Why Are Kids So Sick Today?
It seems with each passing decade, people in general get heavier and sicker. We can’t breathe, we can’t control our blood pressure, we are ballooning out and we constantly ask our doctors, “what am I doing wrong?!” And what about our kids? They are fatter than ever, asthma is on a sharp, steady rise, and they are always sick. What is going on?!
In the Beginning…
Let’s start from the beginning…. We convince new moms that formula is a close second to breastfeeding, even though it comes nowhere near the benefits of breast milk. Our babies begin receiving the first of over 23 possibly deadly doses of toxins which we label “vaccines” before they even leave the hospital. A chemical-filled paper diaper is slapped on their bottoms. They are welcomed “home” to houses with poor ventilation, mold growing, dirty carpet, flame retardants, and numerous, uncountable toxic gases outgassing from paint, wood, and even their own mattresses. If someone was nice enough to clean the house while mommy was at the hospital having the baby, they probably used a cleaner off the store shelf that contains all kinds of deadly chemicals so that the baby could live in a “sterile” environment. But we ARE careful about bathing baby regularly- in chlorinated water with baby wash that contains known carcinogens, and scents that are irritating to baby’s tiny lungs.
Poor Nutrition
Months later, because we have been convinced that there is no other option, the baby gets “food” that is purchased in jars. Not only is it processed to death and watered down, it is nutrient poor and full of pesticides, unless the similarly over processed organic jarred baby food is purchased. The baby’s food is limited to what can be plucked from the shelves, and other than the numerous rounds of vaccines administered, they are plugging along okay. We feel confident as we see our baby’s growth line climb steadily upward, and are happy to see them “on the chart.” The doctor is happy as well, telling Mommy that, “as long as he eats a balanced diet, he shouldn’t need any vitamin supplements.” But if baby seems to be lagging in weight gain, the good doctor might tell Mommy that her baby needs to drink 2-3 cans of Pediasure each day for added calories and nutrients- and TONS of sugar.
The Repercussions
Jump ahead to the age of three. After numerous illnesses that come and go, (because babies get sick, right?) a constant sniffle appears on the growing toddler. Is it a cold? Allergies? It’s hard to tell, because he seems to have constant colds, which the doctor says is “normal” and even he begins wondering if allergies have a role in this little one’s health. Mommy begins to notice that her child is coughing a lot, but only after running around the house or playing outside. Could this be asthma? Mommy snaps out of it. Enough is enough!
The Big Change
An air purifier is added to the home. Non-toxic cleaners are used and the others are tossed out. The family switches to organic foods, and luckily comes across some helpful information on nutritional supplements that puts an end to the allergies and cures the asthma as well. Why is the child no longer getting sick? Where did the runny nose go? What happened to the dark circles under his eyes? Why did his appetite suddenly improve?
Not All Kids Get Sick
I used to think that all of the things I mention above were perfectly safe; that our government would NEVER allow anything harmful onto store shelves or into our homes. That supplements were a waste of money. Then I started reading. I got educated about a whole new world out there, where kids DON’T get sick; where “normal” is not a constant runny nose. Where kids can breathe fresh air, and most importantly, where kids get the nutrition they need from healthy organic foods and vitamin supplements!
Children and Drugs
What do you do when the pediatrician wants to put your child on allergy medicine at the age of 2? Do you wonder how long she will have to take medicine? Do you wonder how the medicine will affect her tiny body? Do you wonder if there is an alternative? It seems that parents today have stopped wondering, and have listened intently to doctors who don’t necessarily know everything there is to know about keeping babies healthy. Doctors are trained to treat illness, not healthy children. They are encouraged to write prescriptions for every little sniffle and cough- not only by the pharmaceutical industry, but by us parents! The worst feeling in the world is taking a child into the doctor’s office with a 103 degree temperature, being told it is viral, and there is nothing they can do but send you home to push fluids and help him rest. Don’t we feel more satisfied when we have a prescription in hand?
Your Child is Malnourished!
On the other hand, what would you do if your pediatrician told you that your child was malnourished and needed a vitamin/mineral supplement? First of all, this is likely never to happen because most doctors know nothing about nutrition, but if it did happen, you would go home in tears. So I am going to tell you: Your child is malnourished and needs a vitamin/mineral supplement. Whew. That was easy. How do I know this if I haven’t even looked at your child? I’m not a doctor, after all, so how would I know, right?
The “Balanced Diet”
Wrong! Your pediatrician may have told you at some point, “If she eats a well balanced diet, she shouldn’t need a vitamin.” There are two problems with that statement. First of all, how many toddlers do you know that eat a balanced diet? How many even EAT? The second problem with that statement is that even children with “balanced” diets need a vitamin supplement. Their little bodies are constantly bombarded with toxins, whether it’s in vaccines, water, food, or air. They are constantly fighting off viruses and bacteria. And the good food that they might eat is just not going to give them what they need to fight off “bugs” and repair the damage done by environmental toxins.
Vaccines and Poor Nutrition
We have seen an increase in so many problems in children, including autism, diabetes, asthma, allergies, cancer, ADD, ADHD, depression, and even obesity. The increase in these diseases can be attributed to any number of things, most notably vaccines and poor nutrition. A toxic environment is the icing on the cake, and without giving our children weapons to conquer the assault put on their little bodies, we are opening them up to all of these diseases. And if they do make it safely into adulthood, they are susceptible to type II diabetes, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and a number of other degenerative diseases that we see our parents suffering from today.
Doctors and Nutrition
Slowly, some doctors are realizing the benefits of nutritional supplements, even for little children. But even they don’t know how to choose the best supplement. Yes, some ARE a waste of money. If you can buy it on the shelf at the drug store, it is probably not worth the money, no matter how cheap it is. For a complete education on supplements and which to buy, get the book Comparative Guide to Children’s Nutritionals by Lyle MacWilliam. Or for an on-line source of invaluable information on kids and nutrition, check out http://www.kidseatgreat.com. An excerpt from this site by Dr. Christine Wood:
Poor dietary habits in children are the norm, not the exception. A large study of over 3000 children appeared in Pediatrics in 1997 and showed that only 1% of these children met the recommendations for the Food Guide Pyramid. The largest pattern of children met none of the recommendations for the Food Guide Pyramid and this group of children was low in vitamin B6, iron, calcium, zinc and fiber. Our first efforts as parents must be directed at changing the dietary habits of our children and our families. However, as caring parents, there will be phases and stages of frustration as we try to do the best for our children. Nutritional supplementation can be that extra insurance to protect their cells, but it should not be used as an excuse to feed “bad” foods to our children.
What Do I Know?
I didn’t learn what I know only from reading. I have my own two “experiments” who are currently 3 ½ and almost 2. My older child was given formula, fully vaccinated, and fed jarred baby food. He was asthmatic by the age of 3. My younger child was breastfed, and still is. We stopped vaccinating her by the age of 6 months, and all of her food was made at home from organic sources. My first child had suffered from various colds, croup, hand, foot and mouth, Roseola, pneumonia, allergies, and asthma. My second child has had Roseola, and a couple of colds. Of course we saw a major improvement when we added the vitamins, which can be started as early as 13 months. It has been about 6 months and neither child has been sick.
Aren’t Kids Supposed to Get Sick?
Scientific evidence supports the idea that supplements keep kids healthy, so it shouldn’t be an oddity. But we are programmed to think that kids are supposed to be sick all of the time, and don’t question the insanity of that. Is it plausible that kids can come into contact with something viral, NOT get it, and STILL build their immune system? That’s the whole premise behind vaccines, but unfortunately vaccines have not been proven effective OR beneficial. It’s a great theory, but putting toxins into a child’s body on purpose is just ludicrous. And it also diminishes the child’s immune system instead of building it.
Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity is a huge problem in our society, pardon the pun. We are filling up our little ones with doughnuts, cookies, French fries and candy. Excessive sugar alone can diminish the immune system, and for picky children who only eat sweets, you are really asking for trouble. The simple solution to this is to provide natural sweets like bananas, apples, cantaloupe, watermelon, kiwi- I could go on. Children love these foods. Parents need to take away the junk, replace them with fresh fruits and vegetables, and just put their foot down on the sugar intake. I’ve been there and done that, so yes, it IS possible! The reason we don't do this is because we have our own addictions that we are dealing with, and we just enjoy our sweets more than fruits and vegetables. We need to stop and remember that our children do not have this addiction until we give it to them, so they are easier to "break" than we are!
Nutrition In Utero
Nutrition begins in the uterus, and it is very important that Mommy gets the proper nutrition and supplements well before baby is conceived. Waiting until the first doctor’s visit is too late, especially for preventing neural tube defects which require extra folic acid. In addition to a vitamin/mineral supplement, pregnant and lactating mommies should also take a source of omega-3 fatty acids which will do a number of things, most importantly aid in your baby’s brain development. This supplement alone can help prevent ADD and ADHD in your baby, and also helps with post partum depression in Mommy. Learn about the supplements that have helped my entire family regain a level of health that we all dream of reaching.
So, why are kids so sick today?
I hope you have the answer to that, and I hope the resources above help you to see the plausibility of this “phenomenon” and the seriousness of the problem. Protect your children from as much as possible, and make sure they are adequately armed with the proper antioxidants that will likely save them from a life of illness. Once you’ve got them set, what about you? If supplements are great for children, imagine what supplements will do for YOU!