The last few weeks in the office have been particularly different than the previous 12 months. This is a time of year where many of our kids are anxiously waiting for their college admission letters, some kids are having school team tryouts and I’ve heard about some preparation for dance recitals aligning with similar milestones in childhood.
We’ve also heard of unique things like some schools re-opening leading to anticipation and nervousness amongst the students about being with friends and seeing their teacher in the classroom for the first time. I’ve also heard more requests for homeschool options than I have in the history of my practice.
Things are DIFFERENT. And our kids FEEL it.
I can’t tell you how important this subject is to me because I was a child, who at a very young age, had significant levels of anxiety. Social situations themselves were really difficult for me. I could barely speak out loud in class, I rarely stepped foot on the dance floor, and my mom will tell you I was basically mute when I was really young and family members used to have to order food for me at restaurants.
All that to say, I know what it’s like to feel pressure.
This blog was catalyzed by comments a patient made to me about some of her friends who have children who have been suffering from anxiety. All of it mounting in the last year with many factors including:
- Persistent mask wearing
- Lack of Socialization
- Resuming Socialization
- No School
- Returning to a ‘Different’ School
- The fact that people have told kids, they can harm or kill others, when they are healthy…
- Among so many others
Prior to last year anxiety was affecting 1 in 13 children. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist nor should anyone wait for the peer reviewed data to tell them anxiety disorders have already skyrocketed. The level of fear which has been weaponized on our populace, especially our children, is something we have never seen before as a species.
Fear is an important survival factor all animals have innately programmed into their physiology and primally, it was always INSTANT. On/Off. Stimulus/Response. It was NEVER meant to be this chronic and if any population could be protected, it is our children.
But according to my patient whose friends’ children are struggling with new and exacerbated anxiety disorders, persistent masking has been the catalyst. And some pediatricians, probably well-intended, started making some dangerous recommendations which I believe border on malpractice.
One said he did not want to write a mask exemption because if there was an outbreak of “COVID-19” and it came back to said pediatrician, he did not want that liability.
Does anyone truly get what’s happening in the situation?
This pediatrician–instead of hearing this mother’s pleas for a mask exemption has chosen to protect himself and his license over the well-being of the patient sitting in front of him. Instead of recognizing the mask itself restricts oxygen, creates carbon dioxide toxicity, makes us all rebreathe our own excrement, has been shown to have pathogenic microbes in it related to cancer and various lung diseases and cuts us off from seeing other people’s facial expressions which itself can be threatening.
This doctor chose instead to write a prescription for an anxiety drug. Other doctors are prescribing albuterol inhalers for acute asthma conditions due to masks.
At the end of the day, I’ve never been more concerned about our youth. For many years, our children have been suffering from a rising level of chronic illness our species has never witnessed. In the last year their mental health status has been so challenged by the endless level of fear consuming the entire planet and no one besides practices like ours has given them any hope for the future.
Pediatric mental health is an industry that is being destroyed by psychiatry. At all costs it is crucial that you exercise all options prior to allowing any doctor to put your child on a psychotropic medication. While we at Future Generations don’t ‘treat’ these conditions, many of our pediatric patients have been powerfully navigating healing them when their nervous systems begin to self-regulate.
Our patients have reported these lifestyle factors as the most beneficial:
- Seeing family and friends, unmasked and with lots of hugs and laughs
- Participating in sports
- Homeschool with other like-minded friends
- Eating healthy whole foods and limiting sugar
- Getting outside and in nature
- Never putting a mask on unless it’s absolutely necessary (to board a plane)
- Breathwork
- Yoga
- 5 minute journal or any comparable gratitude journal
- Getting adjusted in a healing, loving and inspiring environment
This is not my list, these are lists parents have mentioned to me as a result of keeping their kids, OUR KIDS at Future Generations, out of the trends we see today in society. We are committed to Normalizing Vibrant Health for Life. We stand for Health Freedom for ALL Generations. And this is one major way we have been successful. Our parents know what to commit to and it’s not what anyone else says about how they should care for their kids’ mental well-being.