Health experts announce 5 ways to protect children from toxic chemicals

(NaturalNews) Imagine parents who would put their children in danger, placing them in situations that could cause serious health problems and distress such as difficulty breathing or a disruption of their male and female hormones — or even shorten their kids’ lives. We must be talking about psychopaths, right? After all, most moms and dads would do anything to protect their offspring. Unfortunately, without realizing it, countless parents who wouldn’t consciously do anything to hurt their youngsters are unwittingly exposing their children to dangerous, toxic chemicals in the home. The result could be health problems now and when the youngsters are grown, too. As NaturalNews has extensively reported, you can’t rely on the government to make sure the products you use in your home are safe for you or your kids, either. In the U.S., for example, the FDA has done little except finally express “concern” over the powerful hormone disrupter bisphenol A (BPA), which is found in a host of household goods, toys and food containers (http://www.naturalnews.com/028567_BPA_oceans.html#ixzz1PMyjbbWy). Instead of feeling helpless in the face of so many household toxins that can threaten the health of children, the Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and Environment (CPCHE), a coalition of Canadian environmental and health experts, has announced it’s time for parents to get serious about the potentially dangerous chemicals found in too many homes. And the good news is you can take five simple actions to avoid a chemical-laden home and safeguard your children’s health — by keeping dust levels down, avoiding plastics, saying no to mercury containing fish, using only green cleaners, and keeping pregnant women and youngsters away from home renovation areas. “If parents take simple actions in these five areas, they can significantly reduce their children’s exposures to toxins — and even save money,” Erica Phipps, CPCHE Partnership Director, said in a media statement. Dust from lead paint and chemicals including pesticide residue can be brought inside the home on shoes and clothes, get into the air and into the lungs. But frequent wet mopping, vacuuming and dusting with a damp cloth can go a long way to keep toxic substances out of the home. “House dust is a major source of children’s exposures to toxic substances including lead which, even at very low levels, is known to be harmful to the developing brain,” Prof. Bruce Lanphear of Simon Fraser University, a world-leading expert on children’s environmental health who serves as an advisor to CPCHE, said in the media statement. The CPCHE experts also urge parents to go green when you clean. You’ll save money, too, by getting rid of toxic chemical cleaners and switching to simple, non-toxic cleaners including baking soda and vinegar. Also important: avoid the use of air “fresheners” and use fragrance-free laundry detergents. Chemical “scents” used in these products have been linked to the disruption of normal hormone function in youngsters. In addition, the CPCHE panel also advises against the use of antibacterial soaps. Renovating your house? The CPCHE says it is crucial to keep pregnant women and children away from areas being renovated to avoid exposure to contaminant-laden renovation dust and toxic fumes from products like paints, caulking and glues. Another important way to protect health: avoid plastic products, especially when it comes to serving and storing food. In fact, the CPCHE warns against using plastic containers or wrap in the microwave, even though the label reads “microwave safe”, because chemicals in the plastic can migrate into the food or beverage. The group also calls for eating fresh and frozen foods whenever possible. this will reduce exposure to BPA which is used in the lining of most food and drink cans. BPA is associated with a wide range of health problems, including harming the developing brain and disruption of endocrine function. PVC, commonly called just plain vinyl, contains a class of chemical plasticizers known as phthalates that should also be avoided, especially by kids. Even though phthalates are now banned from some children’s toys, many other vinyl products are still on the market in some bibs, shower curtains and children’s raincoats. The safest solution? Throw away older toys and teething rings made of soft plastic. If you serve your youngsters a lot of fish, you may also be serving them mercury, which is toxic to the brain. The CPCHE urges parents to do their homework and only serve varieties of fish that are low in mercury — such as Atlantic mackerel, herring, rainbow trout and wild salmon. For more information: http://www.healthyenvironmentforkids.ca/

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D.C. teachers help their students cheat on standardized exams

(NaturalNews) If you thought you’d heard it all regarding the sad state of public education in the U.S. today, think again. In the nation’s capital, the teachers there help their students cheat on standardized exams. A report last month said the D.C. Public Schools district is under investigation after officials discovered 14 security breaches by both students and teachers during standardized testing in April. The Office of State Superintendent ordered the investigation after throwing out test scores from three classrooms with “evidence or strong suspicion of test security violation.” “Two classrooms had possible testing irregularities and one classroom had a confirmed case of testing impropriety,” Safiya Simmons, a spokeswoman for acting schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson, told the Washington Examiner. In all, the superintendent’s office is investigating 18 classrooms after evidence was found that incorrect test answers were erased and then corrected during 2010 testing. Eight of the institutions were charter schools, but 10 belonged to the chronically troubled D.C. public school system. All three of the classrooms where the tests were tossed out belonged to the D.C. district. Naturally, the report said, D.C. public school officials had no comment about what went on in the suspect classrooms, but really – what can they say? After all, actions speak louder than words: Two teachers were forbidden from taking part in the 2011 testing and a third teacher left the school district before the investigation was finished. Moreover at the Noyes school, one teacher admitted to a violation, USA Today reported. School spokesman Fred Lewis said none of that was related to the suspected cheating. That denial might carry some weight if this wasn’t the first time the D.C. school system has been flagged for suspicious test scores. According to USA Today , 103 D.C. schools were flagged between 2008-2010 “for having at least one class of students with statistically high rates of wrong answers” that were erased and corrected. That’s more than half the schools in the district. Coincidence? You be the judge. At Noyes, students’ passing math on the standardized tests went from 10 percent to 58 percent in a single year, earning it a National Blue Ribbon award from the U.S. Department of Education. But in 2010, during standardized testing, 80 percent of the school’s classrooms were flagged for having an inordinate, suspicious amount of erasures that were replaced with correct answers. In a separate school, seventh grade students averaged 12.7 wrong-to-right erasures, a phenom with better odds than winning the Powerball lottery, USA Today said. And all along, the nation’s large teachers unions continue to resist any real attempts at reforming public education – such as genuine school choice – and holding teachers responsible for their actions (and for actually educating our kids). Is it any wonder the nation’s kids rank near the bottom in comparison to students in developed nations , a development that is certainly not new . Big Government and Big Union education clearly isn’t working, and worse, many of the so-called professionals – the teachers themselves – can’t be trusted. The only real choice, if we’re serious about improving our education system, is offering parents a choice in where to send their kids to school. Private schools offer better educational results and it’s not just an option for rich kids only . Every year we wait is another generation of kids we lose.

Children’s brains needlessly exposed to cancer-linked radiation

(NaturalNews) Are you a parent? Here’s a simple question to ask yourself: if your youngster receives a bump on the head, would you rather keep an eye on your child for 4 to 6 hours to make sure he or she suffered no serious trauma — or would you prefer that doctors zap your child’s brain with ionizing radiation from costly computed tomography (CT) scans just to make you feel better immediately? Most moms and dads would probably prefer the simple “watchful waiting” approach if they thought there was little chance their offspring had serious head trauma. And it turns out, according to a huge study of more than 40,000 kids with blunt head trauma just published online in the journal Pediatrics , simple observation is the best approach and also the healthiest — because it doesn’t expose children to ionizing radiation. So why do about half of all US children taken to hospital emergency departments (EDs) for a head injury receive a head CT scan? Remarkably, the scientists behind the new research claim it is “often to ease worried parents’ concerns”. Simply put, parents are blamed for the outrageously common practice of exposing children needlessly to radiation for a bump on the head. In a statement to the media, the research team, led by Children’s Hospital Boston and UC Davis, pointed out that true traumatic brain injury is uncommon. Their multi-center study of children with minor blunt head trauma provides compelling evidence that simply allowing a period of observation can reduce the use of head CT by as much as half — without putting the kids in danger and without exposing children to ionizing radiation. This change in medical practice would not only slash healthcare costs, but is better medicine, the researchers concluded. “Only a small percentage of children with blunt head trauma really have something serious going on,” Lise Nigrovic, MD, MPH, of Children’s Hospital Boston (who co-led the study with Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis) said in a media statement. “If you can be watched in the ED for a few hours, you may not need a CT.” Nigrovic, Kuppermann and colleagues found that simply opting for an observation period of kids who had received a blow to the head did not compromise safety. Clinically important traumatic brain injury (defined by an injury resulting in death, neurosurgical intervention, intubation for more than 24 hours or hospital admission for two nights or more) was equally uncommon in the kids who were simply observed for several hours and those who were not observed but sent for CT scans. The scientists pointed out that cranial CT scans present additional risks for children because youngsters’ growing brain tissue is far more sensitive to ionizing radiation than that of adults. And, because of their longer life expectancy, children’s lifetime risk of developing a radiation-induced cancer is greater. However,as NaturalNews has previously reported, there is evidence that CT scans increase the risk of cancer in adults, too(http://www.naturalnews.com/026001_CT_scans_cancer_risk.html). “CT isn’t bad if you really need it, but you don’t want to use it in children who are at low risk for having a significant injury,” Nigrovicn stated. “For parents, this means spending a couple of extra hours in the ED in exchange for not getting a CT. It’s the children in the middle risk groups — those who don’t appear totally normal, but whose injury isn’t obviously severe — for whom observation can really help.” So exactly how long should you keep a watchful eye on a child who has received a blow to the head? Practice guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend a child be carefully observed for 4 to 6 hours after injury. “There is a clear need to develop appropriate and safe guidelines for decreasing the number of inappropriate head CT scans that we do on children,” Kuppermann said in the press statement.” The results of this analysis demonstrate that a period of observation before deciding to use head CT scans on many injured children can spare children from inappropriate radiation when it is not called for, while not increasing the risk of missing important brain injuries.” For more information: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/ http://www.naturalnews.com/029577_CT_scans_radiation.html

Vegan parents charged in death of baby raised on mother’s milk; facing 30 years in prison

(NaturalNews) In the latest outrage of the global “vegan police” striking out against those who follow a healthy diet, a couple in France is now facing up to 30 years in prison because they refused to feed their baby junk infant formula and instead breastfed her. The baby died at 11 months of age, and when ambulance workers arrived and found the baby dead, instead of consoling the parents, they called the police . Why? Because the parents were vegans. And because the parents were vegans, an autopsy was performed that found the baby was deficient in vitamin A and vitamin B12, which the deputy prosecutor claimed could have been related to the vegan diet of the parents. The couple has now been charged with “food deprivation followed by death” and faces up to 30 years in prison. Feed ‘em more Happy Meals, they say Just so you’re getting all this straight, keep in mind that if the ambulance had shown up and found a dead baby in a family whose cupboards were stuffed full of junk food and fast food — sugary cereals, McDonald’s food wrappers, frozen pizza, ice cream and donuts — that would not have seemed suspicious at all. You could have a baby die with a half-eaten bacon double cheeseburger in its hand and that wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow. It is only the fact that the parents were vegans that the police were called. And what’s this business about performing an autopsy to determine if the baby was deficient in important nutrients? Do you realize that 90 percent of the babies in France and America are severely deficient in at least one other crucial nutrient such as vitamin D, magnesium or zinc? If having a vitamin-deficient baby is a crime, then virtually all the parents who consume mainstream processed food diets are criminals . But of course, prosecutors never demand autopsies for the dead babies of parents who eat processed junk foods. That’s considered “normal.” Only the vegan diet is considered “dangerous” even though vegans actually go to great lengths to protect the health and safety of their children. Watch out, vegans: They’re coming for you Vegan children, for example, are not obese or diabetic. They don’t die of cancer at age 7, either. Yet all this is increasingly common among children whose parents feed them cheese, bacon and pork sausage. But raising an obese, overweight child on animal products isn’t considered a crime, you see: Only feeding a child raw fruits and vegetables is criminal! Beware, vegans: They really are out to get you . I’ve heard of numerous cases of parents having their children taken away by Child Protective Services in the United States solely because they pursued a vegan diet. Remember, the State is tyrannical. Always has been and always will be. The State believes that if you don’t conform to the cancer-causing junk food diet that’s advertised on television, then there’s something “weird” about you, and there’s probably something wrong with your baby, too. They will call the police and have you investigated. They will take away your child and throw you in prison. This is what’s happening now in case after case around the world. So what to do? Well, for one thing, if you are on a vegan diet, don’t forget the B-12 and the omega-3 oils — two nutrients that do tend to be very low in many who pursue vegan diets. A vegan diet requires a lot of nutritional monitoring to make sure you don’t leave out a few things. Just as importantly, be prepared to fight the State for your right to raise your baby on breast milk. The State, you see, is utterly corrupted by corporate interests. And it believes you’re supposed to be feeding your baby processed “junk” infant formula made by powerful corporations. That infant formula, of course, contains cow’s milk proteins and soy proteins extracted with the toxic solvent hexane . Even the DHA in many infant formula products is essentially “synthetic.” Just remember: This is the stuff the State wants you to feed your baby. ACTION ITEM: Never admit to state authorities that you are raising your baby on a vegan diet . This immediately raises suspicion among the state child protective enforcement morons who have zero nutritional knowledge and probably still run their own fundraisers by selling donuts to families. If asked, just tell ‘em you feed your baby a “balanced” diet that includes a little bit of meat, a bit of cheese, and so on. What? Am I suggesting you lie to Child Protective Services? Of course I am! Telling these people the truth — that you follow a strict, plant-based diet that’s rich in raw nutrients — could get your children kidnapped and taken away while you’re thrown in prison for 30 years. There are times when lying to the State is absolutely necessary to protect your family, and this is clearly one of those times. And remember this: The state doesn’t check all the other dead babies for their nutritional deficiencies, do they? They only check the babies of parents who say they’re vegans. If they actually autopsied the other babies and children who died of cancer, for example, they’d probably find their bodies full of toxic chemical additives from processed foods and meats (sodium nitrite). They’d probably find evidence of damage from aspartame or MSG, too. But they’re not interested in any of that. Kids who die after eating processed junk foods are “normal.” It’s only the kids who die while on a vegan diet that raise suspicion. Be a good little consumer and feed your baby more crap food The reason for that suspicion is obvious, isn’t it? Parents who are vegans are not participating in the processed food economy that not only drives the modern food industry but also the entire medical industry! Big Pharma depends on you raising your child on toxic chemicals in order to create a new long-term patient who will need drugs and surgery. By opting out of that whole system of toxic living, you are basically giving the finger to the food and drug industries. They don’t like that. That’s when the police show up at your doorstep and charge you with a crime. Yep, that’s how totally insane our world has become: Breastfeeding a baby while on a vegan diet is now a crime punishable by 30 years in prison, while feeding a baby processed junk infant formula and chemically-adulterated meat and animal products is perfectly acceptable. This is true in France just as it’s true in the UK or the USA. Junk foods and processed animal products are now so widely consumed that avoiding them makes you look “weird.” So if you’re a vegan parent, be prepared to defend yourself against the tyrannical State that practically forces you to raise your child on a “death diet” loaded with junk foods and processed animal products. That’s “normal,” didn’t ya know? Because today, it’s “normal” to see an obese, diabetic 16-year-old heart disease patient in the hospital. Those are the kids raised on the “approved” diets preferred by Child Protective Services and law enforcement. Sources for this story include: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.35c2caa5efa0e183b7b38a2d0e2b7f40.71&show_article=1

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Tonsillectomies cause kids to gain excess weight

(NaturalNews) When kids complain of sore throats and their tonsils appear infected, the condition known as tonsillitis, doctors are often quick to urge the surgical removal of these clumps of lymphatic tissue found on both sides of the throat. Tonsils are also cut out when babies and young children are found to have enlarged tonsils that are sometimes linked to heavy or raspy breathing, especially at night. In fact, tonsillectomy is the most common major surgery performed on children and it’s a huge money-maker for mainstream medicine. Why remove tonsils instead of using less invasive treatments to fight an infection? The reasoning goes that surgery will prevent future tonsillitis. After all, it’s a no-brainer that if tonsils no longer exist, they can’t become infected. But what’s rarely discussed is the fact tonsils are actually part of the body’s immune system; they fights infection and trap germs coming in through the mouth and nose. And now there’s another reason to think twice about having your child’s tonsils surgically removed. Having a tonsillectomy could lead to obesity. According to a new report just published in the February 2011 issue of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery , youngsters subjected to tonsillectomy, with or without the removal of their adenoids (adenoidectomy), are at increased risk for becoming overweight after the operation. In all, the researchers analyzed studies involving 795 children from birth to 18 years old, described as normal weight or overweight, who had a tonsillectomy or an adenoidectomy, or both. In almost 50% of the children, the primary reason for surgery was listed as “disordered breathing” that was blamed on enlarged tonsils. In one group of 127 children, body mass index (BMI) increased by 5.5 to 8.2% following the removal of tonsils. In a second group that included 419 patients, standardized weight scores increased dramatically in the vast majority of the young patients. Another group included three studies with 249 patients — and 50 to 75% of these kids gained weight after adenoidectomy. Lead author of the paper, otolaryngology specialist Anita Jeyakumar, MD, suggested that the weight gain could be blamed on parents who over-feed their child after surgery. She also hypothesized that children with chronic tonsillitis might eat less due to sore throats and other symptoms , so when their tonsils are removed, the kids feel like eating more. But this doesn’t explain why the youngsters would become overweight and sometimes downright obese after the operation. Although the new study doesn’t delve into the possibility that the actual removal of the tonsils could play a role in the weight gain, the findings raise more questions than answers. For example, could the tonsils play an as yet undiscovered role in metabolism? Or does the removal of part of the body’s immune system spur weight gain? For more information: http://www.entnet.org/ http://www.naturalnews.com/tonsils.html

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U.S. food companies caught faking blueberries with artificial colors and liquid sugars, reveals Health Ranger investigation

(NaturalNews) A Food Investigations mini-documentary released today exposes the “blueberry deception” in name-brand cereals, bagels, breads and bars. As revealed in the investigative video (www.FoodInvestigations.com), big-name food companies that offer blueberry cereals, muffins, pastries and bars have been caught “faking” the blueberries by creating them out of artificial colors, partially-hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This investigation was conducted by award-winning investigative journalist Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as part of the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center (www.ConsumerWellness.org), which provides nutrition grants for children’s education programs around the world. The non-profit “blueberry deception” video can be viewed in its entirety at www.FoodInvestigations.com Total cereal called “Total fraud” Named in the video are Kellogg’s, Target, Betty Crocker, General Mills and other food companies that use artificial colors to create the illusion of real blueberries in their products. One General Mills cereal singled out in the mini-documentary is called Total Blueberry Pomegranate Cereal . But a Consumer Wellness Center investigation reveals that this cereal contains neither blueberries nor pomegranates. Source: General Mills website nutrition facts label: http://www.naturalnews.com/images/Total_Blueberry_Pomegranate.jpg The cereal does, however, contain an astonishing 8 different sweeteners : Sugar, Corn Syrup, Barley Malt Extract, Brown Sugar Syrup, Malt Syrup, Sucralose, Molasses and Honey. The front label of the Total cereal box claims “100% Nutrition.” After investigating the real ingredients of Total cereal, Mike Adams called the product a “total fraud.” He added, “It’s clear to me that General Mills is deceptively marketing Total Blueberry Pomegranate cereal by trying to deceive consumers into believing it contains both blueberries and pomegranates — two foods that are gaining a reputation as healthy ingredients in the minds of consumers.” “If consumers don’t read the ingredients label, they may be easily misled into believing they are purchasing a cereal containing health-enhancing blueberries and pomegranates, when in reality they are buying sugared-up grains promoted with shamelessly deceptive marketing,” said Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, who researched, scripted and narrated the Food Investigations episode. General Mills, however, isn’t the only big-name food company called out in the shocking video documentary. Several other companies are also exposed in the mini-documentary available for viewing at www.FoodInvestigations.com How to avoid fake blueberries in food products As explained in the video, consumers can avoid being deceived by food companies by following these three simple steps: #1) Read the ingredients labels and look for artificial colors such as Red #40, Blue #1 and Blue #2. They are usually found near the end of the ingredients list. #2) Don’t buy foods made with artificial colors because the purpose of those colors is to cosmetically alter the appearance of those foods to make them appear more visually stimulating in order to “trick” or influence the consumer’s purchasing decisions. When eating blueberry-colored cereals or pastries, many consumers actually believe they’re eating real blueberries, even though no blueberries whatsoever may be used in the making of the product. #3) Don’t let your kids eat foods with artificial colors . At least one artificial color has been linked to symptoms of ADHD. Artificial colors are derived from coal tars and several colors have been banned in the past few decades due to human health hazards . Furthermore, you can refuse to buy products from companies that use artificial colors . These include all the major cereal companies and mainstream food producers. Artificial colors are also widely used in processed meats where the ingredient known as “sodium nitrite” is actually a red color fixer that gives dead, putrid-looking meat a fresh red appearance. Sodium nitrite, which is found in nearly all mainstream hot dogs, lunch meats, ham products, bacon, sausage and jerky products, is linked to alarming increases in risks of pancreatic cancer, color cancer and even brain tumors in children. (http://www.naturalnews.com/sodium_nitrite.html) Real blueberries are great for you! Adams believes it is important to emphasize that real blueberries are very good for human health. “Real blueberries offer a powerhouse of health-enhancing nutrition. They protect arteries, health lower blood pressure and provide an assortment of natural antioxidants to protect the eyes, brain and nervous system,” Adams says. Blueberries are also known to help prevent cancer, boost memory and even help reduce belly fat (http://www.naturalnews.com/blueberries.html). Watch for more food investigations from consumer health advocate Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, at www.FoodInvestigations.com Join the online protest against General Mills General Mills is not an evil company, at least not in the sense of “Monsanto evil.” Although they made a huge mistake with their misleading Total Blueberry Pomegranate cereal, they do provide several healthy brands such as Cascadian Farm and Muir Glen . They also bought Larabar a year or two ago, and that’s a decent food bar (although it’s still not organic). We want to help educate General Mills to the fact that customers are smarter than they think . We are paying attention, and we will boycott General Mills when they decide to treat us like consumer morons. Join us in contacting General Mills and urging them to stop their deceptive marketing practices that deceive consumers about what’s really inside the box. Use the following contact page to offer your feedback: http://generalmills.com/en/ContactUs.aspx Sample comment you may wish to submit: I am a General Mills customer who is appalled at the dishonest product naming and labeling used to promote Total Blueberry Pomegranate Cereal, which contains no blueberries nor pomegranates. I am joining an online protest organized by NaturalNews.com and the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center to urge you to recall this falsely-labeled product and either change the product name and labeling or reformulate it to contain actual blueberries and pomegranates. As a health-conscious consumer, I strongly object to your use of these superfoods in the name and labeling of your Total cereal when your own ingredients reveal the blueberries to be faked through the use of artificial food coloring chemicals, vegetable oils and processed sugars. Until such time that you announce your intention to remedy the misleading labeling and marketing of your Total cereal product, I will join NaturalNews.com in boycotting all General Mills products as a measure of protest against deceptive marketing practices. Regards, (Type your name here) Keep in mind that if you give General Mills your *real* email address in their contact form, they will obviously have your email. (And I’m not sure how they will use it.) So you may wish to use a throwaway email address when using their feedback form. That’s up to you. I personally don’t want General Mills sending me promotional emails for Lucky Charms.

Junk science alert: researchers declare alternative therapies dangerous to children based on scant evidence

(NaturalNews) The headline emblazoned across a new British Medical Journal (BMJ) press release proclaims this alarming warning: Complementary medicines can be dangerous for children! But when you look at the proof that’s supposedly been found documenting life-threatening dangers of complementary and alternative therapies, guess what? It simply isn’t there. Here are the facts: Australian researchers have just published their findings in the BMJ’s Archives of Disease in Childhood showing complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is inherently dangerous for youngsters. Their supposed evidence consists of this: a few poorly documented reports of CAM side effects that were turned in to the Australian Pediatric Surveillance Unit between 2001 and 2003. During these years, only 46 instances of adverse events (ranging from side effects like constipation, allergic reactions, mouth ulcers, and vomiting to seizures and four deaths) associated with alternative and complementary therapies were reported. And out of these, there were only 39 questionnaires about treatments and symptoms that were completed by parents and/or doctors. The reports included children from birth up to the age of 16. About 64% of the supposed CAM reactions were rated as severe, life threatening or fatal. That sounds like a huge number until you remember that out of all the youngsters treated with CAM in Australia (who probably number in the tens of millions), only 39 problems were documented over the course of several years for this study. What’s more, less than half (44%) of the children’s doctors were willing to say they thought their patients had been harmed by a failure to use conventional treatment in favor of CAM therapies. In over three quarters of cases (77%), the adverse events were considered to be probably or definitely related to CAM. However, the terms “related” and “associated” used in the study imply links but do not mean there was a direct cause and effect between CAM treatments and the symptoms and outcomes. Yet, the Australian research team manages to squeeze this conclusion out of their scant facts: complementary therapies “…can even prove fatal, if substituted for conventional medicine.” One of the most tragic cases reported that the Australian researchers tried to blame on CAM involved the death of a 10 month old child who developed septic shock (a potentially lethal drop in blood pressure due to widespread infection in the blood). The Australian researchers stated this happened “after being treated with homeopathy and a restricted diet for chronic eczema”. While the baby no doubt needed appropriate medical care to fight the out-of-control infection, it is common sense that the initial illness was most likely due to bacteria entering the bloodstream through skin which was raw from eczema. Yet the way the research article is written gives the impression that CAM itself was the primary culprit in the death. Moreover, there is no mention in the article that mainstream conventional drugs might actually have played a role in the baby’s death. A 2009 study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood found that when antibiotics are used in the first year of life, they cause an increased risk of eczema. Had the baby ever been treated with prescription meds before his parents turned to CAM? Could earlier mainstream treatments have played a role in the eczema and later death instead of (or in addition to) any alternative treatments? Unfortunately, these kinds of details are not revealed in the anti-CAM study. While no one wants children to suffer due to inappropriate treatments administered by parents, alternative health practitioners or doctors, clearly a sample of less than four dozen cases of youngsters experiencing side effects from complementary therapies over the course of a few years and a study that doesn’t compare side effects and fatal outcome rates of prescription drugs and other mainstream medical treatments to more natural approaches should not be considered the definitive statement on the supposed life-threatening dangers of CAM. Perhaps the most obvious flaw in the Australian study is that while it reports the four possible CAM related deaths as a dire example of deadly consequences of alternative and complementary medicine, it totally ignores the fact that conventional Big Pharma drugs directly cause the deaths of over 100,000 people of all ages each year in the U.S. alone. In fact, pharmaceutical therapies are causing problems of catastrophic proportions — one person dies every five minutes from mainstream medical drugs, not from CAM (http://www.naturalnews.com/024052_drugs_prescription_heroin.html). And children are often the most vulnerable victims. Hundreds of deaths of youngsters diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) who were put on powerful stimulants such as Ritalin have been reported to the FDA MedWatch program, for example. In 2006, the FDA finally administered strong warnings for some of these drugs as horrendous real side effects (including serious psychotic problems, heart attacks, and fatal heart arrhythmias) became obvious. Another case in point: over 300 people, including children, die in the U.S. from penicillin allergies each year. But there is no available data showing that 300 people are dying in the U.S. or Australia from CAM allergic reactions. The new study also doesn’t cite other Australian research presented by University of Sydney researchers at a conference of the International Pharmaceutical Federation earlier this year showing that children are being put at serious risk from the use of widely-available medicines for fever, coughs and colds. That study showed a far bigger problem with cough and cold medicines than with CAM therapies — 48 per cent of calls in 2008 to the New South Wales Poisons Information Centre, which receives all out of hours calls from around Australia, concerned accidental overdose in children in from mainstream over-the-counter medicines, with 15 per cent of the kids so ill they had to be admitted to hospitals. “CAM use has the potential to cause significant morbidity and fatal adverse outcomes,” the authors of the latest study, from the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, concluded. But the truth is, there’s much more hard evidence that there are far more common and better documented dangers to kids than any CAM therapies. For example, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) warned earlier this year that every five days, a child in the U.S. chokes to death while eating hot dogs, candies and marshmallows; even more die after swallowing toys and balloons. For more information: http://adc.bmj.com/content/early/2010/11/24/adc.2010.183152.short?q=w_adc_ahead_tab

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