My Morning Rant

I was on Facebook this morning and started to write a morning greeting in response to a post by a local autism center,"

"The latest British Medical Journal paper about autism and vaccines, which provides evidence that the initial report linking autism and vaccines was fraudulent, and the media coverage that ensued, miss an important point…"

...and since my thoughts wouldn't fit the character limit... I brought it here.

Firstly, I was stunned to see an autism school post something so controversial. I do think their job should be education, intervention and advocacy... and that their opinions about the autism/vaccinate debate should be removed from their public statements. (... So I thought that this post was risky.)

But, they are right about questioning the media's coverage ... because, of course, we know that the media is a great place to get unbiased information!!

Secondly, (here I go…) I think Wakefield is a scapegoat!! (Do you know he had nothing to do with our pre-autism decision not to vaccinate?) Yes, that is right we made this decision before autism was in our lives... And in case you are thinking, “See, you didn’t vaccinate and your child still has autism!” Let me clarify, that doesn't 'prove' anything... I often wonder why no one is researching maternal vaccine history... For instance, RhoGam ??

I know too many parents who have reported regressive autism, not to question it’s etiology. I do not think autism is ‘caused’ just by vaccines, and in some cases… that is precisely what I think. But, I also think genetics, environmental toxins take a role as well…

Moving on to what Really pushed my buttons… this particular post went on to quote Autism Speaks,

"Until science discovers the causes of autism and explains its dramatic increase, parents will continue to reach their own conclusions and desperately try a wide range of treatments, whether there is evidence to support them or not. The answer is not to look to the past and look for blame, but rather to look to the future. We need increased research financing directed toward rigorous science that can provide the answers that parents are looking for and deserve. Until this happens, we will continue to wallow in controversy, and people with autism and families will continue to struggle with autism on their own."

Geraldine Dawson

Chief Science Officer, Autism Speaks

New York, Jan. 13, 2011

Editorial in New York TImes by the Chief Science Officer of Autism Speaks

Let me be clear Autism Speaks does not speak for myself OR my child! I have many questions, but mostly where is all this money they raise??? ... and why (or how) should we take YOUR research seriously while you are insulting parents across the world with statements like this... how can we expect unbiased research ? We can't!

In this statement you are indirectly (no, directly) are asking for more money to fund research?? Does anyone else see this statement as exploitation?? In the first two sentences, parental desperation is address… then whap… they put their hand out!

What about the 6 digits your executives are making? Do you know many autism families have lost their homes, have gone down to one income, and are scrapping by to do what they can with what they have for their children while you sit in your fancy upstate New York office getting rich off of us?

I don't need Autism Speaks to tell me that my child is 'broken' or that my marriage is going to end in divorce or that autism is entity stalking my family... I have found a way past her label, the stereotypes, the fears... but that doesn't mean I sit back and quietly listen to this crap... stop exploiting our kids, adult friends and loved ones.

Stop paying your executives 6 digits! Stop spending more ((a lot more)) on travel and office expenses than what you contribute to autism research and family services. Then maybe you don't have to recruit parents on the front line to go out to collect donations and walk... when they should be focusing their attention on their child.

Finally, take the dollar sign of my child's head!!

Let me conclude with this thought...

Whether you believe vaccinations is the trigger for your loved one's autism or whether you embrace nuero-diversity... let's unite to empower the global autism community. It doesn't have to be a heated debate of one side vs the other.

In fact, I have found common ground with both sides. I do believe pre-natal vaccines contributed to my child's condition, but I also accept that she is phenomenal.. autism or not. I will continue to support her and offer her the tools she needs to reduce her challenges. I have found blessings disguised as autism...

But, autism doesn't define who she is... she is Sahara Grace, a fantastic 6 year old exploding with possibilities.

As for Autism Speaks... shame on you for exploiting our community.

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Psst... Guess What??

I have a new love interest...

Yup, It's true and it all started this past summer.

I was passing another kidney stone while at Mamapalooza Columbus. I had taken Percocet the night before with no relief. After a sleepless night, I told hubby (as a committee coordinator) I was going to the festival regardless of the pain or not… besides being up and moving was the best way to get this stone to pass naturally.

At the festival, the stone caused a constant dull pain with moments of sharp jabs. I walked around with my hand on my side… I think 2 people (including a MD) asked if I was pregnant. (**shakes head**) The MD advised me how to clean up my diet to prevent more stones, but that wasn’t going to rid the pain I had in the moment.

I happened to stop at the essential oils booth and was talking about autism (Of course!). I found out they had an autism protocol… completely skeptical, I kindly took some info and walked on. However, If you know me, you know that I am inquisitive… so as the day went on I went back to this booth numerous times to ask questions about this “autism protocol”.

Finally, early afternoon, the girl at the booth asked if I was okay… I nonchalantly said, “You don’t happen to have anything for kidney stone pain, do you?” She gave me a smile and said, “Let’s find out.” She pulled out this huge reference guide to Young Living’s Essential Oils and was flipping through the pages…

“Here try this… Eucalyptus Blue.”

I put 1 drop where my pain was, talked to her briefly some more about the business side of the company… and moved on. About 15 minutes later I was chatting with another vendor who complimented me on how good I smelled… I chuckled and pointed to the oils booth and said, “It is an oil from their booth. Apparently Eucalyptus is supposed to help with kidney stone pain………Holy Shit… My pain is completely gone!!” Why is this so amazing... read this, this and this about my chronic kidney stones.

TRUE STORY!!

… and that is how I found out about Young Living’s Medical Grade Essential Oils.

Since then I have tried other oils with amazingly similar results.

Eucalyptus Blue… 1 drop continues to eliminate the pain the comes with my chronic kidney stones. However, this weekend I applied some with olive oil on my daughter’s chest and back and within minutes her croupy cough subsided and she was sound asleep for the first time in 2 weeks.

Thieves… Said to have anti-viral, antiseptic properties... Weber State University (Ogden, UT – 1997) studies showed anti-bacterial effectiveness against airborne microorganisms. Like I said, my daughter has been pretty sick for the past 2 weeks; fever, croupy cough, aches, pains, ear ache, etc. After 3 applications of thieves on her feet, she was up and walking about… slowly, but was up nonetheless. Oh, and this morning I ran out of laundry soap… we already had those magnets you can put in your washer, so I used those with a drop of the Thieves oil and ‘wa-la’… clean nice smelling clothes without the use of harsh chemicals. Have to love it!!

Peppermint… We have used for indigestion, muscle pain after falling on the ice, and for mental alertness.

Lavender… 1 drop on a cotton ball put in our daughter’s bedroom and she is asleep within 30 minutes. This is our ASD child that has had chronic sleep issues since birth!! We have also used this one for muscle aches and ear aches.

Peace and Calming… 1 drop on a cotton ball in the Master Bedroom melts away the stress of the day for myself and hubby. Have also used this over the liver (Blue Tansy is said to cleanse the liver.)

Valor… A few drops mixed with olive oil rubbed along the spine is fantastic… they don’t call it a chiropractor in a bottle for nothing… love love love this one. I have also used this one for grounding myself before reiki sessions and for self-confidence building for myself and children.

So, these are the testimonies I have so far in my own household… I plan to document more on this blog as we explore more. In fact, I am so excited about the outcomes that I have signed up to be a distributor… but be sure that that isn’t because I am looking for a quick buck… this product line is exceptional and meets my standards and ethics.

Oh, and about that autism protocol… I haven’t done anything with it yet, but am still looking into it. One of my concerns was that Sahara doesn’t like to get wet (sensory issues), but I have found that putting the oil on a cotton ball or on her feet works well. I am going to a class this week to hear a mom talk about what oils she used successfully with her ASD child… I will let you know what I find out on another post.

In the meantime, if you are interested in learning more visit http://www.youngliving.com . If you decide you would like to place an order, would you be so kindly to reference my number 1183617

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Mental Illness does not equate Evil!!

I was surprised to see that nobody else was bothered by Sarah Palin’s use of the word “evil” to describe a mentally ill individual in her recent video. Although, I am not surprised… that would not have caused such an up roar among the media, journalists, blog-sphere and people as the phrase “blood libel”.

Of course they [the entities listed above] ran with the “blood libel” reference… okay my instincts say to give her critics that, but I just don’t know enough about Jewish history to judge that one way or another. And I won’t pretend to talk about something I know nothing about.

However, as an individual who has spent most of her professional career and adult life counseling mentally ill adults and children … I found the description of this mentally ill person offensive.

Evil is the intention of causing harm or destruction, specifically from the perception of deliberately violating some moral code. ~ Wikipedia

If we use this definition than we are to assume that the individual didn’t suffer from mental illness… but I argue that a sane person would not ‘deliberately’ open fire on a Congresswoman and others gathered in a public assembly. It is the casual use of the word evil associated with mental illness that makes families and individuals ashamed of having mental illness among their own: The Denial of Mental Health Issues Rages through Main Street, America.

Just before the Tucson tragedy, I asked a Facebook Group to send ‘prayers’ and ‘healing’ to an individual who committed an unthinkable crime against a young girl and her family near my home. The group of healers were outraged that I would request them to send healing to this perpetrator.

I reminded them that this perpetrator, like the gunman in Tucson, is someone’s [mentally ill] son, grandchild, brother, and friend. Jesus walked among the sinners and offered them healing… who are we to judge who needs prayers and who doesn’t? Just because I offer prayers for someone doesn’t mean I support their actions. It means I recognize that they need our prayers and the recognition of their mental condition so that they too can receive the help they inherently deserve.

But of course if we view them as an “evil” persona… this exempts our responsibility to help them. Responsibility? Yes, I believe it is part of our moral conduct to help individuals who have mental illness.

Somewhere on Main Street America a mentally ill person is committing an unthinkable crime; it could be someone we personally know… now is the time to take the responsibility to offer outreach to that person and their family. And maybe, just maybe, if the masses see us do that… then other families will get the help they need before the unthinkable happens.

Mental Illness does not equate Evil!!

As for Sarah Palin, I think she is a pitiful pawn in a Big Boys’ Club. But her political tactics of cross-hairs on a map did not cause this person to go shoot US Rep Gabrielle Giffords and other innocent bystanders…. mental illness did.

However, we cannot prove that it didn’t energetically influence the violence that day or somewhere else on a backstreet in America.

I do not let my children watch violent tv shows or cartoons for the same reason. Bottom line… Violent images promote violence. Again, as a collective global community we need to take responsibility. But then again, our nation is good at the blame game and not taking responsibility.

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