Total Health Magazine

Elbert Hubbard was right on target when he said, “The object of teaching is to enable a child to get along without his teacher.” While many of us read this quote and agree with it, we may not quite grasp its full meaning or its connection to Ayurveda.

Many teens think they are addicted to cell phones, and they certainly act like it. In one study, teens aged fifteen to nineteen describe themselves as addicted to their phones, and in another, 30 percent say they're depressed when they can't use it.

Two Latin American researchers—a psychologist who works with drug addicts and an EMF expert—in a paper published in March 2007 suggest a plausible explanation for why teens go into withdrawal when they can't use their phones:

Raising children is very challenging. It is one of the toughest jobs in the world. Our children are born and suddenly we are thrust into the great adventure and challenge of rearing them. Since no one trains us how to do it, most of us fly by the seat of our pants in doing so, filled with great intentions and expectations. We love our children with a depth that is unfathomable. We do all we can for them. However, even with the deepest love and best of intentions, we invariably blunder and make mistakes along the way. Yet, we all desire children who grow to be adults filled with self-esteem, and who live a fulfilling life.

Kids are our most precious resource. Yet, they have become a dumping ground for more than 80,000 toxic chemicals—heavy metals, food preservatives and antibiotics. There is an alarming rise in childhood asthma, allergies, immune system disorders, ADHD, obesity, and diabetes. The result is the current generation of kids may not live longer than their parents.

Addressing the external influences on the rise of childhood obesity: Breastfeeding, Home Environment and Toddler Nutrition

The steady rise of obesity rates in America’s children should be a wakeup call for everyone, especially parents. Yet, it seems that those who should take the strongest course of action consistently ignore this growing epidemic. In a time when external factors make it more and more difficult to raise healthy children, it is important to recognize the environmental and nutritional aspects associated with childhood obesity. The common claim that, “he’s just big-boned” can only rationalize a child’s unhealthy weight so much. At some point parents need to look beyond genetics.

You would be surprised to learn that most children receive at least one-fourth of their calories from snacks. Most people think of children’s snacks and treats as basic junk food, unaware that all snacks or treats do not need to be high in sugar, unhealthy oil or junk foods. Snacking can be fine and even good for school-age children, with most loving to snack more than eat meals.

If you provide nutritious snacks, you are helping make sure that nutritional needs are met by your child, as well as what their palate craves. Growing, active children need more calories. But not all snacks are equal or good for your child. If the focus is nutritious snacks, they can help children get the needed daily vitamin and mineral nutrients they need.

I have written extensively both in articles and in two of my books, Chemical Cuisine: Do You Really Know What You’re Eating?” and Are Your Infant & Children Being Poisoned? regarding the dangers of chemicals we consume. Now, a study validates my concerns and warnings to my readers and patients, in a study conduced by the Environmental Neurotoxicology Research Project from the University of South Florida, Tampa.

There has been considerable media attention to the harmful effects of MSG and Aspartame over the past several years. This investigative report will provide you with shocking statistics and a case history about the dangers of these toxic food additives.

Many people believe that, “A little won’t hurt” – I have news for you, it does. Brain lesions were found in infant monkeys exposed to varying levels of a SINGLE DOSE of MSG. Researchers at the Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the Washington University School of Medicine conducted the study with rhesus monkeys because of hypotheses from other researchers that susceptibility to MSG-induced brain damage may be limited to sub-primates (mice, rats, rabbits, etc.).

In 2005, Ann Louise Gittleman was diagnosed with a benign tumor of the parotid, one of the salivary glands located just below the earlobe. Itfs a very rare tumor most often caused by ionizing radiation from x-rays, which she hadnft been exposed to. But, she had been addicted to her cell phone, and on it constantly, for years.

In 2008, researchers in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that individuals who kept their cell phone against one side of their head for several hours a day were 50 percent more likely to develop parotid tumors.

Julianne is a devoted mother to her beautiful and healthy-looking five-year-old daughter. But all is not as it seems-something strange is stirring in Sarah's body.

One night, while putting Sarah to bed, Julianne pulled the pajama top over her daughter's head, when Sarah suddenly exclaimed "Ouch! That hurt when you touched my nipple." Julianne was totally surprised by her daughter's response. Upon taking a closer look, she noticed that her nipples did appear to be different from what she had remembered. In fact, they looked bigger.

It has long been known that an infant’s diet is important for mental development. Increasingly research is showing that the diet and everyday environmental factors during the first three to five years of life can have important consequences in the areas of mental health and the ability to interact socially as well as determining whether the child will grow up obese, develop diabetes or suffer from heart disease in later life. Moreover, it seems that the mother’s eating habits and overall health during her pregnancy may contribute greatly to her child’s health and even determine her child’s risks for major diseases in adulthood. To an amazing degree, starting your child off properly with regard to nutrition begins during pregnancy and requires special attention during the first half decade of life.