TV=Tragic Vice

From Mercola.com:

Kids Spend an Astounding Amount of Time Watching TV or Using Computer

Today, less than one-third of kids aged 6 to 17 get at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise a day!!

Compare that to the TV-watching statistics below, and you'll realize just how troublesome the above findings may be. It may even be a crucial part of the equation that might explain why so many children are now using anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs.

* The average American watches nearly FIVE HOURS of TV a day
* More than half of American children have a television in their bedroom; one study put the number at 70 percent
* Twice as many adolescents with a television in their bedroom watch more than five hours of TV a day compared with youths without a TV in their bedroom
* 90 percent of American toddlers, under the age of 2, watch TV, videos and DVD's regularly
* About 40 percent of babies, under 3 months of age, watch TV, videos and DVD's regularly
* Based on a 2007 survey of families in two states, kids at 3 months watched less than an hour of TV daily, and that viewing time climbed to 90 minutes as children reached the toddler stage

Visual digital media such as television programming and educational DVD's are being increasingly introduced to an ever younger audience.

Unfortunately, contrary to what you've been told, this type of educational material may actually retard language development rather than speed it up!

British psychologist Aric Sigman writes in his 2008 paper titled, DOES NOT COMPUTE, Screen Technology in Early Years Education:

"… [T]he scientists found that for every hour per day spent watching specially developed baby DVDs and videos such as Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby, children under 16 months understood an average of six to eight fewer words than children who did not watch them.

One of the authors stated," The evidence is mounting that they are of no value and may in fact be harmful."

Wow!

So much for Baby Einstein and teaching your child to use a computer as soon as they're able to press a button, with the hopes of boosting their development...

The Steep Price of Letting Your Child have a TV in Their Bedroom

Keeping a TV in your child's bedroom is not a wise parenting decision, based on the evidence available.

A growing body of research shows strong links between a TV in the bedroom and numerous health and educational problems.

Children with TVs in their bedroom:

* Score lower on school tests
* Are more likely to have sleep problems
* Are more likely to be overweight
* May have an increased risk of smoking
* Tend to consume more unhealthy foods

Exercising More May Not Be Enough, Unless You Also Shut Off the TV...

Clearly, the vast majority of kids and teens are in dire need of more exercise. However, based on the findings reported in the journal Pediatrics this month, exercising more may not be enough to compensate for the detrimental impact of TV and computer use.

The other side of the equation is shutting off your TV and computer more often...

As reported by Live Science:

"The study found that regardless of age, gender, socioeconomic status, or whether a child had hit puberty, more than two hours a day in front of a TV or computer was associated with more emotional and behavioral difficulties.

Most importantly, the connection between screen time and psychological problems held regardless of how much overall physical activity the kids engaged in."

What that means is that it's not a sedentary lifestyle that poses the greatest risk to your child's mental health, but rather the activities your child engages in while being sedentary.

Other sedentary activities, such as reading or doing homework, had no detrimental impact on the children's mental health.

The researchers found that:

* Children who spent more than two hours a day watching TV or using a computer were 61 and 59 percent more likely to experience high levels of psychological difficulties, respectively

* Children who spent more than two hours a day watching TV, and also failed to meet physical activity guidelines, were 70 percent more likely to experience high levels of psychological difficulties

Watching TV Changes Your Brain Chemistry

While much of the TV debate focuses on advertising messages and the impact of violent or sexually explicit programming on young minds, there's an even more disturbing aspect to television.

As it turns out, TV may be harmful no matter what programs your kids are watching or what ads they're exposed to!

Yes, television in and of itself is one of the most powerful brainwashing devices there is.

According to research by Dr. Aric Sigman, a British psychologist, watching TV actually causes physiological changes – mainly changes in your brain chemistry – and there's nothing beneficial about them.

These changes have little to do with the content you're watching, but rather the fact that when you're watching a TV or computer screen, you're in essence entraining your brain to function and process information differently.

Watching a TV (or computer screen) produces an almost narcotic effect on your brain, actually numbing areas that would be stimulated by other activities, like reading.

And, the longer you watch, the easier your brain slips into a receptive, passive mode, meaning that messages are streamed into your brain without any participation from you. This of course is every advertiser's dream, and accounts for much of the success companies achieve by putting ads on TV.

The 15 Potential Side Effects of Watching TV

Through his research, Dr. Sigman has identified 15 negative effects that he believes can be associated with watching television:

1. Obesity
2. Trouble healing
3. Heart trouble
4. Decreased metabolism
5. Eyesight damage
6. Alzheimer's disease
7. Decreased attention span
8. Hormone disturbances
9. Cancer
10. Early puberty
11. Autism
12. Sleep difficulties
13. Increased appetite
14. Limited brain growth
15. Diabetes

How to Get Your Kids Moving

I think there's no doubt that it is imperative to limit your child's TV, computer, and video game time, in addition to encouraging your child to spend more time doing some form of physical activity.

Overweight and obese children will need at least 30 minutes of exercise each day, and may benefit from closer to 60 minutes. But even if your child is not overweight, you should encourage him or her to take part in physically engaging activities after school and on the weekends – the benefits are just too plenty and too varied to be ignored, including boosting mental health.

Encourage your child to engage in activities that are naturally interesting to them, such as playing on the monkey bars, rollerblading, skateboarding, dancing or playing basketball with friends. Allow your kids to exercise in bursts throughout the day -- a game of tag here, a bike ride there -- so they don't feel pressured or like they're being "punished."

Like adults, kids need variety to their exercise routines, so be sure your child is getting in aerobic, interval training, weight-training, stretching and core-building activities. This may sound daunting, but if your child participates in a gymnastics class, sprints around the backyard after the dog often and rides his bike after school, you'll be covered.

Last but not least, remember that you act as a role model by staying active yourself.

If your kids see you embracing exercise in a positive way, they will naturally follow suit. Plus, it's easy to plan active activities that involve the whole family and double up as fun ways to spend time together. Hiking, bike riding, canoeing, swimming and sports are all great options.

Think of it this way … by taking the time to get your kids interested in exercise now, you're giving them a gift that will keep them healthy and happy for the rest of their lives. Combine that with reduced TV and computer use, and you're giving your child the best platform possible for a healthy, long life – physically, mentally and emotionally.

Love and taking a bat to your boob tube,

Rachel

Vaccinations: The Other Side of the Debate

I know the topic of vaccines is extremely volatile and hot on both sides. I am writing this because I think my side hardly gets told, and certainly not by the pediatricians. I will speak from my own experience, and also post the most compelling case against vaccines from an interview with a reputable board certified pediatrician in New York. This very interview is what put the nail in the coffin in my decision to not vaccinate Avery for the first year of her life (at least). The interview is long. I would suggest carving out an hour and listening, either while making dinner or cleaning around the house, etc. The hour is worth your time.

Let me first say that with the exception of the ONE and ONLY time Avery got vaccinated, she has never been sick. I am talking not even a SNIFFLE! She is 9 months now, and is as healthy as can be.

Avery had her first 2 month appointment, and I was totally confused as to what I wanted to do. So I only had her get the DTAP and Rotavirus. She promptly fell into a deep sleep for two hours, which by the way, I think is strange. Why is it normal for a dose of "perfectly healthy" ingredients to knock out a baby right away? Then again, why is it apparently normal to have an extremely high fever and seizures as a "side effect"? Really?! I'm sorry, but I refuse to think seizures are any sort of normal reaction. That's doing real harm.

So after a day of sleepiness, Avery woke the next day totally sick, with a horrible cough and cold. It lasted about 2 weeks. She was super healthy before the vaccinations, and all of the sudden she's sick? In the interview below, you will hear that there is research showing vaccines disable the immune system, so that the baby is actually MORE susceptible to getting sick. Hearing that and seeing it happen to Avery before my eyes was enough to convince me. I haven't looked back and she hasn't been sick since.

Now let me also point out that Avery has been exclusively breastfed for 8 months, and for the last month I have now added in organic bananas, avocados and sweet potatoes for dinner. You have to set up your kid to be healthy by putting healthy stuff if their body and especially avoiding toxic formula. (Look at the ingredients on a formula label if you don't believe me, its horrible stuff to put in a newborn baby) For the VERY FEW percentage that truly cannot breastfeed after seeing a lactation consultant, you can make your own formula. Look for organic recipes online.

Make sure the baby gets at least 15 minutes of direct sunlight with NO sunscreen for Vitamin D, which also is the number one protector against sickness and influenza (see my earlier post on this). Vitamin D cannot be made on the skin if sunscreen has been applied. Also consider buying your baby an organic mattress, since the conventional ones are filled with toxic and carcinogenic chemicals, which some say is linked to SIDS. (I personally think vaccinations are the cause of SIDS).

Here is the interview with Dr. Palevsky:

EXPERT PEDIATRICIAN EXPOSES VACCINE MYTHS

Love and healthy babies,

Rachel

Chinese Formula Causing Babies to Grow Breasts

The questionable products coming out of China continue. Now infant girls between 4 and 15 months who were fed the formula Synutra are growing breasts. The problem may most likely be traced back to the cows who were used in the making of the formula. There are no laws in China about giving growth hormones to cows, so needless to say, farmers are probably pretty reckless with their use of them.

So the greed for profits once again harms the innocent. It pains me that the poor babies are the ones being harmed by this. See the article here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-robbins/female-infants-growing-br_b_676402.html

Food, Inc

1. Watch Food, Inc.

2. Sit for 10 minutes and think about all the food in your pantry and where it probably comes from.

3. Make a resolution to walk into Whole Foods or a farmers market, and buy organic. Just one time. See if it kills you. I bet it won't. Actually, I bet what you are eating now will kill you. And I bet you will be surprised at how affordable organic produce is. I was! And now I am totally sold. I find it hard to NOT buy organic.

The deception that goes on in the meat, dairy and agriculture industry in the U.S.A. is appalling and we must wake up to what is happening to our food supply. Disease, antibiotic and hormone ridden meat doesn't sound very appetizing, yet that is exactly what lurks in that fast food burger.

Food Inc is a very cleverly made, fascinating and easy (but hard) movie to watch. I guarantee you won't be able to turn it off.

Please please please Americans, lets start voting with our dollars, and change the market for the better. We, the consumer, DO have all the power!

Tragedy in the Backseat: Babies and Hot Car Deaths

I usually disagree with the values of Parenting Magazine, but I get it free in the mail so I read it from time to time. But the June issue had an important article that all parents need to read. It was about the deaths of babies that are left in cars, whether by accident or just to "run in and grab a coffee", etc. It happens more than you would believe, and as the article points out, more often by Mom's that are actually quite doting and very concerned with safety.

Please read it and employ some of the prevention techniques that they list. It could mean the difference between life and death.

I will say though, that all 3 of the examples used in the article were committed by Mom's that worked full time jobs and had their children in daycare. I don't know the full stats between stay-at-home moms and working moms that have had this happen, but I do wonder. And I know that single mom's don't have the choice of staying home, so of course there are special cases and exceptions.

But anyway, that's for another blog post...

Read the Parenting Article Here

One Simple Surprising Way To Keep Yourself Healthy

Stop getting a flu shot (it's poison for you and your kids' body).
No need to take Airborne (its a artificial-sugar-filled junk product anyway).
Put that junky juice back on the shelf (But do make your own fresh-squeezed juice).

Now, what you should do is get out in the sun. And yes, WITHOUT sun screen! You read that right. No sunscreen for 15-30 minutes, as long as it takes for you to get slightly pink. And there you have the best way to defend yourself against not only influenza, colds and coughs, but also cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases. Its all about the Vitamin D.

More and more studies are coming out about the miraculous wonders of Vitamin D. Just google it. The very best source is sunlight, though the American Cancer Society tells us the sun is a horrible dangerous thing that we must avoid or we'll be ridden with cancer. But that's poppycock! You are actually more likely to get cancer from slathering on the harmful chemical-filled sunscreens that fill your local Target shelves, and staying out of the sun only makes it worse. God created the sun to bring us light, health and warmth, and it's not a bad thing in moderation.

The next best source of Vitamin D is supplements, and I actually prefer using both the sun and supplements. This is so easy! I love this product, which is Vitamin D in a liquid form that you can drop into a glass of juice, a spoonful of yogurt or even right into your mouth. It tastes like olive oil, which also makes it great for toddlers and older children. For your baby or younger ones, I recommend Baby D's, which you can drop onto their pacifier or in the bottle. So easy!!

So go out on a walk in the sun without sunscreen for 20 minutes, and get some Vitamin D. Order some Vitamin D drops from Vitacost, the best website on the planet with $5 flat shipping. I have not gotten the flu for ages since I started doing this. I do the same with my 5 month old. She gets about 15 minutes of sun a day. I have never put sunscreen on her, she has never gotten burned and has rarely gotten sick since she was born. (The one exception is the day after her one and only vaccination, ahem, which I will write a-plenty about in the future).

Happy D Day everyone!

GMO's: A Growing Concern-Part 3

**So I just basically copy and pasted this final segment from the article, because its late and the baby is teething and I want to hurry and sleep while she is. But seriously read through this latest groundbreaking study out of Russia. Its totally freaky, and it casts a shadow on the future of our world if we keep consuming GM foods. Your kids' kids could be sterile. Oh yeah, with hair growing around their teeth. Really.
Happy reading!

Russian Scientists Find Third Generation of Hamsters Sterilized by GM Soy

The release of this new information provides yet another health risk, and confirmation on earlier problems related to fertility, birth weight of offspring, and infant mortality.

In this feeding study they used hamsters, an animal which has not been previously featured in GM safety studies.

One group of hamsters was fed a normal diet without any soy whatsoever, a second group was fed non-GMO soy, a third ate GM soy, and a fourth group ate an even higher amount of GM soy than the third.

Using the same genetically modified (GM) soy that is produced on over 90 percent of the soy acreage in the US, the hamsters and their offspring were fed their respective diets over a period of two years, during which time the researchers evaluated three generations of hamsters.

First they took five pairs of hamsters from each group, each of which produced about seven to eight litters each, totaling about 140 animals.

At first all went well, but serious problems became apparent when they selected new pairs from the offspring.

The first problem was that this second generation had a slower growth rate and reached their sexual maturity later than normal.

However, this second generation eventually generated another 39 litters:

• The no-soy control group had 52 pups
• The non-GM soy had 78
• The GM soy had only 40, of which 25 percent died

So these second-generation GM soy-fed hamsters had a five-fold higher infant mortality rate, compared to the 5 percent normal death rate that was happening in the controls.

Nearly All of the Third-Generation GMO Babies Were Sterile!

But then an even bigger problem became apparent, because nearly all of the third generation hamsters lost the ability to have babies altogether.

Only a single third-generation female hamster gave birth to 16 pups, and of those, one fifth died.

In short, nearly the entire third generation of GM soy eaters were sterile!

But it doesn’t end there.

In the GM soy-fed groups they also found an unusually high prevalence of an otherwise extremely rare phenomenon – hair growing inside the animals’ mouths. (You can see the images here.)

Says Smith:

“… it’s a very rare phenomenon but he [study author, Dr. Surov] had never in his life seen more hair in mouths of hamsters than with these GM soy-fed, third generation hamsters.”

As you may know, genetically modified crops weren’t released until 1996, starting with GM soy, corn and cotton. Modified canola came about a year later.

Please remember humans have MUCH longer life spans than rats and that GMO foods were only introduced in 1996. This is LESS than one generation.

So we’re still nowhere near seeing the full effects of these potential ramifications in humans, as we’re only about 15 years into it. But if the effects are anything like the effects on numerous types of animals, we could be looking at sterility on a grand scale as our great-grandchildren grow up and begin to try to procreate...

The fact that the US is completely unwilling to implement the precautionary principle with regards to GM foods is incomprehensible in light of the findings we already have from animal studies.

Additionally, some 800 genetically engineered food applications have been submitted to the USDA, but not one single environmental impact statement has been prepared. So not only are human health ramifications ignored, but the entire eco system is being jeopardized.

It’s Time to Save Yourself and Your Family Because White Knights Don’t Exist in Government

It’s important to realize that the key to ending the ongoing atrocity of GM foods lies not with government, but with you and me.

Consumers are going to have to drive GM foods out, and we CAN do it.

Through educating yourself, your family, friends and community about GMOs, and most importantly of all, through the food purchases you make, you can stop this unregulated science experiment.

Once we reach the tipping point, which is probably as little as five percent of the US population, the market WILL respond. They can’t afford not to!

Once enough people refuse to buy GM food products, it won’t be long before food manufacturers start switching their ingredients.

Taken from Mercola.com

GMO's: A Growing Concern-Part 2

Lets continue on in the discussion on the dangers of Genetically Modified Organisms.

How to Avoid GMO's

Avoid the "Big Four", which has now become five. The top GM crops are Soy, Corn, Canola, Cotton and Sugar Beets. You might be thinking, "Ok, that's not so hard. So I just avoid those 5 things?" Only it's not that simple, because you would be surprised to find out that soy, for instance, is in nearly every processed food on the supermarket shelves. Crackers, cookies, chips, power bars, frozen dinners, dairy products, etc., all have soy, and it will never be labeled as GMO. Your best bet is to buy organic whenever possible.

Most corn is GMO, and corn based products, corn starch, corn oil, corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup also appear on the ingredients labels of most processed foods. Fast food is filled with corn products. Just rent "King Corn" on your netflix and you will see it for yourself.

Of course GMO corn is fed to cattle and other livestock. If you eat beef, pork or fowl, you are a second hand consumer of GM corn. Buy grass fed beef or organic chicken.

Use pure extra-virgin olive oil, since most blended oils contain canola or cottonseed oil.

Stop buying regular sugar and avoid sugary products, especially soda! As if soda couldn't get any worse...it is now. Between the high fructose corn syrup and sugar, that pepsi is sure to destroy your health. All major supermarkets carry organic sugar for a reasonable price.

The sure way to avoid ending up with GM foods in your shopping cart is to download the free non-GMO shopping guide, available at www.NonGMOshoppingGuide.com.

There is also a free iPhone or ipod application that is available in the iTunes store. You can find it by searching for ShopNoGMO in the applications.

Vote with Your Dollars!

Can you believe that Europe is GMO-free? If Europe did it, the US can too. If enough shoppers continually avoid buying GM food products, then it will have an impact. So take this one step! Download the shopping guide, and make note of which brands to buy and which ones to avoid. Europe reached their boiling point 11 years ago in April of 1999, from a single week of negative media which swayed enough consumers for food companies to commit to stop using GM ingredients. You have tremendous power!

Here is a great video all about GMO's if you are eager to learn more.

Stay tuned for the last part 3!

GMO's: A Growing Concern-Part 1

Do you know about GMO's, or Genetically Modified Organisms?

If you don't, you should know. You are after all consuming them everyday, several times a day. And they are a major threat to our future health.

Of course the FDA and food industry claim that genetically modified foods are safe, properly tested, and necessary to feed a hungry world. TOTALLY FALSE! Genetically modified organisms are one of the most dangerous and radical changes to our food supply. These mostly unregulated ingredients are found in 60-70% of the foods in the US. It takes some education and effort, but trust me, it is worth it to avoid them at all costs, for you and especially for your children (more on that in a future post).

A Quick Rundown of GMO's

Many of our most important crops are being injected by either shooting genes from a gene gun into a plate of cells or by using bacteria to invade the cell with foreign DNA. The altered cell is then cloned into a plant. This process create major damage, causing mutations in hundreds or thousands of locations throughout the plant's DNA. The main reason companies genetically engineer plants is to make them tolerant to their brand of herbicide and pesticide. The "Big Four" major GM plants, soy, corn, canola, and cotton (and now sugar beets) are designed to survive an otherwise deadly dose of weed killer.

(If you are interested in the politics, just google Monsanto and Michael Taylor. It gets bad, but I won't go into that now.)

Why Avoid GM Foods?

A very obvious sign of the danger of GM foods, is that animals offered a choice of GM food or non-GM food will always choose the non-GM food. Even to the point of starvation. Shouldn't we learn something from that??

World renowned biologist Pushpa M. Bhargava states that after reviewing more than 600 scientific journals, it can be concluded that GMOs are a major contributor to the sharply deteriorating health of Americans. Genetic engineering alters genetic codes of the DNA in organisms, creating mutant organisms and dangerously mutating genes. Children are particularly vulnerable because of their rapidly developing systems, and essentially have become the true experimental animals in all this.

Studies were recently finished in Russian on hamsters fed GM soy and the results are truly chilling. By the third generation, those hamsters fed the GM diet were mostly sterile AND had hair growing in their mouth! Disgusting right? Here are the pictures to give you a lovely visual.
I'm sorry, but I really don't want hair growing in my mouth. Creepy!! And this stuff is real. More on this study in Part 3.

So clearly GM foods are unregulated by the government, untested and unapproved. Yet, nearly every mainstream cereal at your local grocery store is made with GM corn and soy. The list goes on and on, and you would never know what you are truly consuming, because it is not required at this time to label a product that is genetically modified. There are a limited amount of organic companies that do label their products as GMO-free, thankfully. But how do we avoid the rest? Find out in the next post.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

The Bees Knees

I love taking walks. Call me childlike, but every time I see a dying bumblebee stumbling along the sidewalk, I want to save it. If there was an tiny little syringe with a lifesaving agent in it, I would inject the bee. Why? Well, for one thing I have a soft spot for all creatures and have since I was a little girl. But the main reason is that we NEED bees! They are so important to keep our world working and beautiful. Why was this bee dying? Most likely, he was flying along, pollinating, and simply doing what he was created to do. However, day after day, he is losing the fight.

Bees, you see, are declining in number, and have been since the 1950's. There are a combination of factors that have caused this. One is varroa and tracheal mites, parasites that destroy honeybees and wipe out colonies. Another is Colony Collapse Disorder, which kills a bunch of bees quickly and in large number. The cause of this disorder is being narrowed down to mainly pesticides, but also nutritional deficiencies, viruses, weather, and just the simple fact that bees are not as strong as they were 30 years ago.

I think this is really sad and equally troublesome. I mean, those of you that have seen the kids movie Bee Movie can see how important bees are to the world. Even many beekeepers across the U.S. are quitting, saying they just aren't able to make a living anymore.

How you can help honeybees:

-Use pesticides wisely, if you must at all. Choose products that are less likely to harm bees, and follow the directions carefully. Don't apply pesticides to flowers that bees will visit or water they'll drink. Or look up and learn to try natural pesticides, like neem.

-Add pollinator-friendly plants to your yard. Check out the "Pollinator Friendly Planting Guide" for your region at http://www.pollinator.org.

-Don't be afraid to leave part of your yard a bit messy. Honeybees feed on weed flowers like dandelions, too.

-Buy local honey. It helps keep beekeepers in business. If you can't find a source of local honey, this is a great buy: Organic Bee Farms Raw Honey

-Befriend bees. Stay calm when you see them; don't swat them or move around when they are near. For the most part, if you don't bother them, they'll leave you alone.

-Welcome beekeepers to your neighborhood. Bee experts advocate repealing laws that bar beekeepers.

These Make Me Want to Get Pregnant Just to Take Them

Okay Happy Mothers Day to me, because this is such an incredible price for these New Chapter Prenatals!!! I dont know how long they will be this cheap, but retail price is normally $82 and they are $28.68 today on sale on Vitacost (the best healthy product website by the way, $5 shipping).

If you dont know about New Chapter, they are the absolute top line of quality vitamins across the board. The quality is so high that you can take them on an empty stomach without getting nauseated, and they are made with organic whole foods products. I can't say enough good about this company. Just read all the raving reviews on the Vitacost page for yourself. It may only be this price today. Take advantage!