You Gotta Love Babies

Very good piece of inspiration...

glumbert - Inspirational No-Limbed Man

I want to be this man's Chiropractor! Very cool.

A Unique Advent Calendar

This is the same NASA technology utilized by Louie Giglio for the Indescribable Tour (if you haven't seen it, click here).

Merry Christmas. Click Here For Calendar.

Peace.

"Baby, You're Home!"

A well presented article in the New York Times newspaper, on the rise of home-births, especially in New York City, due in part to Ricki Lake's documentary, The Business of Being Born (available on Netflix), which highlights very well both the realities of being born at home and the hospital. It's a must see, even for all you guys out there, you gotta see this stuff, you owe it to your woman, and yourself.

Also, along similar lines, research out of Sydney, Australia, from the Mother & Child Health Research (MCHR) of La Trobe University, states that inducing labor (or labour, if you're an Aussie) in uncomplicated pregnancies can be risky for both mom and baby. Having labor induced (artificially speeding up uterine contractions w/ the use of drugs) leads to the following risks...

The risk of haemorrhage following induced labour was increased by 17 percent, of an instrumental delivery by 20-70 percent, of nursery care for the infant by 24 percent and active resuscitation by 15-100 percent, depending on the method of induction, said a La Trobe release.

The risk of a caesarean was between two and four times more likely after induction.

...and the researcher "believes that many of the labours were induced for reasons of convenience rather than for any medical indications..."

Our mothers and babies are worth more than what is typically offered to them in the current medicalized system of childbirth. We need to learn, to study, and to demand and choose something better for them.

Peace. -nW

Brett Dennen - Ain't No Reason (Official Single Video)

One of my new favorites, and this song gets me thinking about this Advent season, w/ our thoughts on the 'other' and what it means to me, to you and to us. Great song. He's coming to Lawrence, KS, in March, who wants to go w/ me? It's already on my calendar.

-nW

5 Dangerous Things to Let Your Kids Do

Enjoy!

Prominent Physician Advises Against Flu Shots

Dr. Donald Miller, a cardiac surgeon and Professor of Surgery at the University of Washington, recommends avoiding the flu shot and taking vitamin D instead. According to Dr. Miller, “Seventy percent of doctors do not get a flu shot.”


Health officials say that every winter 36,000 people will die from it. But the National Vital Statistics Reports compiled by the CDC show that only 1,138 deaths a year occur due to influenza alone -- more than 34,000 of the “36,000″ flu deaths are actually pneumonic and cardiovascular deaths.


There is also a lack of evidence that young children benefit from flu shots. In fact, a systematic review of 51 studies involving 260,000 children age 6 to 23 months found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo. But there is also a risk of harm from the flu vaccine itself, particularly from the mercury, aluminum, and formaldehyde it contains.

Dr. Miller also has opinions about the vaccine schedule for kids... see it here

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"The Seriousness of Highschool..."

one tree hill (family guy) @ Yahoo! Video

This is a good example of what makes Family Guy a very good show.

Max's Story

Please check out this video about Max's recovery... and it has good music too...

Church Marketing... and Starbucks?

Check out this video - - "What If Starbucks Marketed Like a Church" --

What a good representation of the stupid things that Christians (...can I say American Evangelicals!) have done for so long that make people feel isolated, different and not really welcome... When did these things seem like a good idea?

Gulf War Syndrome Finally Tied to Toxic Chemicals!

Key statements from an article in the Washington Post,

"It is very clear that Gulf War illness is a real condition that was not caused by combat stress or other psychological factors," said Lea Steele, scientific director of the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses

"Speculation about the causes of Gulf War illness has included exposure to depleted uranium munitions, vaccines, nerve agents and oil well fires."

"When you put all the evidence together there are two chemicals that jump out as the main causes," she said. One is a drug called pyridostigmine bromide, which is a cholinesterase inhibitor that was given to the troops to protect them against nerve gas.

"It turns out that people who took those pills have a higher rate of Gulf War illness," Steele said. "And people who took more pills have even higher rates of Gulf War illness."

In addition, soldiers were exposed to pesticides that were also cholinesterase inhibitors, Steele said. "The strongest evidence points to pyridostigmine bromide and pesticides as causal factors," she said. "This type of illness has not been seen after other wars."

::::: Thoughts From Nick ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

It's relieving to see that they have finally addressed this problem that has done so much damage to the lives of over 175,000 soldiers and their families. The article also briefly mentions the anthrax vaccine which they say wasn't a likely causal agent, however, the vaccine issue is a very serious one, due to the # of vaccines they administer to the soldiers, who have no ability to opt out, regardless of their concern - - basically there's a 100% vaccine rate. I don't have any experience in military stuff, but i am looking forward to offering chiropractic care to those men and women who are serving, and providing them w/ much needed care that is still very scarce in the VA healthcare programs.

RX Drugs 4th Leading Cause of Death in US

It's no joke. Properly administered and properly prescribed pharmaceutical drugs are the 4th leading cause of death in the US, according to the FDA -- click Here for the article...

Here's a breakdown...

-- that's 106,000 deaths per year. When illegal drugs kill only about 10,000 people each year, you know this is a problem.

-- from January-to-March this year, there were almost 21,000 reports of serious drug reactions to the FDA, and 4,800 deaths - - 4,800 People died in 3 months due to correctly prescribed drugs!

We are in the middle of a huge paradigm change in the US. People are realizing the deadly affect of our medically-minded 'health'-care system (or sick-care system, if you prefer). Our current system is based on the premise of irradicating and treating disease. So, if you do not have a disease, or yet to have one, then the system can do nothing for you. It cannot by principle help you to be 'healthier,' cause all they do is treat disease. The American Cancer Society and others use the words "prevention" and "cure" in much of their literature, when what they are talking about is 'screening' for cancer (mammography, etc...). Is that insane? How is screening preventative or curing? For you to detect cancer in your body, it's already been there growing for years! Well, this makes perfect since if the system is based solely on treating disease, and not about BEING HEALTHY. Perhaps there should be significant emphasis on eating a healthy diet, avoiding unnatural foods, chemicals, etc... but I guess there really isn't any money in that industry, at least not if you're a doctor or drug company! May we be apart of the solution to this system! Health to you!

Advertising Drugs - Illegal Everywhere but US & New Zealand

This is an interesting word on Pharm companies and advertising - and even their influence into the presidential elections... Good short video...
......Click Here

What's really causing the problems?

Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy have been in the spotlight lately for the "Green Our Vaccines" campaign, highlighting the problems w/ the toxic ingredients in vaccines. Many people I've spoken with don't realize that the danger of vaccines is mostly related to the chemical ingredients added to the actual dead virus or whatever (even despite the direct injection into the blood stream instead of through a natural entrance into the body).

Here is an article from the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons regarding the known toxin, mercury.

Thimerosal, which is approximately 50% mercury, was widely used in childhood vaccines. A 2-phase study evaluated levels of mercury to which children were exposed through thimerosal-containing vaccines, such as the diphtheria-tetanus-acellular-pertussis and the diphtheria-tetanus-whole-cell-pertussis vaccines, compared with those who received thimerosal-free diphtheria-tetanus-acellular-pertussis vaccines. The data showed that the children vaccinated with the thimerosal-containing vaccines had higher rates of speech disorders, autism and heart arrest overall, and "the relative risk of each of these disorders correlated with increasing doses of mercury contained in the childhood vaccines." The researchers have said that their data are consistent with the U.S. Department of Education's recent report on the prevalence of childhood diseases among school-aged children. The researchers stated that this report showed that rates of autism and speech disorders in children rose as the levels of mercury in vaccines increased, while showing no correlation between mercury exposure and other disorders such as deafness, blindness, or orthopedic impairment. These researchers reviewing the CDC's Phase 1 thimerosal Vaccine Safety Datalink study found a correlation between increasing mercury levels in vaccines and neurologic disorders, autism, speech disorders and attention deficit disorders. The researchers stated, "A causal relationship between thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines and neurodevelopment disorders and heart disease appears to be confirmed." The researchers further stated, "It is to be hoped that complete removal of thimerosal from all childhood vaccines will help to stem the tragic, apparently iatrogenic epidemic of autism and speech disorders that the United States is now facing." ---- "Study: Thimerosal/Autism Link 'Seems to be Confirmed,'" Autism Res Rev Int, 2003;17(1);1-2 / J Am Physicians Surgeons, Spring 2003;8(1):6-11.

Also, mercury is not the only toxic chemical still found in vaccines (Yes, although they say it's no longer included, there still are 'trace' amounts that they consider negligible, Click here for article). Formaldehyde, Aluminum, Antifreeze, and sulfate and phosphate compounds, just to name a few from a long list, are all KNOWN TOXINS TO OUR BODY. These must be considered when our infants are scheduled to have at least a dozen vaccines before the age of TWO.

-nW

Does School Kill Creativity?

Check out this short video from TED.com about Education and Creativity by Sir Ken Robinson. It is both humorous and enlightening. Click Here!

"...there is not a Sin I won't commit this day..."

A good prayer from www.sacredspace.ie yesterday...

"Lord, I want to be serious in following you, but I do not trust myself. I pray with Philip Neri, 'Lord, beware of this _________ (insert your name here) or he will betray you. Lay your Hand upon my head, for without you there is not a sin I may not commit this day.'"

Exercise Makes Your Brain Grow!

Please take a look at this video-lecture from "Authors@Google" out in California. Dr. John Ratey, MD, clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, presents very compelling and solid research regarding what exercise does to the brain...even describes it as 'fertilizer for the brain!' Check it out...

Why Mandating the Flu Vaccine is a Bad Idea - THERE'S NO GOOD RESEARCH!

Here is an article from the British Medical Journal discussing the influenza vaccine. How can a state like New Jersey make the Flu vaccine mandatory w/ medical research and information this blatantly clear? Evidence VS. Policy... hmmm?

::::::

I was thinking about how the CDC says that "the best way to prevent the flu is by getting vaccinated." All I can think about is the absurdity of a statement like that. So, if that is true, then it seems like the following are true as well...

...the best way to keep our lawns 'looking healthy' is to just paint them green;

...the best way to keep germs away from us is to live in a bubble;

...the best way to prevent our kids from acting badly is to follow them around all the time;

...the best way to prevent forest fires is to cover all the trees in a flame-retardant chemical;

...the best way to prevent men from wanting to have sexual relations w/ young girls is to iron (flatten out) her breasts, so men will be less interested... [this is currently happening in parts of the world, Africa, etc.]

For a more complete look at the ridiculous-ness of these types of statements, please watch a short video about the town of "Allopath" - a farce on the allopathic model of health care.

"I'm no doctor (yet), BUT IT SEEMS that..." by being healthy, our bodies can do a better job of preventing a multi-day experience w/ the flu virus. I've not had it in nearly a decade, and working at QT, and exchanging dirty bills and contacting hundreds of peoples dirty hands, I'm sure to have come across it many a times. How is that possible, cause I've never had a Flu Vaccine? Yet, it still SEEMS to be the best way. I guess for me, I'll avoid the mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde, and chicken embryo being injected into my body... at least while I have the right to decide.
- -

More Current Vaccine News

Yesterday morning, New Jersey Moms Louise Kuo Habakus and Claudine Liss of the New Jersey Coalition for Vaccination Choice appeared on Fox News (Fox & Friends) Click Here for Video 1 to talk about the vaccine freedom rally next Thursday (October 16) in Trenton in support of conscientious belief exemption legislation giving New Jersey parents the legal right to follow their conscience when making vaccine choices for their children. After the show, Louise and Claudine were invited back for an informal, spirited discussion Click Here for Video 2 about the epidemic of chronic disease and disability and the recent flu vaccine mandate instituted in New Jersey for all children.

(check out the videos, only a few minutes, and really good!)

Smart, sincere, passionate, and articulate, these two Moms are what the vaccine safety and informed consent movement is about and their call for freedom of choice echoes the one that has been made by parents of vaccine injured children for nearly three decades. For more information about how to stand with Louise, Claudine, Larry Palevsky, M.D., me and more than 500 parents registered to rally in Trenton next Thursday and make your voice heard for vaccine freedom, contact the NJ Coalition for Vaccination Choice at www.njvaccinationchoice.org

On Monday, the Georgia Supreme Court issued a unanimous appeals court ruling that opened the door for families of vaccine injured children to sue vaccine manufacturers for vaccine design defects that lead to injury and death. The next day a Missouri Appeals Court upheld an $8.5 million judgment against American Cyanamid for injuries suffered by a man who contracted vaccine strain polio from a live oral polio vaccination as a child. Both civil court decisions rightly hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for failing to appropriately test and improve vaccines they sell to the public so that health risks from using the product can be eliminated or at least significantly reduced.

When Congress passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, which was historic societal acknowledgment that vaccines can injure and kill and that the vaccine injured should be compensated even as vaccine availability should be protected, it was clear in both the legislative history and clarifying language accompanying the Act's passage that Congress never intended to give blanket, exclusive immunity to drug companies marketing vaccines for public use. Until this week, too many federal judges have misinterpreted the spirit and intent of the 1986 law. Hopefully, the Georgia decision will ultimately give parents of vaccine injured children the legal ability to hold drug companies accountable in a civil court of law for failing to reduce the reactivity of their products.

Whether holding the pharmaceutical industry accountable in the judicial system or petitioning legislators to allow Americans to follow their conscience and exercise informed consent to medical risk taking, vaccine educated citizens in America are standing up for their civil rights in larger numbers. It is a good sign, a beacon of hope that the business of saving our children from a lifetime of chronic illness and disability has become a priority for more than a small minority of citizens. Saving our children is everyone's business and standing up for freedom of speech and conscience is the first order of business in a democratic society.

'Experts Conclude Pfizer Manipulated Studies'

From an article in the NY Times, Oct. 8, '08 - - "The drug maker Pfizer earlier this decade manipulated the publication of scientific studies to bolster the use of its epilepsy drug Neurontin for other disorders, while suppressing research that did not support those uses, according to experts who reviewed thousands of company documents for plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the company. Click Here for entire NY Times article - - -

This is such an important issue for all of us to consider. The very companies making these drugs, from epilepsy drugs to childrens vaccines, are the ones doing most of the 'research' to get these drugs approved and into the bodies of millions of people. In this case, there wasn't enough people w/ epilepsy to turn a profit off of their drug, Neurontin, so they made up data to suggest it would be good for other conditions.
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I would like to suggest that the biggest issue here for us to consider, is the influence these companies are having on the policies regarding vaccine scheduling and administration. In the past decade alone, the # of required vaccines for kids has skyrocketed, and w/ increasing marketing efforts by vaccine makers... see the Gardasil post for an example. We need to question the practices that are currently being pushed on our doctors and pediatricians. We need to question the drugs that are being forced into our children every day. Is it unreasonable to ask why our newborns are being vaccinated for Hep.B, which is a sexually transmitted disease? Is it unreasonable to think that a newborn's body is going to be affected somehow by that drug, which contains formaldehyde, aluminum sulfate, soy protein, etc...?
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There are many medical doctors that disagree w/ the current practices regarding vaccinations. They suggest that if you are going to vaccinate, then choose a schedule that is less invasive to your child. One article I posted recently stated that you shouldn't start vaccines until the child is 2 years old, to give his/her body time to develop naturally, w/out all the chemicals (and yes, they can do that safely...). Please take the time to read, to ask, and to discuss. These issues are serious and timely. I believe that health doesn't come from drugs, or from some outside source. Health comes from within each of us, as the expression of a body that is in balance, in homeostasis.

Yes. High Fructose Corn Syrup is bad for you...But, the TV commercial said it was good?!

Have you all noticed the new commercials for High Fructose Corn Syrup on tv? They are part of a new PR campaign by the Corn Refiners Association combating the public's understanding of the truth about HFCS. Yes, it is true, it is not good for us. There is a plethora of good research linking it to the epidemics of obesity, Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, etc... Please see the following link for more info...

Health Insights Today Newsletter

Here is a link to a website/newsletter that I just discovered our college is producing. In the latest newsletter, there are several interviews with leading MD/psychologists about depression, and a natural approach to understanding it. There is also an extensive section on current health news ['Health News'] with an impressive amount of information. It is similar to Mercola.com, but I think even easier to navigate. Hope you find something interesting...

ADHD...and your Neck?

While doing research on ADHD (attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder) I came upon this study of a 5-yr.old boy who was diagnosed w/ ADHD and was treated w/ CBP chiropractic adjustments. The boy had a cervical kyphosis (loss of normal neck curve, or a 'straight neck'), and had a history of neck trauma at birth. He had been treated unsuccessfully by a pediatrician with methylphenidate (Ritalin), Adderall, and Haldol for 3 years. After 8 weeks of chiropractic care, the boy's cervical curve had returned to normal, and there was such a reduction in ADHD symptoms, that he was taken off the medication, and no longer diagnosed w/ ADHD.

See the entire article here

Although this is only a single case, it is so important to make this connection between function and structure. Due to the location of the brainstem in connection w/ the upper cervical spine, it is clear that if you have impaired structure (in this case the loss of normal curvature -- changing the anatomy of the structures around the spinal cord), then an altered function will be expected. No, chiropractic care won't cure ADHD, but it treats the body, which in turn regulates itself, through the various systems (nervous, endocrine, immune, gastro-intestinal, etc...) and creates homeostasis, or balance. This is the true expression of health...not just covering up symptoms w/ a drug. ** and another thing, how do you diagnose a 2-yr old with ADHD? Are you serious?

Got Neck Pain, then put down the drugs!

Not that it's any new great discovery, it's just nice to see the research finally supporting it...

In a study conducted by the International Neck Pain Task Force of the Bone and Joint Decade (BJD) of the World Health Organization (WHO) and reported in the journal SPINE (1/18/08)... "This study validates that interventions such as spinal manipulation or spinal adjusting that promote regaining function and a return-to-work are more beneficial than usual care, sham or alternative interventions..."

Click here to read more...

Gardasil Controversy

Here are 2 CBS news report videos regarding important safety and efficacy issues regarding the vaccine that is supposed to help prevent HPV/Cervical cancer.

Interview w/ Dr. Diane Harper, one of worlds top experts on HPV, at Dartmouth

Interview w/ Bell Family - daughter has a paralyzed leg after receiving Gardasil and Tetanis shots, yet doctors refuse to acknowledge possible adverse reaction from vaccines

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These are but a few of the many 'red flags' that are emerging w/ regard to the HPV vaccine, which had the fastest attempt in history to push for a new vaccine to become mandatory. We need to think, and be patient, and to think even more about the realities behind these current issues.

Ben Stein interview this morning...

If you have another few minutes, listen to this interview from Focus on the Family w/ Ben Stein. Despite being a very well known political and tv personality, he is also a passionate proponent of pro-life and pro-intelligence. Overall, a very good interview... Click Here...

Can your kids be harmed by too many vaccines?

Check out the article entitled "The Danger of Excessive Vaccines during Brain Development," by Russell Blaylock, MD.

Also, here are some comments from Dr. Joseph Mercola, DO., on this article.

"First, I’d like to thank Dr. Russell Blaylock for sharing his excellent writings on this vital issue. If you missed his last article How Vaccines Can Damage Your Brain, where he explains how vaccines exacerbate depression and more serious neurodegenerative diseases in people over 50, I highly recommend reading it now as well.

The issue of vaccination has been a controversial topic for many years. It remains one of the bedrocks of "prevention" in conventional medicine, despite the overwhelming evidence showing that vaccinations at best do not work, and at worst can cause serious health problems.

And yet, anyone who opposes them is viewed as a dangerous quack and a threat to public health. I understand this because that was precisely the view I had when I graduated medical school. However, after more than two decades of practice where I encountered hundreds of vaccine casualties -- which spurred me to review the evidence through a more critical lens -- I changed my mind-set entirely.

There may be a slight glimmer of hope that this dangerous tide will eventually change, however. The U.S. government recently came to the unprecedented conclusion that childhood vaccines did contribute to the onset of autism in 9-year-old Hannah Poling. According to U.S. Division of Vaccine Injury Compensation, the shots "significantly aggravated an underlying mitochondrial disorder" and resulted in a brain disorder "with features of autism spectrum disorder."

Poling was one of three test cases alleging the vaccine preservative thimerosal caused autism. So even though federal officials keep insisting there is no link between autism and vaccines, this concession says otherwise, and may influence the outcome of the remaining 4,900 cases pending review by the “Vaccine Court.”

The fact that the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has paid out more than $1.5 billion to families and children who have been injured or killed by vaccines also speaks volumes about the supposed “safety” record of vaccines…

The Insanity of the Recommended Childhood Immunization Schedule

I published Dr. Donald Miller's excellent article, A User-Friendly Vaccination Schedule in 2004. At that time, 12 different vaccines were given to children before they reached the age of two.

As of 2008, the Recommended Childhood Immunization Schedule put out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), that number has risen to 14 in the first 24 months, plus the meningococcal vaccine, which is to be administered between the age of two and six.

Infants and toddlers aged 0 to 6 years of age are now inoculated against the following:

Hepatitis B, Rotavirus, Hepatitis A, Measles,
Diphtheria, Mumps, Tetanus (lockjaw),
Rubella (German measles), Pertussis (whooping cough),
Varicella (chickenpox), Polio, Meningococcal,
Pneumococcal infections, Influenza (yearly flu shots),
Hemophilus influenzae type b infections

By the time your child starts school he or she will have received more than 36 injections, including four doses each of vaccines for Hemophilus influenzae type b infections, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis -- all of them given during the first 12 months of life.

And now consider this: one vaccine injected into a 13-pound, two-month old infant is equivalent to 10 doses of the same in a 130-pound adult. Where is the common sense in these guidelines?

Would any adult concede to being injected with 360 doses of vaccines within a couple of years’ span; equal to one injection every other day for two years?

Public health officials have NEVER proven that it is indeed safe to inject this number and volume of vaccines into infants. What's more, they cannot explain why, concurrent with an increasing number of vaccinations, there has been an explosion of neurological and immune system disorders in American children.

Is There a More Sensible Vaccination Schedule?
Dr. Donald Miller is a cardiac surgeon and Professor of Surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle and a member of Doctors for Disaster Preparedness. His more sensible vaccination schedule, which I published back in 2004, is worthy of being revisited at this time.

Many are both scared and confused as they try to make healthier choices for their children, and his guidelines may help you devise a more appropriate vaccination plan for your child – a schedule that takes the best interests of your child into consideration rather than what biased government planners cite as being best for society. His is a far better approach than the "one-size-fits-all" dogma foisted on Americans by the CDC panel.

And, as Dr. Blaylock describes so vividly in this article, there’s plenty of information and knowledge in neuroimmunology (the study of how the brain’s immune system works) that raises serious questions about the wisdom of injecting vaccines in children less than 2 years of age.

A Child’s Best Time Table
Your brain has its own specialized immune system, separate from that of the rest of your body. When you are vaccinated, specialized immune cells in your brain, the microglia, become activated. Multiple vaccinations spaced close together over-stimulate the microglia, causing them to release a variety of toxic elements -- cytokines, chemokines, excitotoxins, proteases, complement, free radicals -- that damage brain cells and their synaptic connections.

The damage caused by these toxic substances is what both Dr. Miller and Dr. Blaylock refer to as "bystander injury."

In humans, the most rapid period of brain development begins in the third trimester and continues over the first two years. (By then, brain development is 80 percent complete.)

From a risk-benefit perspective, there is little doubt that the risk of neurological and autoimmune diseases from vaccinations at this stage far outweigh the benefits of avoiding the childhood infections that they (supposedly) prevent. (One exception is the hepatitis B vaccine, IF the mother tests positive for hepatitis B.)

As a more sensible, “user-friendly” vaccination schedule, Dr. Miller advises the following:

No vaccinations until your child is two years old.
No vaccines that contain thimerosal (mercury).
No live virus vaccines.
The following vaccines should be given one at a time (not as a combination vaccine), every six months, beginning at age 2:
Pertussis (acellular, not whole cell)
Diphtheria
Tetanus
Polio (the Salk vaccine, cultured in human cells)
And that would be pretty much it as far as vaccinations. Your pediatrician will not like this schedule, but if you have reviewed the evidence and still feel your child should be inoculated to a certain degree, this is a far safer alternative to the standard vaccination schedule.

But please, please do review the research and don’t just vaccinate your child simply because your doctor says you “have to.”

Don’t Forget About VAERS
Another thing most people are unaware of is that YOU can report vaccine side effects to VAERS.

VAERS is a post-marketing safety surveillance program that collects information about adverse events that occur after the administration of vaccines. They accept reports from both concerned individuals and organizations.

Unfortunately, the system is completely voluntary, and most doctors will never report side effects, even if you point them out. A good case in point is the large discrepancy between American reports of side effects of Tamiflu, compared to Japan’s more stringent reporting rules.

Black Liberation Theology

Since it's been in the news due to the fighting between the democratic candidates, there was an interview today on NPR w/ the man who actually started BLT. Up until today, I had my reservations about 'what I thought' BLT probably meant, and was pleasantly surprised by what I heard by Rev. James Cone. Terry Gross interviewed another man immediately after Cone, and I appreciated some of his education about the different realities of the black church. He even named 5 popular black preachers who preach a success driven gospel, and are often mis-representing the black church as a whole (that is how I understood what he said). If you have about 13 minutes, give a listen.

"Pregnant in America" Video Trailer

Another great resource for looking into the issues regarding childbirth in the US hospital system. I'm hoping to get this full video and have a showing here in KC. I'm very much looking forward to it's release.

Enjoy.

a little boycotting, anyone?

I think that I'm going to boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Not that it's any new news for me [regarding China's complete disregard for human rights], but I just read some more news out of the March 24 Time Magazine.
Here's a link to a google search for Boycotting the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Happy Protesting!

-nW

Vaccines and Immune Suppression

A very good article on vaccines and the reality behind how they affect our bodies, and how our bodies respond to them. Click below.

"Vaccines and Immune Suppression"

Books on Childbirth :: Series on all things Birth

The following is a list of books - - a must read - - for those entering into childbirth.


"The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" by Henci Goer.
This book is a little more elite as far as content & comprehension. Not many moms find this one, but it is a gem. "...Her book helps the reader contrast various birth options available today and shows how we can avoid unnecessary interventions in birth. Supported by current evidence-based research and complete with literature summaries, this book is an invaluable tool for expectant parents who are in the process of making birth choices and plans..." (I found this one on www.birthworks.com/store for only $14.95)

"Gentle Birth Choices" by Barbara Harper.
Nice introduction to thinking about the baby's journey & very mainstream. I've met Barbara - she's a nurse practitioner out on the West Coast & has done some amazing things.

"The Complete Book of Pregnancy & Childbirth" by Sheila Kitzinger.
Every thing this woman pens is great. Most of her titles can be found in the library system.

"Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way" by Susan McCutcheon.
You know how fond I am of the Bradley Method of childbirth as I believe it is
the only approach to prepared childbirth that really gives families tools to get through labor graciously & without medicating their baby unnecessarily. So, if a family cannot attend REAL Bradley classes, then this book embodies all of the concepts. And it touches on Dr. Brewer's approach to nutrition for pregnancy. His website is www.blueribbonbaby.org & there is a list of the books that he & his wife authored as well as basic info about his work. The work he did in his own OB practice changed (& continues to change) the outcomes of so many pregnancies.

"The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" by the La Leche League.
This is the definitive book on breast feeding basics. New families always think, "Breastfeeding is natural, no big deal." Well, while the process is natural, it's a very big deal & we live in a culture where mostly the ART of breastfeeding has been lost due to a couple of generations of not doing it.

"The Amazing Newborn" by Marshall & Phyllis Klaus.
This book is great to read that last month of your pregnancy. And it has the sweetest pictures.

These books represent different categories of pregnancy reading. Some are available at Birthworks.com/store, but check the library system first. It's great to save money!