I'll With such a focus on the organic food movement, I find it so surprising that so many people, even seemingly well-informed, health conscious people, are so uninformed about the disastrous health effects of sugar. I'll be the first to admit it, I'd been a sugar addict most of my life! This vice runs strong in my family and I struggle with it at times… Make no mistake about this; sugar is an addiction you'd do well to break your family of sooner than later. Refined sugar is a derivative of sugar cane or sugar beets that is stripped of all fiber, enzymes and vitamins. From there, the resulting product is chemically processed which alters the sugar and leaves behind chemical by-products. The resulting form is rendered so toxic and unnatural to the body that the immune system must work overtime just to process it. Unnatural levels of insulin produced by this processing throws immunity, among other bodily functions off balance. It's estimated that, the amount of sugar found in just one candy bar can lower the body's immune defenses by 40% in as short as half an hour! Among a host of other serious consequences of habitual sugar consumption, research has also linked white sugar use to serious conditions such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Cancer and ADHD. I was going to write more of a research article for this blog, citing a few more of the ill effects sugar has on our system each time we consume it, but I stumbled on this simple yet comprehensive article listing 141 more reasons you should not eat sugar along with supporting research cited at the end! Check it out! Other forms of sugar such as honey, fructose, maple syrup, agave syrup and molasses in their pure forms cause a similar insulin spike but studies suggest that it is to a smaller, less dramatic degree than white sugar, not causing the severe imbalance in the body when used in moderation. Additionally these sugars in their raw forms do not contain the by-products of chemical processing and they actually do have nutritional value (of varying degrees, depending on type and form of the sweetener). Highly processed forms of these however can be just as dangerous as refined sugar, and are added to a large portion of processed foods, think high fructose corn syrup and maltose. Once I started looking, I realized that dangerous processed sugar was added to about everything I ate in one form or another. This fact alone prompted me to stop eating processed foods too… Well not so much that fact alone. I had quit sugar for one month entirely and had never felt or looked healthier. To start eating processed foods again would mean to start eating bad sugars again and to me it just wasn't worth it! Most processed foods aren't very healthy for you anyway, sugar or no sugar. What about artificial sweeteners, you ask? Ugh, please don't do it! So many reasons that these chemical sweeteners are just plain TERRIBLE for your health but that's a whole other blog post! I mean, of course it's great to eat organic, and eat from the 5 food groups, etc, etc, etc. BUT, just realize that just because the bar is "granola" and the label says "organic" does not a virtuous food make! Even worse is when the tub is "ice cream" and the label says "sugar free" but again, another post, another day… There are just some foods that are not even a good idea in moderation. By just cutting out the refined sugar in your family's diet you can be eating that much healthier today with positive health consequences immediately noticeable! Sugar withdrawals will be tough at first, especially for the kids. Try to keep a lot of dried fruit and trail mixes (no sugar added of course) and fresh fruit in the house at first, as a quick, healthy fix of good sugars. Once you get the ball rolling you'll wonder how you ever lived otherwise. On her first birthday my daughter got her first taste of refined sugar. I had baked a flourless chocolate cake just to see how she'd react to the whole birthday experience. The only dark chocolate bar I could find in a pinch had some white sugar, and for the rest of the recipe I substituted sugar for equal parts honey… Not exactly a picture of healthy eating but what can I say??? Well, me and the hubby enjoyed the cake anyway. Baby took one bite then threw it off her highchair, and proceeded to eat the garnish of berries! OK, so it was probably a really rich cake for a baby but it still made me happy inside! I know it's idealistic to think that I can keep a toddler away from sugar forever but according to a theory of Dr Sears' if you can just keep the kiddies fed optimally for at least the first 3 years of life they will not develop a craving for unhealthy foods. So far, so good here, so perhaps that bit of info will inspire hope in you as well!
revolution money exchange
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Sugar- The Big Sweet White Lie
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Protecting the Gift - A Quick View Book Review
Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane) 
**** Stars of 5, Highly Recommend!
I really liked this book. It is a book of empowerment for us as parents which centers on enabling to our children of all ages with the authority and tools keep themselves safe. De Becker, a security consultant and survivor of childhood abuse/dysfunctional family, uses his experience in his field, personal anecdotes and the true stories of others to put together a very engaging and informative read. The only shortcoming in this book for me was that it contained a great deal of true-story type accounts. Although they illustrate his points well, I would have liked to see a little more research information and statistical data to back up his experience and theories instead of so many of these. A perfect read for me has a better balance of the two.
The author draws on his personal and professional experience to show us where the more statistically probable dangers for our family are (rather than the more sensationalized top news story type parental worries like kidnapping, YAY De Becker!), how to use instinct, information and critical thinking to assess risk to make the best possible judgment call, while having our kids empowered with the tools they need to keep themselves safe. Being empowered by his philosophy of knowledge and awareness with the triple-protection method described above has made all the difference to my peace of mind!
Contents
Chapter One; The Search for Certainty- Here, De Becker addresses some of the common concerns that parents have and gives a general overview of his views, his work and this book.
Chapter Two; Intuition- The Source of Safety- As the title would suggest, De Becker is a big proponent of intuition as a tool for protecting our children. He claims everyone has the gift of intuition as a tool for prediction of danger, but that other factors, mainly denial, may interfere with these messages. Stories are used to illustrate the many ways we receive and deny subtle signals.
Chapter Three; Worry- This chapter explores true fear vs. unwarranted fear
Chapter Four; Survival Signals- This chapter addresses kidnapping by strangers and outlines the tactics most used by predators to win you/your child's misplaced trust.
Chapter Five; Talk to Strangers- Here, the author explores the ineffective maxims we teach our children (never talk to strangers, etc). De Becker shows more effective things to teach your children to actually produce the desired effect of each ambiguous statement.
Chapter Six; The Changing of the Guard- This chapter introduces "The Test of Twelve" basically, twelve things that your child should know/be capable of before being alone in a public place, and shows how this empowerment is more effective than the old standby of telling your child fearful stories.
Chapter Seven; Babysitters and Nannies- All about how to evaluate the people you will entrust your children to.
Chapter Eight; Children Away From Home- Among other things, this chapter addresses how to evaluate childcare facilities and employees.
Chapter Nine; Sexual Predators- As the title implies, this chapter highlights Sexual Predators. The focus is on family/acquaintance abuse and covers warning signs, how to evaluate the people you choose to include in your child's life, and how to teach your child about boundaries and sovereignty over their body.
Chapter Ten; Children at School- Explores some of the potential dangers of school and includes how to approach the principal regarding the personal safety of your child.
Chapter Eleven; Protecting Ophelia- This chapter is about how to better ensure the safety of teenage girls. It covers boys/dating, sexual predation and a few words on suicide.
Chapter Twelve; Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn and Smith & Wesson- Kids and gun safety.
Chapter Thirteen; Friends as Enemies- Covers teen violence. Some topics include warning signs and harmful friendships.
Chapter Fourteen; All in the Family- This chapter looks at violence within the family and explores spousal abuse as a precursor to violence against children, includes a list of warning signs.
Chapter Fifteen; Protecting the Village- A chapter regarding adults reaching out to children at risk.
Chapter Sixteen; Protecting the Gift- A few closing words and anecdotes that again implore us to honor our intuition.
Book ends with Acknowledgements, Appendices, (one strictly dedicated to resources, the others like short guides) and Recommended Reading.
*Please Note*
If this sounds like a book that you may be interested in purchasing, please use one of the links found on this page or below. With no additional expense or effort, you can help to support this site while getting the cheapest price on the net at the same time, a win-win!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Quick-View Book Reviews
I guess I've just done this too many times so I'm just bitter. There will be a book that I've been interesting in reading or one that keeps getting talked about, how it's a "must read" and "so good" whatever… and it even has 5 stars at Amazon so it must be good right? I guess it's just taken me quite a while to drill the notion of subjectivity into my thick skull! What is a fab read for one parent may not be for another! Or maybe it was a fab read, but just not quite the take on the subject matter I was hoping for, what have you. So with this in mind, I'm starting a book review aspect to this blog. I'm calling it "quick-view" because in addition to giving my opinion of the book I will give you a little synopsis of the contents, chapter by chapter. You can get an opinionated book review anywhere, and what I think of it may mean much or next to nothing to you, who knows, but at least you can take it with a grain of salt and ascertain the value of the book to you for yourself. If you have an Attachment Parenting, Green Living, Family Life or any other topic that may fit into the vibe of this site and you want to see it reviewed let me know… I'm a dork like that. The first review is "Protecting the Gift" by Gavin De Becker and will be coming in the next day or so, enjoy!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Baby Einstein DVDs: The Devil?
All of the hype surrounding these and other such DVDs got the gears in my head cranking. It all started the other day when my husband came home from work reporting that these type of DVDs were "bad" and as such, our 15 month old daughter was no longer allowed to watch them. I was intrigued as to what exactly these findings were, since these videos are a relatively new concept for babies. As I'm sure you realize, right now there is a lot regarding Baby DVDs on the net. To sum up the substance-less news blurbs: Too much videos bad - positive interaction good. Uh, duh? I'm going to make a leap on this one but I'm thinking that most of us know this. The moms I know use these as more of a tool than anything else, either to keep baby engaged as she does something that would be tougher to do holding the little one, or to watch with baby as part of interaction. But, if you are one of the moms who bought these because you thought they would raise a few IQ points, or if the media hype surrounding these has got you down in general take heart & read on. The research findings as the media at large would have you believe them are misleadingly reported. See it for yourself. You can find the actual research paper written by Frederick Zimmerman, et al here. This is the research paper containing the findings on which the media buzz right now is based. Just like you probably are, I am a mom that has too much to do in a given day. I'll be honest with you, I just skimmed the article. Here is some meandering about the bits that stood out to me most, I hope you'll get a chance to check the paper out for yourself to see what you think though :D Research Methodology, flaw 1: Correlation Does Not Imply Causation!- First off this study is based on self-reported data. Basically, the researchers called families for a phone interview and ascertained the child's score using a standard language assessment test for infants (haw many words baby comprehends) or toddlers (how many words baby can say). While there is nothing wrong with this method per se, in research a study based in self report is generally regarded as one of the less reliable ways to get an accurate collection of data for a given population. Another problem with this type of study is that, without experimental manipulation it becomes very tough to control for all of the variables that would give you evidence that your findings are true or untrue. For example, even though the researchers found their data to suggest more time in front of the tube = lower vocabulary acquisition, did they take into account family history? What about parental interaction? To what degree and in what context? The paper itself states "The analysis presented here is not a direct test of the developmental impact of viewing baby DVDs/videos. We did not test through experimental manipulation whether viewing baby DVDs/videos has a positive or negative impact on vocabulary acquisition." The paper goes on to say that this research may serve as a starting point for future research in this field. With some background in research, this is what I had guessed that this paper would be all about, a preliminary basis for further research. But for someone who may have no experience in research, is the above stated what the media build had led you to believe? Bottom line: There is no way to know if 3-hour-a-day-baby-video-watcher little Johnny would have better, worse or the same level of language acquisition without videos. To truly evaluate the relationship between language acquisition and baby DVDs a different type of research methodology would have to be utilized. There are too many variables that cannot be controlled for. The paper covers this in more depth and cites another potential causal factor for their findings, being that a pre existing delay in language development may be an underlying motive for the purchase of these types of videos. So is this type of programming geared at infants the devil??? Research has yet to actually prove these to be detrimental and to be honest, in short intervals, with verbal interaction re. what is going on in the video (I think kids staring at the TV with mouths agape is just plain scary!) I find these to be a good tool around here for our potty learning. I think that a more relevant study to us as parents would be on parental interaction/verbal exposure as it relates to language acquisition… Maybe this is all beside the point. Let's face it- there will always be some uber-trendy item that people will fall back on in one way or another. The responsibility ultimately falls on us as parents to discern value, if any, in these for our family. Inform yourself! Don't fall into the habit of going with the hype one way or the other. At the least you can look at it this way, if you now feel that those DVDs are totally useless for your family, you don't have to feel guilty for re gifting them!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
AP and EC- A Few Words on Elimination Communication and Attachment Parenting
I know, I know, so early in this blog I am inundating you with just the type of personal accounts that I rant about in my earlier posts… Well, I hope this is not quite the case, I hope to inundate you with some fresh food for thought at the very least! I'm so excited about the benefits of EC and their enrichment in my attachment parenting experience with my daughter that I can't help but put a little blurb in this blog early on. I hope to do a review of Ingrid Bauer's book Diaper Free: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene Many people I talk to have the idea that EC is about early potty training. Let me begin right here by saying that nothing could be farther from the truth. OK, well not all that far really but totally off base. EC or Elimination Communication is all about Communication between mother and baby (or instead of mother insert father, caregiver, parents or whatever the case may be) Albeit, communication about elimination, but nonetheless the emphasis is the communication between baby & parent(s). Any potty learning that happens is a happy consequence of the communication about elimination LOL. This premise of EC is practiced in most other non industrialized nations. It's simple; listen to baby's "language" at an early age (sounds, expressions, etc) allow yourself to tune in, and focus awareness at your baby's means of communication at their most basic once your baby has made their need to eliminate known, do *something* about it A good example of a baby's means of communicating is crying. We all know that one. Many "in tune" mothers and fathers can even distinguish the nuances of baby's different cries: he's tired, she's hungry, etc. and as good attachment parenting caregivers we attend to these needs right away. Many of us can even see the signs of discomfort that an infant communicates before elimination as well. Especially in a newborn they are not difficult to comprehend, reddening of the face, grunting, basically getting the hang of taking care of their elimination needs. So without even trying, by applying attachment parenting techniques you are halfway to practicing EC as well. The next issue is the more difficult- thinking outside of the box. American society has many of us believing in the commercialized world that we perpetuate. We eat, breathe, wear, speak, live an ideal that is perpetuated by commercialism and television… if it's not McDonalds or Starbucks, Nike or Hummer what in the world is wrong with you? So- even if you are that rare soul that is willing to take an initiative, to cook at home while everyone is hanging out at McDonalds, just know that all your friends and family hanging out at MickyD's are going to think you're weird at least at first, until they see the results of EC in action. Many people say, "…oh that sounds so nice but I don't have the time" or "I work" or "that's just too much for me with a new baby" but I have a feeling that these statements are again, just to serve as a reason to go to McDonalds. Just substitute "the baby's hungry" as the question posed to the replies above. I mean, you were planning to change that diaper, weren't you? OK I'll stop now, my point being that as a parent who is actively practicing attachment parenting you should promptly attend to the baby's needs in one way or the other right? So why not the other? Remember EC is first and foremost about communication. Don't feel that you must stay home all day with a naked baby, trying your hardest to tune into your baby's every smallest whimper to decipher if it means a poo or a pee. Just as long as you are*aware* and *doing something about it* whether this is pottying your little one or changing your baby's diaper right away you are already practicing EC on a level already! Wasn't that easy??? And you didn't even have to reveal your secret identity as crazy vegan hippie mama who doesn't think McDonalds is so cool anymore! The reasoning behind the diaper free aspect (that scares everyone) is that baby humans, like most other higher intelligence mammalians, are born with the intrinsic desire to be clean and dry. By keeping a "communicating" baby in a soiled diaper for any period of time you are inadvertently telling your perceptive little one "It's okay to go in your diaper. I know it feels yucky but just go with it." And so it goes, the longer the baby gets this message, the more difficult it becomes to un-learn when the time that you decide to cross that bridge comes. But I'll say it again, EC is not about that. It's all about the communication! And, just like anything else AP, you do your best. There is no ECing parent that I know of that goes diaper free full time. You'll have accidents. Sometimes you'll be too stressed or preoccupied out to tune in, this is where diaper back ups come in. If you work and you may only have a limited amount of time to use this practice with your child. No worries, it's all good. You do your best and forget the rest :D But just think of the benefits of even just part time EC! There will be less diapers to wash or buy, you will enjoy yet another level of closeness by sharing this intimate learning experience and have a baby who potty learns earlier and easier. All things considered I feel that it is actually cleaner, easier and more AP than the conventional alternative. I'm not saying it will be a journey without bumps in the road though. I started full time EC with my daughter at about 6 weeks. I had researched the topic in pregnancy, intrigued by the concept and curious as to how exactly the majority of people living on this Earth dealt with this issue, since most do not even have access to diapers in any conventional sense. I wanted to begin when she was a few days old but a funky allergic reaction (which, strangely enough I happened to get to the root of through practicing EC) kept her in disposables at birth. Even then, with a stressed out, half hearted attempt at tuning in I was amazed to find that my little girl really was communicating with me about this (among other things) and how easy it was if you just TRY! Today my girlie is 15 months and, amid the all the distractions that come with being newly mobile I have to admit some days are better than others. While we were enjoying about a 90% overall success rate with her from ages 6weeks to about 10months we now have an overall success rate of about 50%. The small successes make it all worthwhile though. From about 8months she would stay dry all night even though I nurse on demand through the night. She is pretty darn reliable with regards to holding it for short-med outings (I have never asked her to, she just hates being wet in a diaper and this is the only time I put one on her.) Just two days ago she told me that she had to go potty and went to it, got on it and peed in it all by herself. Just a minute ago, as I am typing this and she is running around the house like a crazy girl and I had that feeling- hmmm, speaking of EC… I asked her if she had to go and guess what??? With this renewed awareness and (yay) willingness to take the time to focus on elimination needs I have a feeling potty learning gradhood is just around the corner! And even through the misses there is always communication, even when I'm too distracted to realize it at the moment :D For more info: The most comprehensive guide on the subject is Diaper Free: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene Great pictures of EC in action, to give you an idea of how the elimination part of EC is actually done with baby, at Free to EC Find ECing families in your area at diaperfreebaby.org
Monday, September 3, 2007
Cloth Diapering Info: My Experiences with Cloth Diapering, Some How To's, Resources and FAQs
I get so many inquiries about so many different aspects of cloth diapering from parents that I thought I would just put a little informal resource guide here with some leads for further information sources. Again these are my personal experiences with cloth diapering. Chances are there will be a lot of information here that you will take and much you will leave as every baby is different. I'm hoping this little how to guide will serve as a good starting point for learning all about what type of cloth diapers will work best for your baby and your family Major types of cloth diapers Pocket Diapers This type of diaper has an outer layer, inner layer and a removable insert that fits into the pocket. The outer layer is usually comprised of a waterproof material such as PUL, with a soft inner that is next to baby's skin which can be anything from microfleece to organic velour. The insert is made of some absorbent material typically microfiber or hemp. The benefits of using this type of diaper are that the removable insert makes these type of cloth diapers generally the quickest drying. These are also generally the trimmest fitting. The downside is that you have to get them ready after you wash them by re-stuffing the insert back into the diaper, which isn't a big deal for most but somehow dad can have a way of botching this step if you leave it to him AIOs or All In One Diapers The name here says it all. These diapers have a waterproof outer, a soft inner made from a soft fabric which sits next to baby's skin and has some inner layers that serve the same function as the insert described above for the pocket diapers but these are sewn into the diaper to make this a self contained, "all in one" diaper. These are good b/c they are most like a disposable in the fact that they are ready to go, no fussing with any additional steps. These are also the diaper of choice for fathers, daycare, the grandparents, sitters, etc. Basically they're a no brainer. The downside for me is that these generally take a substantial amount of time to dry, (think double the time that a regular load of laundry takes) because of all the layers that are sewn together. Many diaper companies tend to add more layers to their AIO designs which make these a bit bulkier and I also always have the feeling that with all this bulk baby's skin is getting overheated. Fitted Diapers These are cloth diapers that are usually (but not always) comprised entirely of cloth (no PUL waterproof outer layer) and require a cover for wetness not to escape. These can be made of any kind of absorbent fabric in & out. These generally feature either a sewn in or lay in soaker layer which absorbs most of the wetness but are usually designed to be quick drying, so all in all you're looking at a dry time of a bit longer than a pocket diaper but nowhere near as long as an AIO (think, the dry time of a pair of jeans) Some people take the cover as an extra step, but I'm here to tell you that you don't need a cover for these… I love them for around the house and to be honest we sometimes use these out and about without a cover as well. In fact I never use a cover with my fitteds! The diaper may become wet to the touch after the baby pees but it's not like you'll have wetness all over the place. It's just not a big deal to me and I like the fact that these do not have the waterproof outer. It makes me feel like the baby's skin in the diaper area is breathing and not so hot. I think these are nice as without a cover for newborns as well. Feeling the wetness is also a good step in teaching awareness for to prepare for potty learning. DON'T try this if your baby is a heavy wetter though! The only cons of these are that this system is generally the bulkiest, especially if you use a cover. Prefolds This refers to the type of diapers used in the old-school diapering system with the square diaper & fasteners & cover. This is the most cost effective system around but a bit cumbersome IMO! Other terminology Doubler- An additional layer(s) of cloth that sits between the diaper and baby or, in the pocket of a pocket diaper, to add an extra layer of absorbency. This step is totally optional but can be helpful for occasional leaks (like for overnights). Like diapers, these can be made of many different fabrics and styles, but are typically made from hemp or flannel (a thinner doubler), fleece (used for wicking properties, keeping skin driest) or velour (soft, luxurious). Soaker- Layers of fabric that are sewn onto, snapped into, or laid in a fitted diaper to serve as the absorbent layer. This term is also used as a synonym for diaper cover or longies (see below). Longies- cute wool pants that are usually knitted or made from recycled sweaters (it's way cuter than it sounds) that when worn eliminate the need for a cover over a fitted diaper. These are also worn just for the heck of it, as they are so cute! Snappi- A type of fastener that eliminates the need to use pins on a prefold. These greatly reduce the chance of poking baby as there are no sharp edges or pins exposed… Beyond this these are tough to describe. Just click the link for pic and you can figure out how they actually work. FAQs Q-I'm new to cloth diapering, can you recommend a type of diaper to me? A- It all depends on your needs and the particular needs of the baby. Please see overview of diaper types above. Q- My baby is a heavy wetter, can you recommend a diaper to try? A-The overwhelming consensus on this is try an AIO. I have to admit though, my daughter is not a heavy wetter so I can not offer any practical experience on this issue beyond that :-/ Q- There are so many fabric different choices, how do I know what I need? A- A quick sort of rule of thumb when considering fabrics for the diaper inner is that the synthetics (microfleece, microsuede) keep baby driest while the organics are popular because they are organic J Also, when considering the softness factor of velour vs. terry keep in mind that while velour is initially softer, it stiffens with repeated washings while terry gets softer with use. Q- How do I care for my cloth diapers? Is it difficult? A- No, not at all, read on. How I care for and wash my cloth diapers It's simple really! There are a lot of unnecessary diapering accessories out there but here is what has worked for me through some trial & error. First of all, get a wool wetbag. I can't emphasize the importance enough. The plastic diaper pails make everything so stinky (with a deodorant smell on top, YUCK!) and a hamper can get messy. Get a really big one to hold all those diapers in between wash day and then some! Don't worry, you do have to handwash the wool wetbag but you will not have to do it often, only if it gets soiled or smelly. When diaper is soiled, remove any inserts or otherwise disassemble the diaper and put it into the wetbag. Shake out any loose poo. I never bothered rinsing squishy poopy diapers b/c I would just make more of a mess that way but feel free if you are so inclined, or you could use diaper liners or the small rectangles of perforated paper towels. On wash day I just dump the entire contents of wetbag in the laundry room and launder poopy or extra dirty diapers on cold with a very small amount of regular detergent this is only about 2 tablespoons at most. Only just enough to get the agitating water to produce a small amount of suds. This is so important, since the diapers are made of absorbent fabrics. If you use too much soap there will be residues in the fabric that will cause the diapers to break down faster and/or smell bad. Do not use any additives No bleach, fabric softener, etc. these will cause the same problems as too much soap! After the cycle, add the rest of the diapers and wash on hot with a similar amount of soap as before, or less as you see necessary. After this you should be good to go but feel free to repeat the hot wash as needed. Dry as necessary. I always dry in the dryer on high with no issues at all. After this everything should be sparkling clean! My diapers stayed really nice using this method and only one or two have stained under extreme circumstances. I got a tidy return on these when it was time to sell them. They were well-used but in very nice condition! A few more cloth diapering tips: Ditch the disposable wipes too. The alcohol is so drying and is often the cause or aggravator of diaper rash! Try washable wipes (you're already washing the diapers anyhow right?) Or better yet use clean rags and diluted castile soap or even better if your baby is small enough to let you, wash their bum in the sink with a mild soap and water! If you start early enough they won't protest so much when they get older. Having seen some BAD rash on my youngest sister I am happy to report my daughter has never had diaper rash since I started doing it. Best of all, one less accessory to purchase! Yay!
(click term to see an example)
- Bought Pocket Diapers that didn't come w/inserts? Go to your local megamart! In the auto-detailing section you can get a bag of microfiber cloths for about $5-10 for a ten pack! The best thing is, you can fold these for customizable wetness protection or double up, AND they will fit in all your other Pockets too!
- If you really want to go green, consider Elimination Communication! It's not as scary as the name sounds and is actually very Attachment Parenting oriented. If you are interested in more info, check your assumptions at the door and click here!
And last but not least, a few helpful resources-
Read reviews on cloth diapers and accessories at Diaperpin.com
Look for a cloth diaper bargain or resell your GUC cloth diapers at forums like those found on HC Forums, Diaperswappers and ThePin
Support a WAHM and get something for baby made with pride by another mama at Hyenacart. Diapers you can find there run the gamut from luxurious to very reasonable.
Please let me know if there is anything that I missed or that you think would be helpful on this page & as always, if you have further questions about anything at all don't hesitate to contact me, borja010@gmail.com
THANKS!
The Politics of ADHD
ADHD, which stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is generally defined as a psychological disorder marked by symptoms such as impulsivity, hyperactivity, inattention, or some combination of these, affecting somewhere between five to fifteen percent of people in the U.S. Although this concept sounds easy enough to understand, the problem is that these terms are broad and, like most psychological illness, there is no lab test to confirm an ADHD diagnosis.
Many would counter this statement with references to research conducted by Dr. Xavier Castellanos. Just last year, he published a research study in the Journal of the American Medical Association claiming to have found evidence of atrophy in the brain of young people diagnosed with ADHD. Many such studies have been conducted in the past. However the significance of this one in particular is that it was performed in such a way as to address some of the longstanding concerns of those who disbelieve in the existence of ADHD. The most publicized of these criticisms is the fact that previous studies had not been properly controlled for the various affects that will occur with long term exposure to outside influences, most notably Ritalin, the drug most commonly used to treat this disorder. In response to these concerns, this particular study was controlled for stimulant use. The findings of this study were that, not only did these ADHD medicated have specific areas of the brain that were smaller in size, but the non- medicated ADHD sufferers also showed similar patterns of atrophy (Castellanos).
Castellanos, though making progress in having controlled for Ritalin use, would have a difficult time controlling for every type of exposure that could be responsible for causing shrinkage in the brain. In fact it would be almost impossible to control for in such a study, the ADHD opponents argued.
The purpose of this paper is not to argue the existence of this condition. However, the issues raised in the absence of an accepted method of testing for ADHD brings an important question to light; could it not follow that some of those diagnosed with this affliction are actually suffering from outward symptoms of physical illness?
In his book The Hyperactivity Hoax
Doctor Sydney Walker III claims that most of the children he sees have been previously labeled “hyperactive” (p.1). He goes on to explain that these patients are usually suffering from a deeper rooted and more elusive illness, to which attention deficit and the like are the outward symptoms of. Walker cites heavy-metal poisoning, iron and vitamin B deficiency, hyperthyroidism, Tourette’s Syndrome, seizures, parasites and cardiac conditions as just a few illnesses whose symptoms include those associated with ADHD (p.14-5). Of these, Vitamin B deficiency (Vitality Fair) and lead poisoning (New England Journal of Medicine in lead info.com) meet five of the six minimum criterion necessary for an ADHD diagnosis as outlined by the DSM IV, a medical reference guide (which we will explore in further detail shortly). Furthermore, groups such as the ADHD Parents Support Group Project and 4ADHD list many conditions that can closely “mimic” the symptoms of ADHD. Several of these will cause the brain to atrophy as well.
You may be wondering, how can such a thing be true? How can so many serious medical conditions go unnoticed and misdiagnosed? These questions bring me to my next point.
Doctors working under the managed care system usually lack the time, resources or motivation to give the level of care necessary to diagnose adequately what is ailing you. In today’s fast paced and for profit society, you are lucky to spend fifteen minutes with your doctor. Needless to say, this is hardly enough time for your physician to address your immediate symptoms, much less to, for example, focus on the various causal factors which could result in your symptoms. To make such an assessment would possibly require repeat visits, through exams, testing, probing, and possibly a visit to a specialist. Managed care makes these things difficult at best. We must get these procedures approved by “…non-medical business managers who frown on diligent and appropriate diagnostic efforts” (Walker p.18). This scenario is even worse for problem children.
In the case of a hyperactive child, the onset of school age usually brings the symptoms characteristic to ADHD to light (Walker p.75). Upon noticing these, a teacher or school counselor will generally notify the parents to request that the child be taken to a physician or psychologist for an evaluation. From there, this child will receive an assessment based on DSM standards (Walker p.21).
The DSM is a medical reference book published by the American Psychological Association. According to Walker, it is the most common means for diagnosing ADHD. Not only is this book utilized by mental health practitioners, but it is also used as a diagnostic tool by physicians, pediatricians, neurologists, etc. It is now the simple task of your doctor to choose from a list of symptoms which, to me, seem characteristic of any given child. For example, criterion A1a is: “Often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work, or other activities”. In addition Doctor Walker regards the DSM to be “… as much a political document as a medical document”. This is due to the fact that new versions are compiled every few years in which diagnoses are regularly voted in or out. He goes on to state that, “…the symptoms for virtually all DSM diseases change from revision to revision. Thus your hyperactive child might be mentally ill according to one DSM and perfectly normal according to the next edition six or seven years later” (p.21-3).
One may argue that the DSM medical reference series are based on copious amounts of research, and when utilized correctly, in addition to, but not in place of a working knowledge of current research in the field, they can be highly effective. This may be true, but it is highly idealistic in light of the facts. Managed care makes this theory highly unlikely.
As we touched on before, the advent of the Health Maintenance Organization, or HMO, has forever changed the way that we experience illness. The family physician of years past has been traded for a faceless, for profit industry head by managers who deal in business rather than medicine. The object of the game is to take as much money in from us, the healthcare recipient, while paying out the smallest amount possible in healthcare services. The most awful part about this business is that it does not care if some of us suffer ill effects in the process. In the case of ADHD for example, it costs healthcare providers between three hundred-sixty and seven hundred-twenty dollars to supply a person with Ritalin for a year. Compare this to the one thousand five-hundred dollars that it costs if you decide you would like to get a psychiatric analysis (Gray, par.24). Now, try (if you can) to put yourself in the mindset of a business manager for one of the big healthcare firms. You are a person whose career is comprised of cutting costs, raising efficiency, saving money, maxing out profit margins for you and your elitist colleagues, dreaming up ways to give yourself yet another million dollar raise, etc. If in fact, you were this person, what type of services do you think you would be more likely to authorize?
As if dealing with these HMO's ourselves, was not already enough, we also have to take into account the effects this system has on our healthcare providers.
For example, some health plans in the system are capitated, which means that the doctors are paid a set wage for treating a specified number of patients in a year. This, in effect, works out the best for physicians when they can get the patients in and out of the office as quickly as they can get away with. Were doctors to provide the best care to each of their patients, they could actually end up paying for some of this care out-of-pocket, or even worse, being fired by the managed care company (Walker, p.17). This is a sharp contrast to years past, when a doctor was an advocate for his patient, and the harder and more diligently he worked, the more he was rewarded.
Of course, these scenarios are not absolutes. There are still exceptional doctors out there that can be consulted and other diagnostic tests that can be performed. Nevertheless, the scary thing about ADHD, and many other psychological illnesses for that matter, is that the concept of them is so elusive. For example, if you go to the doctor complaining about tangible, physical symptoms and he gives you a diagnosis you are unsure about, you may be compelled to actively seek another opinion. However if you go to the doctor complaining about behavioral problems and your doctor says that you have this disorder called ADHD, you may just feel relieved that you finally have a label to explain the unusual behavior. After all, it is not so far-fetched to assume that strange behavior equals mental illness. Is this not what pop culture would have us believe?
Pharmaceutical companies only help to perpetuate these types of assumptions and generalizations. Selling drugs is what they are in business to do. In order to do this they need the same things as any company; advertisements, salesmen, consultants, etc. Without stretching the imagination, I can safely say that these people promote and profit from overdiagnosis. Drug companies also fund much ADHD research. This research is generally related to Ritalin use in children. Findings that are inconclusive or potentially hurtful to these sponsors are suppressed. A major scandal in the ADHD spotlight is the allegation that Novartis (the producers of Ritalin) funneled millions into the ADHD advocacy group CHADD, as a means of promoting Ritalin (before these companies were allowed to advertise to the public). The charges were later dropped. While this was going on, CHADD and Novartis were fighting the DEA for lesser regulation on Ritalin production. This battle was dropped as word of the Novartis/CHADD alliance began to leak out (Diller, par.32-9).
In addition to the above mentioned duplicity shown by the pharmaceutical companies, they also serve as drug pushers to the trusting and gullible. Ritalin and other stimulants used to treat ADHD are sensationalized. They are portrayed as miraculous wonder drugs that will make your ADHD troubles disappear. What most consumers do not know, (and surely are not told) is that Ritalin and the other similar stimulant drugs are categorized as Schedule II drugs, because of a high risk of physical or psychological dependence. Ritalin is very similar in effect to cocaine. The fact of the matter is that you could give Ritalin to someone who is perfectly healthy, and it would have the same effects you expect it to have on those who are diagnosed with ADHD: heightened focus and attention on even the most boring of tasks. This makes the “try it out and see if it works” attitude that many parents and physicians encompass a highly flawed one. This will make children more compliant and manageable in the short term, but may serve to cover a serious underlying problem. Additionally, consumers must take into account the potential adverse effects of stimulant use. The feeling of necessity for these important considerations are downplayed by physicians who tell their patients that such drugs are “perfectly safe” ( Martin, par.9) and unscrupulous drug companies that run ad campaigns for medication using cartoon characters (Thomas, par.21) to further perpetuate misconceptions and lend a feeling of normalcy to something that is potentially dangerous.
Finally, we must take into consideration the fact that the United States has the largest population of ADHD diagnosed than anywhere else in the world. We must ask ourselves, what significance does this information have?
Dr. Larry Goldman, in his 1997 report to the House of Delegates, makes the assessment that while doctors in the United States use the latest in diagnostic standards, (the revised DSM IV, for example), other countries, like the United Kingdom rely on older more stringent standards such as those outlined in the earlier DSM II. He goes on to say that once the physicians in the U.K. were instructed in giving a diagnosis according to American standards, they diagnosed ADHD with the same frequency as doctors in this country. His conclusion is that the higher frequency of ADHD in the U.S. is due to outdated diagnostic techniques utilized in other countries (Goldman, p.1105).
With this having been said, it is only appropriate to wonder why these countries use more stringent standards than we do.
While Canada almost matches the United States in cases of ADHD (Goldman p.1105), most other countries have differing views on what normal childhood behavior is. For instance, in France and other European countries, a child’s misbehavior is more likely to be seen as “eccentric” rather than a problem that must be treated (Diller, par.10).
Do not these cultural discrepancies suggest that a hyperactivity “problem” may be a subjective one, according to the social standards of a given place? Is it possible that we live in a society that is hooked on quick fixes for our every problem?
The information leads me to believe that, rather than spending time probing the diagnostic criterion of other countries, we need to redirect these efforts toward introspection, with an emphasis on the collective attitude of our society. I mean, at what point exactly did an attention deficit become problem enough to justify the marginalization of these children? Do not misunderstand, I do realize that there are many out there with serious problems, but in viewing facts such as these leaves no doubt in my mind that the majority of those diagnosed with ADHD are not ill. In a word this is overdiagnosis.
As critical as these pages sound, I feel the need to emphasize that the moral of the story here is a positive one. Even though the main issue here is ADHD, overdiagnosis can happen to anyone without the right tools. First and foremost of these is information. With a proactive and informed approach, you can reduce the chances of finding yourself amidst controversy; within a “growing epidemic” or an illness that “does not exist.”
Works Cited
Castellanos, F. Xavier. “Developmental Trajectories of Brain Volume Abnormalities in C Children and Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.” JAMA
Diller, Larry. “Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Ritalin”
Mar. 2003 http://www.docdiller.com/new/
Diller, Larry. “ADHD: Real Disease or ‘American Myth’”
http://www.docdiller.com/mod.php?mod=userpage&menu=16&page_id=3
Goldman, Larry S. “Diagnosis and Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder in Children and adolescents.” JAMA
Gray, Phyllis. “What is Behind the Alarming Increase in Ritalin Use Among U.S. Children”
Martin, Glen. “My Son Nick” neurotherapy.com
Thomas, Karen. “Back to School for ADHD Drugs” 28 Aug.2001.
Vitality Fair. “Vitamin B”VitalityFair.com. 15 May 2003 https://www.vitalityfair.com/showarticle.asp?aid=29
Walker III, M.D., Sydney. The Hyperactivity Hoax. New York:
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Separating the Good From the Eh… Evaluating information Sources
The good news is, there is sooo much info to be found on the internet that relates to attachment parenting issues. The bad news is, there is sooo much info to be found on the internet that relates to attachment parenting issues! What's a parent to do? First of all when evaluating sources of information you want to consider the source. I know, I know! A no brainer yes, but let's take it a step further. Most of the information that can be found that relates to parenting, baby, families and the like can be put into a few loose categories which are classified by the way potentially relevant information is conveyed to you. I'm probably forgetting some but these are the major ones off the top of my head: Personal/collective account Poll/survey gathered information news or magazine article statistical data based on research Without trying to get too deep into an essay on the finer points of logic and fallacious arguments I will just try to briefly touch on the pros and cons of each type of source. Personal and collective accounts of parenting issues are the ones I run into the most. Examples of these expressions of information can be found in blog entries and yahoo groups, message boards, etc. Although this is an easy way to glean some quick and general information this should only be a starting point. Not to overstate the obvious but you know, something that happened to a particular person has varying degree of relevance to you. There are always some overt or hidden variables between yourself and the person or people, which makes this a bad way pertain information to yourself. Polls and surveys, especially informal ones, are always somewhat flawed. They are good in a sense that you can get an idea of what the consensus is within a defined group, but you can never get an accurate outcome in the sense that when you take a poll you are getting information from a select group of people (people who like to, or take the time to be answer a poll or survey) For example, say a message board is conduction a survey of how many of their members have children with disabilities. Their final tally may not include the answers of the message board members who; were too busy to take the poll, were not online that day, did not care to answer, answered but lied in the poll, did not fully understand the question, etc. In scientific research self reporting like this is generally deemed unreliable. Gathered information can be anything from a friend telling you about a study she heard on the news to a website or blog dedicated to provide info on a subject. This type of source can be good or bad depending on several factors. Most important of these are reliability, how much do you trust the source providing the info to share an unbiased and reliable account of the information? Is there an agenda (a website trying to scare you into buying a product maybe?) Are the sources of the info given to you? How "secondhand" is the knowledge when it is reported? Secondhand "facts" can be as jumbled as the secret in a game of post office by the time they reach you! Again depending on the source, news and magazine articles can be a very good place to get info or very bad. A good indicator of the former can be if the article in question states clearly a source of their info. that you can follow up on. Example; "Dr's Sampson and Johnson published groundbreaking findings in the field of cryogenics in The Journal of American Medicine earlier this year stating that…" is much easier to follow up on than "Two renowned scientists in the field of cryogenics discovered that…" We also can't forget a major flaw with all of the sources discussed so far: Personal agenda, human error and ego have a way of tainting the resulting data that gets to you. The final source of information, statistical data is the surest way to know what you really need to know. The CDC and WHO websites are two dependable & insightful sources for this type of research, just off the top of my head. Trying to glean insight from statistical data has it's drawbacks as well. But come on, it's really not that bad :P A pretty straightforward explanation of the terminology can be found here http://www.statsoft.com/textbook/stathome.html Basically you just need to know why the researchers tested the way that they did to get the results that they did, that's all. The cool thing (okay maybe I'm letting my geeky side show just a bit too much here) is that you'll start seeing a bunch of misleading statistical data, or references to it, or hear general statements alluding to general statistical data (especially in advertising read: commercials) that will make you do a double take and say "Heyyyy!" So just try it! The link above is a good place to start but you can always google statistics or get an old textbook from the Salvation Army. I'm not saying you have to get down & start formulating equations, I'm not gonna check your homework or anything; you just need to get the gist of it. One day you'll be glad you did!
