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Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies
I recently started reading a wonderful book by Kenneth Bock, M.D., Healing the New Childhood Epidemics published by Ballentine Books, 2007. It confirms much of my own experience over the last 20 years. The degree of chronic health conditions children suffer from seems to have increased in number and severity during this time period. This is a wonderful book for practitioners, parents and lay people interested in the subject. Dr. Bock's clinical and educational background as well as his experience working with children and families over the years appears to have put him in a wonderful position to share a practitioner's viewpoint in a way most people never get a chance to view. This book also becomes a wonderful guide and reference to use as an aid for parents as they work with their family doctors and pediatricians.
Dr. Bock is a co-founder and co-director of the Rhinebeck Health Center and the Center for Progressive Medicine, and a clinical instructor in Family Medicine at the Albany Medical College. Dr. Bock points out some sobering trends in medicine. Autism has increased according to most estimates, from approximately one in every 2,500 to 10,000 births to one in every 150-166 births, over just the past 20 years. He also states that better diagnosis does not account for this. ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) has increased by at least 400 % over the same twenty years and American kids now consume 90% of the world's Ritalin, the most popular ADHD medication. Asthma has increased by 300% over this same time period and allergies have increased by 400%. Add together all of the children who have these disorders, and it comes to 20 million kids, or almost one-third of all American children.
These facts represent some serious challenges and trends in medicine today along with the increasing chronic health conditions in adults in regards to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. We live in a stressful and ever increasing toxic environment that is taking its toll on many of our children. They will face increasing challenges in adulthood if these health problems are not addressed seriously in a way that includes true prevention and treatment that offers real opportunities for healing and correction.
Dr. Bock discusses the theory that these new childhood epidemics were caused primarily by four fundamental, catastrophic changes in the environments of American children. They include increasing environmental toxicity, deteriorating diet and nutrition, increased vaccination schedule along with mercury toxicity, and the decreased ability to inherently detoxify. Therefore in some individuals these conditions are a result of genetic predisposition and environmental stress. He further states these four catastrophic changes created a veritable perfect storm of physical and neurological insult, which struck hardest at our society's most vulnerable members: our children. Dr. Bock clearly states he is not anti-vaccination. He is simply in favor of safer vaccinations, administered properly, to healthy children, without mercury, over an extended time period. In Appendix # 1 of his book he offers more specific ideas to discuss with your family doctor/pediatrician.
The real focus of the book is his clinical experience and development of The Healing Program in regard to the four epidemics discussed. This program includes: diet and nutritional approaches; supplementation therapy; detoxification; and appropriate medication. His case discussions and experiences are hopeful, emotional and at times miraculous. Yet his tone is humble and based on many years of experience. In this regard because of what he has witnessed over the years he makes a bold statement: "The new epidemics can be defeated. They are epidemics of metabolic dysfunction and toxicity, and they can be overcome by rebalancing the metabolism, and reversing that toxicity.” The end of chapter two ends with these wonderful words: “The Healing Program, along with behavioral and educational interventions, are the treatments most kids need in order to recover, except for one other thing: their parents' love. Love-and all the attention, talking, teaching, helping, and work that comes with it-is the final element that brings these recovering children out of darkness, into light."
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