Why Do We Need The Canary Party for our Health? Portrait of an American Classroom & Family
Managing Editor's Note: On Friday, The Canary Party took flight at Autism One. As chronic illness threatens to undo American childhood completely, parents, teachers, medical practitioners, in short, VOTERS need to demand answers from both sides of the political aisle on why our nation is so unwell - adults included.We should feel shock, dismay and outrage at the state of pediatric health. A study last week said that over 50% of children now battle some form of chronic illness, including obesity. It's a travesty and one we can no longer accept passively. Join the Canary Party- your political affiliation, Republican, Democrat, Consersative, Progressive, Libertarian does not matter - it's a big, big, well - nest. KS
By An American Teacher & Parent
(To protect the identity of those mentioned in this article, the author has asked to remain anonymous.)
I’m standing at my desk which faces the door to my classroom listening to the morning announcements. About a minute into them, one of my students on crutches comes hobbling in, much later than usual. I shoot him a look.
“I’m sorry. It wasn’t my fault, I swear,” he pleads. I lower my chin. This particular student is quite a jokester.
“No, really,” he says sincerely. “Someone in the hallway is having a terrible asthma attack. The paramedics are working on them right now. I had to go around the other way.”
In this instant, my heart sinks. I teach at a school that is on the smaller side. One of the benefits is that you know almost all of the kids. Chances are good I know this student too.
Seconds later I hear shuffling and rushing, and just like that, a gurney with at least 3 paramedics goes right by. It happens so fast that I can’t see who it is, and it takes all I have in me as a parent and as a teacher to keep it together. I pause and pick up where I leave off.
The next day I hear the news. It’s a former student of mine that I came to know quite well just last year. My heart sinks again, and I am relieved to hear this young person is doing well at the local hospital. Days later when they return they come to see me. Thankfully, they are okay.
A new study just released on the state of American children’s health tells us this is the new reality. American children are sick. Really, really, really sick. And shockingly, no one seems the least bit concerned about why or how that came to be. They’re just confirming what most of us have known for years, only now we have the actual numbers. According to these researchers, approximately 50% of children have a chronic health condition. FIFTY PERCENT. In my own classes, I can attest.
In our state, according to the Board of Education, 2% of all children have a life threatening food allergy. Lunch rooms have to be labeled with peanut free zones and instructions on how to protect one another. At my own children’s school, no one is allowed to bring in any edible food for birthdays or otherwise because of food allergies. This is now the norm.
In my classroom, 1 in 8 children suffer from Asthma. 1 in 4 of them has a chronic health condition, including Asthma, food allergies, Autism, and ADHD, and two students have chronic pain conditions. They are 16 years old. And seasonal allergies? Well, let’s just say I should start purchasing stock in tissue. I go through a box every two to three days.
My neighborhood is also a frightening slice of Americana. On my street alone, there are three children with severe learning deficits in the same pull out class. My child is one of them, and one of the others has life threatening Asthma. All three of them have serious social delays and physical impairments.
Down the street, there is one child on medication for ADHD. There’s another with seizure disorder. There are two children who get picked up by the little yellow school bus. At least four have a speech delay and get therapy. And my eldest child (not on the spectrum) has something in common with two good friends within a two block radius: they each have a sibling with Autism.
In our family, we have one child with Autism; one child with severe seasonal allergies, a gait, strabismus, bouts of depression, and gastrointestinal issues; a niece with dyslexia, chronic eczema, and a tree nut allergy; a nephew with ADHD; a cousin with Asperger’s; and a cousin with Asthma.
Where I work, at least 4 staff members that I know of have either a child on the spectrum or a very sick one. We all have children under the age of 12.
Now, just as I am always in tune with how many children around me are sick, I am equally intrigued by those who are the picture of health. Things I never, ever imagined paying attention to, like having a gait, or low muscle tone, or chronic drippy noses, or dark circles under their eyes, or how often they poop…these are things I pick out with laser precision. When kids are perfectly healthy, I always want to know what their parents did or are doing.
In our family, it’s been really obvious. My least vaccinated child is by far my healthiest…rarely sick, strong, healthy, coordinated, friendly, loving, and extremely intelligent. This child has no skin issues, no gastrointestinal distress, and no allergies of any kind. My nieces, nephews and cousins who are selectively or unvaccinated are the same.
The fact of the matter is, if you lined up those children in my family of the same generation who were born and vaccinated per the CDC schedule before our child’s Autism diagnosis in 2004 and compared them to those who were born and selectively or not vaccinated after (as a result of watching the demise of our child and wanting to avoid it at all costs), the differences in their health conditions are stark, startling, and undeniable. To date, my children are 3 of the 17 children born in their generation on both sides of our family. Although I am writing this anonymously to protect them, I give you my God’s honest word this is fact.
Child 1, boy (1995): Asperger’s; GI issues. (Fully vaccinated per CDC schedule)
Child 2, boy (1998): Gait; Strabismus; Severe Seasonal Allergies; Depression; GI Issues. (Fully vaccinated per CDC schedule)
Child 3, boy (1999): Asthma; Seasonal Allergies (Fully vaxed per CDC)
Child 4, girl (2001): Autism; Apraxia; GI Issues (Fully vaxed per CDC)
Child 5, boy (2001): ADHD; Geographic Tongue (Fully vaxed per CDC)
Child 6, girl (2003): Dyslexia; Eczema; Tree Nut Allergy (Fully vaxed per CDC)
Child 7, girl (2004): No chronic health or developmental issues (Selectively vaccinated)
Child 8, boy (2004): No chronic health or developmental issues (Selectively vaccinated)
Child 9, girl (2006): No chronic health or developmental issues (Not vaccinated)
Child 10, girl (2006): No chronic health or developmental issues (Not vaccinated)
Child 11, girl (2006): No chronic health or developmental issues (Unknown)
Child 12, girl (2007): No chronic health or developmental issues (Selectively vaccinated)
Child 13, girl (2007): No chronic health or developmental issues (Selectively vaccinated)
Child 14, girl (2008): No chronic health or developmental issues (Not vaccinated)
Child 15, girl (2009): No chronic health issues, possible developmental delay walking (Unknown)
Child 16, girl (2009): No chronic health or developmental issues (Selectively vaccinated)
Child 17, girl (2010): No chronic health or developmental issues (Selectively vaccinated)
This is our family’s reality. It is not a genetic coincidence. These kids are all related. Furthermore, if toxic chemicals in the air are to blame, our world has only gotten worse since 2004, not better; by that logic, all of the developmental and health issues should have been skewed towards the more recent births, not the earliest. Pretending this problem has some random combination of environmental causes is a convenient way of making ourselves feel better. The more mysterious everything is there’s no one to blame. Especially some very specific people.
As a teacher, I have become accustomed to being on the receiving end of criticism where my profession is concerned. Although it stings, I am able to differentiate between the criticisms due my profession versus myself. I am a good teacher. I care about kids. I do my best to do right by them. I believe my students and parents know this.
But that doesn’t mean there is no merit in their argument that education is still by and large failing our kids. Clearly, some things are not working very well. And clearly, there is always room for improvement. We owe it to our students to own up to that and try harder.
None the less, I have never heard a parent who criticizes the public school system called “anti-education” or “anti-teacher”. I have never heard teachers respond that those who seek reform are “anti-child”. As consumers of the educational system, parents, politicians and tax payers have earned the right to be vocal when problems occur. We teachers expect it. We live it.
So I wonder. Has the time finally come for American consumers of the Industrial Medical Complex to do the same? Clearly the medical system isn’t working. Clearly what doctors are doing as “health care” for America’s children is not successful. And clearly, clearly they cannot be exonerated from having anything to do with it.
These professionals see and administered medication and vaccinations to children anywhere from 6 to 8 times in the first two years of life, if not more. Along with the parents, they are the most influential people making health care decisions for America’s children. Certainly they are not solely responsible for the tragedy that is their current state of health, but most definitely they are involved.
At what point do they have to share in the accountability? At what point do they warrant criticism? At what point do they have a moral obligation to stand up and acknowledge that what they’re doing isn’t working? How long do they get to hide behind science funded by private interests before they are obligated to think and act for themselves?
The time has come for the leadership of American pediatricians, best known as the AAP, to humble themselves and acknowledge their failure to protect our kids regardless of intent. The time has come for their members to dissent and challenge their leadership. And the time has definitely come for American parents and teachers to demand answers and accountability. It’s an emergency, it really is.
For at this rate, it may very well be your child on that gurney next time.
My grandson, age 4 has never been vaccinated and has no health problems. His height and weight are off the growth charts and he is tall and strong. His God-given immune system works just as designed. He has caught a few colds and suffered a few fevers, but he is healthy.
Posted by: b | June 01, 2011 at 10:38 PM
In my office suite, there are 10 people including the intern. Of all 10 of us, we have 8 children or grandchilden under 18. 3 are on the spectrum. 1 has a severe peanut allergy. 1 has diabetes and asthma. These 6 are fully vaccinated. The remaining 3 are un- or partially vaccinated. Seems telling to me.
Posted by: Joanna | June 01, 2011 at 12:00 PM
When Ross Perot got into the presidential race against Clinton and Bush I, his topic, the national debt, became a campaign issue. I think Perot called the national debt the crazy aunt in the attic that nobody wanted to talk about. But all of a sudden the candidates were talking about it and I think Clinton even did something about it when he got elected.
Posted by: Carol | June 01, 2011 at 08:51 AM
I agree 100% with not an MD; well written!
Posted by: Juanita | May 31, 2011 at 09:34 AM
Very sad commentary - and if we don't stand up to the doctors, and the doctors stand up to their licensing boards/drug distribution networks and the AAP and AMA, there will be, within one more generation, fewer than 1 in 10 HEALTHY children.
There is only one thing that could change it that fast, that dramatically - and nobody dares say "VACCINES".
I'm fed up with trying to be politic. Vaccines are not 100% of the causation, but multiple generations of vaccines have long been identified as huge contributors to changing our DNA as a human race. Soon the rulers will have no one to rule. The kids who become adult "serfs" will simply be too sick to serve, work, or even care.
Shame on the system. Let's change it.
Posted by: Cindy Griffin | May 31, 2011 at 12:41 AM
Nancy;
Tell them that you know someone who has the dignosis of autism, epilepsy, and tourettes and they didn't get no money from no sintking state.
But we sure are having trouble getting health insurance because of the dignosis - It appears that we might have to pay out even more money than normally to the state to get health insurance for a 25 year old because he won't be accepted by any body else.
ARRRRGGGGG IS RIGHT!
Posted by: Benedetta | May 30, 2011 at 11:25 PM
our family of six children:
year born:
1988,1990 (CDC vaxed- 8 shots)a few minor issues
1995, 2000 (CDC vaxed-23 shots) multiple allergies, candida, stuttering, gastrointestinal issues, strange rashes, immune dysfunction, sleep disorders, seizures, OCD, ADHD, Autism
2002, 2007 (unvaccinated) Healthy, bright, no issues.
True story.
Posted by: Janet S | May 30, 2011 at 10:56 PM
And yet, people still say... "Do you really think autism is on the rise or is it just better diagnosing? You know some people are just looking for a diagnosis so that they can get money from the state!" ARUGH!!!!! How many children have to get sick before we wake up!!
Posted by: Nancy | May 30, 2011 at 06:54 PM
I recently took my NT daughter to a checkup and got to listen to the "health" programs playing on the mounted TV in their waiting room for more than 2 hours--managing diabetes, classroom teaching of empathy for autism, asthma awareness for teens, animal therapy for stuttering, machinery to manage sleep apnea "linked" to heart failure (oh and obesity seems to be a factor also), ways to possibly "manage" seizures, weight loss surgery now covered by insurance. It was watching a group of people who want to help people so badly or who thrive off of all this progress in disease "management," that are currently rather fatalistic about cause and some outcomes of these conditions, sure that prevention through knowing and understanding cause is not possible anytime soon. There was no sign of any looking though.
A very pertinent article for this post here:
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/24/nation/la-na-child-mortality-20100524
"Even many countries that already had low child mortality rates, such as Sweden and France, were able to cut their rates more rapidly than the U.S. over the last two decades.
"'It's really just hard to fathom,' said Laura Beavers, national Kids Count coordinator for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, one of the nation's leading advocates for children's health.
"The U.S. mortality rates defy traditional explanations, such as a nation's diversity, high number of immigrants and persistent pockets of poverty, Murray said.
"Australia, another diverse country with a large immigrant population, cut its child mortality rate over the last two decades more than the U.S. Australia now ranks 26th in the world.
"Murray said high child mortality rates were not limited to black and Latino populations in the U.S. In fact, researchers have found high rates among higher-income whites, a group that traditionally has better access to medical care."
Posted by: JenB | May 30, 2011 at 02:16 PM
KT
I have heard that the website will be updated soon. Not a secret, however, that the party was launched at Autism One (viewable at the time on livestream TV) on Friday - our own Mark Blaxill made a short speech.
John
Posted by: John Stone | May 30, 2011 at 01:17 PM
CT Teacher, I completely agree with you. I recognize, however, that the pharmaceutical industry, and our government, will never agree to allow full scale choice to all parents/citizens not to vaccinate. They don't get it, here in the US, that people should have the right to say "no" to a medical product that is injected into their bodies, a right that many other countries allow their citizens, and still see high vaccination rates. If you know of a way to convince these health and government officials otherwise, go for it, and prove me wrong. It is my sincerest wish that you can.
Rather than have a disease run its course, provide people with lifetime, natural immunity, and die out naturally, Industry would rather make lots of money on all of us, cradle to grave, by forcing us to take repeated doses of vaccines, and never letting us achieve lifetime immunity the natural way. They would prefer to debilitate our immune systems with toxic overloads of mercury, aluminum, select excipients used as preferred agents in animal sterilization vaccines, new adjuvants, viral/bacterial antigens and who-knows-what-animal derived carcinogenic contaminants. It is very sad, and more than a bit frightening.
Posted by: Not an MD | May 30, 2011 at 11:43 AM
Very interesting and revealing article. Great to read another article about what teachers are seeing.
I am a vaccine damaged (as adult) parent and a few years later had a daughter who is diagnosed with congenital Lyme and Bartonella, Asperger's, mild seasonal allergies (controlled via homeopathy.) She is an energetic, loving, intelligent six year old. Lyme has required ongoing antibiotics. However, she has never had vomiting or diarrhea from a viral infection, no high fevers. Notes from preschool would come home about viruses and even that her entire minibus had chicken pox. Nothing!
We recently caught a severe cough virus from a playmate's family who said they were "getting over a cough that had lasted weeks." It had all the symptoms of whooping cough and I suffered horribly having asthma and fighting late stage Lyme plus confections along with vaccine damage. My daughter was just perplexed by having a cough as SHE HAS NEVER HAD ONE BEFORE. She breezed through it.
I gagged and whooped every night and tried to avoid an asthma attack, using homeopathy which got me through. Btw, the family with the cough that infected us were all fully vaccinated.
My nieces and nephews are all CDC vaxed. There is severe life threatening asthma, deadly food allergies, chronic ear infections, weird severe illnesses ("flu") that results in hospital visits... Kids are all sick with tubes in their ears and just barely surviving because my brother drove his toddler really fast to a very close hospital. What kind of lives will these kids lead??
Posted by: Jennifer | May 30, 2011 at 11:17 AM
My family is the same way. I sat down one day and drew up what I call the Dysfunctional Family Tree.
One my moms side... the kids on my sons generation...
Two classic Autism dx's. One with Epilepsy.
One apraxia. --All those fully vaxed.
One --has sound sensitivity, fully vaxed.
There are a couple fully vaxed that are too young to tell at this point.
There are also 5 vaccine free and "normal"
The most interesting thing I found --my generation, there is epilepsy, tics, tourettes, ocd, etc, but everyone is considered "typical" and have families and jobs etc... BUT there is ONE... One who had a learning disability severe enough to be on an IEP all the way to graduation. He has a problem with comprehension. Looking back --his language was a bit disordered. HE ALSO HAPPENS TO BE the only BOY in my generation born after they started giving the Hep B birth dose.
On my dad's side I also have a cousin with some "syndrome" they never dx'd. He is autistic as well. Vaccinated.
On my son's father's side he has a first cousin with yet another "unknown" disorder that sounds metabolic in natures --a fully vaxed female.
It's supposed genetic right? SURE... in that it is in ALL our genes. We all have a tipping point.
Posted by: Jenny Webster | May 30, 2011 at 11:09 AM
I wonder why any parent of a vaccine injured child still wants to selectively vaccinate. None of the vaccines has ever been proven safe. With all of the knowledge we now have of the dangers of vaccines, why take that chance? When I began my quest to learn more about vaccination in 2006 after the birth of my grandson who was given the Hep B shot on his 2nd day of life, I was of the opinion that as long as there was no mercury in the shots, they were relatively safe. What I discovered about vaccination was truly horrifying, but I did discover a probable explanation for my own life-long chronic illness and an explanation for some of the illnesses and problems my own children suffered as a result of their vaccines. Yes the schedule has expanded exponentially over the generations since I was a kid in the 40's and 50's, but there were problems back then too. We just didn't know what caused them, and they were fewer. It's pretty clear when you look carefully at vaccination history that the medical profession had no idea of the possible consequences of attempting to manipulate the immune system in such an unnatural way and still doesn't. They continue their thoughtless destruction of human and animal health. Why let them?
Posted by: CT teacher | May 30, 2011 at 10:08 AM
Study published today:-
A Positive Association found between Autism Prevalence and Childhood Vaccination uptake across the U.S. Population
Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A: Current Issues
Volume 74, Issue 14, 2011, Pages 903 - 916
Author: Gayle DeLonga
Abstract
The reason for the rapid rise of autism in the United States that began in the 1990s is a mystery. Although individuals probably have a genetic predisposition to develop autism, researchers suspect that one or more environmental triggers are also needed. One of those triggers might be the battery of vaccinations that young children receive. Using regression analysis and controlling for family income and ethnicity, the relationship between the proportion of children who received the recommended vaccines by age 2 years and the prevalence of autism (AUT) or speech or language impairment (SLI) in each U.S. state from 2001 and 2007 was determined. A positive and statistically significant relationship was found: The higher the proportion of children receiving recommended vaccinations, the higher was the prevalence of AUT or SLI. A 1% increase in vaccination was associated with an additional 680 children having AUT or SLI. Neither parental behavior nor access to care affected the results, since vaccination proportions were not significantly related (statistically) to any other disability or to the number of pediatricians in a U.S. state. The results suggest that although mercury has been removed from many vaccines, other culprits may link vaccines to autism. Further study into the relationship between vaccines and autism is warranted.
http://tinyurl.com/4x2a9mv
Posted by: John Stone | May 30, 2011 at 09:36 AM
Thank you for your personal observations .. as a front line teacher .. descrbing the overall poor health of today's generation of children .. and .. the myriad of problems each child presents to the public school system.
"The time has come for the leadership of American pediatricians, best known as the AAP, to humble themselves and acknowledge their failure to protect our kids regardless of intent."
Unfortunately, the leadership of the AAP in not likely to "humble themselves" by "acknowledging their failure to protect our kids" .. in our lifetimes. They simply have too much invested to even think of "humbling themselves" at this late stage of their careers.
Which is why ..
the AAP .. for a long time now .. has been more "problem" .. than "solution".
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | May 30, 2011 at 09:21 AM
I think they are just waiting for some of us older people to die off and shut-up; the ones that remember there was a time when this was not the norm. These unexplained epidemics of autoimmune disease, asthma, autism, ADHD etc. will become generally accepted as normal by future young parents; what a terrible shame!
Posted by: Rachael | May 30, 2011 at 09:13 AM
The most potent symbol of the state of truth in medicine is that such a simple observation of what is happening has to be done anonymously.
Posted by: GH | May 30, 2011 at 09:13 AM
They can continue to spin it any way they want to, but the fact is more new mothers are paying attention to those of us with vaccine injured children. I am very careful to tell the new mothers in our family to do their own homework and to look at both sides of the issue. The first question they have is --- Why are they still giving babies the Hep B shot on the first day of life if the mother is not Hep B positive and the shot is only effective until about the age of 12 or 13 when their son/daughter may become sexually active? Good question --- I then tell them that vaccines are a multi-billion dollar industry and that the vaccine companies are exempt from any liability. They just can't believe it. One of my sisters who has been my steadfast support for over 16 years broke down in tears on the phone to me after seeing Mary Holland on the news presenting 83 federal court-adjudicated cases of autism linked to vaccine injury. She had always believed me, but this was "in your face" proof. Through her tears she kept saying, "It didn't have to be this way." My daughter's autism has taught me many, many good things, but it has been a very heavy load and the fall-out from autism has affected our entire family, especially her sister and brother. Such a heavy price to pay for greed and manipulation. It didn't have to be this way.
Posted by: Jill Fenech | May 30, 2011 at 08:37 AM
Thank you for this article, American Teacher and Parent. Sadly, my neighborhood is no different from yours. Seven with autism, two with peanut allergies, two with asthma, four with ADHD. Is this the new normal? Why don't our pediatricians care? Why don't they notice they are partially complicit in this?
I realize that our water, soil, and air are far more toxic than ever, due to industry pollutants, and that this affects our food supply, too, but shooting aluminum and mercury directly into our children's blood is also to blame. Someone needs to dramatically reduce the childhood vaccine schedule, and stop vaccinating altogether until after age two. This Every Child by Two crap has to stop. Japan went from being ranked in the mid 30's in World infant mortality ranking to #3 simply by pushing back vaccines to age two in their infants. Japan has remained at that lofty and enviable ranking ever since. It was not a coincidence, or a fluke.
We need Congressional hearings on this very issue along with the charts and graphs to prove this. The dismal US infant mortality rate needs to be be addressed. Our World ranking in infant mortality is an embarrassment and a disgrace. How dare any doctor say how wonderful health care is in America! Considering the high number of infant deaths, I say it stinks! Our members of Congress need to grow some cojones and stop accepting monetary bribes from Big Pharma. Our children's very lives depend upon it, and so do ours.
Posted by: Not an MD | May 30, 2011 at 08:17 AM
Our politicians who three years ago finally had to come to terms with the reality of toxic debt through their negligence must now grapple with the even more basic principle of toxic toxicity. In the words of Tom Stoppard "The skeleton in the cupboard is coming home to roost". These are just the predictable consequences of decades of light regulation, corporate greed and baffling ignorance of human history. What did they think was going to happen?
Posted by: John Stone | May 30, 2011 at 06:17 AM