Audrey Marlene Speaking Out, Part I. Speaking Out With Audrey Marlene Monday, April 7, 2008 Desperate Teenagers By Audrey Marlene, MS There have so many events taking place all around us that are symptoms of a breakdown in our homes. A desperate 14 year old girl in her distressed state of mind gave birth to her baby and killed it. We have heard of these types of incidents before but it seems as if they are becoming more frequent. It is for this reason I am speaking out because these issues need to be addressed more often. The first incident this past week was a 14 year old girl giving birth to her baby in a bathroom, then killed the baby while attempting to flush it down the toilet. The other incident was only a few days prior when another 14-year-old girl delivered a stillborn fetus in the bathroom of an airplane on her way back from a middle-school field trip. Now most many want to condemn both these girls for their actions and rightly so because they were cruel acts. However, the first question that comes to mind is how could this have happened? Think about the state of mind these girls must have been in. Think about how distraught and scared they were. True these girls have to take responsibility for their actions however, the parents of these girls must take most of the responsibility. When parents do not openly communicate to their children about sex the subject will be explored by the curious teenager. There is always someone or something else willing to educate our teens. Sex is a natural part of who we are. It's as natural as eating. It's an instinctive need triggered by hormones. It must be spoken about in a way that our children can cognitively grasp the impact of sexual acts. I recently saw that a middle school in Portland Maine offered birth control to middle school girls. I also saw the outrage by many parents. If some parents are not willing to educate their children about sex then I agree that the schools must intervene. It's the only way to reduce these incidents from occurring. We allow our children to be exposed to sexually explicit themes at an early age through music, movies, and the internet and then expect them to act unaffected. I think many of us as parents need to wake up and stop living in denial about your children's sexuality. If not you must be held accountability for your children’s desperate actions.
Audrey Marlene Speaking Out, Part IISpeaking OutTuesday, April 8, 2008 The Roof of The World By Audrey Marlene, MS Since early March we have seen many demonstrations in Tibet and some parts of China expressing their distaste for the way the people of Tibet have been treated. Over the years the rights of Tibetans have been threatened. This has resulted in so much suffering and death to the people of Tibet a peace-loving people, it is saddening to watch. Over 1.2 million Tibetans have been killed by the Chinese since the invasion of Tibet. Thousands of monasteries have been destroyed. Buddhist monks and nuns have been tortured as a result of their religious belief. There is no freedom of religion or speech for Tibetans inside Tibet. The communistic philosophies of the Chinese government have caused enough suppression and affliction to these people and the world sits back and observes the outright human rights injustice. This year, China hosts the Olympics and the world embraces their participation in this electrifying event yet there remains on the back burner the oppression and abuse of the Tibetans by the Chinese government. Many heads of states are calling for a boycott of the Olympics to bring more attention to the blatant display of human rights abuse. The Tibetans were independent until China invaded Tibet. They have their own culture, language and religion and I believe they should be allowed the privilege to operate as an independent country. Think about how it would be to not have the freedom to live the life you want to. Support the people of Tibet in their struggle for human rights.
Audrey Marlene Speaking Out, Part IIISpeaking OutWednesday, April 9, 2008 Disease Management By Audrey Marlene, MS I am choosing to focus my blog today on the way health care is currently practiced in the US. I have been battling lupus for 17 years and in the last 4 years it has gone into remission. Not because I found a magical cure but because I took a personal interest in my illness and made sure I got better. The current system of health care in the US did not allow me this. Instead it provided me with many medicines and each visit to the doctor ended up costing me about $400 including doctors visit and blood work. I walked away with a prescription for medicines that costs about $400 per month. This has been my regiment for the last 15 years. I innately knew this was not the way I was going to get better. I knew I was falling victim to a system that it controlled by the pharmaceutical companies and I knew I couldn’t allow that to happen. Instead I did the research. I learned everything there is to know about lupus. I knew the lifestyle I needed to maintain in order to remain healthy. True I continued to take the medicines prescribed to me but I knew I did not want to live the rest of my life taking these medicines with so many known side-effects. I took control of my healing. I made sure I got my 7-8 hours of sleep each night. I don’t eat meats only fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans and I make sure to prepare it as simple as possible. I exercise a minimum of 4 days a week. I take some supplemental vitamins. I keep my spiritual, mental, and emotional life intact and I make sure to laugh a lot. With that said, I am proud to say that I am beginning to reduce my medicines. As a matter of fact, I have stopped taking one completely and I am reducing the second one. If you truly want to get better from an illness you have to take your illness into your own hands. Health care in the US is basically disease management. There is really no cure only controlling the symptoms of a disease. Don’t fall victim to a medical infrastructure that only manages your disease. Take control of your life and help to heal yourself.
Audrey Marlene Speaking Out, Part IVSpeaking OutThursday, April 10, 2008 Overpopulation By Audrey Marlene, MS Speaking out about overpopulation is a topic that doesn't not receive enough attention. Overpopulation occurs when there are more people than resources, enough to supply the health needs of an individual, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's International Data Base, by the year 2050, China will no longer be the most populated country in the world. That title would be passed on to India where more than 1.8 billion people could be competing for their country's resources, estimating a world population of 9 billion by 2050. This has been a major concern of environmentalists that overpopulation could threaten the planet’s resources. Their concerns focus on deforestation, desertification, air pollution and global warming. However, according to Lawrence Smith, president of the Population Institute, the worst-case scenario for people experiencing overpopulation, , is a lack of fresh, clean water. "If the water goes, the species goes," he said. Our population has increased tremendously over the last 200 years. So much so, that only 40 years ago, we had less than half the people on the planet than we have here today. Today’s blog is to bring awareness to an issue that does not receive enough attention. True, it may not affect us today but for our children and grandchildren and generations to come have you thought of how overpopulation can affect their lives. What are you doing in your part of the world to help create solutions to this problem?
Audrey Marlene Speaking Out, Part VSpeaking OutFriday, April 11, 2008 Fashionably Medicated By Audrey Marlene, MS Today I am speaking out about overuse or misuse of so many medications. According to a February 2008 article published in Scientific American, a study of antidepressant use in private health insurance plans by the New England Research Institute found that 43 percent of those who had been prescribed antidepressants had no psychiatric diagnosis or any mental health care beyond the prescription of the drug. Click Here to read the entire article. I believe there are cases where medication is necessary but in my opinion I believe that the pharmaceutical companies and done a great job with their marketing campaigns that even some doctors have bought into. Have you ever seen the ads? "Do you have A B & C symptoms? Then you need X drug? Ask your doctor for it." It's as if we are not to experience any sadness in our lives, God forbid! And if we do, take a drug that has a million side effects. I lived with clinical depression for many years I know about it and yes I have taken antidepressants before but medication only gets you from 0 to 50. You must resolve your issues to become functional to take you from 50 and above. If not you will be bound to medications for the rest of your lives. Don’t just buy into what is dictated for you by drug companies, doctors, or society in general. Do the research and take your health into you own hands. If not you will become victim to a system whose bottom line is money. Become an independent thinker and begin to awaken to the reality of what our society dictates for us.
Audrey Marlene Speaking Out, Part VISpeaking OutMonday, April 14, 2008 Parenting Education By Audrey Marlene, MS The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in its first report on maltreatment of babies up to age 1 that 91,278 of them were physically abused or neglected in 2006. What amazes me is that the most important job in the world does not require any training. We must take driving lessons to drive a car and we must go to college that can take years to obtain sufficient qualification to land a job, but the most important job of raising lives to become adaptable and functional human beings in society requires no training. In my opinion this seems unimaginable that in the 21st century parenting education still has not become part of the curriculum in our schools. I believe that starting in middle school, parenting education classes should be age appropriately taught to avoid many of the pitfalls we see today with teenage pregnancies or physically abused or neglected children. Not enough importance is given to the most significant occupation that exists. Therefore, when we see teenagers giving birth to babies in airplanes and toilets or adults physically abusing or neglecting precious lives, they are huge cries for help that we as a society are ignoring. If our children are knowledgeable about the responsibilities of raising another human life, kids today can be more conscious of their sexual practices and take more precautions. If we as a society keep ignoring this simple solution of parenting education in schools, the problem will keep getting worse and we will continue to see sad and disturbing stories as we are now witnessing.
Audrey Marlene Speaking Out, Part VIISpeaking OutTuesday, April 15, 2008 Healthy Diet For Kids By Audrey Marlene, MS With the increased knowledge available today have you ever wondered why it is our kids are less healthy than before? Why is it that many of our schools that know better still serve up foods that not so healthy? And parents? According to a recent study, kids who eat better perform better in school. Students who ate sufficient amounts of fruit, vegetables, protein, fiber and other components of a healthy diet were significantly less likely to fail a literacy test. So many parents invest globs of money in tutors, mentors, life coaches, doctors or psychologists to improve the academic performance of their children. But sometimes the simple solutions for academic clarity lie right under their noses - a healthy diet. If only parents could grasp the importance of the fuel that goes into propelling their kids, many deficiencies we are seeing today in our children can be solved. In my practice I see many children who were recommended to me for ADD therapy. I often inquire about the diet of the child and very frequently hear that many of these kids are operating on fast foods. Some of them have never taken a multivitamin since they were babies. Examine your family’s diet. Are you children getting the proper nutrition and brain food they need to perform well in school? How unfair to make academic demands on children when they are not provided with all the academic tools they need to excel. The foods we serve up to our kids must be seen as an academic tool.
Audrey Marlene Speaking Out, Part VIIISpeaking OutWednesday, April 16, 2008 Hormones in Food By Audrey Marlene, MS Do you know what’s in the foods you eat ? Are you concerned about all the hormones that are given to young animals so they can gain weight faster making it more profitable for the meat and dairy industries? According to the , College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University there are six different kinds of steroid hormones that are currently approved by FDA for use in food production in the US: estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, zeranol, trenbolone acetate, and melengestrol acetate. These steroid hormones are usually implanted under the skin of the ear of the animal and the ears are thrown away at slaughter. The cows you get your milk from may be injected under the skin. Steroid hormones in food were suspected to cause early puberty in girls in some reports. In another study in Italy, steroid hormone residues in beef and poultry in school meals were suspected as the cause of breast enlargement in very young girls and boys. Samples of meat and chicken from Puerto Rico were tested for steroid hormone residues. One laboratory found a chicken sample from a local market to have higher than normal level of estrogen. There is a concern of growth-hormone treated cows and resides of antibiotics found in the milk they produce. The debate continues on whether growth hormones should or should not be used for food production. In 1989, the European Union issued a ban on all meat from animals treated with steroid growth hormones, which is still in effect. However, many countries still continue to do so. Be aware of the foods you and your family consume. Don’t allow society to make that decision for you. Begin to read labels and buy more organic products. Find alternative foods high in protein and calcium to supplement your diet.
Audrey Marlene Speaking Out, Part IXSpeaking OutThursday, April 17, 2008 The Drug War - Supply and Demand By Audrey Marlene, MS The fight to combat drug use by stopping the drug traffickers rages on. The exponential growth of prescription drug use remains on the rise. Billions of dollars are spent all over the world to treat addicts and rehabilitate them. So how can this happen? Where is the source of the problem we see today with so much drug use? This way of life will continue - the demand for drugs will always drive the supplier to make it available. The best way to win the war on drugs is to work to decrease the demand. It may sound simple and can take decades before results are seen but it is truly the only way. The source of the problem is the home. The home from which a child comes determines the outcome for that child. If parents are trained properly to raise their children with an aversion to drugs, this problem of drug abuse will not perpetuate as rapidly as we are witnessing. Of course drug use will still rage on but not at the level at which we see it today. It’s as if drug use has become a way of life these days. From the time we are born we are programmed by the practice of conventional of medicine to take some medicine for whatever ails us. We grow up believing that the only way to feel better is to take drugs. Many problems today are often solved with the use of drugs. Kids who have difficulties learning are immediately placed on drugs, starting as early as 6. Our mind and bodies become dependent on some form of medicine and this habit can translate in harder drugs use as the child grows. True, there are times when medicines are warranted but every time? There are alternative ways to live life and heal our bodies without so much dependence on drugs. We have grown so accustomed to the quick-fix that very few of us are willing to take the time to do the research for alternative ways. With this kind of laziness as a society we will continue to be pawns to the drug companies and the drug traffickers. Become and independent thinker. Speaking out about how you feel means taking a stand today.
Audrey Marlene Speaking Out, Part XSpeaking OutFriday April 18, 2008 Independent Thinking By Audrey Marlene, MS Much of what I have been speaking out in my blogs over the last 2 weeks have been a series in independent thinking. I felt obliged to share with my readers another dimension in thinking as much of what we think has been merely created for us. This restrictive thinking imposed on us is endorsed and conveyed to us each day of our lives especially by the media and if no attention is brought to it we become as robots, allowing everyone else to do our thinking for us. I realize how tough speaking out can be when we have a different point of view. When you are seen as going against the flow you are seen as an outcast or a rebel and one quickly cowers to fit in. This is also part of the programming, to make the 3-D thinker feel ostracized. Rather than welcome fresh and innovative thinking we as a society discourage it and encourages us in the same old way of thinking. We see this one dimensional way of thinking in our schools and the ones that offer any new way of thinking that challenges the current way are condemned publicly. However, have you noticed that when a big corporation makes an innovative stand and are profitable how much positive attention they receive for it? Allow my speaking out blogs to trigger new thoughts in you. Question the current way things are done. I am not encouraging you to be disruptive but to simply expand your scope of thinking way past what you are accustomed to. This is the only way you will develop the greatness inside of you and not become a puppet to someone else’s profitable game. Be very aware of what you say and how you think. What limitations are you putting on yourself? How might you be holding yourself back? The world is big enough for great thinkers. .
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