..For the current trend in environmental exposure risk, please see my homepage (https://dr-lobisco.com/protecting-our-childrens-heath-their-world/)
What does increased environmental exposure have to do with children and the increased incidences of children contracting “adult diseases”?
Dr. Bock gave us an excellent summary of why these little bodies are at lower levels of threshold for toxic exposure last year during my training with the Institute for Functional Medicine:
-There are 1000 Billion neurons present at birth. This number increases a thousand fold in the first 2 years of life, creating an abundant opportunity for toxicant exposures to disturb their healthy formation.
-There are about 2,500 synapses in the brain that increase to 15,000 by age 2-3 years old. Therefore, if formation isn’t affect, nervous system feedback and signaling to the rest of the body can be.
-Babies are being exposed in utero to over 200 chemicals from the umbilical blood from their mom’s own exposure. This means that little baby’s total toxic burden is ENTERING the world with a half-filled bucket, ready to burst over in symptomology.
-Stressors on mom are ever increasing (Hurricane Katrina, Tropical Storm Sandy, financial downturns, ect). This overwhelm in stress itself impairs the ability to detoxify these chemicals in the liver and affects the newborn’s nervous response.
-A combination of stress and chemical soup increases toxicity exponentially.
This is why I believe integrative support is essential for your child and ideally for the mother prenatally. As our life expectancy is extended superficially by machines and quality and joy for life decreases, do we really want our future generations to continue in this trend of “better living through chemistry?”
This blog is a plea for us all to pay attention.
In part II of this blog, I will review some steps we can do to start making a difference with our children. The good news is, if the parents start early with truly getting at the root cause (vs. symptom suppression) and using a supported integrated wellness plan, these little ones tend to heal quite rapidly.
References and Sources:
Rosen, L. Integrative Pediatrics: The Future Is Now. Alternative Therapies. September/October 2009, VOL. 15, NO. 5. Accessed through Modern Health Practitioner on 11/5/12. http://www.modernhcp.com/PDFS/ALTTHERSEPT09.pdf
Bock, K. Recognizing Neurotoxicity and Immunotoxicity within the Functional Medicine Model. IFM. Detox Advanced Practice Module. Phoenix, AZ. December 9, 2011.
Alice A. Kuo, MD, PhD, Ruth A. Etzel, MD, PhD, Lance A. Chilton, MD, Camille Watson, MS, Peter A. Gorski, MD, MPA. Primary Care Pediatrics and Public Health: Meeting the Needs of Today’s Children. Am J Public Health. 12/02/2012;2(12):e17-e23. Reprinted on Medscape: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/774785?src=mp
Prickle, J. Body Burden: The Pollution in New Borns. Environmental Working Group. http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/petition_cdc_20050721.php
Panyakapo M, Soontornchai S, Paopuree P. Cancer risk assessment from exposure to trihalomethanes in tap water and swimming pool water (abstract). J Environ Sci (China). 2008;20(3):372-8. PMID: 18595407
Health Day. Tap-Water Chemical May Be Linked to Food Allergy:Pesticide-treated fruits, vegetables may also harbor the compound, researchers say. 12/3/12. http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=671165
