There are distinct moments or series of events that amaze me with the abilities of our bodies. My son has had a rough go of life in the last couple weeks as he battled through some less-than-fun struggles. And as I watched him with near-helplessness I got to thinking about the sheer quantity of pain kids go through and realized, "no wonder we don't remember being infants and toddlers! We would all become homicidal maniacs denying the existence of a benevolent god."

But seriously, here are the things my son was going through at the same time:

Teething
Growing pains (the physical changes, not the 80's TV show)
Slight diaper rash
A head cold

All of that experience endured by a two-year-old who can only communicate at the most basic of levels but become frustrated with doctorate-level precision. Although most would agree with the notion that our early childhood influences our development, we certainly don't remember it. Apparently, we have a natural defense against such trauma.

According to University of Arizona psychology professor Lynn Nadal, PhD., we have two kinds of memory: one for skills and habits and another for knowledge and events. It is the portion of the brain used for remembering events -the hippocampus- that matures years after birth. Nadal has conducted multiple studies leading to the conclusion that our minds use early events to influence the development of our skills and habits without actually remembering them.

So we have a biological shield against the crazy pain endured as infants and toddlers. How wonderful for us!

How do you think your life would be different if you remembered your early childhood?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/12/15/flu.vaccine.recall/index.html

Sanofi Pasteur is "voluntarily" recalling 800,000 doses of their H1N1 vaccine intended for toddlers. However, as you read the above linked article, notice how strongly and how many times they make the point that even if you're child received the useless vaccine, they're still safe. Nothing is wrong with it. It will still work.

I'm not a corrupt manufacturer making money from a flu vaccine scam, but I thought you only did recalls when things were ineffective or dangerous. Why else would they recall 800,000 doses of anything? Its a pretty expensive way of testing the guys in the mailroom!

It is my sincere hope that this episode shows parents around the country the fraud being perpetrated at the expense of our children. They will do anything to keep the positive PR rolling, even in the wake of a vaccine recall. According to the CDC, "we're very confident that children who received this vaccine are properly protected," they tell you. If that's the case, why recall them? Could it have something to do with the lack of testing and proper safety procedures for the H1N1 vaccine? Could it be that they are using only half (or less, in some cases) of the necessary ingredients to make the vaccine effective? Could it be the inclusion of synthesized chemicals called "adjuvants" which are cheap and less effective alternatives to actual vaccine ingredients?

Could be any of those things, I guess. But again, I'm not a corrupt manufacturer making money from a flu vaccine scam. I'll leave that up to the pros.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/12/03/h1n1.kids.dangers/index.html

This is another example of emotion taking control of a logical decision. The ER doctors responsible in this case relied on an unreliable test and instead of treating a patient, they processed a number and moved her along the system.

Hayli Murphy showed flu-like symptoms and when she was brought to the hospital, they used a rapid flu test to determine she did not have the flu. Unfortunately, they use a test which is known to have a 50% inaccuracy rate.Technically speaking, guessing or flipping a coin could be as helpful as this test. And they did it twice.

After the misdiagnosis and treatment, her condition rapidly deteriorated and it took another two days before her H1N1 flu was detected. If they had treated her correctly at her first visit, her battle with the swine flu would have been nothing worse than the quick bout with normal seasonal flu - like it is for most patients.

We applaud Hayli's Mom, Julie, for listening to her instincts and telling the doctors what she wanted done. As parents, it is our duty to advocate for our children. Never forget that their care is ultimately and always our responsibility. Find a doctor you trust and work with them to heal your family. It shouldn't be a battle.

The English government has just notified neurologists to be on the lookout for a fatal neurological disease in patients who have recently received the experimental swine flu vaccine!

As has been discussed in various non-mainstream media outlets, specifically podcasts like No Agenda, a similar vaccine was used in the United States in 1976 to combat a flu outbreak and had disastrous results:

--More people died from the vaccination than from swine flu.
--500 cases of Guillen-Barre Syndrome (GBS) were detected.
--The vaccine may have increased the risk of contracting GBS by eight times.
--The vaccine was withdrawn after just ten weeks when the link with GBS became clear.
--The US Government was forced to pay out millions of dollars to those affected.

Governments around the world have authorized their doctors to administer an experimental, insufficiently tested swine flu "vaccine" to their patients. Despite the virus' obvious targeting of healthy adolescents and early 20-somethings, governments are prioritizing the vaccine for infants, the elderly, and health care workers. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this order is that the vaccine hasn't been tested on infants! They literally have no idea what the effects could be.

But now scientists are concerned that the vaccine may repeat the same horrible effects as it did in 1976.

GEE, YA THINK?!

Article on Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206807/Swine-flu-jab-link-killer-nerve-disease-Leaked-letter-reveals-concern-neurologists-25-deaths-America.html

Kyle Graddy is allergic to peanuts so he's never been able to enjoy the American pasttime and fun family time that can be experienced at a professional baseball game. The old song phrase which demands, "buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks" can actually have a deadly meaning for him.

So our compliments go out to the Birmingham Barons in Alabama which hosted a peanut-free game night so that kids like Kyle could enjoy something they've been prohibited from attending.

The full CNN article can be found here: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/10/peanut.allergies/index.html
And check out our previous blog post about protecting kids with allergies here:
http://www.proactivedads.com/index.php/blog/46-protecting-kids-from-allergens