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Companions to the 4-A Epidemics The Other Childhood
Epidemics

The 4-A Epidemics Have Not Occurred In Isolation. The 4-A epidemics are part of a
larger picture of increased incidence of illnesses and disorders among America’s
children.

The  other  health  issues that are most closely associated with the 4-A epidemics,
and that are most threatening and disruptive, are:

For the most part, these problems revolve around the same essential issues as
the 4-A disorders:

Childhood Cancers
America has recently experienced an abrupt rise in childhood cancers, according
to the National Institutes of Health,  which began in the early 1980s.  By  the early
1990s, the incidence of cancer in American children under 10 years of age had
risen by 37%.   Over a 20-year period, ending in 1998, the incidence of all
childhood cancers increased from 11.4 cases per 100,000 children, to 15.2 cases
per 100,000 children.
Childhood cancer is rising most quickly among cancers that are generally
associated with exposure to toxins, including  leukemia and brain cancer.  
Approximately one-third of all childhood cancers are now leukemia.  Brain tumors
in children rose from 2.3 per 100,000 children to 3 per 100,000 children from 1975
to 1998.  Leukemia and brain cancer combined now account for approximately half
of all childhood cancers.
One in every 330 American children gets cancer.  Approximately 25% of kids with
cancer die from it.                          

Diabetes
Type I diabetes, caused by a failure of the pancreas to produce enough insulin, is
now rising by 30% per decade.  About 13,000 American children are diagnosed
with it every year, and it results in a decreased life expectancy of 15 years.
Some researchers  have linked the aluminum that is added to vaccinations to the
rise in incidence of Type 1 diabetes among  children, although this perspective is
very controversial.
Type 2 diabetes, which is linked to obesity and insulin resistance,  is increasing
among children  even faster than Type 1. Once rare in kids, it began to surge in
incidence around 1990.  Before that time, only 4% of all children with diabetes had
Type 2 diabetes, but that percentage has increased five-fold.  In some high-risk
groups, such as obese African American children, incidence of Type 2 diabetes is
as high as 45%.

Insulin resistance, characterized by poor ability of the cells to process insulin,  is a
primary root cause of both obesity and diabetes.   Insulin resistance is often
triggered by inflammation, which  is now linked closely to both obesity and
diabetes.  Inflammation has also been linked to many forms of cancer, and is
intimately associated with autism, ADHD,  asthma, and  cardiovascular disease.
Diabetes is  the seventh leading cause of death in the country, and is one of the
most frequent causes of limb amputations, blindness, and kidney disease.  Rates
of diabetes seem certain to climb, as America’s diabetic children reach adulthood.

Obesity
The obesity epidemic occurred in tandem with the 4-A epidemics, and the
diabetes epidemic.  One link  is the inflammation, which can help trigger obesity.
Obesity has doubled among kids since approximately 1985.  20% of all American
children are obese or overweight.  Obesity is inextricably linked with:

Obesity is significantly higher among children with ADHD symptoms.  Obesity is
often linked to problems with the brain’s D-4 dopamine receptors, the receptors
that are  most closely associated with ADHD symptoms.  It’s theorized that
problems with these receptors interfere with feelings of satiety, or satisfaction after
eating.

Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities are closely linked to the symptoms of ADHD.  Similarly to
ADHD, learning disabilities are now believed by many researchers to often stem
from exposure to environmental toxins.  Some researchers believe that  up to 50%
of all children with learning disabilities suffer from high levels of heavy metals,
including cadmium and lead.

Similarly, reduction of IQ has also been tied to exposure to heavy metals,
particularly lead.

Pesticides are another probable contributor to learning disabilities.  Some children
are  more vulnerable to  pesticides, because they are low in the enzymes that  
break down two of the most common pesticides, diazinon, and chlorpyritos.  One
study showed that a subset of children who were enzyme deficient were 50 to 65
times more likely  to have high levels of these  pesticides.

One indicator that toxins play a role in learning disabilities is the fact that there is a
link between learning disabilities and poor motor skills, just as there is a link
between some autism spectrum disorders and poor motor skills.   The common
denominator in learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorders  may be  
toxification, particularly with heavy metals.
Healing the Other Childhood Epidemics

There are no easy answers to this wide array of problems.  However, if the
causative factors are similar, then perhaps  the remedial factors will also be
similar.  

It now appears prudent to apply similar, comprehensive healing  programs,  in
conjunction with behavioral programs, and other appropriate medical protocols.  
These healing programs are relatively simple:

The simplicity of these comprehensive programs is their strength.  There are many
ways to become ill, but there are only a few fundamental paths that lead to healing.
home > the 4-A's > companions to the 4A disorders
Also See:
> the causative
factors

> the inflammation
factor