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news bulletins  august 2005 |
- Subterranean Misinformation Blues
- Call For Heartwarming Stories
- Israeli Health Ministry Issues Soy Warning
- A Historic Resolution
- California's Declining Rates of Autism
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A new danger lurks in the dark underground of New York City, and it has nothing to do with tunnel dwellers, drugs, or crime. In fact, this latest threat is found in a bright poster campaign adorning the interiors of Big Apple subway cars. "Take Good Care of Your Baby," a citywide child safety campaign developed collaboratively by the Administration for Children's Services (ACS) and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), aims to make parents and caregivers aware of practices to avoid some of the most common and dangerous child and infant-related injuries. Unfortunately, the first of the ten safety messages (which appear in English and Spanish on busses and billboards, as well as subways) contains information on infant sleep arrangements that is blatantly misleading and erroneous. Bearing the headline that “It’s safest for her to sleep alone,” the posters also state that “Sleeping with your baby is dangerous…” In fact, numerous research findings consistently confirm that co-sleeping is indeed safe and in fact preferable, as it helps reduce SIDS risk and support breastfeeding (see Mothering's co-sleeping reprint for more information).
But babies who sleep alone need cribs, and the “Take Good Care of Your Baby” campaign not only wrongly states that cribs are the only safe place for baby, it offers them free to qualified candidates. Who is sponsoring the distribution of free cribs? Who stands to profit as other parents (who can afford to buy cribs) do so, after reading the posters and acting on the slanted misinformation? The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA), a group of crib (and other baby product) retailers, manufacturers and licensors, who according to the ACS website are the backers of the 1.5 million dollar "Take Good Care of Your Baby" campaign.
This is not the first time JPMA’s corporate interests have successfully lobbied and partnered with governmental agencies to skew information about co-sleeping and push their wares (see Mothering’s co-sleeping reprint). But it is perhaps the most insidious: the posters place JPMA’s self-serving subway messages in front of a captive audience; the posters are authoritatively designed and prey on fears; and they are presented as public service announcements bearing stamps of approval from credible child welfare and safety agencies, commissioners, and the mayor himself….with no indication the influence of the JPMA.
Sources:
"Take Good Care of Your Baby" public service campaign
"Take Good Care of Your Baby" Child Safety Campaign
Call For Heartwarming Stories
The best-selling anthology series "A Cup of Comfort" is seeking submissions. Each volume features 50 creative nonfiction stories about the experiences and relationships that inspire, sustain, and enrich our lives. Submissions are currently being accepted for the following:
A Cup of Comfort for Expectant Mothers
Having a baby is one of the most exciting, challenging, and magical experiences in a woman’s life. It can also be an emotional roller-coaster ride and a physical endurance test. Never more so than during pregnancy does a woman need a little extra TLC. The 50 heartwarming true stories selected for inclusion in this anthology are sure to bring comfort, joy, and encouragement to expectant moms of all ages and backgrounds, whether awaiting the arrival of their first child or their tenth. For this volume, we want positive personal stories about the memorable experiences that inspire, reassure, sustain, and delight women during those wondrous and sometimes anxious months of planning, conceiving, carrying, delivering, and welcoming home her new bundle(s) of joy. Any topic relevant to this unique time in a woman’s life is acceptable, as long as the story is positive and meaningful to expectant mothers overall. Submission Deadline: September 15, 2005 (extended from Aug. 1)
A Cup of Comfort for Parents of Children With Autism
A child’s diagnosis of autism usually strikes fear in the hearts of parents—and often turns their world upside-down and their lives inside-out. The incidence of this mysterious neurobiological disorder has risen dramatically in recent years, leaving parents in search of answers, support, and hope. For this inspirational volume, we seek personal anecdotal stories (not prescriptive articles) about the unique aspects of parenting a child with autism and related disorders (Asperger syndrome, Rett’s disorder, disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder). Possible themes include, but are not limited to: impact on other members of family; creative solutions to everyday challenges; breakthroughs; effective treatments; silver linings; tender moments; helpful support; unexpected positive outcomes; blessings large and small; reasons for hope; adult children with autism. We are most interested in stories written by parents, but will also consider and likely publish some stories written by professionals and family members or friends with intimate knowledge of the child and parents in question. Submission Deadline: November 15, 2005 (extended from Oct. 1)
Stories must be original, true, positive, in English, and 1,000-2,000 words. Open to aspiring, unpublished, and published writers.
Payment: One $500 grand prize per book; $100 each, all other published stories. Copy of book.
Guidelines: www.cupofcomfort.com (click on "Share Your Story")
Israeli Health Ministry Issues Soy Warning
Scientists, doctors andnutritionists who have warned that soy is not a health food and posesspecial risks to infants and children"g received support recently fromthe Israeli Health Ministry, which issued a health advisory recommending that soy foods be eaten only in moderation. The Israeli Health Ministry strongly recommended that consumption of soy foods be limited for young children and adults and that soy formula be avoided altogether by infants," said Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD. Dr. Daniel noted that there are hundreds of studies linking soy foods and soy infant formula t odigestive problems, thyroid dysfunction, ADD/ADHD, dementia, reproductive disorders and even cancer. The Israeli Ministry took this matter very seriously and based its advice upon the conclusions reached by a 13-member committee of nutritionists, oncologists, pediatricians and other specialists who spent more than a year examining the evidence.The committee concluded that the estrogen-like plant hormones in soy can cause adverse effects on the human body, including cancer promotion and reproductive problems. They strongly urged that consumption of soy foods be minimized until absolute safety has been proven.
According to the Jerusalem Post (July 20), soy is widely used in Israel by people of all ages because it is a cheap substitute for meatand soy infant formula is especially popular among haredi families who choose not to mix milk-based baby formulas with meat meals. The Health Ministry plans to distribute information about the dangers of soy foodsand soy infant formula to pediatricians, health care workers and the public. It firmly recommends that babies that cannot be breastfedreceive cow's milk formula and be given soy infant formula only as alast resort. The Israeli Health Ministry's recommendations are in accordwith those made by the United Kingdom's Chief Medical Officer and theBritish Dietetic Association, both of which have alerted pediatricians and parents to use soy infant formula only in unusual circumstances,"said Dr. Daniel. In New Zealand, the Health Ministry has suggested that doctors carefully monitor the thyroids of infants on soy formula. However, no country has come close to Israel's warning against soy foodsfor children up to age 18. This sets an important precedent.
Although the Israeli Health Ministry stopped short of makingrecommendations on soy consumptions for adults, it found that theevidence on soy foods alleviating menopausal symptoms is inconsistent,that soy phytoestrogens can increase breast cancer risk and that theycan reduce male fertility. The Ministry determined that soy has been shown to reduce blood cholesterol but stated that there is no clear proof that it reduces the risk of heart disease. "The bottom line," said Dr. Daniel "is that the Israeli Health Ministry looked long andhard at the evidence and reached the appropriate conclusion that we should eat soy only occasionally and in moderation because possible benefits are far outweighed by proven risks."
A Historic Resolution
A historic resolution, “Protecting Children fromMercury-containing Drugs,” was passed by the Kansas East Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church on June 4, 2005, and the Virginia Annual Conference, the largest conference in Methodism, on June 15, 2005.
The ecclesiastical statement was authored by the Rev. Lisa Sykes, an ordained minister in the Virginia Annual Conferenceand the mother of a child with diagnosed autism/mercury toxicity. A fellow parent-advocate, Ms. Kelly Kerns was instrumental in getting this same resolution submitted in Kansas.
The Resolution now proceeds to the Council of Bishops, the General Board of Church and Society, and the General Board of Global Ministries, agencies concerned with globalissues.
Through the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP), and the leadership of its Executive Director, the Rev. C. Douglas Smith, this issue is becoming the focus of a coordinated ecumenical effort in the state of Virginia.
At a press conference, held June 15 in Hampton, VA, sponsored by VICPP and the Coalition for Mercury-free Drugs (CoMeD), of which Rev. Sykes is amember, Bishop Charlene Kammerer, Dr. Boyd Haley, Dr. Mark Geier, Mr.David Geier, and Dr. Mary Megson each addressed the importance of this issue.
Sykes, who has been frustrated by the failure of the federal government to respond, as required by law, to CoMeD’s FDA CitizenPetition 2004P-0349, calling for the immediate proscription, and subsequent recall and ban on mercury-containing drugs, observed, "In the history of our nation, when the government has failed tobring urgently needed social and health reforms, the church has effectedchange."
Congressman Dan Burton has described the entrance of the faith community into this debate as a “watershedmoment.”
Rev. Sykes is the Associate Pastor of Welborne UnitedMethodist Church in Richmond, Virginia.
California's Declining Rates of Autism
For those long convinced of a link between thimerosal in childhoodvaccines and the rise in autism rates across the country, vindicationmay finally be at hand. New data compiled by the California Department of Developmental Services indicates that, while the number of children receiving state services for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to grow, diagnoses of this condition are declining. The numbers peaked in 2002 with a record 3259 cases. In 2003, the number of new cases fell to 3,125. In 2004, the number was 3,074. For the first half of 2005, therewere 1,470 new cases, compared to 1,518 in the same period in 2004. The ASD diagnostic and tracking system in California is considered to be thebest in the nation.
Experts disagree about what has caused the decline. “Perhaps whatever caused [the autism rates] to go up ...is no longer present,” said Dr. Robert Hendren, executive director of the University of California, Davis MIND Institute, which researchesneurodevelopmental disorders. “It’s all speculation. I wish we had good studies.”
Others point to the fact that the decline in new cases roughly corresponds to the removal of thimerosal from childhood vaccines, a process which began earlier this decade following a federal recommendation made in 1999. Parent activist, Rick Rollens, who played a key role in the creation of the MIND Institute,says "we can argue till the cows come home about what caused the increase but…before 2002, every quarterly report had shown an increase over the previous year. Now, that is no longer the case."According to the department, about 90% of all autistic children are entered into the system before age 6. The data do not include children under the age of 3. "This means," Rollens said, "that children born since the time that mercury was phased out of vaccines, are just now entering the system." He theorized that the slowdown could thus reflect the change in vaccination practices. The Department of Developmental Services does not compile information on vaccination rates among the children in their system.
Mark Blaxill, Executive Board Member of the non-profit organization Sensible Action For Ending Mercury-Induced Neurological Disorders (SAFE MINDS), cautions that, "... it is too early to draw conclusions from the California data. It is certainly encouraging that the rate of increase in autism has leveled off and even shown a bit of a decline, but we need to have more data, more time and more of a decrease in new cases before we can draw firm conclusions. We need to remember that thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCVs) were never recalled and remained in inventory long after the transition in vaccine production that started in 2001. Second, we have a new TCV problem, flu vaccine, which has been recommended to both infants and pregnant women." He further suggested that there is little serious risk of influenza to healthy women and children--that the CDC statistics on mortality fromflu are exaggerated, including deaths from pneumonia--and that those whodo wish to be inoculated against influenza should specifically request amercury-free vaccine.
California’s data are considered particularly reliable because the state guarantees access to special education for all children diagnosed with autism and other developmental problems.
Sources:
www.safeminds.org
www.sacunion.com
www.latimes.com
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