YEA For Nursing Mothers!

I was so excited to see this article make national news:

CDC- Breastfeeding Hits 20-Year High of 77 Percent

I think that is AWESOME!!! Mothers, by breastfeeding your children, you are giving them a GREAT start to health. Numerous studies have shown that breast is best when it comes to feeding your little one. Not only does it build that mother/baby relationship, but it also helps your little one build his immune system. It is God's perfect food!

I know some people are unable to breastfeed due to medical reasons; however, if you are able, I strongly encourage you to do so. Not only is it more convenient to feed your baby in the middle of the night if you don't have to prepare a bottle, but it's also absolutely FREE!!! Woo hoo! Thanks, God!!!

If you are pregnant or may become pregnant (I'm starting to sound like a drug commercial) and are interested in learning more about nursing, I think this book is FABULOUS: It addresses everything you can possibly think of when it comes to breastfeeding. Check it out. It's a great reference tool.

Here is an article that tells many of the health ailments that breastfeeding protects against:

Breastfeeding Protects Babies From Heart Disease

And here's another:

Seven Reasons to Breastfeed Your Child that You Need to Know

24 Percent of Americans are Sharing Their Prescription Meds

I found this story on Fox News this morning and just have to say, if you're sharing your prescription medication...what are you thinking?! If you are doing this, please think about what you're doing. Don't share your drugs.

Here's the story:

Want Some? 23 Percent of Americans Share Prescription Medication

Vaccination Myths

A friend sent the following article to me this morning, and I have to say, it is a MUST READ. I have posted a lot of this information already, but the super great thing about this article is that it has TONS of information all in one article. It is an article listing 10 myths about vaccinations and supporting documentation and references.

If you have kids or know someone who does (again, that's all of us, right), I URGE YOU to read this article. It's a little lengthy but well worth the time you will spend on it. We have got to stop turning a blind eye to what is going on with vaccinations and the children we love.

Here are the myths the author, Alan Phillips, lists:

1. Vaccines are completely safe.
2. Vaccines are very effective.
3. Vaccines are the main reason for low disease rates in the U.S. today.
4. Vaccination is based on sound immunization theory and practice.
5. Childhood diseases are extremely dangerous.
6. Polio was one of the clearly great vaccination success stories.
7. My child had no short-term reaction to vaccination, so there is nothing to worry about.
8. Vaccines are the only disease prevention option available.
9. Vaccines are legally mandated, and thus unavoidable.
10. Public health officials always place health above other concerns.

He follows each of these myths with facts, references, and truths. READ THIS ARTICLE!

Click on the title of the article below, and you can read it all for yourself:

Vaccination Myths

Vaccine Divides

I found the following article on Mercola and knew I had to share it. If you have children and are at all concerned about what is going on in the vaccine world, you need to read this article:

Vaccine-Autism Question Divides Parents, Scientists

Several quotes from this article stood out. Here are some:

"Dr. Offit is also one of the patent holders of the rotavirus vaccine (Patent Application number 353547), and the recipient of a $350,000 grant from Merck for its development. Additionally, he is a consultant to Merck Pharmaceuticals." (Dr. Offit is an outspoken doctor who believes that vaccines save lives. That's the story he's telling anyway).

"The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is a 15 member panel of immunization experts, selected by the Secretary of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. They provide advice and guidelines to the Secretary for Health the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine-preventable diseases. " (Dr. Offit is a member of this board! Conflict of interest? I think so).

"He is also the doctor whose incomprehensible statement, “an infant can safely receive up to 10,000 vaccines at once,” will live on in infamy. " ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

The following vaccines still contain 25 mcg of mercury per 0.5 ml:

• DTwP
• DT (diphtheria and tetanus) multi-dose vial
• Tetanus
• Several brands of the 2006/2007 influenza formulas
• Meningococcal multi-dose vial
  

READ THIS ARTICLE! Whether you are a supporter of vaccines or not, you need to see that there is deception going on.

Depressing, Isn't It?

I just took a look at my last post and thought, "Wow, that's scary." Let me assure you, people...I am not out to scare you into leaving your house or ever wearing lip gloss. My goal is just to alert you to the potential dangers out there so that you can make an educated decision about your health. I especially want to target those areas that relate to children because they aren't able to make healthcare decisions for themselves.

I have three top areas of concern when it comes to children:

#1. The safety of medications given to children, most especially...vaccinations.
#2. The potential cancer-causing products used on/for children.
#3. The foods they eat (this is a super tough area. We have a lot of growth to do in this area).

When I come across stories in the news that affect adults (like the Vioxx stuff), I am going to tell you because I want you to know. You deserve to know. I also believe your kids need you around for a long time...and they need you to be healthy.

Most of the stuff I find isn't fun to see. In fact, most of it is incredibly disheartening. However, if we can learn how to keep ourselves healthy and not to depend on medication to fix all our ailments, maybe we won't see so many depressing news stories about the dangers of our healthcare world. Just a thought. I would like to see a day where medication is used predominantly for emergency purposes, not as a crutch for every tiny thing. Anyway...

Several Health Stories You Should See

There is a lot of health information making national news right now. You need to see this:

Do you wear shiny lip balm? If so, check out this article...SCARY!:

Doctor: Shiny Lip Balms May Increase Risk of Skin Cancer

Red Bull drinker? If so, check out this news:

Supermarket Worker Who Had Fatal Heart Attack Drank 4 Cans of Red Bull Nightly

Trying to kick an addiction?

Suicide Risk Tarnishes Glimmer of Anti-Addiction Meds

I found all these articles on Fox News.

Merck Shines Again

Just came across this story. It really makes me want to run out and get my kids vaccinated today (do you note sarcasm here?).

Report: FDA Spotted Contaminated Children's Vaccines, Other Concerns at Merck Vaccine Plant

2006 Mumps Outbreak Despite Vaccinations

I came across this article and thought I would share.

2006 mumps outbreak occurred despite high vaccination rate

Merck and a Little Thing Called Ghost-Writing

I touched on the Vioxx scandal a few posts back, but here is some more information on it.
The most recent article I found starts out this way:

"Industry documents reveal that pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. paid academics to put their names on Vioxx research published in top medical journals while company employees often ghost-wrote the studies on the controversial cox-2 painkiller.

The company apparently also exaggerated the safety of the medication in published clinical trials, and the academics frequently did not disclose industry financial support, the documents allege." TUESDAY, April 15 (HealthDay News)

Surprised? You shouldn't be. This kind of stuff happens all the time. How do I know? Because I keep finding it in the news! Yet, if you question a prescription your doctor writes you, you're often labeled as a "fanatic" or "paranoid" or you're belittled. I say, go ahead and belittle me or give me a crazy label. If we don't question the things we're putting into our bodies, who will? It's just scary.

To read the rest of the article, click on the title below:

Key Vioxx Research Was Written by Merck, Documents Allege

A Doc With a BIG Heart

Check out this story I found on CNN about a doctor who quit her private practice and sold her home to open a clinic to help the uninsured. A hero indeed!

So many people ... fall through the cracks

Anti-Depressants

Eye opening news report on pharmaceutical companies and anti-depressants:



I have another super informative video from a post I did a while back on my other blog. If you have time, check out that post too!

Head of CDC Admits Vaccines Can Trigger Autism

"Recently Julie Gerberding, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), appeared on Dr. Sanjay Gupta's show House Call and explained that vaccines can trigger autism in a vulnerable subset of children. This is the claim that many parents have been making since at least the 1980s, and they have been dismissed and even mocked for making it." Check it out:

Head of CDC Admits on CNN that Vaccines Can Trigger Autism

No shocker here. Be careful who you trust.

In the News

Here are just a couple of things in the news right now. Check out these articles:

CDC: Flu season worst in years, vaccine ineffective

Incontinence Drugs Linked to Memory Loss

I have so much to say about the flu vaccine, but I think I'll just refrain right now. Just know that many many people who got the flu vaccine still got the flu. They were injected with a chemical-laden vaccine (ingredients including but not limited to MERCURY) only to still come down with the flu. That hurts my heart.

As for the incontinence drugs story...just know that every drug has a side effect, no matter how safe it may seem. Weigh your risks every time you take a medication. If the benefit does not clearly outweigh the risk, don't take it! Of course, this is just my opinion...based on the daily stories I read in the news and the stories I hear from those negatively affected.

God bless!

Shocking Facts About the Pharmaceutical Industry

This article from the March 2008 issue of "Nursing Online" may give you some surprising facts about the pharmaceutical industry. Check it out: Shocking Facts About the Pharmaceutical Industry

Reforms Urged for Drug Companies

I just came across the article, Reforms Urged for Drug Companies, on cnn.com/health. This is a MUST READ!!! Check it out.

The article immediately grabs your attention. It starts out this way:

"Two new reports involving the painkiller Vioxx raise fresh concerns about how drug companies influence the interpretation and publication of medical research.

A journal report criticized Merck for ghostwriting, minimizing Vioxx deaths.

The reports claim Merck & Co. frequently paid academic scientists to take credit for research articles prepared by company-hired medical writers, a practice called ghostwriting.

They also contend Merck tried to minimize deaths in two studies that showed that the now withdrawn Vioxx didn't work at treating or preventing Alzheimer's disease."

It is sad to say, but drug companies cannot be trusted and depended on as a source of health. Drugs should be reserved for emergency situations when the risks do not outweigh the benefits. These companies have proven themselves to be dishonest, deceptive, and manipulative over and over again.

Many times (not ALL times), we take medications for conditions that we have caused by poor nutrition, lack of exercise, or lack of healthy living. We then expect a magic pill to put us back together. I hate to be the one to let you know, but I don't think that's what God meant when He said for us to "honor His temple."

Be wary of the things you put into your body. We don't know every lie that every drug company (or the FDA for that matter) has ever told. Therefore, we cannot assume that the medications we are putting into our bodies are safe. Before you take that next pill or give your child that next dose of medication, ask yourself, "Do the benefits outweigh the possible risks?" If you can't easily answer that question, you shouldn't be taking or giving that medication. You can't simply sit back and think, "I know other people have had side effects, but that won't happen to me." I'm sure that's how most of the people who have had negative side effects (including death) have thought. These side effects ARE NOT limited to drugs like VIOXX!

I'm going to quote Dr. Catherine DeAngelis, the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), "The manipulation is disgusting. I just didn't realize the extent."

I echo that. The manipulation is disgusting. It all comes down to money, folks. Sad but true.

Unintentional Overdoses are Common in Children

If you have a child or know someone who does (that should be all of us, right?), you need to read this article. It has some really sobering facts about children and medication. Make sure you read the top article from Yahoo News and Journal of Pediatrics, and then go down to read Mercola's additional information.

Some of the stand-out quotes for me were:

In 2004 and 2005, adverse drug events were the third leading cause of nonfatal injuries among infants treated in hospital emergency departments.

Another study, published in 2002, found that medications given to children and mothers during pregnancy, labor or while breast-feeding, played a role in 769 deaths and close to 6,000 side effects in children under 2 years of age between 1997 and 2000 in the U.S.

Perhaps even worse, the greatest disparity between supported and unsupported off-label uses is found among prescriptions for psychiatric uses, where only 4 percent of drugs have strong support, versus 96 percent having very limited or no support whatsoever from medical studies! Considering the fact that the use of psychiatric drugs in children as young as two has skyrocketed in the past decade, it’s nothing short of an uncontrolled mass-experiment.

• One-fifth of drugs that work in adults are ineffective in children
• One-fifth of the drugs were being prescribed at the wrong dosage
• One-third of the drugs caused unexpected side effects, some of which were potentially fatal

Two out of three babies receive antibiotics by their first birthday.

Treat fevers the right way -- A fever is actually a good thing. High fevers are especially good as they are far better than any immunization at building an authentic, life-long immune response. When you suppress these fevers with Tylenol or another medication, you can cause far more harm than good. (I advise avoiding most all of the anti-fever medications unless your child is absolutely miserable or the fever is over 104 degrees F.) A tepid bath can be a soothing and effective alternative.

READ THIS ARTICLE. It is not "granola" news. This is NATIONAL NEWS! Click here to read the information on Yahoo News.

People, we need to WAKE UP and stop giving our kids drugs every time they have the slightest sniffle. I know it may make you feel better to think you're helping them; however, in most cases you are impeding the process of them getting well or even worse, making them sicker...ALL IN THE NAME OF LOVE!

The Terrifying Side Effects of Prescription Drugs

Here is a powerful quote from Dr. Mercola:

"Every year, more than 2 million Americans suffer from serious adverse drug reactions. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), these reactions cause about 100,000 deaths per year, making prescription drugs the fourth-leading cause of death in the country.

Compare this to the death toll from illegal drugs -- which is about 10,000 per year -- and you begin to see the magnitude of the problem."

To read some of the most terrifying side effects of current prescription drugs on the market, check out this article from the March 20, 2008 of HealthMad.

I don't know about you, but I think I would rather deal with hot flashes than cancer, stroke, heart attacks, blood clots, or dementia. But again, that's just me.

Hot Lemon Water Anyone?

I started my day with hot lemon water. How about you? Are you on the road to a cleansed liver?

Is Your Power On?

One of the greatest things Channing and I do for our boys' health is make sure their spines are in line. Both of our boys get weekly adjustments by their favorite chiropractor...their Daddy!

Each of our sons received his first chiropractic adjustment in the hospital...on the day of his birth.
By having their spines in line, we know that their brains are able to relay messages down their spinal cords and out the nerves without any interference (which is caused when your spine is out of line~aka: subluxation).

I came across these pictures of Tristan and Asher and had to share. This is what it looks like when they are getting their power turned on:


Now I ask...Is your power on? How about your kids? Is your family experiencing subluxation?

More to come on this subject...

Health Tip from Dr. Bob

When it comes to healthy living, I face two great struggles: good nutrition and managing stress.

Growing up, I was always smaller than the average girl. In HS, I longed to gain weight. I often visited Burger King twice a day for my double cheeseburger combos. Still...no weight gain. It wasn't until college that I started to gain some weight. Then after I had Tristan (and especially after Asher), I had to start working a little harder to maintain my clothing size (did you catch that..."to maintain my clothing size").

That last phrase sums up what so many Americans, especially women, judge their health by...their clothing size. If you're doing this, you need to WAKE UP! There are TONS of skinny people who are completely unhealthy. Likewise, there are many curvy people who are SUPER healthy. Health is not merely a weight issue.

Next week, Asher will turn 1 year old. In the year since I've had him, I have lost all of the weight I gained during my pregnancy and then some. However, I am still not healthy. I exercised a lot during the first few months post delivery. Then I stopped. Sure, I still get exercise going up and down the stairs of my home, but I'm not doing regular aerobic exercise, and I'm doing no weight training. And when it comes to nutrition...I STINK! I eat what I want when I want it. I love to eat fried chicken fingers, ice cream, and candy...all the time. Who out there knows that that is NOT HEALTHY.

Don't get me started on stress. This is something I have always struggled with as well. A little stress can do a lot to my body. There have been more times than I would like to admit that I have flown of the handle when a stressful situation hits.

To help my two great areas of struggle, I am reading four fabulous books: The Bible (the GREATEST book of advice EVER), Breaking Intimidation, Dr. Bob's Guide to Optimal Health, and From Belly Fat to Belly Flat (I have TONS of great stuff to say about this book. Don't let the title fool you. There is a lot more to it than weight. I am working on a post to share the awesome stuff I'm learning from this SUPER INFORMATIVE book. Thanks, Hill, for sharing it with me!!!). I am learning so much, and the more I learn, the healthier I get.

Channing has been training under Dr. Bob for the past several months and has learned so much valuable information that he has been able to use to mold our family's health. We have several of his books, but what I love about "Dr. Bob's Guide to Optimal Health" is that it is "a God-inspired, Biblically-based 12 month devotional to natural health and restoration", and I love that it takes things one day at a time. He doesn't try to overload you with ideas that seem impossible. He shares health information daily, little by little. Each day begins with a Bible verse and then an important health tip.

In this post, I'm going to focus on something I learned from Dr. Bob's book (and then I had it repeated in "From Belly Fat to Belly Flat"). Here is Day 1 of Dr. Bob's Health Devotional:

Water Refreshes the Body

And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters
(Genesis 1:2)

Water is essential for life. God refers to water in one of the very first Bible verses. The human body requires water to function at the cellular level. Water is necessary for proper digestion and elimination. Hunger pains may be a cry for water instead of food. Water is also found in fruits and vegetables.

Consuming soda, tea, and coffee actually creates a toxic fluid state in the body. Water is nature's way of cleaning this system. Water from a pure source (preferably reverse osmosis) is the best-daily drinking a minimum of one quart of water per 150 pounds of body weight.

Natural Prescription for Health: Start your day with a cup of hot water and lemon. This is an excellent liver cleansing stimulant. (I read this specifically in "From Belly Fat to Belly Flat")

You can visit Dr. Bob's website at www.DruglessCare.com. He has a wealth of health information to share.

So I want to hear that you at home are starting your mornings with hot water and lemon. Let's all commit to do this together. "Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor; for if they fall, one will lift up his companion. but woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him, and a threefold cord is not easily broken." Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Don't forget to check back to hear all about my new favorite book, "From Belly Fat to Belly Flat". It is SO SO GREAT!

Larry King Live & Autism Awareness

Last week, my family and I were blessed by a trip to Disney World (thanks, MiMi and PaPa!). I was so excited about the escape. I was thrilled to get away from the normal every day stresses of life and to enjoy a little time with my family and Mickey Mouse. First night there (it was past midnight), my father-in-law informs me that on Larry King Live they were discussing Autism (seriously people, this stuff FOLLOWS me!). I immediately turned it on and watched.
It was an amazing show! They were discussing autism because that day had been declared National Autism Awareness Day (now if that doesn't tell you there's an epidemic, I don't know what does). Anyway, it was a great show. If you missed it, here are some of the highlights:

My "Time" Find

"$5 Billion
Combined 2007 sales of the cholesterol-lowering drugs Zetia and Vytorin, manufactured by Schering-Plough and Merck

26%
Drop in Schering-Plough's stock price after a panel of cardiologists announced on March 30 that the drugs may not work. Merck's stock fell 15%"

I heard a little about this on the news, but came across it again last night while reading this week's Time magazine.
5 BILLION DOLLARS! These companies were making 5 BILLION dollars on these two drugs. Do you really think they have our best interests at heart? Truly? Because to me, with all their "research", it seems like the fact that their drugs may not work would have been discovered by someone on their panel of researchers. Think about it. These companies were making BILLIONS. Think of what they have to lose by having these drugs pulled. You guessed it...BILLIONS!

If Schering-Plough and Merck really cared about you and me, they would tell us that we could lower cholesterol naturally, with diet and aerobic exercise. However, in defense of Schering-Plough and Merck, we have to take responsibility for our health. We have got to stop being lazy and depending on a cure to fix what we have destroyed.

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple" (1Cor 3:16-17).

In America, we depend on quick fixes. We microwave our food, we eat at fast food restaurants, we have email on our cell phones, we drive thru to pick up our dry cleaning... The list goes on. We have come to expect everything in speedy time, with very little effort. Many of us are not willing to do what it takes to be healthy.

I have someone in my family who constantly complains about being overweight. She goes on diet after diet. She has seen doctors, taken weight-loss pills. From time to time, she loses some weight, only to have it pile back on the instant she heads back to McDonalds. I tried to tell her that she needs to combine exercise with healthy food choices. Her response? "I don't have time to exercise." People, we have to MAKE time. We make time for things that are important to us...our kids' t-ball games, t.v., work, friends. We have to make our health a priority as well. I need to do this myself. After Asher was born, I exercised constantly. I did this for several months. Then, in the past few months, I have totally slacked off. This is a lesson I need to learn too.

1 Corinthians tells us what will happen if we don't honor our bodies. It is very clear. We need to take note and do what it takes to take care of God's temple. We will reap what we sow. There isn't a magic pill. The sooner we all realize this, the better off we'll be.

Disclaimer: I am not saying all medication is bad. The point I'm trying to get across to you is that so many people are taking potentially harmful medication to cure ailments that could have been prevented in the first place.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
Let's take control of our health. As Joyce Meyer said,
"We need to learn how to live so we don't need a miracle."

Drug Errors Hurt 1 in 15 Hospitalized Kids

The headline on cnn.com/health begins this way, "Medicine mix-ups, accidental overdoses and bad drug reactions harm roughly one out of 15 hospitalized children, according to the first scientific test of a new detection method."
The story goes on to say, "Patient safety experts said the problem is most likely even bigger than the study suggests because it involved only a review of selected charts. Also, the study didn't include general community hospitals, where most U.S. children requiring hospitalization are treated."

You can read the whole story here.

I know sharing these news stories doesn't make me popular amongst most of the world, namely those who depend heavily upon medication. However, we all need to be aware of what is going on around us so that we can prevent these errors in our own families. The more you know, the more you can make educated decisions about the health and well-being of your family.

If your child is hospitalized, ask questions. Watch what they're administering to him/her. Get second opinions. Ask, ask, and re-ask. It won't make you popular with the staff, but who cares. You are responsible for your child. Go above and beyond. I don't know about you, but I would rather be uncomfortable and unpopular for a few minutes, hours, or days than to live without my child for a single second.

Another Former Drug Rep Speaks Out

I know I haven't posted in a while, but my family and I just returned from a trip to Disney World. It was so nice to get a way for a while. But now I'm back to the real world, and just like usual, news is literally falling into my lap. This article was waiting for me in my inbox. Check it out. Another former drug rep is speaking out about the tactics used by drug companies to get doctors to prescribe their pills. This is a whistle blower who is attempting to warn us all.
If you haven't seen my other post about Gwen Olson, another former drug rep who is sharing all the tactics she was taught, you should check it out too. It is alarming.

A Great Quote

Joyce Meyer said this today, and I thought it was a wonderful quote:

"We need to learn how to live so we don't need a miracle."

She put my thoughts into words perfectly! If we learn how to live (not just in health, but in all areas of life: finances, relationships, fear, etc.), we don't have to depend on medication or prayer for a miracle. We need to start living life the way God intended.

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

Lord, please teach us how to live a healthy life so that we may walk in divine health. For it is in Your Name we pray. Amen