Vaccination mandates for all?

There has been a lot of controversy over SB277 in California. What does this have to do with you? Everything. This law that will be implemented in January 2016 unless a referendum passes, will most likely have repercussions all over this country.

SB277 mandates that every child wishing to attend public school receive all the recommended 49 doses (plus additional vaccines as they become approved and yearly flu vaccines) of vaccinations by the time that child enters Kindergarten. While this might sound good on the surface, consider the following factual information on this one-size-fits-all medical program.

1.  We all have unique genetic properties and with this uniqueness can make certain individual’s susceptible to injury from the toxic ingredients (aluminum, mercury, formaldehyde, MSG, DNA from aborted fetal tissue) in vaccinations. If your child has an adverse event to a vaccination due to a genetic mutation like MTHFR, you would still be forced into having additional vaccinations according to the CDC schedule. 

2. The state is making medical decisions instead of you and your doctor. Currently, if you or a child has an adverse event to a vaccination, you could delay them until you and your doctor feel that the nervous and immune system are mature enough to handle the toxic load in vaccinations, or, you could choose to not vaccinate. Many severely vaccine injured children do not qualify for a medical exemption, so any future vaccinations could cause even further injury or death.

3. Just as you wouldn’t want the state mandating surgeries, abortions and prescription medications, why would anyone want them to mandate this medical procedure? If you let the government control your medical decisions like vaccinations, what is to stop them from overreaching in the future? Let’s say your child has been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, would you want the state to be able to mandate that they take a Class II Narcotic like Ritalin?

4. This law would take away Informed Consent, something that is present for every other medical decision you make. While it appears that in general, medical practices do not do a great job now of informing people of the risks associated with vaccinations, this Bill will remove Informed Consent.

5. Medical practices and vaccine manufacturers have ZERO liability when it comes to injury or adverse events. Unlike every other medical product and procedure, vaccine manufacturers and MD’s are protected from malpractice claims. Therefore, there is no incentive to make sure their products are safe and to take responsibility to assure that the vaccination is a good fit for a child. If a child seat has been shown to be defective, it is recalled immediately. When VIOXX was determined to cause more harm than good, it was withdrawn, despite the FDA determining that it was safe. When Tylenol had a bad batch of product, it was recalled. In Salem County where 5 children were given the wrong vaccine, and the doctor's stated that there was a potential for neurological injury, there is no liability. With no liability in regards to vaccinations, vaccine manufacturers have no incentive to make their product safe and effective.

6. Medical professionals only receive information regarding when to administer vaccinations, not trained to identify a vaccine injury or the best way to treat a vaccine injury. I believe it is this lack of education and training is the reason why most doctors do not realize the harm that vaccines can have.

It is estimated that doctors report less than 10% of all vaccine injuries to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS).

7. Since Hepatitis B is mainly transmitted through sexual contact or “dirty” needles as can be found with IV drug use, why are babies receiving 3 doses of this vaccine prior to 6 months of age? And, when this immunization might be effective when they are sexually active, it would have "worn off" as vaccinations only give temporary immunity.

8. There has never been one study comparing the vaccinated population vs the unvaccinated population. And, there has never been even one controlled, double blind study using a placebo. All the studies that the CDC and vaccine manufacturer’s use to convince the public that vaccinations are safe involve comparing either one vaccine against another, or a vaccine against one that just has the virus removed, not the other toxic ingredients. And, the current vaccination schedule has not been either. 

9.   As of March 2015, there have been over $3.1 Billion paid out by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Considering that most parents of injured children are not aware that this program exists, or by the time they find out the statute of limitations to file a claim has expired, I find this statistic very alarming. Couple that with the fact that these claims are not adjudicated in a court of law. There does not exist normal court proceedings like hearing a case before a jury, discovery and the court having a “hearing”, but instead done by a secret “court” where one person will decide if a claim will be paid.

10.   There is no public health emergency that warrants this overreach by the government. The recent Disney Measles outbreak affected less than 150 nationally and no one died. At least 30% of the people had been vaccinated, many of the unvaccinated were too young to be vaccinated or older people where their immunity had waned. None of the students that got the Measles transmitted it in their school. And, patient zero, the person they believed to have brought it to Disney came from the Phillipines and is believed to have been vaccinated. Conversely, there have been at least 108 deaths from the MMR vaccine and hundreds of injuries. 

11.   Many people use the immune-compromised as a reason that everyone should be vaccinated. Did you know that someone recently vaccinated with a “live” virus actually sheds the disease and can spread the very disease that they are being immunized for? Many hospitals will tell immune-compromised patients to not have visitors that have recently been vaccinated.

12. Vaccine manufacturer's have approximately 200 additional vaccinations in the "pipeline", many of which could be added to the schedule, which contains too many vaccines already. Dr. Paul Offitt has stated that an infant's body could handle 1000 vaccines in a single visit, but there has never been a study proving this statement.

13. Currently, there are three whistleblowers that have either worked with Merck or the CDC whose cases have not been heard by Congress. Dr. Thompson, a researcher with the CDC has stated that his his superiors forced him to hide important data proving that the African American population has a 340% increased risk of developing autism from the MMR vaccination! He has shared his over 10,000 documents with Robert Kennedy, Jr. proving the endemic corruption at the CDC which led him to state that the CDC is a "cesspool of corruption". The study that Dr. Thompson administered at the CDC had been considered the "gold standard" proving no link between autism and the MMR vaccine and had frequently been cited by Dr. Offit proving that vaccinations are safe. 

When I was a kid it was normal to get the chicken pox, mumps and measles. It was rare that anyone suffered a serious consequence as many US citizens do what is necessary to have a strong immune system like exercising, eating healthy, drinking “clean” water and use proper sanitary methods. When these diseases were prominent it was prior to doctors washing their hands between patients either at the hospitals or in their offices. In other countries where people don’t have access to clean water, healthy food, and good sanitary conditions, they have a greater risk of contracting these diseases and possibly dying.

If states and the US government are going to mandate vaccinations then Congress must make vaccine manufacturer's and medical professionals liable for potential injury as they would for any other medical procedure or product. Medical professionals MUST be trained to recognize a vaccine injury and learn appropriate methods for helping those that injured to heal from the injury. Plus, an independent firm with absolutely no ties to the pharmaceutical industry, unlike the CDC or NIH, must do appropriate double blind placebo testing on all vaccinations plus evaluate the health of the vaccinated versus the unvaccinated!

The financial relationships between the pharmaceutical industry and government agencies (like the CDC and FDA) must be reigned in. There needs to be oversight and having people working at the FDA and CDC with financial ties or a promise of a job does not provide the proper checks and balances. Plus, people that can potentially profit from a vaccination must not serve on any committee mandating which vaccines need to be on a schedule. It has been reported that Dr. Offit has received about $30,000,000 personally from his Rotavirus patent after he recommended that it be placed on the childhood vaccination schedule. 

Understand all the facts and how taking away your freedom to choose what is best for you and your family could be taken away. Mandatory vaccinations for adults is next on the vaccine manufacturer's agenda. Tell your legislator that you do not want the state or federal government making any medical decisions for you or your family. Leave these decisions where they should be...with you and your doctor!

Informed Consent for Vaccinations: Why it is ESSENTIAL

This is Cody smiling, making eye contact, interacting with his family and cognitively sharp at 7 months old. After he received the MMR and Prevnar vaccine, he began to regress. He would no longer allow anyone to read to him, stopped playing with his toys, became withdrawn and would retreat to the corners of the room. He no longer enjoyed watching his favorite TV shows, would sit in his Elmo chair and stare blankly. Grunting replaced any form of speech that he had previously. When his parent's discussed this with their family doctor, they were told that this happens to boys and not to worry. They continued to vaccinate and he soon developed asthma, allergies, eczema, and chronic ear infections. By the age of 3 he became sensitive to light, texture and sound and began hand flapping and eye stimming. By the age of 5, Cody had received 34 vaccines and was diagnosed with autism. The doctors told them that their beautiful typically developing son was born this way. His mom says, "Cody was definitely not born with autism."

Cody's parents were never informed of any potential risks, despite that they are listed on the insert from the manufacturer of the various vaccines he received. His injury was never reported by the doctor to Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System. If they had known about the potential for these adverse reactions, they would never have vaccinated. 

Cody's story is not unique. In a Facebook group, there are thousands of parents who relate similar stories. Their child was developing normally, he/she started receiving vaccinations, then problems began. Some children screamed for hours and then became distant. Some developed chronic ear infections, difficulty sleeping, gastro-intestinal problems, food allergies, auto-immune disorders. Some even died. 

These parents were not given Informed Consent prior to vaccinating their children. Some were told there was a potential for pain at the injection site (I'm not sure how a 2 month old can indicate where the pain was coming from) or painted the picture that the risks were 1 in a million (which we know isn't true based upon VAERS, even with the under reporting). Some were given a sheet listing potential adverse reactions after they had already vaccinated. 

Even worse is that when their children have been injured, the doctor's always say that "it's a coincidence", or "it's normal at this age". They never admit that the vaccines caused harm.

All across the country and within the federal government itself, legislators are writing Bills to take away an individual's desire for an exemption to vaccinations. These Bills would mandate that every child receive all the CDC recommended vaccinations, on the CDC's schedule, even if that child has had a prior reaction.

With every medical procedure, there is a risk. People take for granted that Tylenol is "safe" but according to their website, it can cause acute renal failure, metabolic acidosis, hypotension, anaphylaxis, as well as minor symptoms such as headaches and muscle pain.

When you go to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription, the pharmacist has you read a list of potential adverse reactions and side effects for your prescription, then has you sign off on their informed consent sheet, for liability reasons.

If you have surgery scheduled, the doctor, nurse and hospital will all make sure that you have read the potential problems that can happen during surgery and being in the hospital, and will give this to you at least several days prior to your scheduled surgery so that you truly understand the risks. They must do this as part of Informed Consent. They know as long as you sign their forms that if something goes wrong, you have admitted that there was a risk and they are not responsible.  

Don't you wonder when you go to the doctor's office to get your vaccination that they do not provide you with the same detailed list of potential adverse reactions? I did a poll on Facebook and out of 70 people, only 1 said that they received a detailed list of potential complications from the vaccines. Only 1! 

Many times they will tell you that there is no risk with vaccinations, despite that as of May 1st, 2015, there have been over $3.1 Billion paid out in vaccine injury claims by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).

The VICP was established as a result of the National Vaccine Injury Act which provided all vaccine manufacturer's and doctor's administering vaccinations exemption from any liability that might result from receiving the vaccinations, which is why doctor's offices do not provide you with adequate Informed Consent. The VICP was initiated because parent's needed a form of recourse in the event that their child suffered a severe injury.

The legal requirements for vaccine providers include:
- give parents vaccine benefit and risk information prior to being vaccinated;
- keep written records of manufacturer names and lot numbers for vaccines given;
- enter serious health problems following vaccination into a child's permanent medical record;
- report serious health problems following vaccination to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Report System.

As part of this program to be exempt from litigation, the vaccine manufacturer's need to list potential adverse reactions or events in their insert provided with the vaccinations.

What is actually happening in medical practices across the country is that parents are given an innocuous sheet explaining that there might be some complications with getting the vaccination versus information that has been exaggerated regarding the adverse problems that might result if their child were to get the disease (s). The doctor's offices don't tell you that getting the vaccination does not give you lifetime immunity from the disease and that it might not even work at all and they don't mention that getting the disease will give you lifetime immunity and will help your immune system to strengthen.

If you read the insert from Merck on the MMR vaccine, it will even tell you that one of the adverse reactions might be the measles! Other potential adverse reactions are: encephalitis (acute infection and inflammation of the brain), Guillian-Barre, febrile convulsions (seizures with a high fever), SIDS (sudden infant death syndrom)...and these are just some of them and can occur anytime during a 30 day period following the vaccination (see MMR insert).

While the media painted this recent Measles outbreak with doom and gloom, there were only about 150 cases nationwide with no deaths. And, over half the people that got the measles were already vaccinated, indicating a failure in the vaccination itself.

Consider the flu vaccine. Every year when they make the vaccine, they must manufacturer it well before they know which strains will be in existence for that year. They are taking an educated guess. This past year they guessed wrong, meaning the flu vaccine was ineffective. Despite knowing that, since the vaccine manufacturer's had already made up the vaccine, they still pushed it , despite the risks associated with receiving it. If you received the flu vaccine, were you advised of the potential risks associated with it? Did they tell you that you might get the flu or Guillian-Barre disease? Did they mention that the ingredients in the vaccine include formaldehyde, aluminum, and mercury?

So, the next time you go to your doctor and they are pushing you or your child to get vaccinated, ask them to see the manufacturer's insert that comes with the vaccine. Read it thoroughly. Take it home and fully digest the information. Ask them if they have had training in identifying vaccine injures. 

Understand the risks of vaccinations and educate yourself by reading information that does not come from those benefiting from vaccinations. You can always vaccinate later but you cannot undo a vaccination reaction.

And please, tell your legislators now, on the state and federal level, that you wish to keep the ability to make the right decision when it comes to vaccinating for you and your family. Once these Bills become law, you won't be able to request a delay or total exemption, unless your child is seriously damaged and the doctor writes a medical exemption (rarely happens). What if an older child has a reaction or dies from a vaccination and you decide that you don't want to risk that with future children? You will have no recourse at all.

The vaccine manufacturer's plan is once these Bills pass for mandatory vaccinations for children is to then have adults get up to date on their vaccinations, which could be as many as 49 vaccine doses and include a yearly flu shot, whether it is effective or not.

Cody's and tens of thousands of other children's stories are incredibly sad and could have been prevented simply by advising parents of the risks associated with the vaccines.
        

10 Questions to Ask your Doctor Before Vaccinating Yourself or Your Child

This past weekend, I was speaking with a medical professional who routinely vaccinates children. There were some pieces of information that became clear during our conversation.

1. The only training he has received regarding vaccination is on following the CDC-recommended vaccination schedule.

2. He was unaware of Vaccine Adverse Events Report System (VAERS) and the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), and was stunned when I mentioned that over $3,000,000,000 has been paid out in injuries directly as a result of vaccinations. 

3. He has not been trained to do any medical tests for those with vaccine injuries and their associated gut problems. His training is only using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. He has not received any training as to who the proper health care professional would be for these type of gut problems. 

4. He did not actually know what ingredients are in vaccines; all these years, he has been administering them under the assumption that they were safe for everyone. 

5. While he was aware of the MTHFR genetic mutation because someone close to him has it and has been severely ill, he never realized that vaccines can cause severe damage to someone with the MTHFR mutation. 

I was pretty shocked that he admitted to me his lack of information on so many important pieces of information regarding vaccinations. But, this story is not unique. I've spoken to hundreds of parents who report their medical doctors seemed to be either misinformed or totally in the dark. 

I've created this list of questions in the hopes that you can ask your doctor and staff how well prepared they are in understanding vaccinations and their potential reactions and what to do if your child has one of the adverse events listed in the manufacturer's insert for each vaccine.

1. What training do you and your staff receive regarding adverse reactions to vaccines?

2. How do you determine which children might benefit from a delayed vaccine schedule?

3. How do you ensure that parents are actually given ALL information regarding vaccine risks, so that they can truly give you informed consent?

4.The Material Safety Data Sheet for thimerosal says, "NEVER mix with aluminum", yet the vaccines which contain trace amounts of thimerosal are routinely given concurrently with aluminum-adjuvanted vaccines. In view of the fact that the presence of aluminum would result in synergistic toxicity of even trace amounts of thimerosal, would you consider an alternative vaccination schedule?

5. If one of your patients had a vaccine injury, besides diagnosing them, what additional medical tests (blood work, nutritional deficiencies, gut analysis) would you perform to understand how this has affected your patient?

6. Since vaccination can only give someone partial immunity (vs lifetime immunity if you’ve had the disease) and there have been repeated vaccine failures (people who have been vaccinated still getting the disease ie whooping cough, measles), what do you recommend to make sure your patient’s immune system is strong? Have you been trained in nutrition to teach families how proper nutrition can help someone who has been vaccine injured, is on the autism spectrum, has food sensitivities/allergies?

7. Are you familiar with Vaccine Adverse Effects Report System? If yes, how many reports have you filed to VAERS?

8. Did you know that as of May 1st, 2015, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program  has paid $3,159,410,649 to people that have been severely injured by vaccines?

9. Are you aware that the death rate from measles in 1955 (before the introduction of the vaccine) was only 1:12,000 according to the CDC data, yet we are constantly told how deadly it is? And that was prior to our having more sophisticated medical options for treating severe diarrhea, pneumonia, and understanding that most measles complications were a result of Vitamin A deficiency. 

10. Do you screen for the MTHFR (MethylTetraHydroFolate Reductase Deficiency) genetic mutation prior to vaccinating your patients? Individuals who have bio markers showing inefficient folate metabolism, impaired methylation, low glutathione levels, and vitamin deficiencies (including but not limited to B12, vitamin D, and carnitine deficiency), are also at high risk for adverse reactions to vaccines because their ability to rid some of the additives and preservatives is impaired, and because their ability to excrete heavy metals is impaired, which results in neurological damage.

Transitioning your child back to school

Any time there are changes in one's schedule, particular for children, there can be a lot of stress. Stress has been directly related not only to depression and anxiety, but also to ADD and ADHD (and other learning challenges), autoimmune disorders and chronic illness. By getting to the root and addressing the stressor (physical, chemical and/or emotional), we can help the children function easier and happier.

Here are a few tips to help the transition back to school much easier:

1. Start your regular school time routines now. Getting your child back to bed at their school-time bedtime is a great start. Their body will need to adjust to the earlier schedule and it's better to start before they actually have to start getting up earlier.

2. Start each day with a healthy breakfast. My favorite for my daughter is eggs with vegetables either chopped or shredded into the egg mixture. Eggs are the perfect protein and feed the brain the perfect food for learning. Use a "greens" product mixed with some fresh vegetables, high quality organic yogurt, fruit and blended for a great alternative. Mix it up with oatmeal one day per week.

3. Instead of ice cream for the afternoon snack, use Nature's Candy in the form of fruit to feed your child's sweet tooth. Avoid packaged foods that have chemicals and sugar that can cause your child to have the sugar highs and low and erratic behavior.

4. Make sure your child does not use any electronic equipment for at least 1 hour prior to bedtime. This will help him or her sleep much better. Using computers, playing video games, etc., activate the beta brain waves which are involved with our processing information. Prior to bedtime, we want to activate the alpha or meditative brain waves to encourage a great night's sleep. Try drinking a calming tea as part of your evening ritual and massage your child's feet and hands.

5. Make sure that stimulating toys are put away and consider painting your child's bedroom a calming color like a deep blue (for children that have difficulty sleeping).

How can Chiropractic help with Stress, ADD, ADHD, Insomnia, Depression, and more?

Chiropractic works by helping the nervous system to regulate itself properly. With the right type of adjustment for your child, it can help them be calmer and less stressed. Children are affected now more than ever by stress...too much homework, not enough play time to "process" information and get out that stored up energy. Sitting too much in class, not getting enough sleep are factors which stress out our children (and us). The right Chiropractic adjustment will help your child's nervous system work properly so the body can self-regulate the way it's designed to work.

For more information, contact us at 610-995-9355 or 267-462-4911 or visit our websites at
www.tarlowchiropractic.com or www.mBodyChiropractic.com.

Autism: What can you do to help your child

Helping your child with autism can be very frustrating. You literally have to put the pieces together to discover what works best. Each child is different and while getting advice from others is fantastic, just understand it might not be what works for your child. Also, I've seen much better results from a variety of modalities and alterations to lifestyles are introduced together. 

 

Here are suggestions for places to start:

 

     1. Chiropractic care. You might think I am suggesting this because I am a Chiropractor. I am not. In fact, for my first few years in practice I would never have suggested it. With practice, I've come to understand that the reason Chiropractic helps is that it works on the nervous system and ASD is a problem with nerve system functioning. I've also come to understand the relationship of stress and how stress can make problems associated with ASD worse. Essentially, Chiropractic helps by decreasing the over stimulation of the nervous system by activating the parasympathetics. This will have a calming effect on your child that you will notice immediately. Over time, these adjustments will have a sustained effect that will last for days and weeks. It's a process and each child responds differently. Sensory processing disorders seem to clear up quickly with Chiropractic and parents have also reported back that their child detoxes following adjustments. I've seen children have remarkable changes in just a few visits and other take a couple of weeks. For anyone interested, I'm happy to speak with you personally and discuss in depth how Chiropractic can help.

     2. Change the diet. Chemicals including sugar, MSG and others can greatly affect your child. In some cases, their gut has been severely affected by the toxic ingredients like aluminum, mercury and antibiotics from vaccinations and food. It can take time to clear out and heal the gut, but it must be done. In addition to clearing the diet of chemicals, this is what seems to work for most children:

        a. Go gluten-free, casein-free (commonly found in cow's milk) and GMO free. This means buying organic, whole foods like fruits and vegetables. Packaged foods, even organic products contain genetically modified organisms which are proving to be destructive to the gut. To learn more about the problem with GMO's, check out the movie "Genetic Roulette". Because of GMO's, this means that buying organic meats is essential. The grain typically fed to non-organic animals are usually genetically modified. Plus, they typically are given antibiotics and steroids, which increase the chemicals that will filter down into your food. 

        b. Food. Try a simpler diet like one advocated by Sally Fallon, author of "Nourishing Traditions" and founder of the Weston A Price Group. There are groups all over the country that meet regularly that can support you while you incorporate these changes. I also advocate for foods high in Omega 3's...the healthy fats that decrease inflammation. These foods include avocados, olives and olive oil, meats, fruits and vegetables. Foods that tend to be inflammatory are grains, potato chips, trans-fatty acids, beans, etc.

     3. Supplements. Since each child is different, I would go to someone trained in working with children on the spectrum to evaluate what your child's deficiencies are and then get recommendations. However, I recommend I high quality probiotic (without fillers) taken on an empty stomach designed for your child. 

     4. Heavy metal cleansing. Since many children also have heavy metal toxicity, this should be explored since many heavy metals wind up in the gut and the brain. Many years ago there was a study done regarding Alzheimer's which also affects the brain. They found that people receiving the flu shot, which contains mercury, five years in a row were more likely to get Alzheimer's. During an autopsy, they found mercury in the brain of these people who had died. Mercury is a tough metal to find with ordinary tests and the most specific test I've heard of is one that is done by a company in France. There are many herbs that will detox heavy metals, but I would work with someone trained in this area to make sure it is done appropriately. 

     5. Homeopathy. While I don't understand how this works to help children with Autism, I've heard from patients that it is very helpful...particularly when combined with Chiropractic care. I would definitely recommend you use a Classical Homeopath and one that has had experience in working with children on the spectrum. 

     6. Electronic screens & EMF. Many years ago I read a study that was done on TV and ADD/ADHD. They found that this type of stimulation in young children causes ADD and ADHD. I've also seen reports as to behavioral problems with children that are directly connected with the screens. There is an excellent book that addresses this subject that I highly recommend, "Your Brain on Childhood" by Gabrielle Principe, Ph.D. I've also found that children are sensitive to electromagnetic frequency, commonly found with computers and other electronic devices. This sensitivity can increase their stress which can increase their symptoms. One thing you can do to start is to turn off your wireless router at night. Decreasing screen time is excellent, but also finding ways to reduce the EMF in your child's surrounding (including cell phone EMF's) is important too. Salt lamps are good as well as other EMF-reducing devices.

     7. Decrease Stress. Stress is seen as something that really increases ADD and ADHD as well as a sense of well-being. Your child will also pick up on your stress which is why I know that parents need to do what they can for themselves as well. Whether it is deep breathing several times per day, going out in nature, drinking a calming tea before bedtime, taking a regular yoga class, receiving Chiropractic or all of the above, this can make a significant difference. Many times I see children being shuttled off to a lot of activities that are supposed to be helping them, but it appears that being scheduled is increasing their stress. If you can focus on ways to help them de-stress you might get better results!

I've also seen children's behavior change before my eyes by just adjusting the parent! I've seen how my daughter reacts when I'm on edge so I've come to learn how important this is. I encourage you to work on whatever stress reduction methods work for you and use them regularly. Keeping your glass full is important so you don't burn yourself out.

     8. Neuro and Biofeedback. I've been using Biofeedback on adults for a variety of problems with great results. The changes that we see are immediate, particularly when combined with the Chiropractic adjustment. Biofeedback works by teaching someone how they can decrease their stress. Again, stress is a huge factor in children on the spectrum. I'm confident that we will start seeing research in this area in the near future.  To learn more about how Neurofeedback can help children with ADD and ADHD, check out this site. Dr. Melillo discusses the importance of brain balance to help children. 

 

While I realize that these solutions won't work for everyone, remember that they take time. It is a process and with time, the pieces should start coming together.  

The information contained here is not intended to replace medical advice. Consult a health care practitioner.

Autism: My perspective on the causes

Autism: The Cause

 

There are many factors being attributed to autism. It's not surprising that environmental toxins are at the top of the list. PCB's in plastics, increased mercury in fish, pesticides on our fruits and vegetables, aluminum in pots and pans, increased pollution in the water and air, toys from China...where does it end? Consider that the constant onslaught our babies and small children receive from our environment to be the beginning of creating a toxic body coupled with the increased use of antibiotics. 

 

Consider what life was like in 1983 when the autism rate was 1:10,000 children. Less plastic, more glass, less pollution, less genetically engineered food (although we still had DDT to deal) and far less vaccinations. If you look at vaccinations alone, the recommended schedule of vaccinations in 1983 vs the current recommendations have increased dramatically. To view the schedules, click here. While pro-vaccine people will tell you that there was less reporting of autism in 1983, it still does not account for the vast discrepancy.

 

While some people claim that there was no correlation between vaccinations and their child's autism, then maybe it was the tipping point. Maybe the polluted environment we live in started the process and the onslaught to the nervous system by the toxic ingredients of the vaccinations took their child from healthy or high functioning into ASD. 

 

I have a special interest is the relationship between vaccinations and autism. The reason is because I have talked to so many parents over the years who can tell me with absolute certainty that their child was fine and developing appropriately for his or her age, then had severe changes following being vaccinated.

 

In some cases, the changes were "minor" following a round of vaccinations. Like high-pitched screams for a couple of hours, or restlessness. Following the next round, their child changed before their eyes. In other cases, the change was immediate...usually after the MMR vaccination. 

 

For one particular child, the mom did not want to vaccinate but the dad did. There was increasing pressure from her doctor, family and friends as the boy got older. In the mom's heart, she knew that it would be a huge mistake. When her son was 15 months old, she relented. She told the nurse that she would agree to a total of 3 vaccinations (not shots). She brought her son to me 3 days later, limp. The boy had not eaten and had a very high fever. Despite taking him to the hospital, no one was able to help him. He had been healthy prior to receiving the shots.

 

When I looked at the Vaccine Card from the doctor, the boy had actually received 5 vaccinations in 3 shots. The doctor and nurse told her that it was a coincidence that the boy had the reaction...that he must have been sick without her realizing it. Fortunately, the chiropractic adjustment immediately brought him out of this detached and ill state. His fever dropped within minutes and before he left was looking at his mom. Needless to say, she would never vaccinate her son again. 

 

I realize that there are studies that claim there is not a link between autism and vaccinations. You need to evaluate when looking at a study who actually paid for the study. Was it an independent group or was it the pharmaceutical industry with something to gain. After all, you can design a study to have the desired outcome if you choose. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) setup a committee to review the literature on vaccine side effects. They concluded that their knowledge was limited because there is 

1. Limited understanding of biological processes that underlie adverse events.
2. Incomplete and inconsistent information from individual reports.
3. Poorly constructed research studies (not enough people enrolled for the period of time).
4. Inadequate systems to track vaccine side effects.
5. Few experimental studies published in the medical literature. (CDC)

To date there has not been a study comparing vaccinated children to unvaccinated children in regards to the vaccine - autism link. You can look at communities where vaccinations are not given and you will find virtually no autism. The Amish community is one and another prominent community is the patient base of Dr. Mayer Eisenstein. He is a medical doctor in Chicago and serves a community of 30-35,000 children. Dr. Eisenstein is also author of the book, Make an Informed Vaccine Decision. He reports no autism in his community and he does not vaccinate his patients.  While this German study (illustration to the left) does not compare autism in the vaccinated community vs the unvaccinated, it does show Hyperactivity (a common symptom in children with autism) and Seizures (a common precursor to regressing into autism). 

 

With regards to reporting of vaccine injuries, even the CDC admits that vaccine reactions and injuries are under-reported. In every case where a child had a reaction to a vaccination, the parents had told me that their doctor insisted that it was a coincidence, that the child must have been sick. The parents were not aware of the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting Serviceand when questioning their doctors, were told that they did not report this as an adverse event. 

 

Learn the facts about vaccinations. Understand what the ingredients are and how they are toxic to the brain. For instance, did you know some of the common ingredients include: aluminum, formaldehyde (used to embalm people when they die), antibiotics, egg protein, MSG or monosodiumglutamate (a neurotoxin), and thimerosol or mercury. Mercury is considered a hazardous material...why do we want to inject that in our children or ourselves?

 

Go to the manufacturer's website of the vaccine your child is supposed to receive and read what the contraindications are and possible reactions. For the MMR vaccine, Merck has a long list of possible reactions including vasculitis, diabetes, convulsions and seizures, and Guillain-Barré Syndrome. For the complete list for the MMR, click here. Your doctor should be educating you about the possible reactions to vaccines. It's called Informed Consent. 

 

Educate yourself by reading some excellent books on the topic including Dr. Eisenstein's and Neil Z. Miller. Watch the documentary, "The Greater Good Movie" by either purchasing the film or going to a screening of the film. Go to various websites such as the National Vaccine Information Center to learn more. Join Facebook groups to speak to real parents of children who have been vaccine injured. And, go to the CDC website for a list of possible vaccine reactions or ask you doctor for the insert from the vaccines for the list. 

 

While there are still a lot of questions about the cause of autism, I don't think you can point your finger to one thing. It's most likely an accumulation of neurological "insults" to the nervous system and brain. As a parent, start by doing your own research and speak to as many parents as you can who have children on the autism spectrum. And without a doubt, educate before you vaccinate!

Working through the Stressors of Live

Stress. Boy have things changed in my 54 years of life. It's no wonder there is more stress today and more people having their health challenged by it. Having a 9 year old daughter it gives me time to reflect how my life was when I was her age. While there was TV, there were only the major stations to choose from, so watching TV was not enticing. After school activities involved playing on the street or the backyard of our homes. Standardized tests didn't exist and school meant lots of dodge ball, PE, music and the arts (in addition to the academics). I don't remember getting caught in traffic to get anywhere. It was a time of discovery. Even as a teen and a young adult, free time was spent going to an occasional concert but mainly hanging out at parks, the beach and having lots of cookouts. Things were simpler then, both for adults and children. It felt like it was about connecting with nature and people, not electronic devices or feeling rushed to get to the next planned activity.

Now, it's an endless stream of after school activities for our children, the standardized tests (for No Child Left Behind), about 20 minutes of recess, homework that can take children an hour to complete...leaving no time for after school play, as well as dealing with illness which starts the stress cycle at a young age. These stressors could actually be the causing poor sleep which may lead to ADD and ADHD.

For adults, sitting in traffic for hours to get to work, working at a job that is unfulfilling, spending hours helping our children, or just working and dealing with "stuff" causes our stress. There is little time for us to take care of ourselves. The stress we feel as adults can also lead to insomnia, cause our hormones to get out of balance and cause other health problems. From personal experience, I know that chronic sleeplessness can lead to depression and anxiety. Taking sleep medicine is definitely not the answer.

In practice, I've seen everything from chronic fatigue and illnesses, ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness and other severe health problems connected to stress. Autoimmune disorders are exacerbated stress. Even memory problems, behavioral problems, and hormonal imbalances will worsen. Many times it becomes a vicious cycle. You have a stressor (physical, emotional or chemical), your body or mind reacts in a certain way (high blood pressure/racing heart, thoughts running through your head), you might find yourself eating "comfort" food (which is usually not very healthy), you don't sleep well as a result. Suddenly, you find yourself spiraling down. You might have an anchor that can help you through, but internally, you are still stressed. You keep going because you have to. You might even tell yourself that you feel fine.

But deep inside, the stressors are there...lurking and creating havoc in your body. I know all about this. Since my injury in 2005, I've had a lot of stressors. Mainly physical and emotional. I'd talk myself out of feeling stress. Maybe get lost in Facebook or Glee. But that is not facing the stressor or working through it. Because of my own challenges with stress, it has become important for me to help others facing challenges.

I've worked with families that have a child with ADD or ADHD. I've seen the stress it causes the entire family. What about adults who are caregivers to loved ones with physical challenges? Or someone who has a difficult daily commute or does not feel fulfilled in their job. New parents have their own set of challenges trying to figure out what their baby needs. And teenagers, trying to figure out where they fit in in the world, where it will lead them and what their next steps should be. Stress is all around us and working through these stressors can be challenging.

This is why I focus my practice on helping people with stress. Helping adults and children with their stress truly changes lives. From seeing a student finding ease in their studies and sports activities, a child becoming more "social", a parent feeling more relaxed so that he or she can sleep better and feel "connected" to themselves to the adult trying to enjoy life more. I've seen this work both in my practice and in my own life. When my stress level is down I know I am a better parent and wife. When my daughter feels better then I feel better. It's about breaking these vicious cycles of life.

I do my work in several ways. First, I utilize the Stress Response Evaluation. This will help me to objectively identify how the stress is affecting you. It checks out your heart function, how you are breathing, your brain wave activity, skin conductance and temperature. This is important information as it tells me how long you've had stress and specifically how it has effected you.

With this information, it tells me what style of adjustment would benefit you the most. For instance, I typically use a Logan adjustment on someone with chronic stress. It relaxes the body and calms the mind to allow for a better night's sleep. This same adjustment will allow the nervous system to be balanced so your health will improve. People also tell me that with this adjustment, they find they are more patient with their children or colleagues at work. Amazing!

I can also determine if someone would benefit by a breathing exercise, if they need specific nutritional support or if they need new tools to deal with stressors. The SRE will also help me to guide you if you need to do a regular calming practices and even the type of workout that would most benefit them. For instance, someone with chronic stress might benefit more by a restorative yoga practice, to help build them up, rather than a hot yoga practice that will literally burn them out. This tool will even give me insight as to what challenges you on a physiological level (sounds or a cognitive challenge).

By combining this objective and subjective information, offering you choices to help you work through your stressors, and having healthy workshops (and webinars coming soon) available, you can determine how you want to proceed to resolving stress both for you and your family so you all lead happy and healthy lives. Give me a call. I'm happy to talk to you over the phone to answer any of your questions. Namaste, Dr. Nancy