pathways to family wellness - issue #16

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Curing a Symptom or Healing a Life?

Beyond Organic

Taking Charge of Your Family’s Health, Naturally

Ease into Wellness

Pelvic Pain (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction)

Cluster Feedings and Fussy Evenings

Na-Na-Na-Boo-Boo

Evolve Your Brain: Part 2

Help Teens Get the Sleep They Need

Vaccines and Your Rights

Beyond Organic


Ease into Wellness

Pelvic Pain (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction)


Na-Na-Na-Boo-Boo

Evolve Your Brain: Part 2


Vaccines and Your Rights

PW16_winter07.qxd 11/21/07 12:54 PM Page 2

Pathways magazine is a quarterly publication offering parents articles and resources to makeinformed health care choices for their families.Pathways provides thought provoking informationfrom the holistic health perspective and invitesparents to explore options for family wellness.

The individual articles and links to health care information in Pathways are based upon theopinions of the respective author, who retainscopyright as marked. The information provided isnot intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledgeand information.

The publisher of Pathways encourages you tomake informed health care decisions based uponyour researched knowledge and in partnershipwith a qualified health care provider.

Pathways is provided to you by the InternationalChiropractic Pediatric Association in collabora-tion with the Alliance for Holistic Family Healthand Wellness.

Both organizations are 501-C3 non-profit statusorganizations and sales of Pathways supporttheir mission for public education.

© 2005–2007 Pathways, Issue 16, Dec 2007

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C R E D I T S

On the front cover:© Photographer: René Mansi Agency: www.istockphoto.com

On the back cover:© Photographer: René Mansi Agency: www.istockphoto.com

Images used are for illustrative purposes only.

Family Wellness Lifestyle

Executive EditorJeanne Ohm, DC

Editorial Board of AdvisorsSarah Buckley, MDBruce Lipton, PhDStephen Marini, PhD, DCLarry Palevsky, MDLisa Reagan

Assistant EditorsTracey Beck-CampbellAlissa Pond Mentzer

Creative DirectorTina Aitala Engblom


contentsF E A T U R E 6

Curing a Symptom or Healing a Life?There is a distinctive differencebetween curing and healing.by Debbie Shapiro

L E T T E R F R O M T H E E D I T O R 4

W E L L N E S S L I F E S T Y L E 1 2

Beyond Organicby Jo Robinson

H O L I S T I C H E A LT H C A R E 1 4


by Andrea Candee

C H I R O P R A C T I C F O R L I F E 1 8

Ease Into Wellnessby Kevin Donka, DC

P R E G N A N C Y & B I R T H 2 0

Pelvic Pain (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction) by Pamela Vireday

B R E A S T F E E D I N G 2 4

Cluster Feedings and Fussy Eveningsby Kelly Bonyata, BS, IBCLC

PA R E N T I N G 2 8

Na-Na-Na-Boo-Booby Pam Leo

M I N D — B O D Y 3 2

Evolve Your Brain: Part 2Interview with Dr. Joe Dispenza

FA M I LY L I F E 3 6

Help Teens Get the Sleep They Needby Patti Teel

R E S E A R C H R E V I E W 3 8

News to Know and Share

PA R E N T S ’ P E R S P E C T I V E 4 1

Shifting the Paradigm

PA T H W AY S N E W S A L E R T 4 2

Vaccines and Your RightsCompiled by Lisa Reagan

M A R K E T P L A C E


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4 pathways | issue 16

I grew up in the time when it was believed that healing came from outsidein modalities. Drugs, surgery, and new procedures abounded and withthem came the mentality that they healed us; they made us well. Authorities

of this time recommended removing “useless organs” such as the tonsils and appendix.

Mothers heeded advice to not breastfeed, to give birth in a technological rather than

natural environment, to force toilet training, and to sleep separate from their

children. It was the emerging age of antibiotics and vaccinations as cure-alls. This

authority was represented as “science” and the decisions made were not questioned.

Basically, this emerging monopoly of health care, called mechanism, was fear based and

directed our belief in healing to come from outside sources. Our unconditional acceptance

for this authority was rooted as deeply into our beliefs of health as it was embedded in our

rules of child rearing. “Speak when spoken to.” “Children are better seen and not heard.”

“Do it because I said so.” Our trust for healing became disempowering, focused outside

of ourselves and in the hands of this rapidly emerging authoritative “health” monopoly.

It was an easy sell because we had been raised to comply.

Unbeknownst to me, there was another whole paradigm of healing. It was being actively

downplayed by the now dominant, mechanistic monopoly. I was fortunate enough in my

late teens to sustain injuries to my spine that were to change my life and perspectives on

all levels. After the injury, the mechanistic authorities of the time told me that I would

always be in pain and that I would never fully regain my previous function. I was

distraught, scared, and feeling quite abandoned. Something inside of me, however,

could not accept the prognosis. Through a friend, I was led to the office of a chiropractor.

On my first visit, he explained the existence of an innate power to heal. He told me how

this intelligence utilizes the nerve system to control all of my body’s systems and

functions and how proper nerve system function enhances healing and regeneration.

Still stuck in the mechanistic model I had grown up with, combined with my impatience

to feel better, I did not really absorb his words. I responded with a skeptical and limited

reply, “please—just fix my back.”

Three months into care, my back was better and many other ailments I had experienced

since childhood were also resolved. Nothing had changed in my life except for the chiro-

practic adjustments and my growing understanding of its vitalistic philosophy of healing.

The science of chiropractic teaches us that the nerve system plays a major role in all

aspects of health. Interference to nerve system function caused by physical, emotional

or chemical stresses could affect our ability to adapt and be well. Chiropractic adjust-

ments reduce nerve system stress. Therefore, to facilitate healing in the body, step one

is to regain nerve system function.

l e t t e r f r o m t h e e d i t o r , j e a n n e o h m , d c

© luckyoliver.com

/ Rey Rojo


pathways | issue 16 5

The vitalistic chiropractic philosophy emphasizes the workings of a greater inner wisdom

that not only creates us, it is continuously evolving us into a state of wholeness. Using

the nerve system as its means of communication and expression, this wisdom is in

constant connection with all body systems and functions. My hope and trust in healing

changed from depending on an outside, fear based limited source to expecting healing

from an inside, boundless supply. I now knew that my body had an innate intelligence

with an amazing ability to adapt, heal, and regenerate. My trust in the power of this

intelligence was not merely a change of my perspective, it became a complete shift in my

consciousness affecting all decisions and directions in my life.

We are now seeing a huge change in society’s perspectives of health and well-being.

Off-label, unsafe drugs, unnecessary surgeries and procedures, are now being routinely

exposed by the press. Documentaries about poor health care and technological birthing

procedures are other means where the media is pointing out a failing system. Not only is

“unquestioned authority” being questioned, the practices that were sustained by that

hierarchy are being proven scientifically invalid, as well. Not a week goes by where the

mechanistic model of treatment isn’t proven invalid. Finally, the foundation of this former

monopoly is being shaken.

As the former systems of health are being dismantled it is important that we reground

our beliefs in valid scientific evidence so we can truly move forward. Today’s leading edge

science is confirming the vitalistic philosophy leading us to recognize and trust in our

inner wisdom. Organizations such as Noetic Sciences and sought out authors such

as Bruce Lipton, PhD; Greg Braden, PhD; Candace Pert, PhD; Dawson Church, PhD;

Joe Dispenza, DC; Lynn Taggart, PhD are all involved in scientific projects and research

that are substantiating the existence of this inborn intelligence. Even more profound is

the research findings emphasizing the importance of our recognition, respect, and belief

in this intelligence in the process of healing and wholeness.

In this time of transition, it is important to realize as we shift our perspectives our

whole state of consciousness is evolving as well. It is an exciting time and my hope

is that the resources and articles in Pathways magazine offer us a smoother and fruitful

transformation.

Many Blessings,

Jeanne Ohm, DC



f e at u r e

Curing a Symptom

By Debbie Shapiro

or Healing a Life?

© iStockphoto.com

/ René Mansi

We cannotdirect the wind but we canadjust our sails.



There is an important distinction to be made between curing and healing. To cure is to fix a particular part.Allopathy—Western medicine—is particularly good at doing this, offering drugs and surgery so that disease, illness, or physical problems can be repressed, eliminated, or removed. It plays a vital role in alleviating suffering and is superb at saving lives and applying curative aid. This is invaluable. However, the World HealthOrganisation defines health as complete physical, mental, and social well-being. This is not the same as simplybeing without symptoms or illness. Rather, it implies a deeper state of wellness that goes beyond being cured of a particular infirmity.

This is where we enter the realm of healing. “If you look no further than getting rid of what is wrong, you maynever deal with what has brought your life to a standstill,” says a patient in Marc Barasch’s The Healing Path.“The thing you want to heal from may be the very thing you need to focus on in order to learn something.”Whereas a patient remains passive when cured by someone else, healing is an involved activity, less dependenton external circumstances than on the work we are prepared to do within ourselves. As Dr. Bernie Siegel explainsin Peace, Love and Healing: “It is the body that heals, not the medicine.”

To be healed means to become whole. This is not possible if we are only concerned with the individual part thatneeds to be cured. “The word salvation is derived from the Latin word salvus, which means heal and whole,” says Paul Tillich in The Meaning of Health. “Salvation is basically and essentially healing, the re-establishment of a whole that was broken, disrupted, disintegrated.” Becoming whole means bringing all of ourselves into the



f e at u r e

light, leaving nothing in the dark, nomatter how disturbing or painful it maybe. It is embracing all the parts we haveignored, denied, tried to push away oreliminate. So, to heal is to bring all ofthis into the conscious mind, into ourhearts, into our lives. As long as wereject parts of ourselves, we are notwhole and cannot be healed.

Determining Our Priorities

Healing is a journey we all share, for in our own ways we are all wounded.Whether the wounds are visible or not, we each have our story. A psycho-logical wound is no different than a physical one; emotional hurts arereal and often just as painful. Most of us become very good at hiding ourwounds, not just from others but alsofrom ourselves. When physical difficul-ties arise, we invariably look for a curewhile continuing to repress the innerpain. But when we want to know our-selves better, to find our wholeness,then the journey really begins.

This asks that we look at and questionour priorities–the things that are reallyimportant to us, that figure most in ourlives. Many people feel that their firstpriority is the welfare and safety oftheir loved ones, but beyond that ourpriorities can get a bit vague. For some,making money or succeeding in theircareer is near the top of the list, forothers it is near the bottom. For some,religion and religious activities areimportant, while others do not mentionthis aspect of life at all. Beyond family,work, and religion, what else is there?Ourselves?

Society has two contrasting yet deeplyingrained attitudes. One is that weshould direct all our energy toward the care of others; to think of ourselvesfirst is self-centred and egotistical.Although this attitude is a very caringone, it can also be very detrimental. It can lead to guilt trips, power games,

blame, shame, and resentment. By putting others first and ourselves lastwe create a situation where we easilybecome exhausted, unwell, and unableto give; then wepass our owndissatisfactionon to others.

The alternativeattitude is that we shouldalways think ofourselves first,focusing ourlives on fulfillingour own needs.This would workif, after recog-nising our ownrequirements,we then turned our attention to caringfor and helping others. Sadly, this is not usually the case. The “me first”syndrome does not often include others; rather it is based on greed, selfishness, prejudice and manipulation.Invariably, this gives rise to anger, loneliness, and fear.

For healing to take place, we have toput ourselves on our list of priorities—not in a self-centred way but as an actof selflessness. When we put ourselveson the list we are saying that our lovefor others is so strong that we want to be able to really give by being in the most healed state possible. In thissense, healing ourselves is the mostselfless thing we can do.

The following is a note written by Irene,a woman who came to a workshopEddie and I were teaching. She couldn’ttalk due to a throat operation, but hereyes spoke volumes:

Hello, I’m Irene. I have been extraordi-narily ill and nearly dead on manyoccasions. I have been unkind tomyself and always good to others with no thought of myself. In the last

year I have felt bliss three times. I nowhave the complete set of pain, fear,love, bliss, life and death. I’d like toheal my life this time round. I have felt

such love from others while I was ill thatit has made me start to love myself.

Looking at priorities means asking whywe are really here, what our lives areabout, and what gives us our sense of purpose or direction. Is it just to raisea family, make money, retire, play withthe grandchildren and then it’s over?This certainly brings great joy, but it canalso leave an aching emptiness inside,due to unacknowledged longings anddreams. What happened to the athleticteenager who loved to run across thefields and is now trapped inside an overweight and rarely exercised body?What happened to the paintings younever did, to the musical instrumentyou never learnt, to the novel younever wrote? What happened to thepain you felt when your mother died?What happened to the anger you felttoward the uncle who fondled you?Why is it so hard to spend time alone?

Illness confronts us with many of thesequestions. We have choices: we cantake a pill and carry on as before; we can have surgery and repress ourfeelings. Or we can begin to becomewhole. If we only take a pill or have the

Healing means letting go of resistance, of the

barriers that have been constructed, of the

layers of self-protection, of ingrained patterns

of thinking and behaviour, of repressive control

over our feelings, of all the ways we have held

on and to what we have been holding on to.


surgery then we are ignoring a wonder-ful opportunity to find a deeper level ofjoy and freedom within. Are you willingto forgive yourself for a past mistake,or is it easier to feel guilty and sufferthe recurring backache?

Healing means letting go of resistance,of the barriers that have been construct-ed, of the layers of self-protection, of ingrained patterns of thinking andbehaviour, of repressive control overour feelings, of all the ways we haveheld on and to what we have beenholding on to. Think about all ourhabitual ways of being: putting other’sneeds first, not thinking about ourselves,staying so busy there is no time inwhich to be alone, or focusing only on the financial and material aspects of life. Healing is releasing the holdsand breathing into the space that is left behind. “So our path becomes a letting go of that which blocks thepath,” writes Stephen Levine inHealing Into Life and Death. “Healing is not forcing the sun to shine, but

letting go of the personal separatism,the self-images, the resistance tochange, the fear and anger, the confu-sion that forms the opaque armouringaround the heart.”

The Heart’s Remission

To be healed is to bring ourselves intoa whole; it is a gathering of our lostvoices and forgotten selves, anembracing of those parts of our beingthat have been hidden and denied. It is a journey of trust to discover ourinner strength, and it demands ourtotal commitment.

As we gather ourselves into a whole, a beautiful thing begins to happen. We find that our lost voices have asweet song to sing, that our forgottenselves want to dance and laugh. As weembrace the darkness and soothe theinner wounds, we come to a differentpurpose, one that gives rise to a newpriority: that of our salvation, freedom,and a discovery of our true potential.

Stop fighting the world and start lovingit instead.

The original interpretation of the word‘meaning’ was to recite, tell, intend, or wish. This suggests that withoutmeaning, life is like a blank page thereis no story to tell, nothing to recite. But meaning also implies significanceand purpose, without which there is no direction or mission. No story plusno purpose equals no reason to behere. Meaninglessness can thus causelethargy, depression, hopelessness andillness. Finding meaning gives directionand motivation, a reason for being that stimulates creativity, optimism,strength and well-being.

This is seen in the word remission,used to describe a period of recoverywhen an illness or disease diminishes.A patient is described as being inremission when their symptoms abate.Yet the word also reads as “re-mission,to re-find or become reconnected withpurpose. In other words, disease can

© iStockphoto.com

/ Carol G

ering




f e at u r e

diminish when we find a deeper mean-ing or purpose in our lives. Remissionalso means forgiveness, implying thathealing can occur through acceptingourselves and our behaviour and releas-ing our guilt, or through accepting andforgiving another and releasing blame.

Remission arises through a blend of responsibility and passivity. It isessential that we take responsibility for our own behaviour, actions, words,thoughts, and lifestyle. No one elsecan do this for us. Taking responsibilitymeans acknowledging that healingcomes from within. We can then workwith others to find the best way to promote our health. This may involvetaking medication or having surgery,but it can also involve meditation,group therapy, or dance classes. Thedifference is that we are responding to our personal needs. To be responsi-ble is to be able to respond: to hearthose lost voices and remember ourforgotten selves.

Action also needs to be balanced bynon-action—doing by being. Many ofus have completely forgotten how tosimply be present and at ease withwhatever is happening. Children havethis capacity—to flow with each momentwithout holding on or exerting control.But, as we grow older, we cling to con-trol and power; we stop being and startdoing. Very often those who experienceillness followed by a remission findthat it occurs through releasing controland allowing whatever is to be—areturn to that childlike place of trust,discovery, and living in the moment.

This attitude toward simply “being” is one of letting go and entering intoassurance, of releasing the logic ofwhat appears to be right and openingto intuition and inner feeling. It isembracing ourselves and the universewithout the need to be in control. This is not the same as feeling we are victims of fate, that we just have to suffer our lot. Rather it is recognitionof the interdependence and intricate

relationship between every aspect of the universe, including ourselves.“Surrender means the decision to stopfighting the world and to start loving it instead,” writes Marianne Williamsonin A Return to Love. “It is a gentle liberation from pain. But liberation isn’tabout breaking out of anything; it’s agentle melting into who we really are.”

Who Creates Reality?

It is easy to start thinking that we areresponsible for everything that happensto us. That we are to blame for beingill, that we have brought this stateupon ourselves. There is a popularbelief that we create our own reality,that we are 100 percent responsible foreverything that happens in our lives,that every thought we have determinesthe future, both good and bad. Thisidea can be helpful as it enables us to see where, often without beingaware of it, we are causing difficultiesfor ourselves; it can teach us to stopblaming other people or external

© iStockphoto.com

/ Galina Barskaya


events for our problems and instead tolook at our own behaviour and to takeresponsibility for our actions. It also

shows us that we cannot really changeother people or the world, but we canwork on ourselves and our attitudes.

However, the moment we start thinkingwe are responsible for our own realityin its entirety we develop an inflatedsense of self, a belief that we are all-powerful. This generates egocentricityand self-centredness, which sets thestage for guilt, shame and failure.Blaming ourselves for getting ill, wethen blame ourselves for not gettingwell. Feelings of guilt for repressing our anger, and subsequently developingan ulcer or a tumour, lead us to believewe must be a hopeless example ofhumankind. Saying we are totallyresponsible for creating our realitymeans we are equating physical healthwith spiritual or psychic development; ifwe become ill it implies spiritual failure.Yet such an equation has been disprovedover and over again, especially by themany spiritual teachers who have diedof cancer or other illnesses.

Believing that we create our own reality—both cause and outcome—impliesthat “I” am in complete control. But the individual can never be in completecontrol; there are always other factorspresent. We are not alone here. Rather,each one of us is an essential componentof an interwoven, interrelated whole

that is constantly changing and moving.Reality is co-created through our mutualdependency. And it is this intimate

relationship with allother things that giveslife its depth and beauty.

As Treya Killam Wilber,quoted in Ken Wilber’sbook Grace and Grit,says: “While we cancontrol how we respondto what happens to us,we can’t control every-thing that happens to us. We are all toointerconnected, bothwith each other and ourenvironment—life is too

wonderfully complex—for a statementlike ‘you create your own reality’ to be simply true. A belief that I control orcreate my own reality actually attemptsto rip out of me the rich, complex, mysterious, and supportive context ofmy life…to deny the web of relationshipsthat nurtures me and each of us daily.”

We are in charge of our own attitudesand feelings and the way we treat our-selves and our world, but we cannotdetermine the outcome; just as we do not make the sun rise or set, keepthe earth in orbit, or make the rain fall. We do not create our own reality;rather, we are responsible to our reali-ty. We cannot direct the wind but we canadjust our sails. We are responsible fordeveloping peace of mind but we maystill need to have chemotherapy. Theresolution and healing of our innerbeing is within our control, and thismay also bring a cure to the physicalbody. But if it does not, we are notguilty of failure.

It is vital to remember this, foralthough we are intimately involvedwith our sickness and health, we arenot in charge of what ultimately hap-pens. We can affect our attitudes andbehaviour; we can work on emotionsand repressed fears; we can developforgiveness and loving kindness. But

the result of this goes beyond our personal dominion. We should not feel,at any time, that we are a failure if ourhealing falls below our expectations.

Through illness the body gives us amessage—it tells us that something is out of balance. This is not a punish-ment for bad behaviour; rather it isnature’s way of creating equilibrium. By listening to the message we have achance to contribute to our own healingand to participate with our body inbringing us back to a state of wholenessand balance. So, rather than blamingourselves by saying “Why did I choose to have cancer?” we can ask “How am I choosing to use this cancer?” We canuse whatever difficulties we are confront-ed with in order to learn and grow, torelease old patterns of negativity, and to deepen compassion, forgiveness, andinsight. Our difficulties can then becomestepping stones along the way ratherthan stumbling blocks. Instead ofbecoming overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness and guilt that we are responsible for everything thathappens to us, illness can be seen as atremendous challenge and opportunityfor awakening. In this way, illness canbe a great gift—a chance for us to findourselves.

View article references and author information here: www.pathwaystofamilywellness.org/references.html


To be responsible is to be able to

respond: to hear those lost voices

and remember our forgotten selves.


w e l l n e s s l i f e s t y l e


BEYOND ORGANIC

© iStockphoto.com

/ Michel de N

ijs

By Jo Robinson



Organic meat, poultry, and dairy products are now available atyour supermarket—which is a change for the better. When yousee the organic label, you know the food is going to be free ofpesticide residues, synthetic hormones, genetically modifiedorganisms, and a long list of questionable additives. You alsohave the satisfaction of knowing that raising animals organi-cally causes less harm to the environment. But when it comesto animal production, organic is not enough. We need to beraising animals on their species-appropriate diets.

Few consumers realize that many producers of “organic” or “naturally raised” animal products raise their animals in confinement and feed them grain—just like the operators of conventional feedlots. Feeding large amounts of grain to agrazing animal decreases the nutritional value of its productswhether the grain is organic or conventionally raised. The reasonis simple. Compared with grass, grain has far fewer omega-3fatty acids and less vitamin E.1 Therefore, grainfed animals haveless of these important nutrients in their meat and dairy products. Grain feeding also interferes with the creation of a cancer-fighting substance called conjugated linoleic acid orCLA.2 A test by an independent lab determined that milk fromone of the largest organic grain-fed dairies had no more omega-3 fatty acids or CLA than milk from ordinary dairies. Similarly,meat from organic grain-fed beef has the same nutritional profileas meat from the largest Kansas feedlot.

The same story holds true for organic, confinement-raisedpoultry. Their meat and eggs have no more omega-3s or vitamin E than the products you find in the typical supermar-ket.

3

(Unless the birds are given special supplements alongwith the grain.)

For many consumers, food safety is an even bigger concernthan nutrition. Once again, grass feeding offers an importantadvantage. It has been known for decades that grain feedingmakes a cow’s digestive tract more acidic. Now we know thatthis acidic environment speeds the growth of potentially dangerous E. coli bacteria and, even worse, makes the bacte-ria more acid-resistant. Alarmingly, these acid-resistant bacte-ria are much more likely to survive the cleansing acidity of ourown digestive juices and make us ill.

4

Depriving our livestock of fresh greens and vastly increasingtheir consumption of grain has jeopardized our health in wayspeople never imagined. Although feeding organically raisedgrain reduces our reliance on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers,it does not provide the food that nature intended us to eat.


Few consumers realize that

many producers of “organic”

or “naturally raised” animal

products raise their animals

in confinement and feed them

grain—just like the operators

of conventional feedlots.



By Andrea Candee “Self empowerment” is the buzz word of our time. Yet, many feel disempoweredwhen it comes to the care of their family’s health. Integrated medicine, taking thebest of all worlds, is a sensible, responsible approach to healthcare. Here’s morefrom Andrea Candee, author of Gentle Healing for Baby and Child.

Trying Herbs

Grandparents recognize this as the health care approach of their youth: adminis-ter natural remedies at home unless the situation requires more professionalhelp. Perhaps this is why grandparents seem to be the biggest purchasers ofbooks on natural wellness for children, offering it to their adult children for thecare of the grandchildren.

Turning to the health food store or even the kitchen pantry, and given a medicaldiagnosis, a parent educated in medicinal herbs can return a youngster to healthor soothe discomfort until seen by the family care provider. And what better wayto empower a child about their own wellness than to engage them in their health-care, creating an awareness that will stay with them for their entire lives. Theylearn that taking care of their bodies preventatively is every bit as important asconsulting a doctor when they are sick.

Statistics indicate that 75 percent of children have at least three ear infectionsbefore the age of six. Most of us either have or know a child who repeatedly suffers from what we have tacitly come to accept as a common childhood illness.Doesn’t it make you wonder why, with all the advances of modern medicine, children seem to suffer from ear infections more, rather than less than they dideven 20 years ago?

Some children respond well to antibiotics; others are put on a round robin ofantibiotic treatments (sometimes for years); and others still require surgery. A study reported in The Journal of the American Medical Association found thatchildren given antibiotics for ear infections were two to six times more likely todevelop a recurrence than children who did not receive the antibiotic treatment.

Taking Charge of Your Family’s Wellness, Naturally

h o l i s t i c h e a lt h c a r e

© G

regg Stern, DC

, DA

CC

P / ww

w.sternchiro.com

Background Photo © istockphoto.com

/ Andrea G

ingerich



I am not the only one asking the question: What long-termeffects do antibiotics have on developing immune systems?

“We found that, in the case of ear infections, sometimes theprescribed medicines created other problems and occasionallydidn’t even cure…We have had the opportunity…to observehow effective, gentle and well tolerated these (herbal) remediesare in children.” (Larry Baskind, MD, FAAP, Riverside Pediatrics,Croton on Hudson, NY; excerpted from the foreword of GentleHealing for Baby and Child [Simon & Schuster] ).

First Signs of Ear Discomfort

I recommend the following courses of action at the earliestsigns of ear discomfort:

• Limit the intake of sugar. Processed sugar is a challenge tothe body and feeds fungal, parasitic, and bacterial infections.Reduce fruit juice intake by diluting with water. Learn howto use echinacea, an invaluable immune system supportfound in health food stores, at the first sign of infection.Colds usually wind up in the ears of children predisposedto weakness in this part of their body. If you can prevent acold from blossoming, you will have prevented another earinfection from developing.

• If a cold does take hold, you may choose to introduce anherbal decongestant.

• Add garlic to your child’s diet. Garlic is naturally anti-bacter-ial, as well as anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-parasitic. A fresh clove can be chopped into mashed potatoes or puton toast with butter.

• If infected fluid has settled in the ear, and there is no perforation of the eardrum (check with your family practi-tioner to be sure of this) add a drop or two of anti-microbialgarlic oil in each ear, along with a drop or two oil of mulleinflower. Mullein flower is well known for its anti-inflammatory,decongestant action in the ear. The easiest time to adminis-ter ear drops is when a child is sleeping.

• If there is pain in the ear, add a drop or two of St. John’sWort oil. Its ability to calm nerve sensitivity may help todiminish the discomfort.

• For many children, chiropractic adjustments have beeninstrumental in preventing recurrent ear infections. If thereis a misalignment in the spine affecting nerve and musclefunction, chiropractic adjustments could help by enhancingproper drainage and function.

Don’t be afraid to implement all of the above protocols even if your child is on an antibiotic (To maintain the integrity of theintestinal tract, if your child is ever on an antibiotic, be sure toprovide your child with a good source of probiotics). When aparent is informed and courageous enough to take charge ofthe situation, I have seen even the most chronic ear infectionsturned around—indeed eliminated—from the child’s life.


Ear InfectionsVan D. Merkle, DC Says:

1. Become informed about Prevnar vaccine (PCV7), alsoknown as the pneumococcal strep vaccine, or ear-ache vaccine. The literature does not support its use.

2. Avoid ALL dairy products, sugar, and congestive type foods.

3. Try Monolaurin, an immune system enhancer.

4. Echinacea: 3/day. For infants 4 months to 25 lbs use 1 echi-nacea per day; open the capsule and put in food or water.

5. Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to be of greatbenefit.

Management of Acute Otitis Media Summary

1. Nearly two thirds of children with uncomplicated earinfections recover from pain and fever within 24 hours ofdiagnosis without antibiotic treatment. Over 80% recoverwithin 1 to 7 days.

2. More than 5 million cases of acute ear infections occurannually, costing about $3 billion.

3. The report points out that in other countries otitis mediais not always treated with drugs at the first sign of infec-tion. Rather, in children over the age of 2 years, the normis to watch and see how the infection progresses over thecourse of a few days.

4. The report notes that in the Netherlands the rate of bacte-rial resistance is about 1%, compared with the US averageof around 25%. 1

What Causes Damage to the Ear and/or Ear Infection?

Ear Wax “During more than 25 years in pediatric medicine, I have never seen a case of permanent hearing loss as a resultof ear infection...Parents and doctors can be responsible forinjury to the ear canal and the eardrum because of the effortsto remove wax from the ear. It is inadvisable for you or yourdoctor to use ANY kind of instrument to remove wax forciblyfrom your child’s ears, even a cotton swab.” – Robert S.Mendelsohn, MD

The best was to remove ear wax is by inserting a few drops of hydrogen peroxide into the ear twice a day for 2 or 3 days.Let the peroxide remain in the ear for several minutes and then rinse the ear with gentle bursts of water from a syringe.

Pacifiers Pacifier use was found to cause a 40% increasedrisk of ear infections in infants, as well as higher rates of toothdecay and thrush, according to Dr. Marjo Niemela and associ-ates from the University of Oulu in Finland. Pediatrics September,

2000;106:483–488.

Don’t Drink Your Milk! Ear specialists frequently insert tubesinto the ear drums of infants to treat recurrent ear infections. It has replaced the previously popular tonsillectomy to becomethe number one surgery in the country. Unfortunately, most of



these specialists don’t realize that over 50% of these childrenwill improve and have no further ear infections if they just stop drinking their milk. This is a real tragedy. Not only is the $3,000 spent on the surgery wasted, but there are somerecent articles supporting the likelihood that most childrenwho have this procedure will have long-term hearing losses.http://www.mercola.com/article/milk/no_milk.htm

“The most common culprit [that causes ear infections] is cow’smilk, in its natural form or as found in infant formula. It causesswelling of the mucous membranes, which interferes with thedrainage of secretions through the eustachian tube. Eventuallyinfection results because of the accumulated secretion.” – Robert S. Mendelsohn, MD

What About Antibiotics?

Although more antibiotics are prescribed today for children’sear infections—and for longer periods of time—in the US thananywhere in the world, several recent, independently financedstudies have found that for the vast majority of ear infections,antibiotics are little more effective than no treatment at all.http://www.mercola.com/2001/jan/14/whistle_blower.htm

Experts say the routine use of antibiotics against pediatric ear infections produces little health benefit while contributingto the spread of drug-resistant bacteria, and recurrent earinfection. The article evaluated the results of seven differentstudies conducted over the past 30 years. They found thatwhile antibiotics were linked to short-term decreases in theduration of pain or fever in patients in a few (but not all) of the studies, no long-term (more than six weeks) benefits arereported. All seven studies concluded that children recoveredfrom ear infections at roughly similar rates, regardless of typeof treatment. JAMA November 26,1997;278(20):1643–1645

When Is Tympanostomy (Tubes in the Ears) Justified?

“In all my years of practice I have never seen a case in which a punctured ear drum did not heal itself. The principle justifi-cation for the procedure [tympanostomy] is to prevent hearingloss, which is no justification at all. Controlled studies haveshown that when both ears are infected, and a tube is insertedin only one of them, the outcome for both ears is almost identical. Meanwhile the procedure itself carries many risksand side effects. Justified as means of preventing hearing loss, tympanostomy can cause scarring and hardening of theeardrum, resulting in hearing loss.” – Robert S. Mendelsohn, MD

Prevnar, Pneumococcal (Strep) Vaccine Does NOTPrevent Ear Infections and Has Major Side Effects

Abstracted from lecture by Erdem Cantekin, PhD, Professor ofOtolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh at the SecondInternational Vaccine Information Center ConferenceSeptember 9, 2000; Washington DC.

Prevnar is a new vaccine against pneumococcus. This is themost expensive routine vaccine to date. The wholesale cost is about $58.There are over 90 different strains of pneumo-coccus. The vaccine only has 7 strains assumed to be thecommon ones, but this is an uniformed experiment at best asthere is no way to know if this will be covering all of the strains.

The FDA approval states the drugs is ONLY approved for inva-sive cases of pneumococcal disease such as bacteremia andmeningitis. It is NOT approved for ear infections. This is mostpeculiar as it is commonly recognized that bacterial meningitisis primarily seen in adults not in infants for which this vaccineis recommended. The HMO trial in which Prevnar wasapproved had no placebo group. The control group receivedanother experimental vaccine for mennigococcus. This was theONLY trial that was done to establish the safety and efficacy torecommend this vaccine for every newborn in the US.

Just how well did the vaccine work in the HMO trial? In the first17 cases of bacteremia it worked perfectly. However it wasNOT effective for any cases of ear infections. If Prevnar couldhave stopped this or even reduced this problem it would havebeen great. But that is not the case. The FDA data from theHMO trial and that in Finland showed that the prevention ben-efit is less than 4%. The efficacy claims of Prevnar in ear infec-tions and pneumonia remain unproven.

What About Adverse Side Effects of Prevnar?

The children who received Prevnar in the trial were:

• 4 times more likely to have seizures

• 4 times more likely to have stomach problems

Also, significantly more children who had been given Prevnardeveloped asthma. There was also one death in the Prevnargroup and none in the other. Prevnar also alters the develop-ing immune system. Additionally it will put selective pressureon the pneumococcal strains and has the potential to change the natural pattern of strep infections.

Over one trillion dollars of health care system are under thewatchful eyes of the FDA, CDC, and the NIH. These three pillarsof our public health care system have become to be more and more controlled by “expert panels” advisory committees.Such experts dictate policy and control the complex biomedicalsystem. They directly influenced taxpayers health and wealth.However there is a huge conflict of interest as most of theseexperts served the special interest groups who profit in theirdecision. Many are in financial relationships with various manufacturers and are registered as their paid speakers or assome people might say paid lobbyists.



i.c.p.a. International Chiropractic

Pediatric Association

mention this code:

to receive a issue!

In Summary...

Ear infections will not cause permanent hearing deficits, andmastoiditis is so rare a condition that most contemporary physicians have never seen a case. Conventional treatment with antibiotics, other drugs and the surgical procedure knownas tympanostomy is no more effective than the body’s owndefenses in dealing with the problem.

Dr. Robert S. Mendelsohn’s Recommendations for Earache

1. Wait 48 hours before you call your physician.

2. Relieve the pain with a heating pad, two drop of heated oliveoil (not hot) inserted in the ear canal, and the appropriatedose of acetaminophen if the pain becomes unbearable.

3. If the pain persists after 48 hours, see a doctor—not totreat infection, if that’s what it proves to be, but to rule outthe possibility of trauma or the presence of a foreign body.

4. Don’t allow your doctor to use an instrument to remove waxfrom your child’s ear, and don’t try to do it yourself.

5. If your doctor examines your child and finds a viral or bacte-rial infection, question the need for antibiotic use. If hefinds a foreign body, let him remove it, but again questionthe need for antibiotic use. If your child has a self-inflictedinjury to the eardrum, your pediatrician may refer you to anear and throat specialist. Be suspicious and question theneed if he recommends surgical treatment or antibiotics. In all my years of experience I have never seen a case inwhich either was necessary.

6. If your child has chronic, recurrent middle ear infection, it isprobably because of allergies or the antibiotics he was pre-viously given. If your doctor recommends tympanostomy,don’t permit it without obtaining a second opinion. Thisprocedure has replaced tonsillectomy as the favorite ofpediatricians, but there is no reliable scientific evidencethat it will do any good, and there’s considerable evidencethat it may cause further harm.




c h i r o p r a c t i c f o r l i f e

One day not so long ago,a practice member named Craig walked into our center witha slight limp. When I asked him what was wrong, he told methat he had been wrestling with his son A.J. and had hurt hisknee. When I told him we’d take a look at it he replied, “Ohthat’s OK, it will be fine by the end of the week.” Just then, awoman walked in and I heard Amy at the front desk greet herand ask her how she was doing. She replied to Amy, “Oh I’mfine today, but I just know I’m going to be in bad shape bythe end of the week with the storm that’s on its way!”

Albert Einstein once said, “The most important question youwill ever ask yourself is whether this is or is not a friendlyuniverse.” Dr. Einstein believed that your answer to thisquestion would in fact be the most important decision youwould ever make. The reason it would be so important issummed up in another of his famous quotations; “You cannotsolve a problem with the same level of thinking that existedwhen it was created.” You see, Einstein knew that it is ourdeeply held BELIEFS about something that will determinewhich actions we will consistently take or avoid regardingthat thing, and those actions or inactions will in turn deter-mine the circumstances we will find ourselves in. So, yourdetermination of whether we live in a friendly or hostileworld will influence your actions in the world and bringabout the circumstances of your life.

In our center for wholeness, we can see your answer to thisquestion demonstrated in your attitude. You see, you eithergo through life with what we call a WELLNESS mentality, or an ILLNESS mentality. People with an illness mentalityexpect that mainly unpleasant things will happen to thembecause they believe that the world is basically hostile,unpredictable and out of their control. On the other hand,those with a wellness mentality expect that mainly goodthings will happen in their lives because they believe that the world is basically friendly, and that they control andattract to themselves most of what happens to them through each of their thoughts, words and actions. In thestory above, Craig was in a state of dis-ease, and yet he hada WELLNESS mentality—a positive expectation that things

would be good. The other woman was actually in a state of ease, and yet had an illness mentality – a certainty thatthings would go downhill for her.

How do we develop, maintain and even expand a wellnessmentality? Three things are necessary.

1. A deliberate focus on moving TOWARD what you want, as opposed to trying to move away from what you don’t want.

2. A healthy lifestyle that allows your body to functionproperly, heal and continue growing.

3. A clear neurological CONNECTION.

Where does chiropractic fit into this equation? Interference in your nerve system (what we call the subluxation process)causes your body to use energy at a much greater than normal rate. This rapid depletion of energy sends your body into SURVIVAL MODE and causes the highest thinkingcenters of your brain to shut down. With these parts of yourbrain shut down, do you think it is possible to see the worldas friendly, or do you suppose that coming from a state ofSURVIVAL that you might interpret many (if not all) things as threatening?

The chiropractic adjustment process restores the free flow of energy at a normal and natural rate; a rate that allows for EASE of function in every cell, tissue, organ and organsystem—INCLUDING YOUR BRAIN! Your body goes out ofsurvival mode and back into ease, allowing you to onceagain see the world as friendly.

You see, your adjustments don’t just help you feel better,they allow you to FEEL better—that is, they allow you tosense your environment in a totally different way than youwould if you were subluxated and in survival mode. This iswhy we emphasize so strongly that everyone should getchecked by a chiropractor regularly.


Ease Into Wellness By Kevin Donka, DC



You cannot solve

a problem with

the same level

of thinking that

existed when

it was created.

– Einstein

© istockphoto.com

/ Maxim

Bolotnikov



p r e g n a n c y & b i r t h

By Pamela Vireday

© iStockphoto.com

/ Monika A

damczyk

PELVIC PAINSymphysis

Pubis

Dysfunction


Occasionally, some uninformed doctorshave even erroneously told women thatsuch pubic pain means that they wouldneed an elective cesarean section toavoid permanent damage to that areaduring birth, or as a result of priordamage to the area.

Yet none of this is true. Pubic pain inpregnancy is certainly not “inconse-quential”; it can also be very difficult to deal with. Although many doctorsand midwives do not know what causesit or how to fix it, many women are ableto get improvement or relief with chiropractic treatment or osteopathicmanipulation. It is not something thatyou “just have to live with.”

And although extra care should be takenduring labor and birth in order to preventtrauma, it absolutely does NOT meanthat you must have a cesarean delivery.

Although not every provider has aname for this condition, it is mostcommonly called Symphysis PubisDysfunction (or SPD), especially inBritain. Other names for it include:pubic shear (an osteopathic term),symphyseal separation, pubic symph-ysis separation, separated symphysis,pelvic girdle relaxation of pregnancy,and pelvic joint syndrome.

The symptoms of SPD vary from personto person, but almost all women whohave it experience substantial pubic

pain. Tenderness and pain down low in the front is common, but often thispain feels as if it’s inside. The pubicarea is generally very tender to thetouch; many moms find it painful when the doctor or midwife pushesdown on the pubic bone while measur-ing the fundal height of the uterus.

Any activity that involves lifting one legat a time or parting the legs tends tobe particularly painful. Lifting the leg to put on clothes, getting out of a car,bending over, sitting down or gettingup, walking up stairs, standing on oneleg, lifting heavy objects, and walkingtend to be difficult at times. Manywomen report that moving or turningover in bed is especially excruciating.

Many movements become difficultwhen the pubic symphysis area isaffected. Although the greatest pain is associated with movements of liftingone leg or parting the legs, somewomen experience a “freezing,” wherethey get up out of bed and find it hardto get their bodies moving right away—the hip bone seems stuck in place and


One problem that many pregnant women complain

about is pubic pain. Yet doctors and midwives often

dismiss this pain as either “inconsequential,” “unfix-

able,” or “just one of those pregnancy discomforts

that have to be endured.”

Chiropractic exams and

adjustments are very

effective in pregnancy.

© G

regg Stern, DC

, DA

CC

P / ww

w.sternchiro.com



won’t move at first. Or they describe having to wait for it to“pop into place” before being able to walk. The range of hipmovement is usually affected, and hip abduction is especial-ly painful. Many women also report sciatica when pubic painis present. SPD can also be associated with bladder dysfunc-tion, especially when going from lying down (or squatting) toa standing position. Some women also feel a”clicking” whenthey walk or shift a certain way, or lots of pressure down lownear the pubic area.

Many women with SPD also report very strong round ligamentpain (pulling or tearing feelings in the abdomen when rollingover, moving suddenly, sneezing, coughing, getting up, etc.).Some chiropractors feel that round ligament pain can be anearly symptom of SPD problems, and indicate the need foradjustments. Other providers consider round ligament painnormal, part of the body adjusting to the growing uterus. Ifexperienced with pubic and/or low back pain, round ligamentpain is probably associated with the SPD.

Indeed, although pubic pain often does go away after preg-nancy, many women find that it sticks around afterward, usually diminished but still present. If the underlying causesare not treated, long-term pain usually sticks around.Anecdotally, this often seems to be associated with long-term low back pain or reduced flexibility in the hips. Evenworse, if the mother is mishandled during the birth, thepubic symphysis can separate even more or be permanentlydamaged. This is called Diastasis Symphysis Pubis.

Although the best idea may be to resolve chronic SPD painthrough realigning the pelvic girdle and soft tissues, mostwomen have some residual pubic and low back discomfortsticking around during pregnancy and the early postpartumweeks because of hormones. Therefore, tips for coping with

pubic pain tend to be a focus of many SPD websites. Many ofthe suggestions include:

• Use a pillow between your legs or under your “bump”(pregnancy tummy) when sleeping—body pillows are agreat investment!

• Try to keep your legs and hips as parallel as possiblewhen moving or turning in bed

• Some women also find it helpful to have their partnersstabilize their hips and hold them “together” when rollingover in bed or otherwise adjusting position

• Some women report a waterbed mattress to be helpful

• Swimming may help relieve pressure on the joint

• Deep water aerobics or deep water running may be helpful as well.

• Keep your legs close together and move symmetrically

• When standing, stand symmetrically, with your weightevenly distributed through both legs

• Sit down to get dressed, especially when putting onunderwear or pants

• Avoid “straddle” movements

• Swing your legs together as a unit when getting in and out of cars; use something smooth and slippery (like a garbage bag) on the car seat to help you enter car backwards and then turn your legs as a unit

• An ice pack may feel soothing and help reduce inflammation in the pubic area

• Move slowly and without sudden movements

Swimming may help relieve pressure on the joint.

© iStockphoto.com

/ John Carleton


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• If sex is uncomfortable for you, use lots of pillows underyour knees, or try other positions

• If bending over to pick up objects is difficult, there aredevices available that can help with this

• Some women report that pelvic binders or maternitysupport belts are helpful for pelvic pain; brands in theUS include Prenatal Cradle, BabyHugger, and the ReenieBelt. However, if the pelvic bones are really misaligned,some women report more pain with these. Listen to yourbody on whether to use these.

• In my experience, working with the sacrum using theWebster analysis and specific correction a woman withSPD pain can experience remarkable results.

The following excerpt was taken from the Midwifery Todayweb site (www.midwiferytoday.com) question and answersection. It was submitted by our co-member, StephenRanicki, DC, FICPA. It was in response to wearing a belt forrelief of SPD pain.

“The pubic symphysis pain is most likely caused bypelvic subluxation. The pelvis is a ring, so if one of thejoints misaligns and is fixated, the others will undergomore and unusual stresses. The production of the hor-mone relaxin during pregnancy loosens the normallytaught ligaments of the sacroiliac joints, allowing themto subluxate more easily and more frequently.

Wearing a trochanter belt will restrict the motion intothe PS which will, in turn, reduce the pain, but it doesnothing to restore the motion to the joints of the pelvisthat will be so important during the delivery process.Nor does it allow for proper alignment of the pelvis tomaximize the size and shape of the birth canal.

Even more important, leaving the subluxation uncor-rected means that the interference with the mother’snervous system remains, possibly affecting the devel-opment and growth of her baby. This situation is easi-ly corrected by visiting a chiropractor.

The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association’s website, http://www.icpa4kids.org, can direct you to a chiro-practor in your area who has the proper certification.”

Just a few moments of our time to respond to simple dis-cussions like this can bring the awareness of chiropracticcare in pregnancy to many people who would not otherwiseknow about its benefits.

View article references and author information here:http://www.pathwaystofamilywellness.org/references.htm



b r e a s t f e e d i n g

© iStockphoto.com

/ Jane Peng / Gary Blakely / M

axim Tupikov / D

evon Stephens


“My baby nurses and fusses all evening!What’s wrong?”

It is very common for babies to be fussy and nurse very oftenin the evenings, particularly in the early months.

My daughter had a fussy time every evening for a couple ofmonths (yes, it does go away!). I spent weeks camped out on the end of the sofa with a constantly nursing and/or fussybaby every evening from about 6 to 10 PM.

With my son, we didn’t have the luxury of being able to sitdown. Alex was unhappy and crying unless he was upright andbeing walked around at this time of day (and sometimes thisonly helped him to be less unhappy). He would occasionallyhave a very fussy time during the day, too. Nursing rarelyhelped to calm his fussiness (unlike with my daughter), so Iusually didn’t have that tool to work with (though I alwaystried). His fussiness was such that I looked into other causes(such as food sensitivity), but we never determined any reasonfor it and he was all smiles the rest of the time. The fussinessgradually went away between 3 and 4 months, as is the norm,but the first few months were hard. Nowadays, the typical com-ment that I hear about him is “Is he always this happy?” Soremember: this, too, will pass...

Cluster feeding, also called bunch feeding, is when babiesspace feeding closer together at certain times of the day andgo longer between feedings at other times. This is very com-mon, and often occurs in the evenings. It’s often—but notalways—followed by a longer sleep period than usual: babymay be “tanking up” before a long sleep. For example, yourbaby may nurse every hour (or even constantly) between 6and 10 PM, then have a longish stretch of sleep at night—babymay even sleep all night.

Cluster feeding often coincides with your baby’s fussy time.Baby will nurse a few minutes, pull off, fuss/cry, nurse a fewminutes, pull off, fuss/cry...on and on...for hours. This can beVERY frustrating, and mom starts wondering if baby is gettingenough milk, if something she is eating is bothering baby, if

EVERYTHING she is doing is botheringbaby...it can really ruin your confidence,particularly if there is someone elsearound asking the same questions(your mother, your husband, yourmother-in-law, etc.).

This behavior is NORMAL! It has noth-ing to do with your breastmilk or yourmothering. If baby is happy the rest of the day,and baby doesn’t seem tobe in pain (as with colic)during the fussy time, justkeep trying to soothe yourbaby; don’t beat yourselfup about the cause. Letbaby nurse as long and asoften as he will. Recruitdad (or another helper) tobring you food or drink andfetch things you need(book, remote, phone,etc.) while you nurse andhold baby.

Does this mean thatbaby needs more milkthan I can provide?

No. Don’t give baby a bottle—supplemen-tation will only tell your body that youneed LESS milk at this time, and that willnot help matters. Also, keep in mind thatformula-fed babies experience fussy periods in the evening,too. Fussy evenings are common for all young babies, no mat-ter how they are fed. The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicinespells this out in their supplementary feeding guidelines:There are common clinical situations where evaluation andbreastfeeding management may be necessary, but supple-mentation is NOT INDICATED including...the infant who isfussy at night or constantly feeding for several hours.


By Kelly Bonyata, BS, IBCLC




Why do babies fuss in the evening?

One frequently-heard explanation for baby’s fussiness inthe evenings is that milk volume tends to be lower in theevening due to the natural cycling of hormones through-out the day. However, Dr. Peter Hartmann, a breastfeedingresearcher, has said that, in the women he has studied,milk volume is not low at this time of day. Even if milk vol-ume is lower in the evening, fat content is typically higherin the evening (particularly if baby is allowed to controlthis via cue feeding), so the amount of calories that babyis getting should not be significantly different. Milk flowcan be slower in the evening, which may be frustrating forsome babies.

Doctors often attribute evening fussiness to baby’s imma-ture nervous system (and the fussiness does end as babygets older, usually by 3–4 months). However, Dr. KatherineDettwyler (who does research on breastfeeding in tradi-tional societies) states that babies in Mali, West Africa andother traditional societies don’t have colic or late after-noon/ evening fussiness. These babies are carried all dayand usually nurse several times each hour.

So perhaps none of these explanations is a completeanswer to baby’s evening fussiness. For many babies, thefussy time seems to be characterized by a need to havesmall quantities of milk at frequent intervals, combinedwith lots of holding, cuddling, and movement. Babies whoare offered as much expressed milk or formula as they willtake by bottle [note: this practice will decrease your milksupply!] often behave in exactly the same way in theevenings. Baby takes a small amount and dozes (and fuss-es), then a little more, and so on. Perhaps babies “remem-ber” mom being very active during her pregnancy at thesetimes, and want to be held, rocked, and nurtured con-stantly again.

Soothing techniques for the fussy times:

• Wear baby in a sling or baby carrier. This will free one orboth hands for other tasks (preparing dinner, caring forother children) while you hold, soothe, and nurse your baby.

• Change of pace. Let dad have some “baby time” while momtakes a shower or simply gets some time to herself to relaxand regroup after a long day.

• Go outside. Relax baby (and mom too) with a walk, or justsit and enjoy the outdoors. Try this shortly before baby’sregular fussy time.

• Soothe with sound. Sing, hum, talk, murmur shush, playmusic, or use ‘white noise.’ Try different types of sound,such as different styles of music and singers with differenttypes of voices.

• Soothe with rhythmic motion. Walk, sway, bounce, dance,swing, or even try a car ride.

• Soothe with touch. Hold or bathe baby or try baby massage.

• Reduce stimulation. Dim lights, reduce noise, swaddle baby.

• Vary nursing positions. Try side-lying, lying on your back tonurse with baby tummy to tummy, etc.

• Nurse in motion (while rocking, swaying, walking, etc.).

• Combine rhythmic motion with soothing sounds.

• Avoid scheduling, especially during the fussy evening hours.

Perhaps babies simply need to nurse

more often at this time, rather than

consume more milk.

View article references and author information here:http://www.pathwaystofamilywellness.org/references.html

© iStockphoto.com

/ Adam

Borkowski


As La Leche League celebrates

its 50th Anniversary with World

Breastfeeding Week Celebrations

all across America, you can take

the opportunity to thank this

nonprofit organization for 50 years

of mothering wisdom, information

and support.

Thank you to the 2007 Platinum Level Prize Sponsors: ERGO Baby Carrier, Inc., Mothering Magazine, and Medela, Inc.

We also want to thank the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association.

1-800 LALECHE www.llli.org

Donate to your local La Leche League Group, http://www.llli.org/WebIndex.htmlin honor of World Breastfeeding Week.

Sponsor World Breastfeeding Week Celebrations on the local or national level. Have

your business or Web site featured on the WBW pages as a Platinum, Diamond, or Gold

Prize Sponsor. See http://www.lllusa.org/wbw/sponsors.php for more information.

Contribute online to World Breastfeeding Week at https://donate2lll.org/indexSecure.htm.

It’s a generous way to thank the seven Founders of La Leche League—the women who held

that first breastfeeding meeting 50 years ago!

Become a member of La Leche League, http://www.llli.org/membership.html.La Leche League needs your interest and support.



pa r e n t i n g

As nearly as I have been able to translate it, “Na-Na-Na-Boo-Boo” is actually an

invitation, even a plea to “come and play with me.” Our most important task as parents

is securing and maintaining a strong bond with our children.

For a multitude of reasons, children growing up in today’s society are at great risk of

not having a solid bond with their parents. One of those reasons is parents not having

enough time to spend with their children. Another reason is how we spend the time we

do have.

Though we may spend time with children building Lego’s, dressing dolls, playing board

games or checkers, the kind of play children crave the most is the kind of play most

parents do the least. This is the physically active play of chase and capture, hide and

seek, piggybacks, pony rides, and the roughhouse wrestling that makes children gig-

gle and laugh and ask for more, more, more. It is this kind of play that emotionally

connects parents and children and strengthens their bond.

Most parents actively play with babies. We patty-cake, peek-a-boo and

bounce them on our knees. We sacrifice all dignity doing silly things to

make babies laugh. But once they grow bigger and can play by them-

selves or with other children we usually spend much less time actively

playing with our children. There are some adults, often, but not

always Dads, who seem to just naturally excel at this kind of physi-

cal play, but few children get as much as they need of this kind of

play. Whether we don’t have the energy, are too distracted with

things we feel we have to get done or we just never learned how

because no one played that way with us, we usually aren’t as

playful as our children beg us to be.

nanan

aboo“The single most important skill parents can acquire is playing.”

Lawrence J. Cohen, author: Playful Parenting

booBy Pam Leo


© iStockphoto.com

/ Jess Wiberg



Even if playing doesn’t come naturally to us we can learn how

to be more playful. Lawrence J. Cohen, author of my new favorite

parenting book, Playful Parenting, says, “Unlike many personality

changes we might like to make, better playing skills can be pretty

easily learned.” I can confirm that what he says is true. I have

never been one of those adults who excelled at physical play.

I didn’t get much of that kind of play as a child; therefore, I didn’t

do much of that kind of play with my children or my grandchildren.

Since reading Cohen’s book, to the delight of my grandchildren

and their friends, I’m getting pretty good at playing, roughhous-

ing, and silliness.

For those parents like me, for whom physical play doesn’t just

come naturally, learning to play is work. The exciting thing about

the work of learning to play is that the payoff is priceless. The

smiles, giggles, laughter, affection, and feeling of connectedness

that bubble up from a rollicking playtime can change our whole

day, even our whole relationship with a child. In my parenting

series, “Meeting the Needs of Children,” I talk a lot about the

importance of connecting with children and “filling their cups”

by spending special time, one on one with them. Since reading

Playful Parenting, I have experienced first hand the value of this

kind of play and heard the excited reports of parents’ experiences

with being more playful. I now see play as one the most important

ways we can maintain a strong bond with our children.

Children are like re-chargeable batteries and the people they

are bonded with are their re-chargers. The younger they are

the more often children need contact with these people. If we

observe toddlers, we see them play and explore and frequently

return to check in with their parents for a quick recharge. Cohen

and I both use the analogy of filling the cup. Children’s cups

hold the emotional fuel that keeps them going. Filling the emo-

tional cup is just as important as making sure children have food.

Just as we get cranky when we don’t eat regularly, we get cranky

when the fuel in the emotional cup gets low. Difficult behavior is

usually a communication of low cup.

The fuel in children’s cups gets used up by the general wear and

tear of the day and by frustration, disappointments, fears, and the

little and big hurts and losses. Emotional cups must be refilled

everyday with attention,

nurturing, and play. It

would be so much simpler

for parents if children

could just say with words,

“I need a refill of love

and attention.” However,

children usually commu-

nicate that need through

their behavior. When par-

ents and caregivers don’t

understand the language

of behavior they often

react to children’s empty-

cup/ refill-request behav-

iors with anger, rejection,

and punishment instead

of responding with the

love and attention that

children need to fill the

cup back up.

It is hard to remember that children need love most when they

appear to deserve it least. Sometimes by the time we finally

“get it” that our child’s behavior is communicating the need to

connect for a refill, the empty-cup/refill-request behaviors have

so annoyed us that we probably won’t be feeling much like play-

ing. If we get stuck in anger they will be stuck with an empty cup.

If we expect their behavior to change we must change our behav-

ior. We can choose to play to reconnect and bring up the level of

their cup. Children with enough in their cup have no need for

empty-cup/refill-request behaviors.

Our ideas about discipline begin to change once we recognize

that it takes the same amount of time, attention, and energy to

meet a child’s emotional needs as it does to deal with the behav-

iors caused by a child’s unmet emotional needs. It is a lot more

fun and certainly more productive to spend ten minutes playing

with children than to spend ten minutes threatening, scolding and

punishing them. Playing is proactive and productive because it

keeps the connection strong and the cup full. Punishment is reac-

tive and counter-productive because makes children feel power-

less and disconnected and drains their already low emotional cup.

Children need connection to get their cup refilled. Trying to fill a

child’s cup without connecting with the child is like trying to fill a

car with gas from a pump that has no hose. Play is the hose that

© iStockphoto.com

/ asiseeit


connects the pump to the tank. As Cohen points out,

children already know how to use play to connect, to heal

their hurts and develop confidence. Play is the language of

children. When we learn how to play we can communicate

our love for our children in ways that will strengthen our

connection and fill their cup. While “quality” time cannot

replace the quantity of time children need with us, we can

increase the quality of the time we spend with children by

learning how to play in ways that fill up the cup. Physical

play not only fills a child’s need for attention; it fills the

need for touch and deep connection.

Laughing together is a powerful way of connecting with each

other. Children delight in silliness and often use it to try to

connect when they need a refill. Instead of thwarting silliness,

we can initiate it or at least join in. We can usually turn the

tide of a power struggle by getting silly instead of getting

bossy. When children are giggling over our silliness they are

also reconnecting and getting the refill they were asking for

with the power struggle behavior.

Children lose confidence when they feel powerless. They dis-

connect either by withdrawing or by trying to control things.

We help children regain their confidence when we play role

reversal games that make the child the powerful one. Nothing

will give us a more accurate picture of how our children see

us than playing pretend the child is parent and the parent is

the child. Children delight in making us brush our teeth and

forbidding us to jump on the bed. The more we ham up beg-

ging them for what we want, the more they laugh.

Those who have attended my “Healing the Feeling Child”

workshop and learned how children (and adults) heal their

emotional hurts by discharging or releasing the hurts through

laughter, tears, and tantrums will really appreciate all the

ways that Playful Parenting addresses and supports that

process. Those who have not attended now have the opportu-

nity to read and learn about how to support their children in

recovering from emotional hurts.

Playful Parenting is now at the top of my recommended read-

ing list. I am telling parents, child-care providers, teachers,

and anyone who works with or loves families, “If you read

only one book this year, let it be Lawrence J. Cohen’s Playful

Parenting.” It is one of the very few books that I can endorse

100%. Parents who have taken my classes and then read

Cohen’s book tell me they can’t believe we have never met

because we say so many of the same things. We both remind

parents that they need to get their own cups filled in order to

keep filling their children’s cups. A night out to play will help

fill your cup.


www.familiesforconsciousliving.org

Inspiring the creation

of communities

seeking wholeness

locally and globally.

We welcome all who wish to make informed choices,

for holistic health care, birthing, breastfeeding,

attachment parenting, schooling, nutritious whole

foods, and environmentally conscious living.

FIND A HOLISTIC

PRACTITIONER:

www.hpakids.org

The HPA:

Alliance for Holistic

Family Health and Wellness

offers resources and timely information

helping parents make informed health

care choices for pregnancy, birth,

and childhood. We are committed to

supporting parents who seek a holistic

model of health care and empowering

parents to build healthy bodies and

spirits in their families. Visit our web

site to find a holistic practitioner.



m i n d — b o dy

E V O L V E

YOURBRAINThe Science of Changing Your Mind

Part 2 of an

I N T E R V I E W

with Joe Dispenza, DC



Pathways: Can you explain the mind/body connection? What is the relationship between thoughts and the physical body?

Dr. Dispenza: An emerging scientific field called psychoneuroim-munology demonstrates the connection between the mind andthe body, and has begun to help us understand the link betweenhow we think and how we feel. We now know that every thoughtproduces a biochemical reaction in the brain. The brain thenreleases chemical signals that are transmitted to the body, wherethey act as messengers of the thought. In this way, the thoughtsthat produce these chemicals in the brain allow our body to feelexactly the way we were just thinking.

Essentially, when we have happy, inspiring, or positive thoughts,our brain manufactures chemicals that make us feel joyful, inspired,or uplifted. For example, when we look forward to a pleasurableexperience, the brain immediately makes a chemical neurotrans-mitter called dopamine, which turns the brain and body on in antic-ipation of that experience, and we feel excited. If we have thoughtsof hate, anger, or insecurity, the brain produces chemicals that thebody responds to in a comparable way and we feel hateful, angry,or unworthy. Another chemical that our brain makes, called ACTH,signals the body to produce chemical secretions from the adrenalglands which make us feel threatened or aggressive.

When the body responds to a thought by having a feeling, the brain,which constantly monitors the status of the body, notices that thebody is feeling a certain way. In response to that bodily feeling, thebrain generates thoughts that produce corresponding chemicalmessengers, so that we begin to think the way we are feeling.Thinking creates feeling, and then feeling creates thinking, in a con-tinuous biological feedback loop. This cycle eventually creates aparticular state in the body—what we call a state of being—thatdetermines the general nature of how we feel and behave.

For example, say a person lives much of her life in a repeatingcycle of thoughts and feelings related to unworthiness. Themoment she thinks about not being good enough or smartenough or enough of anything, her brain releases chemicals thatproduce a bodily feeling of unworthiness. Now she is feeling theway she was just thinking. Her brain notices that, and she beginsto have thoughts of insecurity that match the way she was just

Dr. Joseph Dispenza studied biochem-istry at Rutgers University in NewBrunswick, N.J. He went on to receivehis Doctor of Chiropractic Degree at Life University in Atlanta, Georgia, graduating magna cum laude. He is therecipient of a Clinical ProficiencyCitation for clinical excellence in doctor–patient relationships from LifeUniversity and a member of theInternational Chiropractic Honor Society.

Dr. Dispenza’s postgraduate trainingand continuing education has been inneurology, neurophysiology, and brainfunction. He has authored several scientific articles on the close relation-ship between brain chemistry, neurophysiology, and biology, and theirroles in physical health. He hasauthored the book: Evolve Your Brain:the Science of Changing Your Mind. Dr. Dispenza was also one of the scien-tists, researchers, and teachers featuredin the multi-award winning hit movie,“What the BLEEP Do We Know!?” ™ .

Joseph Dispenza is known by his abilityto translate scientific concepts of physicsand biology into every day comprehen-sible language.

© iStockphoto.com

/ Sebastian Kaulitzki



feeling. Her body is now causing her to think. If herthoughts and feelings continue, year after year, to generatethe same feedback loop between her brain and her body,she will exist in a state of being that is called “unworthy.”These repeated chemical signals cause the cells of the bodyto function in undesirable ways, making her sick.

This starts to explain how the mind can physically modifythe body. In the book I talk about a man I called Tom, whodeveloped one digestive ailment after another. This finallyled him to examine his life, and he realized he had beensuppressing feelings of anger and desperation over being ina job that made him miserable. Tom’s mind and body werein a feedback loop of thinking and feeling that amounted totoxic attitudes that his body just “couldn’t stomach.” Hehad been living in a state of being revolving around victim-ization. His healing finally began when he paid attention tohis habitual thoughts and realized that his unconsciousattitudes were the basis for the person he had become.

There is significant scientific evidence suggesting that themind has a direct effect on the body…both for better and forworse. Research demonstrates that we can cause our bod-

ies to be sick just by the anticipation of a future event or thememory of a past experience. In both cases, our thoughtscreate powerful chemicals of stress to alter most of the sys-tems in our body. So what we think about, and the intensi-ty of these thoughts, directly influences our health, thechoices we make, and our quality of life.

Pathways: What then is the mind, and how is it related tothe brain?

Dr. Dispenza: Now that we have the technology to observea living brain, we know from functional brain scans that themind is the brain in action. This is the latest definition ofmind, according to neuroscience. When a brain is alive andactive, it can process thought, learn new information, inventnew ideas, master skills, recall memories, express feelings,refine movements, and maintain the orderly functioning ofthe body. The animated brain can also facilitate behavior,dream, perceive reality, and most important, embrace life.In order for the mind to exist, then, the brain must be alive.

The brain is therefore not the mind; it is the physical appa-ratus through which the mind is produced. The brain facili-tates mind. We can think of the brain as an intricate dataprocessing system that enables us to gather, process,store, recall, and communicate information within seconds,if need be, as well as to forecast, hypothesize, respond,behave, plan, and reason. The brain is also the control cen-ter through which the mind coordinates all of the metabolicfunctions necessary for life and survival. When your bio-computer is “turned on,” or alive, it functions by processinginformation, and thus produces the mind.

The brain has three individual anatomical structures withwhich it produces different aspects of mind. We also have aconscious mind and a subconscious mind, and both are theresult of a brain that coordinates thought impulses throughits various regions and substructures. Therefore, there aremany diverse states of mind, because we can easily makethe brain work in different ways.

Pathways: What is neuroplasticity?

Dr. Dispenza: Neuroplasticity is the natural ability tochange how the brain’s neurons are connected and organ-ized into circuits, which we call its synaptic wiring. Everytime we learn something new or have a novel experience,the brain makes new synaptic connections to form new

…we can cause our bodies to be

sick just by the anticipation of

a future event or the memory of

a past experience…So what we

think about, and the intensity

of these thoughts, directly influ-

ences our health, the choices

we make, and our quality of life.


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neural patterns or networks—and this happens at anyage. When we utilize new circuits in new ways, werewire the brain to fire in new sequences. From a neuro-logical level, then, we are changed moment to momentby the thoughts we think, the information we learn, theevents we experience, the reactions we have, the feel-ings we create, the memories we process, and even thedreams we embrace. All of these alter the way the brainworks, producing new states of mind that are recordedin our brain.

Neuroplasticity is an innate, universal, genetic featurein humans. It affords us the privilege to learn from expe-riences in our environment, so that we may change ouractions and modify our behavior, our thought process-es, and our personality to produce outcomes that aremore desirable. Merely to learn intellectual informationis not enough; we must apply what we learn to create adifferent experience. If we could not rewire our brain tomake new synaptic connections, we could not change inresponse to our experiences. Without the ability tochange, we could not evolve, and we would be limitedby our genetic predispositions. The neuroplasticity ofour own brain depends on our ability to change our per-ception of the world around us, to change our mind, tochange our self.


FamilyWellness FirstInterested in the latest research on family health and wellness?

Sign up for our free e-newsletter.www.pathwaystofamilywellness.org



fa m i ly l i f e

© istockphoto.com

/ Valentin Casarsa


By Patti Teel

© luckyoliver.com

/ Andrey Shadrin

© istockphoto.com

/ Paul Kline



The teenage years are a time when school, homework, com-munity service, extracurricular activities, active social lives,and part-time jobs keep kids busy from early in the morninguntil late at night. They are likely to try to make up for a lackof sleep by ‘sleeping in’ on the weekends. Unfortunately, this contributes to an irregular sleep schedule and actuallymakes the problem worse, setting them up for a kind of jetlag when Monday morning rolls around.

In addition to having difficulty turning off the worries of theirday, most teens show signs of delayed circadian rhythms—which contribute to their inability to fall asleep until later at night. During puberty, the biological clock in the brain naturally resets to a later time. The pineal gland releasesmelatonin later at night and this causes teens to fall asleeplater. Then, when it’s time to get up, a teenager’s body clockis likely to still be producing the nighttime hormones. Thismakes it hard for them to feel active and energetic in themorning. Since many teens aren’t sleepy until around 11:00p.m., but need to be at school by 7:30 or 8:00 a.m., they donot get an adequate amount of sleep.

A growing body of research suggests that starting highschool later, more in line with their natural biorhythms,improves attendance, achievement, and grades and reducestardiness. In a landmark study a few years ago, the morning

school bell was delayed for an hour in Edina, Minnesota. As a result, test scores on the SAT college entrance examsjumped more than 100 points, on average. Unfortunately,most schools are not set up to start later and accommodateteen’s sleep needs.

Lack of sleep can be very dangerous for young drivers andit’s vitally important to warn teenagers about the dangers of driving while drowsy. Although parents always warn theirteens about the dangers of drinking and driving, many of usforget to warn our teens about the hazards of driving whenthey’re drowsy, a very real danger today. Drowsiness is theprincipal factor in about 100,000 car crashes each year,killing adults, teens, and children.

If you feel your teenager has a serious problem falling asleepat night and simply can’t get going in the morning, check withyour family practitioner. Some natural remedies include mela-tonin, light therapy, meditations and relaxation practices.

Editor’s note: A recent survey study showed chiropractic carehas beneficial affects in improving sleep in children.


©istockphoto

com/

ValentinC

asarsa

Teenagers are one of the most sleep-deprivedsegments of the population.Most teens require at leastnine hours of sleep but getmuch, much less.

• Stress the importance of a consistent bedtime.

• Help teens learn relaxation techniques (such as creativevisualization and progressive relaxation) in order tounwind and signal the body that it’s time for sleep.

• Putting their thoughts and worries in a journal oftenhelps them to put their problems to rest, enabling them to sleep.

• Have them turn off all electronic equipment (including phones) at least an hour before bed.

• Discourage them from drinking caffeinated drinks in the afternoon and evening.

• Encourage regular exercise, especially outside in the morning. (Morning sunshine can help to reset theinternal clock.)

• Although teens are likely to sleep in on the weekend,don’t let them sleep in for more than a total of two hours over the entire weekend.

• Simulate dawn by opening the curtains and turning onthe lights an hour before your teen needs to get up.

• Don’t forget to warn them about the dangers of drivingwhile drowsy.

Helping our teenagers to get adequate sleep is a daunting task, but there are things that you can do to help:

©luckyolivercom

/A

ndreyShadrin


38 pathways | issue 1638 pathways | issue 16

r e s e a r c h r e v i ew

September 2007

Thimerosal and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Alleged Misconduct by Government Agencies and Private EntitiesEXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE REPORT OF THE RANKING MEMBER ON ALLEGED MISCONDUCT BY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND PRIVATE ENTITIES RELATED TO THIMEROSAL IN CHILDHOOD VACCINES

Here is a brief summary of the release of an 18-month Senateinvestigation into alleged government misconduct regardingThimerosal in childhood vaccines and its causal association with autism lead by Senator Enzi (R-Wyoming), Ranking Memberof the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

The Committee’s investigators concluded that allegations that autism researchers were clouded by conflicts of interest,that the CDC interfered in vaccine studies, and that public healthagencies covered up evidence linking vaccines to autism, couldnot be substantiated.

“While I recognize there are active scientific debates regardinga possible connection between thimerosal in childhood vaccinesand autism, Congress is not in a position to substitute its judgmentfor that of scientists,” Enzi said. “Therefore, my investigationfocused not on the possible link between thimerosal and autism,but on the allegations of misconduct by government officials andprivate entities in connection with the thimerosal controversy.”

The investigation did find:

1. “FDA inappropriately utilized Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) guidelines regarding the dangers of mercuryin vaccines containing thimerosal.” Thus, the FDA mayhave miscalculated the toxicity of thimerosal in vaccinesroutinely administered to millions of pregnant womenand children.

2. Senator Enzi acknowledged that a CDC-organized meeting,held June 7 and 8, 2000, at the Simpsonwood UnitedMethodist Retreat Center, to discuss a study showing a linkbetween mercury exposure through vaccines and autism,was questionable: “The CDC’s failure to invite toSimpsonwood representatives of advocacy groups, in com-bination with injudicious remarks by several Simpsonwoodparticipants, did give rise to an appearance of impropriety.”

3. Oversight agencies characterized by conflict of interest:The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, which reviewed the evidence and found no link between mercury exposure from vaccines andautism, inappropriately screened “potential committeemembers for possible conflicts of interest.”

4. Government data used to assess the link between vaccine-related mercury exposure and autism was “…less than open and accessible to all researchers.”

5. Despite mercury being decreased in some vaccines given to American children, no such decrease has beenaffected in vaccines manufactured and distributed todeveloping countries: “The contention that thimerosal isused in vaccines provided to third-world and developingcountries is accurate.”

“This report, released by Senator Enzi, is another in a longline of reports by government officials addressing the toxicity ofmercury in medicine and reflecting the institutional malfeasancefor self-protection and misplaced protectionism of the pharma-ceutical industry by US public health officials,” states theCoalition for Mercury Free Drugs’ news release on the investiga-tion’s conclusion.

For more information on the science supporting a linkbetween vaccines and autism, including other chronic diseases,visit http://www.generationrescue.org/misinformation.html.

To read a summary of the Senate report visit:http://help.senate.gov/Min_press/autism.pdf

National Vaccine Information Center: www.nvic.org

Capitol Building ©

iStockphoto.com / D

ave Huss


In October 2006, the American College of

Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released a

Statement of Policy on “Out-of-Hospital Births in the

United States.” Following feedback from ACOG mem-

bers and from Childbirth Connection and many other

concerned organizations, ACOG issued a revised

Statement of Policy on “Home Births in the United

States” in May 2007. This Alert and Response

describes Childbirth Connection’s concerns with the

statements and their implications for mothers and

babies.

The revised statement concluded by stating that

“ACOG strongly opposes home births” and “does not

support programs or individuals that advocate for or

who provide home births.” Again, no study was cited

to support this position, and existing research in

support of planned home birth was overlooked.

The earlier statement asserted that “studies

comparing the safety and outcome of US births in the

hospital with those occurring in other settings are lim-

ited and have not been scientifically rigorous.” ACOG

also claimed that the hospital “is the safest setting for

labor, delivery, and the immediate postpartum peri-

od.” Consequently, it concluded, ACOG “strongly

opposes out-of-hospital births” and “does not support

programs or individuals that advocate for or who pro-

vide out-of-hospital births.” However, the statement

failed to cite any evidence to support the assertions

and failed to acknowledge impressive existing

evidence regarding the safety of planned home birth

and out-of-hospital birth center birth.

Note: ACOG policy statements are not posted in

a location that is accessible to the general public.

Those who wish to read the current policy about

place of birth, “Home Births in the United States”

(May 2007) are encouraged to call the ACOG office at

(202) 638–5577 to request a copy.

This is an excerpt from a report by Childbirth

Connections. To read more visit:

www.childbirthconnection.com/article.asp?ck=10465

For the Research Review complete list of references,full articles and web addresses, please visit:www.pathwaystofamilywellness.org/references/references_16.htm


The statement failed to cite any evidenceto support the assertions and failed toacknowledge impressive existing evidenceregarding the safety of planned homebirth and out-of-hospital birth center birth.

ACOG’s Place-of-Birth Policies Limits Women’s Choices Without Justification and Contrary to the Evidence

© iStockphoto.com

/ Yo Oura



r e s e a r c h r e v i ew

Cold and cough meds given to infants

and toddlers work no better than

dummy pills and can be dangerous.

Pediatricians made recommendations to the FDA that the over-the-counter meds shouldn’t be given to children youngerthan 6 years because they don’t help them and aren’t safe.The group petitioned the FDA seeking in part a governmentstatement saying the meds shouldn’t be used in older children, as well. While the focus of the petition and the FDA is on children younger than 6 years, the joint panel ofexperts will be asked if there’s evidence that these drugswork in children up to age 12 years.

With drug companies spending $50 million a year on emotional ads in parenting magazines and elsewhere, thisbusiness has truly become a profitable one for Big Pharma.This is in spite of the fact that there are little or no data fromstudies in the very young to show the medicines are safe oreven work. “The basic question is, why should a product beso relentlessly marketed when it’s not safe or effective?” saidDr. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore’s health commissioner. “Itdoes not make sense, in the absence of information, to say‘consult a physician,’ because they do not have superhumanpowers. They cannot make a product safe or effective.”

Even more appalling is that some studies suggest the medi-cines are no better than dummy pills in treating cold andcough symptoms in young children, the petitioners said.

The drug industry still maintains these widely used drugs are safe and work, but can lead to death and injury fromoverdoses or misuse in infants. It estimates children receive3.8 billion doses of the medicines a year.

FDA gave drug companies until Oct. 31, 2007 to stop makingand selling any unapproved prescription medicines labeledfor use by children younger than 6 years that contain thepainkiller and cough suppressant hydrocodone.

The move is part of a broader effort to remove from sale anestimated 200 unapproved prescription cough medicinesmade with the narcotic.

Manufacturers of any other unapproved hydrocodone medi-cines, beyond those intended for young children, must stopmaking them by Dec. 31 and cease shipping them by March31, 2008, the FDA said. It said the order applies to most ofthe hydrocodone formulations sold as cough medicines.

The order does not apply to other hydrocodone formulations,including the seven cough suppressants made with the narcotic that do have FDA approval. Nor does it apply topain-relief drugs like Vicodin, which combine hydrocodoneand acetaminophen.

For the Research Review complete list of references, full articles

and web addresses, please visit:

www.pathwaystofamilywellness.org/references/references_16.htm

Cold and Cough Over-the-Counter Drugs for Children Found to Be

Unsafe, Unproven and Ineffective

© iStockphoto.com

/ Brad Killer

…there are little or no data from studies

in the very young to show the medicines

are safe or even work.


pathways | issue 11 41pathways | issue 16 41

My daughter was 4 years old and still had a sinus/ear infectionshortly after finishing her medication prescribed by her pediatri-cian. Apparently the medication was unable to cure the infection.The infection became resistant to the medication, so he recom-mended us to see a specialist at All Children’s in St. Pete. The doc-tor told us she needed to have tubes put in her ears—again. Shealready had them put in at age 2. I scheduled her surgery to takeplace in two weeks.

After I saw that doctor I took my daughter to see my brother-in-lawwho is a chiropractor. I asked him to explain to me how chiropractic

could help clear up ear infections. Then I told him, “Okay then, you have 2 weeks to get her ears cleared up before she has thesurgery and goes in to have her well child check-up.”

So, we went in for an adjustment three times a week, for twoweeks straight. On the day of her well-child check-up, the pediatri-cian told me her ears and sinuses were completely cleared, andshe no longer needed to have the surgery to put tubes put in herears. We never had to put tubes again and rarely needed to have a prescription. Now (at age 12) my daughter is never sick exceptfor occasional slight colds. Anytime we have colds or if she complains of something aching in her back, we go see the chiro-practor. We are lucky to see the pediatrician only once a year now.

Chris McDonaldBradenton, FL

Do you have a chiropractic story about yourself ora family member that you want to share with us?

Send it to: [email protected] we will use it in an upcoming issue inPathways to allow more parents to understand the many benefits of family chiropractic care.

“You have 2 weeks to get her ears cleared up

before she has the surgery.”

“Chiropractic Clears Ear Infections”

pa r e n t s p e r s p e c t i v e



Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials, vaccine manufacturers and lawyers discussed the constitutionali-ty of vaccine exemptions at a Vaccine Education Symposium at theChildren’s Hospital of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on September15. Other topics included:

1 Requiring vaccination of all nurses and other health careworkers as a condition of employment

2 Passing laws to facilitate prosecution of parents of unvac-cinated children for economic damages when vaccinatedchildren contract vaccine preventable diseases

3 Routine posting and publishing of lists of unvaccinatedindividuals in public places in communities

4 Prosecuting parents who homeschool their children forchild neglect if they do not vaccinate them.

The symposium, hosted by rotavirus vaccine patent holder andMerck consultant Paul Offit, MD, featured speakers such as DanSalmon, PhD, who has alleged that exemptions to vaccination arenot protected by the US Constitution and should be eliminated orseverely curtailed.

The vaccine symposium pre-empted an Associated Press story,Parents Use Religion to Avoid Vaccines, which detailed the AP’s ownexamination of CDC data showing increases in religious exemptionsclaimed for kindergartners, as well as other exemptions.(See story at: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jHl5355hjmYLKJQUqQcK4FJIYWrgD8SB50100)

The AP findings are: In Massachusetts, the rate of those seeking exemptions has

more than doubled in the past decade. In Florida, 1,249 children claimed religious exemptions in 2006,

almost double the 661 who did so just four years earlier.

Georgia, New Hampshire and Alabama rates also doubled in thepast four years.

Fifteen of the 20 states that allow both religious and philosoph-ical exemptions have seen increases in both.

According to the AP story, “While some parents—ChristianScientists and certain fundamentalists, for example—have genuine religious objections to medicine, it is clear that others aresimply distrustful of shots. Some parents say they are not convinced vaccinations help. Others fear the vaccinations them-selves may make their children sick and even cause autism.”

“As more and more Americans witness healthy children regress-ing after being repeatedly injected with dozens of doses of vaccinesand becoming learning disabled, hyperactive, asthmatic, autisticand diabetic, more parents want to be able to make better informed,voluntary choices about vaccination. So it is not surprising that theAssociated Press found that a greater number of parents today areseeking religious exemption to vaccination in the 28 states that donot allow a personal, philosophical or conscientious belief exemp-tion to vaccination,” states Barbara Loe Fisher, president of theNational Vaccine Information Center, NVIC.

The NVIC has described the symposium and its goals as “anunprecedented assault on the philosophical and religious beliefexemption to vaccination.”

“Dismissing parental concern about vaccine risks as an ‘irra-tional, fear based decision,’ he (Paul Offit, MD) and his colleagueswant to socially ostracize and legally punish those who approachmaintaining health and wellness in a different way and decline topurchase and use every vaccine industry produces and govern-ment recommends,” states Fisher.

“The military approach to dissent is a risky one as it threatensto fatally compromise what is left of the sacred trust that exists

pat h w ay s n ew s r e p o r t

October 23, 2007

As Vaccine Exemptions Double in Some States, CDC Officials and VaccineManufacturers Discuss Constitutionality of Exemptions, Publicly Publishing Listsof Unvaccinated Children and Prosecuting Homeschooling Parents for Neglect



between pediatricians and parents. But this approach has becomemuch more common since September 11, 2001, when doctors andpublic health officials viewed that tragic event as an opportunityto aggressively promote vaccination and disease control as a mat-ter of national security.”

The NVIC, a national non-profit, is the oldest and largest con-sumer organization advocating the institution of vaccine safetyand informed consent protections in the mass vaccination system.NVIC is responsible for launching the vaccine safety and informedconsent movement in America in the early 1980’s.

Since 1905, the majority of states have provided for medical,religious and/or philosophical, personal belief or conscientiousbelief exemption to vaccination. Today, all but two states allowreligious exemption to vaccination. Since 1905, the numbers ofvaccines recommended by doctors and required by state law hasincreased from one vaccine—smallpox—to nearly three dozendoses of 10 to 12 vaccines.

In the past, some states have required that an individual belongto a church or religion that adheres to a tenet opposing vaccina-tion. However, when that restrictive language has been challengedat the state Supreme Court level, it has been struck down asunconstitutional (Sherr v. Northport-East Northport Union FreeSch. Dist., 672 F. Supp. 81, 89–90 (E.D. N.Y. 1987).

According to the NVIC, “Today, the exercise of religious exemp-tion to vaccination usually requires a citizen to hold a sincere per-sonal spiritual or religious belief that does not have to be tied to aspecific church or religion. In some states, parents are required toeither write a notarized statement and/or also obtain a letter fromtheir spiritual advisor attesting to their sincere religious beliefsregarding vaccination.

“The religious belief exemption is provided under the law for citizens who believe in a Creator and engage in prayer and may

also consult scripture for guidance inmaking vaccination decisions which arespiritually based. Many parents ofChristian, Jewish, Muslim, and non-denominational spiritual beliefs, whoalready have a vaccine injured child, areengaging in prayer and consulting scrip-ture for guidance in making vaccinationdecisions for their other children. It isimportant for the religious exemption tovaccination to only be taken by thosewho truly hold sincere religious or spiri-tual beliefs regarding vaccination.”

The 18 states which allow philosophi-cal, personal or conscientious beliefexemption to vaccination are the closestto allowing voluntary, informed consentto vaccination in America. NVIC supportsthe addition of conscientious beliefexemption to all state vaccine laws, suchas the law in Texas obtained in 2004 byparents led by Dawn Richardson, presi-dent of Parents Requesting OpenVaccine Education (PROVE), so citizenswithout sincere religious beliefs oppos-

ing vaccination can exercise a conscientious belief exemption.http://www.nvic.org/state-site/Texas.htm

“Although pro-forced vaccination proponents are promoting thedemonization and punishment of parents who advocate informedconsent to vaccination, including the right to take a religious orconscientious belief exemption, they do not have a strong ethicalbasis for their position,” writes Fisher. “The genetic co-factorinvolved in adverse responses to vaccination make one-size-fits-all forced vaccination laws a de facto selection of the geneticallyvulnerable for sacrifice and that kind of government policy shouldnot be tolerated by any state.

“As more children regress into poor health after vaccinationand more parents discover that vaccines carry far greater risksthan pediatricians and public health officials have admitted todate, there will be a greater public demand for flexibility inmandatory vaccination laws. Paul Offit and his cohorts would dowell to respect and acknowledge genetic diversity and the needfor informed consent protections in mandatory vaccination lawsrather than attempt to turn enforcement of those laws into a mil-itary operation. That primitive approach will not survive the testof time.”

The vaccine symposium also pre-empted the public release ofan 18-month Senate investigation into alleged government mis-conduct regarding thimerosal in childhood vaccines and its causalassociation with autism lead by Senator Enzi (R-Wyoming),Ranking Member of the Committee on Health, Education, Laborand Pensions. The Committee’s investigators concluded that alle-gations that autism researchers were clouded by conflicts of inter-est, that the CDC interfered in vaccine studies, and that publichealth agencies covered up evidence linking vaccines to autism,could not be substantiated.



“While I recognize there are active scientific debates regardinga possible connection between thimerosal in childhood vaccinesand autism, Congress is not in a position to substitute its judg-ment for that of scientists,” Enzi said. “Therefore, my investigationfocused not on the possible link between thimerosal and autism,but on the allegations of misconduct by government officials andprivate entities in connection with the thimerosal controversy.”

The investigation did find:

1 “FDA inappropriately utilized Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) guidelines regarding the dangers of mercuryin vaccines containing thimerosal.” Thus, the FDA may havemiscalculated the toxicity of Thimerosal in vaccines routine-ly administered to millions of pregnant women and chil-dren.

2 Senator Enzi acknowledged that a CDC-organized meeting,held June 7 and 8, 2000, at the Simpsonwood UnitedMethodist Retreat Center, to discuss a study showing a linkbetween mercury exposure through vaccines and autism,was questionable: “The CDC’s failure to invite toSimpsonwood representatives of advocacy groups, in com-bination with injudicious remarks by several Simpsonwoodparticipants, did give rise to an appearance of impropriety.”

3 Oversight agencies characterized by conflict of interest: TheInstitute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences,which reviewed the evidence and found no link betweenmercury exposure from vaccines and autism, inappropriatelyscreened “potential committee members for possible conflicts of interest.”

4 Government data used to assess the link between vaccine-related mercury exposure and autism was “…less than openand accessible to all researchers.”

5 Despite mercury being decreased in some vaccines given to American children, no such decrease has been affectedin vaccines manufactured and distributed to developingcountries: “The contention that thimerosal is used in vaccines provided to third-world and developing countries is accurate.”

“This report, released by Senator Enzi, is another in a long line of reports by government officials addressing the toxicity ofmercury in medicine and reflecting the institutional malfeasancefor self-protection and misplaced protectionism of the pharma-ceutical industry by US public health officials,” states theCoalition for Mercury Free Drugs’ news release on the investiga-tion’s conclusion.

For more information on the science supporting a link between vaccines and autism, including other chronic diseases, visit www.generationrescue.org/misinformation.html.

To read a summary of the Senate report visit:help.senate.gov/Min_press/autism.pdf

National Vaccine Information Center: www.nvic.org

© iStockphoto.com

/ Dan Brandenburg



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