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What's Making Our Kids Sick?
People ask me all the time about the links between the tens of thousands of chemicals in our world and the skyrocketing rates of asthma, autism, cancer, and allergies. Although scientists have begun to study the cause and effect of many of these diseases, we still don't know with absolute certainty the reality behind these increases. But here's what we do know:
* The rate of childhood asthma has skyrocketed, and the death rate among children from asthma has doubled. 
* The incidence of acute lymphocytic leukemia in children has increased more than 27 percent between 1973 and 1990.
* The incidence of childhood brain cancer increased almost 40 percent between 1973 and 1994.
* The incidence of the male genital defect hypospadias doubled, and the rate of testicular cancer among young men (age twenty to thirty-nine) rose by nearly 70 percent between 1973 and 1994.
* Autism, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, and hyperactivity disorder in children have risen at alarming rates.
Why is this happening? The causes are complex and not fully understood, but the nation's leading child health researchers say its no coincidence that these changes have occurred during the same decades that tens of thousands of new chemicals have come onto the market--chemicals used daily in homes, schools, and everywhere else...
One leading researcher and pediatrician states flatly: 'We are conducting a vast toxicological experiment, in which our children, and our children's children, are the experimental subjects.'
But this week, a major announcement brought us hope--we may have answers somewhere in the future. Researchers are embarking on a 21 year study in children to find explanations for the rising rates of childhood illnesses. The study, being conducted by the National Institute of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Education, plans to include many possible factors including chemical exposures, genetics, geography, nutrition and pollution.
But some believe that the cost of this study, $2.7 billion to be exact, is exorbitant and could divert funding from other important research initiatives. The naysayers have a point--$2.7 billion is an enormous amount of money especially when we consider our current economy. But how can we ever put a price on the health of our children? This is an extremely comprehensive long-term study spearheaded by the best in the field. Our kids are spending too many sunny days away from the playground. Isn't it time for them to leave the EpiPens, the inhalers, and the chemotherapy at the hospital and live in a world where we think about prevention way before treatment.
For more, visit Green Goes With Everything.
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two words: childhood vaccinations
Not that they're the only culprits, just the most insidious.
SaltySaltillo,
Trust me, I work in the public school system and we are not just" noticing " or diagnosing more autism. There just IS more autism.(and ADHD). And interestingly, the numbers of children with autism are not going down, probably because many of the immigrant children still receive thimerosal in their vaccinations (yeah, that's right, they removed it here in North America but export it to a lot of other countries with the thimerosal). And then they probably re-vaccinate these poor children because they are coming from third world countries and hey, we should be sure they are all vacced up. Also, flu shots (which are now being forced on all infants/children past 6 months old in New Jersey) often contain thim or mercury. So, when people say, "well they took out the thimerosal and the autism rate is still going up" it's really no surprise when you realize the flu shot and immigration issues. Never mind that some of these mercury-nuked kids will be having kids soon......
There are two issues--what chemicals are our children being exposed to, and what nutrients are they lacking. Modern American children have omega-3 fatty acid malnutrition. This causes a host of diseases.
This isn't just affecting the kids- there are a lot more diagnosed cases of Fibromyalgia than ever. This is an often extremely painful muscle affliction that causes extreme fatigue and cognition issues. The one drug made just for it (Lyrica), has dangerous side-effects (like rendering you unable to walk, drive a car, hold still). It's also really misunderstood, and a lot of people get frustrated with those who have been prescribed it and say it's made up, doesn't exist. If I could pretend I didn't have it, I would, for sure!
I just learned that there is a chemical ADA in bread that is harmful, but President Bush allows in our bread here in America. That chemical is banned in Europe and other nations, but not in the good USA.
Maybe with the next administration all those deadly chemicals in our food supply that cause all the health problems can finally be banned.
As for nutrition, check out Marion Nestle, a professor and vocal critic of the food industry.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22marion+nestle%22+%22food+industry%22+nutrition&btnG=Search
Bad air (mostly downwind from coal plants but also from chemical plants) has been identified as a major source for children's asthma and other health problems. That was many years ago and European countries have cleaned up their plants.
In the US, the power companies successfully lobbied against cleaner air standards and Nixon's Clean Air Act contains a huge grandfathering clause. There have been many attempts to get rid of it but all failed.
http://www.sierraclub.org/cleanair/factsheets/power.asp
Write to your Congress rep and Senator.
To be contrarian: what if it is the rate of diagnosis of autism that is going up, not the rate of autism? In other words, the thesis that we are making the autism problem worse by living a toxic lifestyle is not totally convincing.
it's not just that the diagnosis of autism is going up-there really IS more autism. The flu shots (now mandatory for poor 6 month olds and on) often contain mercury (also pregnant mothers are encouraged to get flu shots). As well, our immigrant children are being diagnosed more and more with autism. You see, although they got rid of thimerosal by around 2005 (when all the stocks were used up) they still exported vaccines containing thimerosal to third world countries. Nice, eh? So when you understand these other factors it is really not surprising that there is still a rise in autism "even though they took out the thimerosal (mercury). Never mind that all these mercury laden children will be having children soon.....I work in the public school system as an educational assistant.
A lot of the current health problems like Obesity and Diabetes can all be traced back to the widespread use of High Fructose Corn Syrup as a sweetener to replace Cane Sugar.
In 1985 Coca Cola introduced "New Coke" to the world and it flopped.
But what you don't know is that Coca Cola NEVER wanted "New Coke" to succeed, it was all just a ploy to change their formulation and switch from Cane Sugar to High Fructose Corn Syrup(HFCS).
Once they released "Classic Coke" everyone was relieved to be rid of the "New Coke" that they did not realize that "Classic Coke" in fact did taste different than "Original Coke". You can confirm this difference by purchasing some Coke made in Mexico, where Cane Sugar is still used to sweeten Coke.
Side by side the difference is VERY noticeable, Coke made with Cane Sugar has a cleaner taste to it and is much more pleasing to the palate.
Although the Corn Processing industry likes to claim that HFCS is a "Natural Sweetener" that could not be further from the truth. Their recent misleading commercials try to make you think that they squeeze the juice out of Sweet Corn, but HFCS is made from commodity corn which is not even edible until it is processed.
The corn is boiled in Sulphuric Acid before being boiled in Lye, then it is digested with bacteria and reacted with enzymes to convert the corn starch into HFCS.
continued...
"They're" always out to trick and deceive us. . . to sicken and maybe even kill us. . . from reducing the weight of products while keeping the same size packaging to inserting palatable poisons into the foods we ingest.
The FDA? Every bit as bloated and impotent as almost every other government agency.
Nobody is watching out for us, and information is kept secret that might enable us to better watch out for ourselves.
Thank you for your post and for the time you obviously took to do the research.
Wow! Great write up. I've been so vigilant in buying food without CS and this validates all of my efforts.
Thanks for that.
Agree 100%.
But any sugary drink is unhealthy. It causes a blood sugar spike which a) strains the pancreas because it has to crank out large amount of insulin, which leads to type II Diabetes long term and b) causes the excess sugar to be taken up by fat cells and converted to fat.
The main difference between HFCS and cane sugar is that cane sugar causes some satiety while HFCS doesn't because fructose is a simple sugar and is transported much quicker through the intestinal wall than sucrose.
Just don't teach your kids to drink sugary drinks. It's as simple as that. Give them water, milk and other sugar free or at least low sugar drinks and they won't develop a sweet tooth. The sugar spike has been shown to be somewhat addictive.
Chemtrails!!!
Yes, chemtrails.
Another of the tools/toxins employed to ultimately reduce the Earth's population to 500 million. (Google Georgia Guidestones.)
Thank God !!! I as a country docter for 44 years have am frightened big time by this. ADD was rare now kids bounce of the walls in my office on a daily basis. Bipolar disorder was rare as hens teeth and about a year ago I had 5 manic patients in a row I see 3 to 5 nearly every day. After 30 years of the war on drugs it is at least 10 times worse. We have 20 calls a day asking to be admitted to our Suboxone program for drug addiction which of course stays full. From my confidential discussions I feel half our plants would be shut down if effective drug screening was done.
I think electromagnetic forces shoud be added to the study. Satellite TV radio , cell phone towers all have increased expodentially. Something terrible is happening and its time to end the speculation.
Pdubya - specifically - sodium fluoride. Calcium fluoride is okay - - sodium fluoride is a toxic waste material. Look it up
Agreed. A waste product from aluminum production..... I believe.
In the 40's, research to push fluoride was funded and done by Alcoa Aluminum or its subsidiaries. I know, I know....it MUST be a coincidence.
What a cheap and clean way to get rid of chemical waste product though.....no?
Even the FDA does NOT recommend fluoride or push it in any way.... the ADA does..... and they punish dentists who do not plug fluoride every chance they get.
We need to have the ingredients of household cleaners & other such products clearly labeled, just like we label food ingredients... That would be a good first step.
We also, as another poster noted, need to apply the "precautionary principle," where you don't put a product on the market until you're sure it's safe, rather than putting it out first and then waiting for the lawsuits.
too much junk food and not enough playing outside.
We know there are many chemicals that cause harmful effects - but we know little about synergistic effects caused when organisms are exposed to mixtures of low concentrations of bad chemicals for prolonged periods of time. As living organisms we depend on all the same biochemical processes as those lesser creatures and unwanted plants we despise and bombard with chemicals. Products designed to kill them are not good for us - because we use the same biochemical reactions as they do to stay alive. Toxicity is related to body size so it may take more or longer to cause us harm - but we should be wary.
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