Friday, February 29, 2008

Strange Indeed

Ok, so I'm standing in line at the grocery store a couple of nights ago, and I see this:Filth at its finest, right? I mean, does anyone believe this stuff?
Anyway, I have a reason for this post. I see this beautiful little girl on the cover, Suri Cruise. Now mind you, Tom and Katie do strike me as somewhat odd. I say that as an observer, as I have obviously never hob-nobbed (sp?) with the Cruises. I try not to believe everything I read or hear on the news, so I won't judge what these reports say goes on behind closed doors. My feelings of strangeness come from their religion of choice...Scientology I saw a special on Scientology one night where they interviewed former followers of the religion...VERY WEIRD. Ok, back to the cover and why I'm posting about it...
The reason this particular cover grabbed my attention was because of the beautiful little girl and the huge wording across the page: "SURI'S STRANGE WORLD!" At that point, I'm expecting to see something like "Her parents make her eat tadpoles." Or "Suri sleeps with aliens." Or maybe even "Suri is the new queen of Scientology." I don't know, I just didn't expect to see what I saw. They described Suri's world as "strange" because (gasp) "No TV or Happy meals!" Can you believe that?! I mean, what kind of parent deprives their child of artery-clogging foods like happy meals filled with french fries and chicken nuggets?! And then I went on to read "No medicines, just herbs!" What?! They don't overload their toddler with useless, yet dangerous cough medicines and Tylenol?! Seriously...what is wrong with those parents?! What is this world coming to when parents choose natural remedies rather than dangerous drugs and chemicals???
Star describes those situations as "strange". If I were the Cruises, I would be proud to be called strange if the judgments were based on those two categories. Strange? In today's world it is strange to be healthy. Strange indeed.

10 comments:

The Hairstons said...

Strange indeed!! I agree...however, I do care very much about my boys and still give them Tylenol (when needed). I don't think that makes me care about them any less. I don't overload them on medicine or anything....I do probably overload them on artery-clogging chicken nuggets though ;)

annieck said...

Of course you don't care about your kids any less. I don't mean that AT ALL. I just think that this magazine's description of "strange" is strange itself. I think Scientology is completely wacky, but to say someone is strange because they choose not to medicate, not to let their toddler watch tv, or because they don't feed her happy meals...I think that's crazy.
I just think our society and the medical industry has made us believe that everything can be solved with a pill, whether it be a fever, a cold, trouble making friends (seriously, I've seen the commercial!)...pop a pill and everything will be ok. I think that we, as Americans, have stopped depending on God and the power He gave our bodies to heal and instead turn instantly to medication the minute we don't feel just right. If you did a study of a group of people who had some sort of ailment...I don't know...let's say a bad cold. Ok, so this group has a bad cold. What would you say most would turn to first? Medicine, of course. God is completely cut out of the process. And why? Because we don't need him or the power He gave our bodies to heal. To me, it just doesn't make sense. When you see the statistics of children harmed by "safe" over-the-counter medications, it's scary. These medications are given by well-meaning parents who very much LOVE their children. However, that doesn't make the medication any less dangerous. Take this line from an article I found:
"According to recent studies overdosing with acetaminophine is the number one cause of acute liver failure today. Hospitals literally see hundreds of people each year who have unwittingly overdosed with acetaminophine, particularly infants and young children." It goes on to say, "Children are especially prone to acetaminophine dangers. That's because when children are sick unaware parents may give them children's Tylenol in addition to a sore throat medication or another medicine that may also contain acetaminophine. The combination of two doses, especially several times in the same day, can be extremely dangerous. Liver damage is one of the most severe dangers of taking too much acetaminophine." I didn't get this off a natural health website. This was national news. Or how about all the recent news about the dangers of over-the-counter cough medicine for kids. One article on abcnews.com starts this way, "Pediatricians and other medical experts say the removal of infant cough and cold medicines from store shelves comes not a moment too soon, and nearly all agree that any benefits of the drugs do not outweigh their risks." Children were DYING...from cough medicine! This medicine, again, was given by well-meaning parents who LOVED their kids. Now, it's national news that cough medicine DOES NOT work (except to ease the parents mind) and that it's DANGEROUS! Ok, so my question is how many children were harmed or killed before it was taken off the market. This isn't just one cough medicine...it's ALL children's cough medicine. Years of kids taking this dangerous stuff. I'm sorry, but that really really upsets me. I'm upset that if I had not done the research, my children could have been harmed. That doesn't sit right with me.
I grew up taking medicine every time I had a sniffle, so I totally understand the need to take something whenever you feel bad. I really do. However, after seeing medication after medication after medication killing people, I kind of err on the side of caution now. It's just not worth it to me to feel a little better, to have a little more comfort. To some it is, and I understand. I'm just super passionate about the medications for kids.
So many people think that their kids having fevers is a bad thing. It's not! A fever is a great thing because it means that your body is working. It's healing. Thank God that He gave our bodies the ability to do so. What a miracle!
Now don't get me wrong. I totally believe that medicine has its place. I just don't think it was intended for every day living and for every ailment. That way of living is proving itself not to work. Take a look at antibiotics. Because of the over-use and abuse of antibiotics, we have now created super bugs that can't be killed by antibiotics. Where doctors used to prescribe antibiotics for every ear infection, they now try to limit them (they're advised to, anyway). Why? Because our antibiotics are no longer effective. That's scary.
It's scary and sad to see our kids sick. My heart aches just like the mom who gives her kids medicine (just like yours), but I truly believe that I'm helping my boys (just like you do).
I just like to share a tiny bit of the information that I'm coming across every day. I, in no way, am saying that parents who give their kids medication don't love them. I just strongly encourage you all to research first. How many of you can truly say you've done so? Before Channing went to chiropractic school, I could definitely say that I had never researched any of it. In fact, that was a huge problem the first year of our marriage. I fought FOR every drug for kids I had not yet conceived or given birth to. I, like a lot of people out there, thought that if you didn't give your kids medication, you were a crazy brain-washed nut. Post-research, I feel completely differently.
Please forgive me for any offense I've caused. However, if it causes anyone out there to second guess the doctors' orders and to do a little research BEFORE making a decision, it was worth it. I love you, my friends!!! You can give your kids a million medications, and I will still love you. I just feel called to share what's on my heart, and this is what is on my heart. I can't keep it bottled inside.
Now, as for the chicken nuggets, Channing and I have set goals for keeping Tristan away from the stuff. He doesn't have them a lot, but he has them more than we would like. We need work in that area for sure!!! ;)

annieck said...

Just one more quick comment...
I reread my original post and want you all to know that I didn't mean, in any way, that if you give your kids medicine, you don't love them. I didn't mean to convey that AT ALL. You give your kids medicine because you think you're helping. Likewise, I keep my boys from medication as much as possible (so far, since they were born) because I also believe I am helping them.
Love you guys!

Donna said...

Hey Annie- I didn't know you blogged! I think we have a lot in common. For one, I'm a HUGE Lost fan (and I was hoping we'd be able to trust the helicopter pilot). Also- the hubby and I do Dave Ramsey. Also- we are moving in the less medication direction. We've switched to organic and whole foods- I'm getting much better vitamins- talked to a chiropractor last week, etc. Interesting, huh? You guys take care! Donna Tucker Ayers

Anonymous said...

annie, i have to say that your post (several posts ago) about immunizations did make me take the time to read and look more into it. i think it's good that you challenge all of us to at least know why we do what we do - whether is to immunize or not- or take/give medicine or not. i never would have questioned any of these things before meeting you and channning. all i know is that the ONLY thing that has helped my chronic digestive issues was when i was coming to channing- colonoscopies and medicines did nothing- i wish my son could get adjusted when he arrives because i see the benefit in having everything in line.

and i found myself quite annoyed at the dr. the other day when i was telling him how much pain my back has been in and he said "just take a tylenol" and brushed it off.

anyway, thanks for feeling free to express yourself and the things you are passionate about. i enjoy learning from you and appreciate being encouraged to decide things for myself.

rach

Anonymous said...

In response to the post on vaccinations:
We can agree to disagree, but I felt the opposite view needed to be heard.
You can go to websites that have no personal agenda, i.e. the American Academy of Pediatrics or the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention , which is government run. There is no reason any company or organization wants a child to contract a terrible disease, which could result in death. That is why there are vaccinations, in order to prevent the occurrence of an outbreak of a serious disease. The simple reason there have been no outbreaks in countries like the U.S. is because of vaccination. Vaccines work by using a weak or dead strand of a bacteria or virus in order to stimulate the child’s immune system to respond like it would if the disease were to attack. The child will develop immunity without having to get sick first. When you read the vaccine risks on the CDC website, look closely at the part talking about the occurrence of severe reactions. “Some of these reactions are so uncommon that experts can’t tell whether they are caused by vaccines or not.” The answer to the question, 'Who benefits the most by having your child vaccinated?', is easy…the child. The experts and medical doctors have done the appropriate research and have the extensive training from medical school. The statement about physicians being educated by drug reps, who work for big Pharma, is a farce and based totally on assumption. There are classes, lectures & studies centered on vaccines that are taken throughout the painstaking process of obtaining a medical degree. Physicians are not pawns of drug reps or their companies.

Thanks,
Shane Miller
bamashane@hotmail.com

annieck said...

Shane, I wondered when I would hear from you or Brandi. ;) You know I love you guys so much, and I hope you don't take this personally. I am a natural born debater (sp?), especially when it's something I'm passionate about. This is something I am extremely passionate about.
I appreciate your feedback. I love having both sides represented. Now on to my rebuttal:
To say that the American Academy of Pediatrics has no personal agenda does not ring true in my book. And the CDC? Seriously? I disagree. But let's say they don't have any kind of "behind-closed-doors" partnerships with drug companies (to me, it's like saying our government isn't corrupt). Ok, let's say they're totally neutral. That doesn't mean their recommendations are safe. Years ago, it was common practice for pregnant women to be x-rayed during their pregnancy...for the safety of the baby; to see how it was growing. Now, we view that as barbaric and dangerous. Guess what? It was approved by the AAP and CDC. Check out this great article about the CDC:
http://www.mercola.com/2006/may/18/the_cdc_centers_for_deceit_control.htm
Here is just one great article about the AAP:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/07/01/pediatrics-academy-still-fighting-mercury-bans-on-vaccines.aspx
I have more to say about the connection between vaccines and the decreasing rates of childhood diseases, but I'm short on time this morning. Don't worry, I will be back! ;)
In the meantime, check out this information I got from Dr. Ben Lerner and Dr. Greg Loman:
AUTISM & VACCINES
1) The link between Mercury & Autism:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/government-concedes-vacci_b_88323.html?view=print
"After years of insisting there is no evidence to link vaccines with the onset of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the US Government has quietly conceded a Vaccine-Autism case in the Court of Federal Claims."
2) Another Flu season, another Flu shot failure: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23342141/from/ET/
"In hospitals across the country, people are in Intensive Care Units, some on respirators close to death, because of complications due to Influenza. Many, if not most, had their Flu shot this year. 'They want to put their heads in the sand, instead of telling the public the truth,' he said. The fear is that, at a time when the nation finally had enough Vaccine to go around, as opposed to the shortages of previous years, the public would lose more faith in the Flu vaccine."
ANTI-DEPRESSANTS
1) Placebo works better than Anti-Depressants. No research showing Anti-Depressants actually work in ANY Medical Journal:
http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=getdocument&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0050045&ct=1
"These findings suggest that, compared with placebo, the new generation Anti-depressants do not produce clinically significant improvements in Depression in patients who initially have moderate or even very severe Depression, but show significant effects only in the most severely Depressed patients. The findings also show that the effect for these patients seems to be due to decreased responsiveness to placebo, rather than increased responsiveness to medication. Given these results, the researchers conclude that there is little reason to prescribe new generation Anti-depressant medications to any but the most severely Depressed patients unless alternative treatments have been ineffective."
2) U.K. study casts doubt on Anti-depressant drugs. Researchers find placebos work just as well in many patients: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23348068/from/ET/
HORMONE THERAPY & CANCER
1) Women on Hormone Replacement Therapy have higher risk of developing breast cancer:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23342375/from/ET/
HEART DISEASE
1) Pfizer pulls Lipitor ads with Dr. Robert Jarvik; inventor of the artificial heart is not licensed to practice medicine: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23338842/from/ET/
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS DRUGS & CANCER
1) Rheumatoid Arthritis drugs cause increased risk of Cancer:
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/168/4/378
THE FDA
1) The FDA approval of the Breast Cancer treatment, which was opposed by advisory panels, shocked patients, doctors, and investors: http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2008/tc20080225_516734.htm
"When the Food & Drug Administration announced late on February 22 that it had swept aside the objections of its expert advisers and approved Genentech's (DNA) Avastin for Breast Cancer, investors, patients, and cancer specialists were all caught off guard. The agency rarely goes against the recommendations of its outside advisory panels. The surprising decision set off a new round of speculation about the fate of another Cancer drug."

The thing is, week after week after week, I have tons of articles that I'm getting off of national news websites: abcnews.com, cnn.com, foxnews.com about medications that are being recalled because they are killing people. Why is natural health taking off? Because people are tired of questioning the chemicals being put into their bodies. Alzheimers, cancer, autism...all at all time highs in our country. It's time we find out why.
This is a great website to learn more about those affected negatively by vaccines:
http://vaclib.org/

annieck said...

Ok, so after pasting some of these websites, they're not coming up. If you want me to email any of you the email I received (where the sites actually work), send me your email address, and I'll get them to you. Thanks, guys!

The Hairstons said...

Your friends love you too, Annie!

Anonymous said...

Annie,

I have a long rebutal all typed up, but I know that you have your mind made up already. I am not trying to change your mind, just give fair balance to the debate. I will wait til you start the new blog to paste it in, unless I finally decide to just let it die. Just keep in mind that with a church that engages in worldwide missions, where anyone could return as a carrier for any disease, any kid that is left uncovered can get sick. God forbid something like that happening.

-Shane