Each yi:ar, childri-n ari; uivrriNCi sicki;r in our country and around the world. Every childhood disease is sky rocketing. The rate of asthma has doubled in the last ten years, up over 400 percent. In fact, 16 percent of all school-age children have asthma. Today, 8 percent of all children are being diagnosed with ADHD. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one out of every 150 children is being diagnosed with autism. Sixteen million visits are made to pediatricians for otitis media every year. Allergies are rampant; diabetes, eczema and obesity are on the rise. Why are children getting sicker every year in our country? We regularly witness confused, but well meaning, parents doing a few things right (with regard to their children's health) and a lot wrong. For example, a Mom breastfeeds her baby, yet her five-year-old is eating cheese doodles, drinking soda, and becoming part of the statistics of chronically ill children. Other parents are trying to improve their children's health by giving them organic foods; yet, their children have vertebral subluxations which interfere with nervous system function. As another parent gets his children adjusted, he then vaccinates them, introducing chemicals and carcinogens into the bloodstreams interfering with their immune systems. All of these contradictions and misinformation are leading to a generation of sick kids. The statistics are shocking—even scandalous— and it is all happening under the recommendations of the pediatricians, advertising to consumers by the drug companies and as a result of the culture that we live in. Parents are desperately looking for new approaches and better solutions for their children's healthcare. But, they don't know where to turn or whom to trust. All resources, including women's and mom's groups, relegate ehiropractic to a piece of the puzzle or a modality of alternative medicine. However, we are not alternative medicine but mainstream wellncss and doctors of chiropractic should be leading the wcllncss movement and now we can. It's not easy being a wcllncss mom. If you are choosing to get your baby adjusted, your husband may disagree with you. If you are varying from the recommended vaccination schedule for your child, your mother-in-law may be harassing you. If you are practicing extended breastfeeding, attachment parenting, home schooling, or doing anything unique from those around you, the pressure can be daunting. So what arc parents to do? We saw the need to create a place where moms can come together, support each other, and say, "Look, I'm a Wellness Mom just like you, making similar decisions and 1 have happy healthy kids as a result." We needed a place where expectant moms, new moms, and experienced moms can come together, fellowship and receive expert information and guidance on raising healthy children in the chiropractic wellness lifestyle. Additionally, mothers who have children with health challenges will be able to come and discover new and better approaches and solutions. And this is why we created Wellness Moms America (WMA)/ International. Wellness Moms is a nonprofit organization and movement, the foundation of which is a chapter meeting that takes place once a month. Moms come together and meet in libraries, community centers, whole food markets, and many other locations within your community, led by chiropractic. And what is unique about this group—there's a very structured curriculum, so you leave with a lot of new information each meeting. Every month, the mom's learn about different aspects of living the chiropractic wellness lifestyle. At each meeting, members are informed about the latest in breastfeeding and nutrition, vaccination, natural birthing, parenting issues from the wellness consciousness, exercise, improving brain and immune function, chiropractic care, and current events. WMA meetings are welcoming to everyone, from those who are just learning about the wellness lifestyle, to those families who live it everyday. In general, mom's are not racing to the chiropractor with their kids to get checked, but they will come to the Wellness Moms meeting to find out about what to feed their kids or ask about vaccination and then they find out about chiropractic. This is proving to be a huge influx of new families for chiropractors associated with the Wellness Moms chapters. The WMA has everything to educate and nurture the whole family. Moms, dads and kids, alike, see that the other families arc much like their own. They are eating the same types of foods, getting adjusted, and are living similar wellness lifestyles. Knowing that other parents and expecting mom's are making the same decisions you arc, and recognizing that you have a support system upon which to develop friendships, is essential. Soon every community in the world will have a Wellness Moms Chapter, a place where people can come together and support each other for living the Chiropractic Wellness Lifestyle. And here is one of the best parts: There are millions of Well-ness Moms like you throughout the world, but most of them feel that they have to be guarded and secretive about many of their decisions to avoid confrontation and rejection. Up until now, there has been no organization or leadership for them. Wellness Moms and Dads are powerful people and this has quickly become the most important, influential lay public organization in the world for children being raised in the Chiropractic Wellness Lifestyle. People have been waiting for something like this to come along to gain the support and most updated information they need. As a chapter member (or leader), you become part of the solution. None of us can do this alone, and we shouldn't have to. By working together, we will help our children reach their optimum genetic potential on every level for the betterment of our children and the world. Drs. Theresa and Stuart Warner, leading experts in children s health and uelliiess, have a private practice in Point Pleasant, NJ, where 75 percent of their practice consists of young children. They write articles and lecture internationally on raising extraordinary healthy children and are applauded for helping to bring the most new families into chiropractic offices. The Drs. Warner founded Kids Dav America/International™ where 2.000 chiropractors and chiropractic colleges have screened nearly 4,000.000 children in thirteen rears for siiblu.xation. They also founded Wellness Moms America/International™, which supports moms in communities around the world in raising children in the chiropractic lifestyle. Drs. Warner's company. Future Perfect Inc., has products, services and coaching to create pediatric practices for chiropractors worldwide. Through the World Children s Wellness Foundation, they champion children's causes. To contact Drs. Warner or to receive free weekly pediatric practice building and science emails, send your request to DrsWarner(a),childrenswellness.com or call 1-732-295-5437. You can get all the details on the information line at 1-5I2-5O5-686O.\ WMA meetings are welcoming to everyone, from those who are just learning about the wellness lifestyle, to those families who live it everyday.
