These two threats are killing your kids. So why doesn’t anyone care?

Surprise, surprise. I’ve come across yet another round of disturbing headlines that somehow didn’t make front page news.

This crop comes courtesy of Time magazine. It contained a couple of eye-popping features on the subject of children’s health. These articles exposed a number of horrific realities threatening kids in this country.

Yet not one of them made the front page. What was on the cover? A feature about airport delays. I kid you not. That’s what some editor decided was more important than the health of American children.

I’m not too surprised about that. (Though more than a little disgusted by it.) And if you ask me, it just makes the contents of these articles all the more disturbing.

Because when I say this is scary stuff, I mean it.

Let me just get straight to the details. The Harvard School of Public Health recently released a shocking report. It states that children have daily contact with a growing number of everyday products such as bug sprays, cleaning fluids, and flame-retardant furniture.

And these products are packed with harmful chemicals. Exposure to which could lead to a higher risk of brain disorders and developmental problems in children. Problems like autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. What’s worse, this damage could be permanent.

This terrifying story may not have made the cover of Time magazine. But it’s certainly front page news around here.

Chemicals that harm brain development and pave the way to psychiatric diagnoses will always get press from me. Because these are threats that you need to know about—especially if you’re a parent or grandparent.

So let’s look at few of the toxic culprits on this list:

• Carbamates. These are chemicals in pesticides used to kill cockroaches, flies, mosquitoes, and lawn bugs.

• Polybrominated Biphenyl Ethers. These are in any piece of furniture or toy that has been treated with a flame retardant.

• Tetrachloroethylene. This chemical is an ingredient in popular dry cleaning solvents.

And those are just three common environmental toxins that could be damaging your child’s brain. There are more. Far too many to list here.

That’s why I encourage you to visit the Environmental Working Group’s website (www.ewg.org) the next chance you get. And use their comprehensive resources to take a complete inventory of the toxins in your own home.

They have details on every environmental toxin in the book. They’ve exposed practically every popular hiding place there is. And they’ve compiled them into a searchable database you can use to make safer choices for you and your family.

But with that advice, let me move on. Because in some ways, this second story is even more horrifying…

The headline: “Young kids, old bodies:  Runaway obesity is turning a generation of children into biological adults—aging them before their time.”

The situation is dire. We have a generation of children who are taking statins. And blood pressure drugs. And diabetes medications.

All pharmaceuticals that were originally intended for the over-60 crowd. (And as you’re well aware, they’re not exactly great for these patients, either.)

These drugs were never tested on children. And we have no idea what the long term ramifications of their use might be.

But that’s not even the worst part. Children today aren’t just taking drugs meant for older people. When scientists look at their cells under a microscope, those look old, too.

Again, not worthy of the front page, apparently. But it’s hugely frightening to me.

Maybe frightening isn’t the right word. Tragic and frustrating is probably more like it. Because I’ve been warning people about this fate since I wrote Feed Your Kids Well—my book on childhood nutrition that was published back in 1998.

Years later, my predictions are starting to materialize in pediatricians’ offices across the country. And no one knows what to do about it. Doctors are faced with patients unlike any they’ve ever seen before.

And parents still think their child will outgrow it—or they’re unwilling to change their own relationship with food to set a better example for their kids.

So what’s the bottom line? You have a choice. Everyone does. And I’ve made it really simple for you.

Follow my New Hamptons Health Miracle. And make sure your entire family does, too.

That way, you’ll never face the burden of making some really hard decisions. And your child will be spared the fate of becoming yet another frightening statistic.

 

Sources:

“Children exposed to more brain-harming chemicals than ever before.” Time. February 14, 2014.

“Young Kids, Old Bodies.” Time. March 3, 2014.