The First Two Years
Please note that this section contains my personal notes from my readings on this topic.
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Cancer
EPA risk assessment methods show that children accumulate up to 50 percent of their lifetime cancer risk by their second birthday. The EPA has determined that up to age two, babies are, on average, ten times more vulnerable to carcinogenic chemicals than adults, and for some cancer- causing agents are up to 65 times more vulnerable. (”Protecting Your Child From Toxic Exposures” by Jane Sheppard; March 10, 2009; HealthyChild.com. Also cited on the Environmental Working Group website.)
Breast-Feeding
In spite of all the information available about the crucial importance of breast-feeding, only 16% of infants in the United States are breast-fed at one year of age. Cow’s milk, fruit juice, and French fries are still commonly given to infants before the first birthday. The first two years of life are an opportunity to build a disease-resistant child and to have that child develop healthy eating habits that can last a lifetime. I think if parents realized how important breast-feeding was for the future health of their child, a much higher percentage would breast-feed longer.
– Disease-Proof Your Child (2005) by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.; pages 114 – 115
Immune System
The first two years of life are the critical time period during which the immune system matures and develops. During this two-year period the body relies on immunoglobulins supplied by the mother’s breast milk to offer protection against infectious agents. As the child’s immune system matures and the child is capable of producing his own immunoglobulins, the digestive tract gradually closes the gaps that allow mother’s immunoglobulins to squeak through. This beautifully designed system assures that the child gets the added immune protection from his mother’s immune system in proportion to his needs. These needs for the mother’s immunoglobulins decrease gradually as the second birthday is approached.
– Disease-Proof Your Child (2005) by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.; page 86
Food Allergies
These gaps between cells in the immature digestive tract are also the reason why feeding solid foods to children when they are young can increase the risk of allergies. The younger the infant begins to eat food, rather than breast milk, the more likely food components, not adequately digested yet, can squeak through the digestive tract and enter the bloodstream, leading to the development of food allergies.
– Disease-Proof Your Child (2005) by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.; page 86
… If we expect our children to grow up healthfully we must supply them with the normal requirements of human existence, requirements that include human milk, real food (not fake food), and protection from toxic drugs.
– Disease-Proof Your Child (2005) by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.; page 86
Vitamin D Deficiency — Let the Sun Shine In!
And now the experts are concerned that we’re passing an epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency down to a new generation. Studies have shown that Vitamin D deficiency may imprint on an infant for the rest of his/her life. Infants that are deficient at birth can remain Vitamin D deficient for the first several months after birth, which may put them at risk of developing many chronic diseases much later in life.
– by Dr. Frank Lipman for GOOP