ingredients are along with the fact that the mercury contained in the shot loves to find its way to the brain and cause serious deterioration. Besides, almost every single one of my patients who has ever gotten the flu shot has also gotten the Flu - HELLO???
Why are we so worried about terrorists and their chemicals, when
BIG PHARMA HAS ALREADY WAGED biochemical warfare ON AMERICA?
How is BIG PHARMA getting away with this? Cholesterol meds. earn $26 billion/yr., antidepressants rake in $76 billion/yr., and the flu shot generates millions upon millions as well. Yet, these drugs are doing nothing for our society except making people sicker.
Where is the outrage?
Why aren't these people being stopped? Is anybody out there???? Why is our country not responding? Are Americans asleep at the wheel? Is there anybody who cares anymore? Why are we letting BIG PHARMA destroy the families of our community? Tomorrow will be business as usual. Doctors will continue to prescribe these drugs and patients will continue to be compliant. Nothing is going to change - unless you and I do something about it!
Until we stop monkeying around with God's creation, our great country will continue to get sicker and will continually be ranked as having the worst sickness and disease levels in the world. As long as we think that we are smarter than the body and we can manipulate human biochemistry without regard for consequences, Big Pharma will continue to wreck the health of our country. "We don't know one millionth of one percent about anything!"---Thomas Edison
Along with doing your best at avoiding the above dangerous medications, the top activity an individual can do on a regular basis is to have their nerve system checked for interference. The power that made the body; heals the body! God needs no help to heal, just no interference.
The nerve system (housed within the spine) can be interfered with when the spine moves out of proper position. The brain/nerve system, which controls every aspect of function in the human body, is then blocked from sending life-giving messages out to every cell, tissue and organ of the body. The only way to be truly healthy is to remove as many interferences as possible to the normal health and vitality levels of an individual. The 3 main ways to interfere are physical (subluxation), chemical, and emotional. The most common interference of the 3 is physical: Bones out of alignment, electrically disturbing the normal flow of life to the body.
If we are to rebuild the well-being of our community and teach them what true health and healing really is, we must first start with the nerve system.

On my other blog, I published a couple of posts detailing my personal feelings about depression and the dangers of depression medication. One of the posts has a video describing the dangers of of the medication used to "manage" depression. Check it out. It is eye-opening.

Not So Big News

Not that we didn't already know this, but I found this quote today and thought I would share:

"89% of doctors rely on drug company salesmen for their information." -The Australian Doctor 1989.

Drugs in our Drinking Water

If you've watched the news today, I'm sure you saw that an AP probe found drugs in our drinking water. They say these pharmaceuticals are affecting wildlife and "may be affecting humans". Let me just stop there. They say it is affecting wildlife and may be affecting us. Does that make a bit of sense to you? If it IS affecting wildlife, then it IS affecting us as well. I don't see what's so hard to understand. Seriously, people. Here I am trying to raise my kids medication-free, but we're still being exposed...in our water!
According to an article I got off of abcnews.com, "A vast array of pharmaceuticals-including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers sex hormones- have been found in the drinking water of at least 41 million Americans."
It goes on to say, "...the presence of so many prescription drugs-and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen- in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among the scientists of long-term consequences to human health."
Worries should be heightened! This is dangerous!
"Water providers rarely disclose results of pharmaceutical screenings, unless pressed (shocker, right?), the AP found." They fear that if they share these things that the public will be "unduly alarmed." Unduly alarmed?! Seriously? I think our alarm is very warranted.
Please check out the whole article via this link. You need to know what's in your water.
They say the only way to filter these chemicals is through reverse osmosis. Channing and I buy purified water that we drink, and the only kind we buy that that has been purified by reverse osmosis. However, this has "lit the fire" for me to purchase a reverse osmosis filter for our home. I've needed to do that anyway, because bottled water has its own problems. Check out this article from mercola.com.
The thing is, not only are we cooking with this water and drinking it, we are also bathing in it, brushing our teeth with it, soaking our babies in it. This is scary stuff!

Dr. Gupta's Blog

Check out this link to Dr.Gupta's blog on CNN. While I may not agree completely with what he has to say, I thought I would share his opinion, as well as the opinion of those who have posted comments on his blog. Some of the comments are from parents with autistic children.
If you visit his blog, you will see both sides of the debate. You already know where I stand, but my greatest hope is that you will question your own beliefs and do some of your own research. I can't say it enough. Even if you don't agree with me, you need to know exactly why you don't agree. Empower yourself...research both sides. I have, that's why I can be confident in my decision not to vaccinate. Can you be confident in your decision to or not to vaccinate?
I encourage you to visit Dr. Gupta's blog and see how other people in the country feel about the vaccine/autism connection.

Anemia Drug: Take Note

While my greatest passion is children's health (because they aren't capable of making decisions for themselves), I will be sharing other information I come across. I found this article on cnn.com today. If you or someone you know has anemia, take note:

Agmen says risks of death and accelerated cancer will be added to anemia drug labels.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Drugmaker Amgen Inc. says regulators have added new warnings about risks of death and tumor growth to its blockbuster anemia drugs.

The new warnings approved Friday by the Food and Drug Administration warn that the company's drugs increased death and accelerated tumor growth in patients with several types of cancer, including breast and cervical. Prior labeling added to the drugs in November warned of similar risks in other types of cancers.

The warnings apply to Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based Amgen's Aranesp and Epogen, as well as Procit, sold by New Brunswick, N.J-based Johnson & Johnson (JNJ, Fortune 500). The drugs treat the blood-disorder anemia in patients with kidney failure or who are undergoing chemotherapy.

Labeling approved by FDA said risks occurred when doctors treated patients with elevated levels of the drugs, which stimulate red blood cell levels.

The action by FDA and the drugmakers comes less than a week before a meeting where government advisers are scheduled to review the risks of the blockbuster medications.

Since FDA began scrutinizing the drugs last March, shares of Amgen have sunk 27%. U.S. sales of its anemia treatments fell 25% to $6.3 billion for the year.

Wall Street analysts expect sales to fall further in 2008 following next week's review by FDA's experts. The panel could recommend halting use of the drugs for certain types of cancer patients, or in all cancer patients.

If FDA removes only some cancer indications, Amgen sales this year would fall another $150 million to $250 million to just over $6 billion, according to estimates by Goldman Sachs' analyst May-Kin Ho.

Shares of Amgen (AMGN, Fortune 500) rose 1.02 cents, or 2.3%, Friday in after hours trading, following an earlier close at $44.18.

Vaccines and Autism: The Poling Family

Government Concedes Vaccine-Autism

I hope you've all seen this on the news. It's definitely a step in the right direction! (Thanks to Jenni for sending this article!!!). I saw this family on Larry King Live last night and again on Good Morning America this morning. As soon as the video is uploaded to YouTube, I'm going to post the interview from GMA.

After years of insisting there is no evidence to link vaccines with the onset of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the US government has quietly conceded a vaccine-autism case in the Court of Federal Claims.

The unprecedented concession was filed on November 9, and sealed to protect the plaintiff's identify. It was obtained through individuals unrelated to the case.

The claim, one of 4,900 autism cases currently pending in Federal "Vaccine Court," was conceded by US Assistant Attorney General Peter Keisler and other Justice Department officials, on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services, the "defendant" in all Vaccine Court cases.

The child's claim against the government -- that mercury-containing vaccines were the cause of her autism -- was supposed to be one of three "test cases" for the thimerosal-autism theory currently under consideration by a three-member panel of Special Masters, the presiding justices in Federal Claims Court.

Keisler wrote that medical personnel at the HHS Division of Vaccine Injury Compensation (DVIC) had reviewed the case and "concluded that compensation is appropriate."

The doctors conceded that the child was healthy and developing normally until her 18-month well-baby visit, when she received vaccinations against nine different diseases all at once (two contained thimerosal).

Days later, the girl began spiraling downward into a cascade of illnesses and setbacks that, within months, presented as symptoms of autism, including: No response to verbal direction; loss of language skills; no eye contact; loss of "relatedness;" insomnia; incessant screaming; arching; and "watching the florescent lights repeatedly during examination."

Seven months after vaccination, the patient was diagnosed by Dr. Andrew Zimmerman, a leading neurologist at the Kennedy Krieger Children's Hospital Neurology Clinic, with "regressive encephalopathy (brain disease) with features consistent with autistic spectrum disorder, following normal development." The girl also met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) official criteria for autism.

In its written concession, the government said the child had a pre-existing mitochondrial disorder that was "aggravated" by her shots, and which ultimately resulted in an ASD diagnosis.

"The vaccinations received on July 19, 2000, significantly aggravated an underlying mitochondrial disorder," the concession says, "which predisposed her to deficits in cellular energy metabolism, and manifested as a regressive encephalopathy with features of ASD."

This statement is good news for the girl and her family, who will now be compensated for the lifetime of care she will require. But its implications for the larger vaccine-autism debate, and for public health policy in general, are not as certain.

In fact, the government's concession seems to raise more questions than it answers.

1) Is there a connection between vaccines, mitochondrial disorders and a diagnosis of autism, at least in some cases?

Mitochondria, you may recall from biology class, are the little powerhouses within cells that convert food into electrical energy, partly through a complex process called "oxidative phosphorylation." If this process is impaired, mitochondrial disorder will ensue.

The child in this case had several markers for Mt disease, which was confirmed by muscle biopsy. Mt disease is often marked by lethargy, poor muscle tone, poor food digestion and bowel problems, something found in many children diagnosed with autism.

But mitochondrial disorders are rare in the general population, affecting some 2-per-10,000 people (or just 0.2%). So with 4,900 cases filed in Vaccine Court, this case should be the one and only, extremely rare instance of Mt disease in all the autism proceedings.

But it is not.

Mitochondrial disorders are now thought to be the most common disease associated with ASD. Some journal articles and other analyses have estimated that 10% to 20% of all autism cases may involve mitochondrial disorders, which would make them one thousand times more common among people with ASD than the general population.

Another article, published in the Journal of Child Neurology and co-authored by Dr. Zimmerman, showed that 38% of Kennedy Krieger Institute autism patients studied had one marker for impaired oxidative phosphorylation, and 47% had a second marker.

The authors -- who reported on a case-study of the same autism claim conceded in Vaccine Court -- noted that "children who have (mitochondrial-related) dysfunctional cellular energy metabolism might be more prone to undergo autistic regression between 18 and 30 months of age if they also have infections or immunizations at the same time."

An interesting aspect of Mt disease in autism is that, with ASD, the mitochondrial disease seems to be milder than in "classic" cases of Mt disorder. In fact, classic Mt disease is almost always inherited, either passed down by the mother through mitochondrial DNA, or by both parents through nuclear DNA.

In autism-related Mt disease, however, the disorder is not typically found in other family members, and instead appears to be largely of the sporadic variety, which may now account for 75% of all mitochondrial disorders.

Meanwhile, an informal survey of seven families of children with cases currently pending in Vaccine Court revealed that all seven showed markers for mitochondrial dysfunction, dating back to their earliest medical tests. The facts in all seven claims mirror the case just conceded by the government: Normal development followed by vaccination, immediate illness, and rapid decline culminating in an autism diagnosis.

2) With 4,900 cases pending, and more coming, will the government concede those with underlying Mt disease -- and if it not, will the Court award compensation?

The Court will soon begin processing the 4900 cases pending before it. What if 10% to 20% of them can demonstrate the same Mt disease and same set of facts as those in the conceded case? Would the government be obliged to concede 500, or even 1,000 cases? What impact would that have on public opinion? And is there enough money currently in the vaccine injury fund to cover so many settlements?

When asked for a comment last week about the court settlement, a spokesman for HHS furnished the following written statement:

"DVIC has reviewed the scientific information concerning the allegation that vaccines cause autism and has found no credible evidence to support the claim. Accordingly, in every case under the Vaccine Act, DVIC has maintained the position that vaccines do not cause autism, and has never concluded in any case that autism was caused by vaccination."

3) If the government is claiming that vaccines did not "cause" autism, but instead aggravated a condition to "manifest" as autism, isn't that a very fine distinction?

For most affected families, such linguistic gymnastics is not so important. And even if a vaccine injury "manifested" as autism in only one case, isn't that still a significant development worthy of informing the public?

On the other hand, perhaps what the government is claiming is that vaccination resulted in the symptoms of autism, but not in an actual, factually correct diagnosis of autism itself.

4) If the government is claiming that this child does NOT have autism, then how many other children might also have something else that merely "mimics" autism?

Is it possible that 10%-20% of the cases that we now label as "autism," are not autism at all, but rather some previously undefined "look-alike" syndrome that merely presents as "features" of autism?

This question gets to the heart of what autism actually is. The disorder is defined solely as a collection of features, nothing more. If you have the features (and the diagnosis), you have the disorder. The underlying biology is the great unknown.

But let's say the government does determine that these kids don't have actual "autism" (something I speculated on HuffPost a year ago). Then shouldn't the Feds go back and test all people with ASD for impaired oxidative phosphorylation, perhaps reclassifying many of them?

If so, will we then see "autism" cases drop by tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people? Will there be a corresponding ascension of a newly described disorder, perhaps something like "Vaccine Aggravated Mitochondrial Disease with Features of ASD?"

And if this child was technically "misdiagnosed" with DSM-IV autism by Dr Zimmerman, how does he feel about HHS doctors issuing a second opinion re-diagnosis of his patient, whom they presumably had neither met nor examined? (Zimmerman declined an interview).

And along those lines, aren't Bush administration officials somewhat wary of making long-distance, retroactive diagnoses from Washington, given that the Terry Schiavo incident has not yet faded from national memory?

5) Was this child's Mt disease caused by a genetic mutation, as the government implies, and wouldn't that have manifested as "ASD features" anyway?

In the concession, the government notes that the patient had a "single nucleotide change" in the mitochondrial DNA gene T2387C, implying that this was the underlying cause of her manifested "features" of autism.

While it's true that some inherited forms of Mt disease can manifest as developmental delays, (and even ASD in the form of Rhett Syndrome) these forms are linked to identified genetic mutations, of which T2387C is not involved. In fact little, if anything, is known about the function of this particular gene.

What's more, there is no evidence that this girl, prior to vaccination, suffered from any kind of "disorder" at all- genetic, mitochondrial or otherwise. Some forms of Mt disease are so mild that the person is unaware of being affected. This perfectly developing girl may have had Mt disorder at the time of vaccination, but nobody detected, or even suspected it.

And, there is no evidence to suggest that this girl would have regressed into symptoms consistent with a DSM-IV autism diagnosis without her vaccinations. If there was such evidence, then why on earth would these extremely well-funded government attorneys compensate this alleged injury in Vaccine Court? Why wouldn't they move to dismiss, or at least fight the case at trial?

6) What are the implications for research?

The concession raises at least two critical research questions: What are the causes of Mt dysfunction; and how could vaccines aggravate that dysfunction to the point of "autistic features?"

While some Mt disorders are clearly inherited, the "sporadic" form is thought to account for 75% of all cases, according to the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. So what causes sporadic Mt disease? "Medicines or other toxins," says the Cleveland Clinic, a leading authority on the subject.

Use of the AIDS drug AZT, for example, can cause Mt disorders by deleting large segments of mitochondrial DNA. If that is the case, might other exposures to drugs or toxins (i.e., thimerosal, mercury in fish, air pollution, pesticides, live viruses) also cause sporadic Mt disease in certain subsets of children, through similar genotoxic mechanisms?

Among the prime cellular targets of mercury are mitochondria, and thimerosal-induced cell death has been associated with the depolarization of mitochondrial membrane, according to the International Journal of Molecular Medicine among several others. (Coincidently, the first case of Mt disease was diagnosed in 1959, just 15 years after the first autism case was named, and two decades after thimerosal's introduction as a vaccine preservative.)

Regardless of its cause, shouldn't HHS sponsor research into Mt disease and the biological mechanisms by which vaccines could aggravate the disorder? We still do not know what it was, exactly, about this girl's vaccines that aggravated her condition. Was it the thimerosal? The three live viruses? The two attenuated viruses? Other ingredients like aluminum? A combination of the above?

And of course, if vaccine injuries can aggravate Mt disease to the point of manifesting as autism features, then what other underlying disorders or conditions (genetic, autoimmune, allergic, etc.) might also be aggravated to the same extent?

7) What are the implications for medicine and public health?

Should the government develop and approve new treatments for "aggravated mitochondrial disease with ASD features?" Interestingly, many of the treatments currently deployed in Mt disease (i.e., coenzyme Q10, vitamin B-12, lipoic acid, biotin, dietary changes, etc.) are part of the alternative treatment regimen that many parents use on their children with ASD.

And, if a significant minority of autism cases can be linked to Mt disease and vaccines, shouldn't these products one day carry an FDA Black Box warning label, and shouldn't children with Mt disorders be exempt from mandatory immunization?

8) What are the implications for the vaccine-autism debate?

It's too early to tell. But this concession could conceivably make it more difficult for some officials to continue insisting there is "absolutely no link" between vaccines and autism.

It also puts the Federal Government's Vaccine Court defense strategy somewhat into jeopardy. DOJ lawyers and witnesses have argued that autism is genetic, with no evidence to support an environmental component. And, they insist, it's simply impossible to construct a chain of events linking immunizations to the disorder.

Government officials may need to rethink their legal strategy, as well as their public relations campaigns, given their own slightly contradictory concession in this case.

9) What is the bottom line here?

The public, (including world leaders) will demand to know what is going on inside the US Federal health establishment. Yes, as of now, n=1, a solitary vaccine-autism concession. But what if n=10% or 20%? Who will pay to clean up that mess?

The significance of this concession will unfortunately be fought over in the usual, vitriolic way -- and I fully expect to be slammed for even raising these questions. Despite that, the language of this concession cannot be changed, or swept away.

Its key words are "aggravated" and "manifested." Without the aggravation of the vaccines, it is uncertain that the manifestation would have occurred at all.

When a kid with peanut allergy eats a peanut and dies, we don't say "his underlying metabolic condition was significantly aggravated to the extent of manifesting as an anaphylactic shock with features of death."

No, we say the peanut killed the poor boy. Remove the peanut from the equation, and he would still be with us today.

Many people look forward to hearing more from HHS officials about why they are settling this claim. But whatever their explanation, they cannot change the fundamental facts of this extraordinary case:

The United State government is compensating at least one child for vaccine injuries that resulted in a diagnosis of autism.

And that is big news, no matter how you want to say it.

NOTE: Full text of the government's statement is posted here.

David Kirby is the author of "Evidence of Harm - Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic, A Medical Controversy" (St. Martins Press 2005.

I hope this is the first of many cases where parents receive the compensation they're due. It won't cure their kids, but it will force the CDC to admit that vaccines are harming thousands of children every day.

Seriously...It Works!

If you have been a reader of my other blog for at least a month, you've seen my post about using peroxide to prevent or alleviate symptoms related to colds and flus. If not, let me catch you up. According to an article I read on mercola.com:

In 1928 Richard Simmons, M.D. hypothesized that colds and flu virus enter through the ear canal. His findings were dismissed by the medical community. According to Dr. Simmons, contrary to what you may think or have been taught about how you catch the flu or the cold there is only one way that you can catch the two, and that's via the ear canal not through the eyes or nose or mouth as most have believed.

In 1938 German researchers had great success using hydrogen peroxide in dealing with colds and the flu. Their data has been ignored for over 60 years.

It is important to begin treatment as soon as symptoms appear. If treatment is started promptly effectiveness seems to be in the 80% range.

We have found remarkable results in curing the flu & cold within 12 to 14 hours when administering a few drops of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) into each infected ear, (sometimes only one ear is infected) The H2O2 starts working within 2 to 3 minutes in killing the flu or cold; there will be some bubbling and in some cases mild stinging occurs.

Wait until the bubbling & stinging subside (usually 5 to 10 min) then drain onto tissue and repeat other ear. A bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide in 3% solution is available at any drug store for a couple of dollars.

The article goes on to say to repeat this every four hours.
When I first read this, I thought it was crazy but decided to try it anyway. Guess what?! It WORKED! I had the beginnings of a cold, and it completely dried it up. Tristan and Asher were both having cold symptoms, I put the peroxide in their ears...GONE! No more cold symptoms! AMAZING!
Every time I start to get a sore throat or runny nose, I do the peroxide, and it disappears. After the first time of doing "Rice Krispies" in his ear, Tristan refused to allow me to do it again (much to my dismay). That is until last weekend. Last weekend, he had a horrible cough. It kept him awake most of the night Friday night and even more Saturday night. On Sunday, we kept him out of church because we didn't want to spread the cough. Finally, Sunday evening he was coughing so hard, I told him we were going to give him some honey. He agreed, and I got a spoonful out. He tasted it and immediately turned up nose. He said it was "yucky". So I told him he would either have to take honey or do "Rice Krispie" ears. He picked "Rice Krispie" ears. So Channing adjusted his spine, and I got out the peroxide. I did one ear, told a story, did the other ear, told another story then he went to bed. HE HAD TWO COUGHS ALL NIGHT! TWO! Minutes before he couldn't stop coughing. SERIOUSLY! The next day, two coughs...all day!
I've had similar results doing it with Asher. It is the craziest thing.
I am so sold on this theory because I have seen the results firsthand. It's funny because every time I share this with someone (and I'm sharing it a lot), they ask (if they don't ask it, they're thinking it), "Do you think it works because you want it to work?" Kind of like a trick of the mind. I would say maybe so, but it works for my kids too. I've given Tristan the zinc lozenges, and they didn't work. The peroxide WORKS. I would think that if it were a trick of the mind, the lozenges would work for him.
Please try this. It beats cough medicine, which they say not to give kids anyway. Since finding and sharing this information with others, I've had lots of success stories. It may not work every time, but if it works half the time, you're better off.
Try it and let me know if it works for you.

Just ONE

This was sent to me by a great friend who also has concerns about the hidden dangers lurking in medication (thanks, Holly!). It originated from Dan Yachter, an awesome chiropractor in Florida.
Check out this disturbing information:

JUST ONE! Harvard University and National Cancer Research Journals now confirm that ONE Asprin or Tylenol each day will cause up to 80% increased risk for Cancer and Heart Disease.

• Take ONE 50mg. pill of Vioxx for 5 days? A study undertaken two years ago showed that this increases the chances of getting coronary artery disease by 70%. Lancet Oct 5, 2002
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• A University of Washington study found that if you filled 25 or more prescriptions for antibiotics over 17 years, you double your risk of cancer (TIME, Dec. 6, 2004). This equates into taking less than ONE antibiotic each year, an activity in which almost every American participates.
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• Infants exposed to ONE single round of antibiotics during their first years of life are twice as likely to develop asthma as those who don't. The more courses of antibiotics, the worse the immuntity and the greater the risk of asthma. (Newsday, March 6, 2006)
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• Take ONE Benadryl for your allergies, and here are your possible side-effects: Difficulty breathing, closing of your throat, swelling of your lips, tongue, or face, hives, sleepiness, fatigue, dizziness, headache, dry mouth, difficulty urinating, enlarged prostate, and a dramatic reduction in energy.
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• Take ONE Asprin per day? Daily Asprin intake shows a significantly increased risk of pancreatic cancer among women. This cancer is fatal 90% of the time. Source: American Association for Cancer Research, October 27, 2003
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• Take just ONE Crestor pill/day to lower your cholesterol? THis drug has been shown to cause 75 times the level of kidney damage than other statin drugs. Public Citizen Oct 29, 2004
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• ONE vaccination can leave your child with brain damage or worse, a form of Autism: Children are 27 times more likely to develop Autism when exposed to vaccines containing mercury: Lori Mcllwain, National Autism Association, (919) 272-8192/ Studies suggest that there is a link between neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Autism, and mercury exposure from thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines. Centers for Disease Control, Jan. 16, 2004
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• Taking just ONE pain killer can cause death. There are over 16,500 deaths from NSAIDS (Pain Killers) each year in the hospitals alone. JAMA July 26, 2000 Vol. 284. Just as many die from AIDS each year!
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• Thinking of taking a cough suppressant or giving to your child just ONE time: cough suppressant is linked to Birth Defects: Dextromethorphan, the major ingredient in most OTSC cough medicines, has been shown to cause birth defects. Source: Pediatric Research, January 1998:43:1-7
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• Taking cold medications like Robitussin, Triaminic, PediaCare, Comtrex, etc. just ONE time can cause stroke, brain bleeding, and seizures. THis year, the FDA completely banned these cold medications for adults and children, especially under the age of 6.
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• L.A. Times states: Antibiotics aren't the answer to treating Sinus infections: "The widespread use of standard antibiotics to treat sinus infections does not help cure patients and taking just ONE round may harm them by increasing their resistance to the drugs."

Below is more truth as it applies to some of the most commonly ingested pharmaceuticals in the world:

1. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) use is the number-one reason for acute liver failure in the United States. It is also responsible for 8 percent to 10 percent of the end-stage renal disease in the U.S. The New England Journal of Medicine, December 20, 2001; 345: 1801-1808. Hepatology Volume 40, Issue 1, Pages 6-9.
   Published Online: 30 Jun 2004, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
2. In 2004, the American Academy of Pediatricians reversed its guidelines, pointing out that in more than 80 percent of the children with ear infections, symptoms would subside on their own, without the need for antibiotics.
3. DO NOT take antibiotics or any of the above drugs without the facts!
4. The flu shot and childhood vaccines can be deadly. We have been told to get flu shots that contain mercury, formaldehyde, aluminum and many other dangerous chemicals! Now according to the Vaccine Journal, they said, "Flu vaccines offer no protection and have never saved any lives." *Mercury!!! 2nd most dangerous substance on Earth. Destroys the nervous system and immune system. Associated with Multiple Sclerosis, Central Nervous System Disorders, Autism, and Alzheimer's Disease! *Ethylene glycol (antifreeze) Exposure to ethylene glycol can damage the kidneys, heart, and nervous system,. *Phenol (disenfectant) Exposure to phenol can produce skin burns, liver damage, dark urine, irregular heartbeat, and even death. *Formaldehyde (known cancer-causing agent) *Neomycin and Streptomycin (antibiotics) *Aluminum associated with Alzheimer's Disease and seizures and also cancer-producing in laboratory mice. Is this something you want to inject directly into your blood or your children's?
5. The flu vaccine is manufactured to fight the flu from 2 years previous, so it is IMPOSSIBLE for this year's flu vaccine to protect you against this year's exact strain of circulating flu virus!
6. According to Hugh Fudenburg, MD, one of the world's prmier immunogeneticists, the chance of getting Alzheimer's is ten times higher if an individual has had 5 consecutive flu shots (this is due to the Mercury). Dr. Fudenburg is the 13th most quoted biologist in the world today.
7. A British Medical Journal shows the medical profession to only be about 4% scientific. http://www.vet-task-force.com/CtiM.htm "Our drugs don't work." Dr. Allen Roses, worldwide vice-president of Genetics at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Britain's giant pharmaceutical company, acknowledged at a scientific meeting in London that fewer than half of the patients prescribed some of the most expensive drugs actually derived any benefit from them.

Kind of puts things in perspective, huh? I encourage you to RESEARCH! I had a dear dear friend say that she didn't have time to research. The scary thing is that if you don't research first, you could be spending a whole lot more time dealing with a side-effect. Some people spend a lifetime, others lose all the time they'd hoped to have with a loved one.

Thanks, Holly, for sharing this info.
You can vist yachterhealth.com for more great information. He's an outstanding doctor!

The Flu Vaccine

With so many people getting sick with the flu this year, I thought I would share what I've found about the flu vaccine. Each year, the panic marketing spreads. I know you've seen it in magazines, heard it on the radio, seen the commercials, and have seen the signs up at churches, grocery stores, and pharmacies all over town: This is the year of the flu epidemic. HURRY and get your vaccination before we run out! The flu is going to kill babies and elderly! HURRY! HURRY! Get your vaccine before it's too late!!!

As far as I know, I've never had a flu shot. I know I haven't during my adult life, and I feel pretty positive I didn't have one as a child. Somehow, I've managed to survive. I think I may have had the flu once, but it wasn't memorable enough for me to remember it. Anyway, the past two years it's been crazy how much marketing has gone into the flu vaccine. Maybe it's like that every year. I don't know, but I've never noticed it as much as the past two years. The panic was astounding. Everyone was running out of the flu vaccine, and it had parents fearing for their chilren's lives. Guess what? No flu epidemic. The funny thing is, this year they had more than enough flu vaccine for everyone. Lots of people rushed out and got it. Hmmm...this happened to be the year of the flu epidemic (ok, maybe not an epidemic, but I've never known of so many people to get the flu). Imagine that. The story is that this year's flu vaccine was only a match for 40% of the flu virus that was spreading. Soooo...people rushed out to get their vaccine, only to find that it didn't work.

You should know that the flu vaccine is not a harmless shot (or mist). There are a lot of dangerous chemicals in it including, but not limited to:

• thimerosal (a mercury disenfectant/preservative) can result in brain injury and autoimmune disease
• ethylene glycol (antifreeze)
• phenol (this is used as a disenfectant, dye)
• aluminum (associated with Alzheimer's disease and seizures; also cancer-producing in laboratory mice. It is used as an additive to promote antibody response).

Check out this information on putchildrenfirst.org. They have even more information about the flu vaccine, the CDC's studies, and side effects. Check it out. It won't take a lot of time, but it could save you or someone you love a severe reaction. One quote from their information that really grabbed my attention was the following:

Many are surprised to learn that the Thimerosal bottle label has a skull and crossbones on it. If a bottle of Thimerosal were spilled inside a school or office, the entire building would have to be evacuated and a hazardous waste clean-up initiated.

And they're putting that in your vaccine (in most states). Sound safe to you? I'm no genius, and I have no medical degree. My degree is in elementary/special education. However, it doesn't seem difficult to understand. It's dangerous. Why would I give that to my child? I'll take my chances with the flu, thank you very much.

As one of our wonderful patients pointed out...The medical community discourages pregnant women from eating most types of fish while they're pregnant due to the mercury content. However, they'll then turn around and all but force you to get a flu shot...containing mercury, more mercury than you would get in a piece of fish. Does that make sense to you?

I have a lot more to say but not a lot of time, so I'll end today with this youtube recording. It's only two minutes. Take a listen:



If you do get a flu shot, please request a mercury-free vaccine (if that's even possible; according to the recording on youtube, they all have trace amounts).
The best way to avoid the flu is by washing your hands often, eating healthy, avoiding sugar, and keeping your spine in line. :)

Are We?

Phthalates in Baby Products

I don't know if you saw this in the news last month, so I thought I would pass it along. Check out this article on msnbc.com about chemicals in the lotions and baby products we're using on our precious babies (This was national news; not just on my natural health websites). I had NO IDEA! I felt horrible after reading this because I have loaded my boys up on these products since the day they were born. The information I've read says that you should be most concerned about phthalates from 0-8 months, so unfortunately, I got on the boat a little late. I am not going to just stick to 0-8 months. I am now transitioning to safer product for the boys and plan to continue to use safe products for them from now on.
I can't tell you how sad it makes me, though. I LOVE Johnson & Johnson baby lotion! :(
During my research I found this fabulous website. On it, you can do searches for all the cosmetic items you use: shampoos, conditioners, lotion, make-up, chapstick, etc. It's great and has shown me the different dangers certain products contain. Even better, it has shown me the products that are the safest. Each product is ranked from 0-10 based on safety. I am so thankful for this site! I found the most effective way to find safe products on this site is to type in the kind of product you're searching for. For instance, I was looking for baby lotion, so I did a search of baby lotions and found several safe options.
One thing I was also disappointed to learn is that Arbonne baby lotion didn't get a great score. :( That really surprised me because once I heard the news about phthalates, I switched to Arbonne Baby because I assumed it was safe. Based on Cosmetic Database, I was wrong. Who knew?
When it comes to phthalates, be careful. It's not just in the lotions and shampoos you use on your babies, it's also found in some sippy cups, plastic spoons, etc. In this day and age when Alzheimers and Cancer is growing at alarming rates, it's good to be as safe as possible. That's my opinion, anyway.

Get Ready for Controversy

If you're visiting this blog in hopes of finding funny stories that will make you laugh and will provide light entertainment, you've come to the wrong place. After prayerful thought and consideration, I decided to start this blog so that I could share the health information I come across daily. My hope is that I will influence you to make educated decisions regarding your health, to encourage you to stop following the crowd, and that you will research health options that are best for you.
Too many of us base our health decisions on what we hear at the doctor's office or on drug commercials. I think it's time we learn more about what we're putting into our bodies, good and bad.
I want to let you know, up front, that I am not anti-medication or anti-medical doctor. On the contrary, I believe that medicine is a powerful and effective tool in crisis situations. I applaud all the doctors out there who are working to save lives and provide relief to those who need it. However, I think that our country has become too dependent on medication. I believe that medicine was created in order to heal but has turned into a dangerous means by which to get through daily life.
Many of you feel differently. Like me, you were raised to take medicine every time you had a sniffle, slight fever, or if you even thought either of those were possible. You probably feel like I used to feel when I heard people say natural remedies were better...Yeah right! Tylenol is safe. Vaccines are safe. I turned out ok. What I didn't realize, and what you may not realize is that there is no "safe" drug. Every drug, whether over-the-counter or through prescription, has side effects. Some you may notice, others you may not. For instance, how many people realize that acetaminophine is the number one cause of acute liver failure today?
I also didn't think about the fact that God created my body to heal itself. That's why when you cut your finger, you don't have to tell it to heal. It already knows how. I know there are circumstances when you need an outside intervention, of course. However, most of us choose an outside intervention before we ask God to heal us. Isaiah 53:5 tells us...by His stripes, we are healed. It doesn't say by His stripes, after some Tylenol and a visit to the doctor, we are healed. God tells us that He wants our firstfruits. That is why we tithe the first of our income, we give God the first of our day, we thank Him first when blessings come our way. We give God our first, and He blesses the rest. So why is it that when it comes to our health, we ask Him after we've availed all options? It doesn't make sense.
Something else to consider when dealing with your health is that if you don't give your immune system a chance to work, it won't ever learn how. So many people take medicine every time they have anything wrong, so their immune systems never strengthen. These people are often sicker and take longer to heal than those who allow their immune systems the chance to work.. Think of it like this, if you never work out, your muscles stay weak. Likewise, if your immune systems doesn't get its workout, it stays weak.
I have a wonderful friend who I love (Shane, you know this isn't personal! You and Brandi are like family to my boys and me. That's why I know I can debate with you. ;D) who feels strongly that vaccines and medicine is the way to go (as many of you do, I'm sure).
I might feel that way too if I didn't keep hearing about all the dangerous side effects. It's time we hold the CDC accountable for their "required" vaccines. Some people believe the CDC doesn't have a personal agenda. I disagree. They own many of the patents on the vaccines they're forcing our children to be injected with. Check out this article about our beloved CDC. Even if they only care about our health and the health of our children, they sure have a lot to lose if vaccines are taken off the market.
Here is another great article I found. My favorite quote is at the bottom:

"The one thing that ABC, NBC, and CBS NEWS can't reassure us about is that while one in every 150 children in the U.S. has autism, one in every 150 adults doesn't. The CDC, famous for population studies, has never been able to produce one that can find them."

I know some of you out there are completely set in your beliefs and will not be swayed by any information you find on my blog. I understand. However, this blog is for those of you who want to hear the side you don't hear from the drug companies or CDC. This is information that is out there but is being brushed under the rug. I want to empower you to make a well-educated decision about the healthcare of yourself and your family.
Some of you will want to debate me on my posts. That is completely fine. However, all things considered, I am among the group of small voices. The voice FOR medication, FOR vaccines is loud. We hear your arguments every day. I think it's time we hear the other side; the side that people are afraid to share. There are so many people like Channing and me who have opted to raise our children through natural means as much as possible. The thing is, they're afraid to let anyone know because of the judgment they receive. I say, it's time we take pride in the choice we've made. Others may think we're strange, but we're doing what we think is best.
I will read any comments received, for or against what I post. I don't take it personally, and I hope you don't either. I don't enjoy sharing this information. Actually, it's quite the opposite. It took a lot for me to do this because it's much easier for me to sit back and keep my mouth shut. One of my personality traits is fear of rejection. So, you can imagine how much it stresses me to fear that people will dislike me based on my beliefs. However, I feel called to share what I know. So here I am. You don't have to agree, but I hope you will look into all aspects of healthy living.
God bless you all!!!