Insane in the Membrane

I'm so sorry for my absence!  Life has been insane in the Ivy Household recently.  I.N.S.A.N.E.

The children finished up school with a million parties and awards ceremonies.  Craig began playing All-Star baseball which requires either a daily practice or game (which are out of town).  I went back to work (answering phones) temporarily which means I am exhausted and grumpy.  (ha)  All that to say, I just haven't been able to keep up with our two blogs and our family and everything else.  I apologize for my absence.

I thought today I would simply catch you up on our latest adventure...

CROSSING THE BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER
Craig began a new supplement that has been proven to cross the blood brain barrier.  What's that?  Wikipedia gives the official definition as "a separation of circulating blood and the brain extracellular fluid (BECF) in the central nervous system (CNS)."  Or - in layman terms - it's the barrier that prevents materials in the blood from entering the brain.  However, the biggest issue at hand is that the blood brain barrier (BBB) is semi-permeable.  It allows some materials to cross while preventing others.

Why would that matter?

Because there are some materials we don't want in our brains!!

It's silly to speculate exactly what caused our son to be allergic to ... well .... to life.  (That's a much shorter way than listing all of the foods he cannot have.)  We will probably never know for sure what flipped the switch in our son.  However, we do have some possible culprits that we know could be responsible.  And those culprits cross the BBB.

I will not enter into a debate with you regarding immunizations.  However, given everything we have learned in the research we have done to help our son we know this:  There is a very real possibility that our sons eighteen month immunizations were what flipped the switch.  I could take the time to post the videos that we have of him before and after.  I could tell you the long drawn out story of how much he changed at that point.  But, I have never been the type to feel the need to convince others that what I'm doing is right.  I'm not a salesman - never have been.  All I can tell you is that our research has led us to conclude that this is a very real possibility and that our children (and any future children) will never receive another immunization again if we can help it.

The metals contained in the immunizations (aluminum, cadmium, chromium, etc...) can sometimes cause metal toxicity.  (So can the metals they use in the fillings of your teeth, but that is a different post for a different day.)  We had Craig tested when we first began this journey and he tested high for cadmium.  However, given everything else we were dealing with (the eggs, the artificial sweeteners, the gluten, etc...) we just ignored the cadmium and went after the others.  We recently got to the point where we felt we were stable enough to start the next leg of our journey:  to try and rid Craig's body of poisonous metals.

It has not been a fun ride.

He began the new supplement and within twenty four hours we had bed-wetting, severe behavior problems, no appetite and extreme lethargy.  He was rocking, he couldn't sleep and kept wanting to brush his teeth.  It was like I was back in the hotel in San Antonio by myself with him with furniture piled in front of the door trying to keep him safe and in the room.  (That will always stand out in my mind as the "worst he ever was".  He had just had emergency dental work done, he was on a pink antibiotic (red food dye), and I was feeding him everything he was allergic to. Good times.)

I got that panicked feeling ... you know ... when the phrase - "What have I done?" - enters your mind.

And then - just as quick as it came on, it began to clear up.  The fog began to lift and out walked our son - the one we've gotten used to having around.  The one that is funny and smart.  The one that always goes after the underdog.  The born leader with a soft heart.  We're still detoxing which means we're getting the occasional flare up.  However, the roughest part is over (I think).

(((Note:  I want to include this part for those of you that really need this information.  However, I'll warn you that it is too much information.  So, for the queasy in the bunch - quit reading and skip on down.  When I use the word "detox" - it means the same as it does anywhere else.  When he detoxes, we see alot of time in the bathroom and we see large amounts in the bathroom.  I realize that's gross beyond gross - but it's the PROOF that detox is actually taking place.  And it's absolutely necessary to rid the body of toxins.  This time, we began to see his behavior improve as well as some of the other symptoms disappear immediately following a happy time in the potty.)))

So, why does the BBB matter so much?  What's the point?  What's the big deal?

Well, the blood brain barrier has three important jobs:

1.  To protect the brain from foreign substances
2.  To protect the brain from hormones and neurotransmitters
3.  To maintain a constant environment for the brain

However, certain things can open the BBB which can cause it to not do it's job efficiently.  For example, high blood pressure opens the BBB allowing foreign substances and hormones to enter the brain.  Microwaves and other forms of radiation open the BBB.  Infection or brain injury (head trauma) can open the BBB.  And then - most important for our discussion today - the BBB is not fully formed at birth.  Therefore, when Craig was born and we allowed him to receive immunizations a few days after birth and then continuing at all the normal vaccination times - we essentially played with fire.  And, in a rare moment of complete and total honesty I'll tell you that we're probably getting everything we deserve for not educating ourselves and being completely informed regarding our decisions, our health, and our son's future.

Now, lest you think that we have completely settled on immunizations as being the one and only culprit, let me set the record straight by telling you that we are studying various other things that might have played a role.

For example, baby formula.  We were amazed to find out just how toxic baby formula really is and yet both of our children were formula fed solely from 6-12 months.  (Kick me now, please.)

Bt is another toxin we're researching (as well as others).  It is used to make crops toxic to pests so that they won't eat/destroy them.  While deemed safe for human consumption originally, they have since found it showing up in human blood which means that it's possible it's crossing the blood brain barrier.

I'm looking into things that I ate, took (antibiotics and other meds) and participated in (multiple sonograms, epidural, etc...) while pregnant that might have led to Craig having a tendency toward food allergies.

Why would I study all of this and research?  I mean, the damage is already done for our son, right?  We can't go back. 

My reasoning is two-fold:

My biggest desire right now is to educate other parents out there about the potential dangers lurking in our food and our drugs.  If other parents learn what we have learned, it will change their family trees forever.  And if enough parents learn what we have had to learn, it will bring change in our world because the market will be screaming for less toxic, processed foods and more organically grown, safe food.

The second reason is to provide hope.  So many parents out there are struggling with their kids behaviors.  Their school officials are telling them to go see a psychiatrist.  Their friends and family members are recommending medications.  They're just drowning in despair and disappointment.  They feel like they've tried everything.  If we can just get word to them regarding the enormous effect food plays in our lives, they can find the same hope we did.  They can get their child back.

Tonight we have yet another baseball game and as tired as I am of baseball, all I have to do to find the energy to go is think about how one year ago our son could not participate in organized sports.  One year ago our son couldn't focus long enough, follow instructions well enough, or obey consistently enough to participate in America's favorite past time.  If getting him back means we're baseball-ing every night for the rest of my life, I think I can live with that.  [insert big grin here]