Hello! I have been writing a lot of reviews recently and wanted to remind you why I have become so passionate about natural and organic beauty. Below, find an article discussing the links between chemicals and development.
Considering the Cause of Autismby Delia Quigley
I have watched with great curiosity the debate over why 1 in 150 children today develop autism. I have done my own research into the cause and effects of this devastating condition and have come to a few conclusions. In 1965 my youngest brother was born with Downs Syndrome. However, it wasn’t until he was 4 years old that a doctor informed my mother that Sean was also autistic. This was at a time when few people had heard of the condition and fewer still knew what to do about it.
The doctors blamed Sean’s condition on my mother being 45 years old when he was born, but she never quite accepted this explanation. First of all she had given birth to 9 healthy children and secondly she had once attended a napalm demonstration, presented to a group of army wives, when she was pregnant with Sean. After the Vietnam war it was learned that villages near where napalm had been dropped had extremely high rates of Downs Syndrome. It confirmed my mother’s worst fears that she had been contaminated on that day and it made even more sense once Sean was diagnosed with autism.
In 2005 the Environmental Working Group (EWG) spearheaded a study, along with Commonweal, to test the umbilical cord blood of 10 children, directly after the cord had been cut. What they discovered was astounding. From a total of 287 chemicals found in the umbilical cord, 217 are known to be toxic to the brain and nervous system, while 208 of these chemicals have shown to cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests.
In another report by Greenpeace and WWF-UK entitled, A Present for Life: hazardous chemicals in umbilical cord blood, it describes how many of the chemicals found in the blood cord have detrimental effects on brain function. They red lighted pesticides, DDT, organophosphates, pyrethroids and para-quat, as having neurotoxic effects. These chemicals are found in our food, water, the clothes we wear, the lotions, soaps and cosmetics we use and are fed to a baby both in utero and through breast feeding.
So let’s do the math here. Today there are over 100,000 chemicals used in commercial products. During the months a fetus is developing its body structure, organ systems, membranes, and cellular structure it is receiving as many as 287 of these chemicals via the umbilical blood cord from the mother. Then, by the time he/she reaches the age of 2 years old a child may be given up to 23 vaccinations, some still preserved with mercury. That’s quite a toxic cocktail for a wee babe to withstand without some sort of damage. In many cases, the result could be autism.
In today’s chemical culture a woman needs to prepare for her pregnancy with a complete and thorough detoxification program using fresh organic foods. Once she is pregnant she should eat only the highest quality, organic foods to ensure her child is not being contaminated by pesticides and herbacides. As for skin care products and other contaminating items, the power lies in educating yourself about each product and then using that knowledge to spend your money on products that are safe, organic and chemical free. What you buy sends your message loud and clear to manufacturers. Then step by step, person by person, we can begin to rid the environment of health destroying chemicals.
xo
Special thanks to Aunt Barbara for sharing this piece.
