This Is 200 Calories

Just a friendly reminder for holiday indulging! Dr. Maj Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485. www.communitychiropractic.net

How I Gave My Son Autism - by Cam Baker Pearson

This is an eye-opener to anyone who hasn't paid attention to the autism epidemic. The author has bared her soul in the hope of saving other children. Her humility is combined with a powerful sense of morality and intelligence. Though she takes full responsibility for her child’s plight, the truth is that modern medicine has a world of destroyed lives to answer for.

I should start by saying that I was raised Catholic. The concepts of reconciliation and absolution are completely ingrained in me. I grew up going to confession at a beautiful monastery where Father Francis, an elderly monk, held my hand as we walked the grounds, and I asked for forgiveness for my transgressions. I always felt great relief and unconditional love after our time together.  Unfortunately, Father Francis passed away years ago, and I haven’t been to confession since. My spiritual beliefs have evolved and changed over the years, but the idea of forgiveness is still critical to how I walk through life. There are things I have done for which I know God forgives me. However, I’m pretty sure that I will never forgive myself, for my transgressions are embodied in a beautiful seven-year-old who tells me daily that I am “the best Mom in the universe.” I know the truth. And someday, so will he. All of these “unforgivable” actions were done with the best of intentions, but we all know what they say about “good intentions” and “the road to hell.” I am admitting here for all the world to see: I gave my son Autism. I did it. Me. And no one can ever take that away.

So … how did I give my son autism? I wish I could say it was one thing—one thing that I could take back that would make things neat and easy, but it wasn’t. It was mistake after mistake, assault after assault. The following are the biggest mistakes I made to which I attribute my son’s descent into autism. I’m going to provide links that are easily readable and understandable that contain links to the research rather than providing links to the research itself. A simple Google search about any one of these topics will provide more information than you could ever want. Here goes . . .

1) Ultrasounds: I had at least five while I was pregnant. I was assured that they were completely safe. Heck, you can get them in malls, so I assumed they were pretty benign. Wrong! While I didn't get ultrasounds in malls, I didn't research them either. Ultrasounds have, in fact, been implicated in autism among other neurological disorders. While there is no definitive “causal link,” enough has been found to warrant further research and precautionary measures.  According to this article, “Research shows populations exposed to ultrasound have a quadrupled perinatal death rate, increased rates of brain damage, nerve cell demylienation, dyslexia, speech delays, epilepsy and learning difficulty.”  Sound familiar?

2) High-fructose corn syrup: I drank Coca Cola every single day while I was pregnant. I was so incredibly nauseous and it made my stomach feel better. Fast forward a few years and Coca Cola Classic was found to have one of the highest levels of mercury due to HFCS of any product tested. I didn’t eat one bite of fish during my pregnancy for fear of mercury. While I didn’t know there was mercury in the Coke, I have to be honest and admit that of course I knew that eating and drinking junk wasn’t good for my baby.

Foods Containing Mercury
High fructose corn syrup’s not-so-sweet surprise: Mercury!

3) Lortab/Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) while pregnant: I have Fibromyalgia. It is painful normally, but it was practically unbearable while I was pregnant. My OB prescribed Lortab telling me that it didn’t cross the placenta and was perfectly safe. I was in so much pain that I wasn’t about to look into this further. I trusted my OB thoroughly and needed to feel better.

Again, did I honestly think that this was good for the baby?  Of course not.  Lortab is a Category C drug which basically means that not enough human testing has been done to qualify it as safe, but based on animal studies, there is reason to believe that it could be dangerous or problematic.  I couldn’t find any specific links between Lortab and Autism, but common sense dictates that this was not good.

4)  Pitocin: Two of the ultrasounds I received at the end of my pregnancy revealed that my water was getting dangerously low, so my OB felt we should induce labor. After several hours of not making progress on the Pitocin drip at low levels, the hospital encouraged me to sign a waiver allowing them to increase the Pitocin to illegal levels. Now, I know this seems absurd, but at the time, I was in incredible pain and was told by hospital staff that it was perfectly safe and was used at these levels all over the country. According to them, Montana just has a very low cap on the highest level allowed. I had Pitocin for 36 hours. Here is an explanation from an excellent article on that explains the potential risks associated with Pitocin:

In either induced or enhanced use of Pitocin, the blood supply, and therefore the oxygen source to the uterus, is greatly reduced. With naturally-paced contractions, there is a time interval between contractions allowing for the baby to be fully oxygenated before the next contraction. In induced or enhanced labor, the contractions are closer together and last for a longer time, thus shortening the interval where the baby receives the oxygen supply. Reduced oxygen to the baby in labor has life-long consequences on the baby’s brain function.

5) C-Section: George Malcolm Morley, OB/GYN has done extensive research regarding C-Sections and autism and has concluded that, “A baby born by C-section is 3-4 times more likely to have autism.” His theory is that it is probably due to ICC (immediate cord clamping) and there are really good reasons to think he may be right.  There are so many different elements that play a part in C-sections, however, that it is really hard to determine exactly which specific aspect is problematic: anesthesia, maternal immobility, labor trauma, cord clamping, post-op drugs or lack of friendly bacteria due to bypassing the vaginal canal are all suspect individually. It is easy to see how a combination of all of the above could have a negative impact.

Because I had made the bad decisions about the ultrasounds that led to the bad decision about the Pitocin that led to labor trauma, I ultimately had to have an emergency C-section. I can’t believe that there are so many women who choose to deliver via C-section for cosmetic reasons – I won’t elaborate on this one. Ick.  I’ll be honest; I am still a little bitter about this. I really wanted a natural childbirth. My husband and I took the classes; we practiced at home. Thirty-six hours of drug-induced hell, and I still ended up with a C-section. And not just a regular C-section: it was such an emergency that I had to be anesthetized via general anesthesia, even though I had an epidural in place.

6) Antibiotics: Oh boy. Where to begin? I have so many mixed feelings about antibiotics. Here is what I know: My son was exposed to antibiotics while he was in distress during labor. He was then exposed for the first two weeks of his life via breast milk. He then received five courses of antibiotics before he was a year old for chronic ear infections. While this is bad cumulatively, the one event that stands out for me, and literally makes me feel sick, was a single dose of Augmentin when he was six months old. At his six-month “well” visit, he was diagnosed with his second ear infection. He received vaccinations for seven different diseases despite being ill, and we left with a prescription for Amoxicillin. Six days later, he had developed an upper respiratory infection and the ear infection was worse. Because the Amoxicillin hadn’t worked, the pediatrician prescribed a course of Augmentin. After one dose of this drug and within 24 hours, my six-month-old baby had 35 acidic, liquid bowel movements. The skin literally peeled off of his bottom in sheets. I had never seen anything like it at that time, and I haven’t since. The pain that he was in was beyond description. I called the doctor and she changed the antibiotic to yet a different kind. So he had three different types of antibiotics in his system within eight days. This episode was the biggie. His gut was never the same after that. Nothing was.

Here is what everyone should know about Augmentin:  Augmentin has been implicated in autism.  It is comprised of Amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium. When it is manufactured, the clavulanic acid is fermented which involves large amounts of urea/ammonia. Even a small amount of ingested ammonia can potentially cause gut and brain inflammation. I strongly urge you to do your homework before using this drug.

If you will notice in this link, this study was released in January of 2005. My son was prescribed Augmentin in January of 2006. This was never mentioned when I was handed the prescription. However, if I had been a Thinker back then, I could have quickly Googled “Augmentin and autism,” and I would have made a very different decision.

7) Vaccines: I really don’t even know what to say about vaccines other than to say that if I had it to do over again, my children wouldn’t have received a single one. Of everything I did wrong, if I could have my pick of one thing to take back, it would be the shots. No question. Shortly after my son turned three, we left the idiot pediatrician that led me down this trail of terror. The new MD looked at my son’s blood work and heavy metals testing and informed me unequivocally that my son was vaccine injured and that he had never been a candidate for immunization. She said that because of my fibromyalgia and the fact that autoimmune disease and digestive disorders are pervasive across both sides of our family, he never should have been vaccinated. Add in the birth history and the fact that he had severe jaundice and a cephalohematoma that took more than six months to resolve, plus rashes, severe reflux, chronic rhinitis and ear infections along with eczema, it should have been very apparent that his immune system was not functioning properly. Vaccination REQUIRES a properly functioning immune system to work, which may explain why he has ZERO titers to the diseases he was immunized against. According to the CDC and the vaccine inserts, children should not be vaccinated if they are sick or on antibiotics. My son was sick and/or on antibiotics for almost every single round of vaccinations. People, I know what happened to my kid. I KNOW. I watched it. Ginger Taylor has been compiling studies for years that link vaccines to autism. That list has now reached over 60 studies.

Another word—Don’t bother making comments arguing about vaccines. I won’t post them. I am fully aware that there are children with autism who weren’t vaccinated. I am not suggesting that vaccines are solely responsible for every child’s autism. I know, however, that they caused irreparable damage to my son’s immune system, which ultimately led to his autism. There. Done.

8) Acetaminophen/Paracetamol: My baby received an incredible amount of this red, liquid death. Acetaminophen shuts down the production of glutathione, the body’s #1 antioxidant. Glutathione is absolutely critical in the body’s ability to rid itself of toxins. So basically, one of the absolute worst things you can do is to give a baby acetaminophen when they get vaccinations or when their body is trying to fight an infection. The nurse at my son’s pediatrician’s office literally dosed him with acetaminophen at the exact moment she stuck in the needle. When the ear infections and stomach pain and fevers started as a result of the vaccine damage, I gave him acetaminophen to alleviate his pain. Are you starting to see how all of these horrors interlace? One problem requires a solution that creates another problem that requires a solution that creates another problem, etc. For more information regarding acetaminophen and its link to autism, click here.

9) Fluoride: Fluoride probably pisses me off more than anything else on this list, because I am convinced that the fluoride program is one of the biggest scams ever perpetrated on a population in the history of mankind. If you ever have some time and enjoy history, Google “the history of fluoride.” It reads like a Dan Brown novel and would be completely entertaining, if it weren’t for the fact that children are being brain-damaged by the very water they drink. I’ll let you do your own research for the nitty-gritty, but here are the basics: Fluoride contains fluorine. Fluorine is only slightly less toxic than arsenic and is more toxic than lead. It is also a carrier molecule. It loves to combine with other materials and create even more toxic situations. It also can cross the blood/brain barrier. So if there is circulating aluminum in the body from say, oh, I don’t know, vaccine adjuvants for instance, or if there is lead in the joints of water pipes, the fluoride can attach itself to these toxins and escort them right across the blood/brain barrier and into the brain. According to the National Research Council, 36 studies have linked fluoride with reduced IQ in children. Here are some great links to fluoride information:

• Fluoride Toxicity Research Collaborative
• Fluoride Action Network
• NoFluoride.com
• Chronic Fluroide Poisoning

Here’s the kicker. This is the part where I bang my head on the table, pull my hair and yell, “Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!” like Chris Farley on SNL. We didn’t even have fluoridated water. I actually purchased it and gave it to my son on purpose. My pediatrician told me that he needed it because our water wasn’t fluoridated. I bought “nursery water” that came in cute little plastic bottles with pictures of Bert and Ernie and Cookie Monster on them. I also gave him prescription vitamins—Poly Vi Flor—that contained fluoride.  After all of this, we still ended up with over $4,000 worth of dental work by the time he was five. This dental work required general anesthesia that contained—yep, you guessed it—fluoride. Fluoride is also in many pharmaceuticals, including the antibiotic Cipro–drops used for ear infections—and Diflucan—the yeast killer we used off and on for years.  How in the hell could I make sure that I didn’t give him toothpaste that had fluoride in it because it was poisonous, but give him fluoridated water? If you want a good scare, read the label on a tube of fluoridated toothpaste sometime. Ingestion of only half a tube of that candy-flavored fluoridated toothpaste could be fatal to a child, and yet we fluoridate our water supply. It is criminal in my opinion.

I can think of many more things I did wrong that I am sure contributed to my son’s health crisis. I will mention diet, toxic cookware, benzocaine teething gel and toxic building materials but won’t elaborate because at this point, common sense should dictate. I am writing this to try to hit the biggies that people really need to research to make better decisions than I did.

I am already anticipating three different responses to this post:

Response 1) There will be people who read this and think, “Good grief, woman. How stupid can you be? What you did borders on child abuse. Of course your child has Autism.” And to that, I have no argument. You are absolutely right. And good for you for knowing better than I did.

Response 2) Some of you will read this and know exactly how I feel because your story is very similar. To all of you, you have my deepest, heartfelt sympathy. While we will always have our mistakes to live with, the best thing we can do now is to share our truth and our story to help others.

Response 3) There will be people who feel pity for me because I have not been able to make peace with myself for my role in my son’s health crisis. You will feel compelled to reach out to me with kind messages imploring me to forgive myself. Please … don’t. It won’t do any good. I am not fishing for forgiveness, and while I know you mean well, it won’t help me. If you really, really want to help, take five minutes and send this blog to everyone you know—especially those who are pregnant or have babies. Implore them to read this blog. No child should have to endure what mine has endured. No mother should ever have to experience the kind of torturous guilt I live with every day.

The mistakes I made were, by and large, recommended by healthcare professionals. That is no excuse.  My son’s health was my responsibility. I could choose to follow the recommendations or not. Even a small bit of research would have changed the outcome for my son. There are women, as we speak, who are on the way to the doctor for their second or third ultrasound. There are mothers dosing their babies with acetaminophen before their shots. There are expectant moms being hooked up to Pitocin drips. Some moms are administering unnecessary antibiotics for yet another ear infection and haven’t made the connection that their baby’s immune system is failing. There are also many, many mothers who are hearing the following words for the first time, “Your child has autism.” Help them.

I truly believe that my son’s autism was preventable. Think. Research. At this point, you can’t afford not to.

~ Mountain Mama

With thanks to Cam and the Thinking Mom’s Revolution for permission to publish! Original is here.
http://gaia-health.com/gaia-blog/2013-02-26/how-i-gave-my-son-autism/


photo credit: hepingting via photopin cc

Cancer Treatment Centers to Incorporate Chiropractic Care

Groundbreaking, Integrated Approach to Treatment Demonstrates Commitment to Patient-centered Care—Arlington, Va.—The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) today announced that Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA)—a pioneer in integrative care, incorporating chiropractic services and other supportive therapies into its advanced, evidenced-based cancer treatments—is the focus of the cover story in the August 2013 issue of ACA News. At CTCA's five regional hospitals, chiropractic physicians work on teams alongside surgeons and oncologists to support cancer patients during their treatment.  Its patient-centered approach came from a simple question, "If your mother had cancer, how would you want her to be treated?" CTCA's founder, Richard J. Stephenson, lost his mother to cancer and wished that her treatment had been more focused on providing comprehensive care in addition to the advanced treatment options she needed. Chiropractic physicians joined CTCA's staff 10 years ago (due to patient demand), allowing its hospitals to offer truly comprehensive, integrated treatment under one roof. If a patient complains about a headache due to a new chemotherapy drug, his or her treatment team might first suggest the patient try a chiropractic adjustment as opposed to going on yet another medication.  According to Jeffrey Sklar, DC, eastern regional director in the department of chiropractic at CTCA, "We are not treating cancer, we are treating patients with cancer; it is whole-person care. And that is what got me turned on about chiropractic to begin with." CTCA's model has influenced the way oncologists, surgeons and other clinicians around the country think about treating cancer patients. Whole-person cancer treatment combined with a compassionate, nurturing environment—known as the Mother Standard of Care—provides patients with much needed support during treatment. "I applaud CTCA as an institution for its dedication to treating the whole patient by offering therapy aimed at combating the difficult side-effects of grueling cancer treatments, as well as the cancer itself," said ACA President Keith Overland, DC.  "I am truly inspired by my colleagues at CTCA, who are making a real difference in the quality of life for people undergoing cancer treatment." Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485.  www.communitychiropractic.net

Lower Blood Pressure With Flaxseed

Looking for a more natural, non-medication based solution to reduce and/or manage your blood pressure? New research suggests flaxseed has comparable results to current blood pressure medications. In a study of 110 participants, half were assigned to a group consuming 30 grams of flaxseed daily for 6 months and the other half to a group that did not consume flaxseed. On average, participants in the flaxseed group who had a systolic blood pressure (the 1st number in the blood pressure reading) of at least 140 mm Hg during initial testing experienced a 15 mm Hg systolic pressure drop. Those same individuals also experienced and a diastolic pressure drop (the 2nd number in the blood pressure reading) of 7 mm Hg. Participants in the non-flaxseed group experienced no blood pressure change whatsoever. Researchers state the study’s results are preliminary and more research is needed before they suggest people throw aware their blood pressure medication. However, as previous studies have also shown flaxseed to have beneficial effects on various cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, inflammation and even hot flashes, incorporating flaxseed into the diet is becoming a no-brainer. Author: ChiroPlanet.com Source: Hypertension, online October 14, 2013. Copyright: ProfessionalPlanets.com LLC 2013

Chicago Blackhawks - The First Vitamin D Team in History

Vitamin D Council


According to my sources, the Chicago Blackhawk team physicians began diagnosing and treating vitamin D deficiency in all Blackhawk players about 18 months ago. Apparently, most players are on 5,000 IU per day.

After many losing seasons, last year the Blackhawks came out of nowhere to win the Stanley Cup!!

According to my sources, improved athletic performance is only one of the benefits for the Blackhawk players. The other is a reduction in the number and severity of colds and flu and a reduction in the number and severity of repetitive use injuries.

Six months ago, Runner’s World published a story on vitamin D and physical performance.

Asp K. Running on D: The "sun vitamin" may boost performance, but you probably aren't getting enough. Runners World, December 2009. http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-301--13364-0,00.html

A year ago, the flagship journal of the American College of Sports Medicine was the first journal to publish the theory that vitamin D would improve athletic performance.

Cannell JJ, Hollis BW, Sorenson MB, Taft TN, Anderson JJ.  Athletic performance and vitamin D. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 May;41(5):1102-10. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19346976

However, readers of the Vitamin Council's newsletter first learned about it in 2007:

Cannell, JJ. Peak Athletic Performance and Vitamin D. Vitamin D Council Newsletter, March 2007. http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/newsletter/2007-mar.shtml

I can only hope that since the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup this year, other teams, from high school to professional, may start paying attention to the vitamin D status of their players. That would be a big boost to those athletes looking for that extra boost in performance.

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485.  www.communitychiropractic.net

Safe Drug-free Treatment of Migraine Headaches

About 28 million people in the United States get migraines. If you’re one of them, you’ll know how bad these headaches can be. For many sufferers, a migraine means spending a day or more lying in a darkened room. As well as throbbing pain, some people feel sick to their stomach or become extra sensitive to sound and light.

Several clinical trials indicate that chiropractic adjustments help in the treatment of migraine headaches. In one study of people with migraines, 22% of those who received chiropractic adjustments reported more than a 90% reduction of attacks and 49% reported a significant reduction of the intensity of each migraine.

Seventy-two per cent of migraine sufferers in a clinical trial experienced either 'substantial' or 'noticeable' improvement after a period of chiropractic adjustments, defying historical skepticism of chiropractics by some medical practitioners.

In another study, people with migraine headaches were randomly assigned to receive chiropractic adjustments, a daily medication (Elavil), or a combination of both. Chiropractic adjustments were as effective as Elavil in reducing migraines and had fewer side effects. There was no added benefit to combining the two therapies.

The scientific evidence on chiropractic adjustments for the relief of chronic headache has been well discussed in systematic reviews of randomized trials.(4) These reviews looked at patient self-reported outcomes when evaluating treatment effect such as pain intensity, headache index, frequency, duration, and improvement.

In addition, researchers reviewed 9 studies that tested spinal manipulative therapy for tension or migraine headaches and found that it was as effective as medications in preventing these headaches.

Check it out.....call and get a check up and see if Chiropractic can get you back on the path of health and wellness!


Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485.  www.communitychiropractic.net


(1)Tuchin PJ, Pollard H, Bonello R. A randomized controlled trial of spinal manipulative therapy for migraine. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2000;23(2):91-95.
(2)Astin JA., Ernst E. The effectiveness of spinal manipulation for the treatment of headache disorders: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. Cephalagia. 2002;22(8):617-623.
(3)Bronfort G, Assendelft WJ, Evans R, Haas M, Bouter L. Efficacy of spinal manipulation for chronic headache: a systematic review. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2001;24(7):457-466.
(3)Nelson CF, Bronfort G, Evans R, Boline P, Goldsmith C, Anderson AV. The efficacy of manipulation, amitriptyline and the combination of both therapies for the prophylaxis of migraine headache. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1998;21(8):511-519.
(4)Hurwitz 1996, Vernon 1999, Bronfort 2001, Astin 2002, Bronfort 2004, Lenssinck 2004, Fernandez-de-Las-Penas 2005 & 2006

This Wallet Says it ALL!!

Are you kidding me with this wallet?! My friend, Dr. JC Doornick, posted this picture on Facebook and it has stuck in my head ever since. This was in a new patient's back pocket and OF COURSE he came to the office with lower back pain and sciatica.   If you haven't heard, SITTING ON YOUR WALLET CAUSES LOWER BACK PAIN AND SCIATICA!!!   

I guess my issue with this wallet is my issue with America in general and how disconnected we are with our bodies and what we do to them.  I would not be surprised if this person blamed genetics on their problems! (oh, my father had sciatica, too!) WAKE UP AMERICA!  Sitting on a 4 inch thick wallet will cause problems. BIG PROBLEMS!! Funny thing is that there was less than $20 in that sucker. 

I can't believe what people do to their bodies!  There is a victim mentality when it comes to the state of people's health:

• "It runs in my family" is the biggest excuse I hear
• My husband "gave me" his cold - your immune system strength is your responsibility 
• "Oh, it's just Stress" - like there is nothing that can be done about it.  FYI: Stress KILLS!

I am writing about this because I am on the front lines when it comes to helping people get well and the insanity by which people live boggles my mind. There are so many excuses that I hear on a daily basis and the truth is that when the time comes where health slips away, no amount of time, money or energy will be enough to bring it back. 

Please let me help you help yourself. I am here to assist and yet cannot do it for you. I can't make you eat veggies, drink water, get adjusted, exercise, relax and be good to yourself.  

Lets work together so that You Can Be Well, too!!


P.S.  Check out this link to give you more info on why NOT to put a wallet in your back pocket.  

The Wallet-in-Back-Pocket Back/Pain Connection

Dr. Stephanie Maj has a thriving family practice in the heart of Chicago. Her clinic is located at 1442 W. Belmont Ave., 1E, Chicago, IL 60657. 773.528.8485.  www.communitychiropractic.net