My Opinion...

I've wanted to post today.  But I couldn't figure out WHAT I wanted to post.  I've had one floating around in my mind, but I'm not educated enough on any of the topics to really say much, other than my opinions.  

As Dad says "Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one."

I guess what's triggered this train of thought is a discussion I had with a friend recently about vaccinations.  She is anti-vaccination, I am pro-vaccination.  This is perfectly fair in my mind.  I'm happy to have a discussion, some debate, with respect.  That's hard to find now.  Most people have opinions and beliefs based on their own research, life experiences and influences.  Really, unless you've lived their life, it's difficult to say a person is dead wrong.  Unless of course, they ARE dead wrong.  There are obviously things like 4+4 = 2.  It's that simple.  You can't argue that it's 3 or 10.  

I'm sure you get what I'm meaning.  I don't want to discuss algebra and stuff.  Math was never my strongest subject.

Anyway, part of the discussion of pro or cons in the vaccination discussion came up about environmental factors.  The hormones and antibiotics that are used in our meat, the preservatives and colors we eat in our processed food, the air we breathe, that sort of idea.  

She pointed out some statistics regarding ADHD and Autism.  Of course, this is all related to the vaccination discussion and whether or not a study by a man named Dr. Wakefield had a point or not.  I don't think he did.  Digging around has shown that he was doing what many greedy people do.  Looking for an answer in order to make money.  He denies it, of course.  Fair enough, but there have been more studies proving the opposite to his findings.

Okay.  I'm not going to harp on the ideas regarding this.  If you really want to know, ask me, and I'll tell you what I think about this "research" and his "findings".  

Onto my point.  

Environmental factors.  This got me thinking.  There have been far more diagnoses of ADHD and Autism than in the past.  Nobody argues with that.  What I think is part of the problem is environmental.  I think it's also advances in medical science and how these types of diagnoses are made.  Add to it dietary factors, like red food dye and preservatives, and chances are you have a recipe for disaster.  

When I started to think there was something up with Logan, I discussed my concerns with many people.  Some were just everyday parents, like myself, others were nurses.  I started reading more labels and the ingredients.  I found red food dye in food like JAM!  Strawberry, raspberry JAM!  They ARE red.  I don't need my jam REDDER!  Good heavens.  I found a decent priced jam at Walmart, no color, totally natural.  I also found out that jams like marmalades have carrot juice for color.  

I don't worry about stuff we don't eat everyday, like ketchup, though again, adding red food dye to tomatoes seems ridiculous to me.  I changed our Kraft dinner, and we started eating far more fresh food.  We cut out fruit snacks, even the ones that say natural color, because I don't always know what the "natural" color is.  I noticed a difference in Logan.  We avoid heavily sugared cereals, especially the colored AND heavily sugared cereals.  I have bought some of them all since, BUT only as a treat.  No more daily ingestion.  

We definitely eat meat, but even that we've cut down on.  Turns out, Superstore has a new program with farmers who don't use antibiotics in their meat.  I will keep an eye out for more of those.  

The air?  Well...I'm lucky.  While we live in Edmonton, and we have a multitude of oil refineries near us (not too near though...have to drive for about 20 minutes to get there) I find the air here to be clear and lovely.  Maybe not as clear as up north, but we get out of the city fairly frequently, going camping and skiing, so the kids get lots of fresh air.  

When it comes to diagnosing things like Autism and ADHD, I think people need to keep in mind that they don't just JUMP on a kid and immediately start pumping him full of medication.  Instead, they take their time.  We started at our pediatrician, she referred us to a clinic at the nearby hospital, they suggested we had him assessed by the school, the school had a psychologist come in.  We know there are attention issues, but we don't have to go so far as a full diagnosis.  We're not going the medication route for him yet, if ever.  I wanted to try to teach him strategies first before we went any further than that.  

I have heard that the diagnosis for ADHD can take up to two years.  TWO YEARS!  That's a significant period of time.  They want to make sure that they are doing the RIGHT thing, making sure they have the right diagnosis.  I think that's great!  I have a friend dealing with a special needs child, and they won't place the diagnosis of Autism on her daughter until she's older and they can assess her properly.  That's completely fair.  In the meantime, she's getting the support she needs.  Just as our school district is willing to assist me and work with Logan even though we don't have a "formal" diagnosis.  

I think that these diagnoses are coming up more for the environmental reasons, for sure.  But I also think that medical science has taken MASSIVE leaps in the past few decades.  And forget how many leaps they've taken since my dad was born.  He witnessed the polio vaccination being made and how it worked.  That's HUGE!  Let's face it, there are more incidences of cancer.  Perhaps we are seeing these diagnoses more because of medical science and the capability of diagnosing cancers, especially because doctors can diagnose them so much earlier and save more lives.  I would MUCH rather find out I was sick earlier than later.  

Perhaps it's time for people to learn to research.  Learn a bit more critical thinking, and try not to be snowed by all the rhetoric.  We are unfortunately inundated with too much information and it can be SO difficult to wade through it all.  I'm not saying my friend doesn't think critically.  Obviously she does, because she has an opinion that she can stand by and live with.  And that's perfectly fair.  I know far too many people, however, who don't take the time to see both sides of the equation.  I don't just watch the news and then say "Hey, that's the way it is!"  I might go and check out the other side of the story.  

I have said it before.  I will never, ever be disrespectful to a person who doesn't share my opinion.  I don't appreciate it when people do that me, but I know that sometimes people feel very strongly about their stances.  I know I do.  When, on the second day after my ADHD diagnosis, the lady said to me that my ADHD was "a false diagnosis", I understood a few things immediately.  First off, she has strong opinions.  I wouldn't want to argue with her, because she'd probably take offence.  Secondly, she doesn't totally understand ADHD and probably hasn't ever lived with or known anyone who lives with ADHD.  

Most of what we form through opinion is, as I said, through life experience.  Let's face it, none of us have the hours to wade through the thousands of pages of information, rhetoric and opinion.  It is our responsibility, though, to sort through and take what we need from it.  We get too many little news snippets and small articles online.  And too many times, those are taken as gospel.  Someone might tell you you're wrong, and that's fair.  You might be!  I've been wrong many times.  I've had people educate me and inform me of other things.  And that is completely fair.  I can admit when I'm wrong.  

Even in this blog.  I could be wrong.  

But I'm probably not.  Most of this is opinion anyway.