No More Band-Aids
I'm going to say something that many will find controversial (who me?). But I ask that you keep an open mind while reading my words because I believe a profound shift can take place in the collective if we see things from a bigger perspective. We have an epidemic of neurological issues in this country. From depression and anxiety to ADHD and Autism to schizophrenia and psychotic violence, it touches every part of society and every age. This abundance of neurological conditions effects the United States far more than other countries.
So let's consider what is different here in this country over others:
Nutrition is the foundation of all health. In the United States, our food supply is chalk full of synthetics and additives that are not health promoting. We have much higher levels of genetic modification than any other place in the world, and we are exposed to more glyphosate (the active ingredient in Round Up) then any other country. Statistics show that 75% of our food supply is coated in this highly toxic substance that breaks down the gut biome, compounds heavy metal toxicity, and is carcinogenic to boot. Did you know that 2/3 of your immune system is in your gut--the one that is being ruined by glyphosate? Did you know that 70% of your serotonin, a feel good neurotransmitter, is made in the gut? Again, that gut that is being destroyed by our food supply. With that knowledge, does chronic illness, particularly neurological imbalance, suddenly take on a new light?
Our foundation, nutrition, is compromised. On that foundation we place a system to support our health that is not a health care system, but a sick care system. Please don't misunderstand, our emergency care in this country is fantastic. However, our sickness management system is one that treats symptoms rather than causes. It is a bandaid of sorts. No one becomes ill because of a lack of a pharmaceutical. Case in point, you cannot use a pharmaceutical to cure scurvy; that's the job of Vitamin C. Therefore, pharmaceuticals are not a cure, they are a management system. And that management system comes with a whole host of side effects, including psychotic episodes. Let me be clear about something. I am one of those people who suffered from anxiety and panic attacks. I have the scars on my arms where I cut myself (it happened twice before I got help). I had suicidal thoughts starting in my early teens. By the time I was in my late twenties I was anxious all the time, had severe insomnia, panic attacks, and spent way too much time curled in a ball on the floor crying my eyes out. I understand neurological imbalance from first hand experience. I KNOW that wholistic care is the answer for these things because I have lived it. I didn't treat symptoms, I treated underlying causes, and I am now in balance. I am a living example of how health can be attained through nutrition and energy medicine and holistic pursuits.
Poor Foundational Nutrition. Health management rather than health. Let's add personal contact, or the lack thereof, into the mix. How many people spend time looking at their phones and computers rather than talking to another person? How many people give their children electronic devices at a restaurant rather than engaging those children in the conversation? How many tweens and teens spend their social time together staring at a screen with a violent video game on it? Or texting inappropriate messages to each other? How many people find that they can be rude and tactless because they can hide behind their screen name? I bet I triggered some people with this point.
Poor Nutrition. Health Bandaids. Lack of personal contact. Let's look at how the world has changed for our children in the last half century. I am 44 years old--born in 1973. When I was born there were no video games, there was no internet, corn syrup wasn't added to food until 1980, the vaccine schedule was like 7 shots total, there were no GMO's, kids played outside....can you see the picture I am painting? It's a huge contrast from the world now. I am the mother of three--ages 13, 10, and 4. Even in the almost decade between my oldest and youngest things have changed drastically. Video games are started extremely early (think Leapster or even star fall.com). They ramp up in violent images slowly over time. The internet is easily accessible in every home, which creates access to information children never would have been exposed to when I was a child. Our food supply is more processed and full of chemicals than ever in the history of the world. The vaccine schedule is now 18 shots by 6 months, 49 by age 5, and 73 by age 18---and that schedule has NEVER been tested for safety. My kids play outside, but as they've gotten older it's gotten more difficult for them to find kids to play with because so many of their friends just want to sit on video games. There's a huge contract between then and now.
Poor Nutrition. Health Bandaids. Lack of Personal contact. Extreme changes in our culture. One more thing to consider. A child's brain is developing at a rapid rate. The environment and nutrition are the two things that have the most profound impact on how the brain develops. Our children are exposed to quickly moving images (TV and video) that do not happen in real life, which changes the way connections are made in their brains. They are used to instant gratification (point and click), which trains their brain to expect that, therefore they have less patience. They are exposed to violent imagery even in cartoons, training them to be desensitized to violence. The building blocks of development, their nutrition, is highly compromised, making it difficult for optimal development to occur. They are exposed to more toxins at key times in development than at any other time in history through everything from polluted air to toxic pharmaceuticals to food additives and chemicals to contaminated water to poor indoor air quality to toxic personal care..... When a toxin is introduced during a key time of development (especially before the age of 4) the body actually develops incorrectly--it can have life long consequences.
So what’s the point I am winding my way toward? We keep seeing imbalanced, violent behavior in this country. Is it really a result of a lack of gun control? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that having checks and balances in place to limit gun violence isn’t a good idea. Far from it. What I am saying is that addressing gun control is a band-aid, or a stop gap measure, that doesn’t address the systemic problem we have in this country. It is so much deeper than legislation can even begin to correct. Our entire lifestyle needs an overhaul. It can be done in individual homes even now. We limit screen time. Our children have never been given an electronic device at a restaurant. We don’t have a video game system. We insist our children play together with their friends versus staring at a screen together. We communicate open and honestly with our children. We make a conscious effort to live as purely as possible; our water is filtered, we have air-purifiers in the house, we take indoor air quality into consideration when we make home improvements, we only use personal care products that are totally toxin free and so safe we could eat them, we buy organic food, and we treat our health wholistically. People often compliment me on my children. They are amazing kids, but I see much of their behavior as expected and normal. I also think what has become “normal” in classrooms around America is not actually healthy behavior. I think our kids are suffering from the effects of a total breakdown in our society, and I think that we each have to make a decision to change that if we really want to see major change in this country.
Healing always begins within. Heal the parents and the kids will follow. Healthy boundaries. Mindfulness. Loving ourselves enough to treat the cause, not the symptom. Spreading that love to others. These are all part of the Higher Living Journey. Who's on board?
