Review in Natural Child Magazine (pdf format)

Teachers who have been around a few decades have noticed changes in their students. Allergies to dust, pollen and food have all gone way up. From 1980 to 2006, rates of childhood asthma tripled. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) shows that over half the U.S. population is prone to some degree of hay fever. Behavioral problems have also increased, autism and ADHD in particular. This book looks at the root causes.

Early on the familiar name of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride comes up. Lambert has done her homework and has drawn on information from a wide range of sources. What she says is generally consistent with the findings of Campbell- McBride, concurring that the root cause of autism and its related spectrum of disorders won’t be found in the head, but in the gut. The balance of bacteria is the key—too many bad guys, not enough good guys. The possible causes include acquiring an imbalance from the mother at birth, sugary junk food, chemicals in the diet, and medications, especially antibiotics.

Babies acquire bacteria from the birth canal during birth. Statistics indicate that babies born by C-section have a greater risk of health problems due to poor balance of bacteria. If the mother does not have a healthy bacterial balance, however, then children delivered vaginally may still develop the same health problems. Further bacterial reinforcements come from breastfeeding. One hopes that it is fairly obvious to most people why indiscriminate use of antibiotics will destroy the healthy balance of bacteria. Sugar and chemicals in food (MSG, carrageenan) tend to promote the kind of bacteria you don’t want. Lambert goes into some detail with dietary recommendations and most of it is good.

Once a rare disorder, autism now affects one in a hundred American children. Lambert does the smart thing and looks at how our diet has changed in the last century or two. Besides the obvious rise in modern processed foods, today we don’t eat as much cultured food like real yogurt (not the pretend stuff in most groceries) or fermented vegetables. She notes that fruits and vegetables were never a big part of the American diet but elsewhere says it is important to get lots of fruits and vegetables.

If you want to start an argument (or possibly a brawl) in a crowded room, bring up the subject of vaccine safety. Beth Lambert understands that and spends many pages on the subject anyway, which is good. She agrees with other experts we have reviewed in these pages that vaccines are not the root cause of autism. There are unvaccinated children with autism. That said, there is nevertheless a clear correlation between vaccines and autism. Generation Rescue sponsored an epidemiological study of over seventeen thousand children. The health of vaccinated and unvaccinated children was compared and no one needs a PhD in math to understand the difference between the two groups. Vaccinated boys in particular were much more likely to suffer from ADHD, asthma, autism or some neurological disorder.

The book’s section on nutritional advice was written by Victoria Kobliner who stays on my good side by recognizing the value of cod liver oil and coconut oil. She is also not as fat-phobic as the victims of public education and the mainstream media. Then we are reminded of the track record of mainstream medicine when it is confronted with a cure. It took about twenty years to convince them that there was a link between ulcers and H. pylori bacteria. They were at least as slow to get the link between pellagra and niacin deficiency or cancer and smoking. I hope it won’t take anyone twenty years to see that my thumb is UP for this book.

—Tim Boyd, Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts

A Compromised Generation: The Epidemic of Chronic Illness in America's Children provides a 'must' for any who would protect children. Research is showing that decades of medical over-treatment combined with poor diet choices and exposure to environmental toxins is compromising the health of kids and creating epidemics of chronic illness. Chapters show how to reverse these epidemics and how to prevent kids from becoming ill by altering environmental exposure and going outside Western medicine.

—Midwest Book Review

A Compromised Generation: The Epidemic of Chronic Illness in America’s Children by Beth Lambert looks at the prevalence of chronic childhood illness, such as asthma and autism, and offers an alternative perspective for its causes and treatments. She argues that poor diet and nutrition impacts the body’s bacterial balance and compromises a child’s immune system, which takes further abuse from environmental toxins and overprescribed medications, including vaccines. Without militancy, she calls parents and society to reduce such problems. This could mean eating more organic foods and using natural household products. Her perspective may, at times, be mildly controversial. Nevertheless, it encourages parents to consider a lifestyle that may differ from their neighbors’, but could transform their children’s well-being.

—ForeWord Reviews

There are dangers to our growing children, and many aren't even aware of them. A Compromised Generation: The Epidemic of Chronic Illness in America's Children discusses the seemingly chronic illness that affect many of today's children in the wide array of forms such as autism, diabetes, and many other disorders. Placing the blame on over use of pharmaceutical drugs, vaccines, and other elements, "A Compromised Generation" is worth considering for parents who are suspicious of the things that could be the cause of sicknesses.

—Wisconsin Bookwatch

Why Are Our Kids Sick?
Going back to school is the perfect time to shine a spotlight on the health of our families. Particularly our children. It’s time for sports physicals, vaccinations and flu shots. But for many of us, these aren’t easy decisions to make and we’re looking for additional health information to answer why my child has chronic health problems or needs so many vaccinations.

Author Beth Lambert of Amherst has published a much anticipated book, A Compromised Generation, The Epidemic of Chronic Illness in America’s Children which should be on a “must read” list for parents.

In her book Beth writes in a section titled Root Causes: The Perfect Storm, “The epidemic of chronic childhood illness in America is the product of “a perfect storm” of environmental factors, including the overuse of medications, poor diet and nutrition, excessive hygiene, indoor sedentary lifestyles, excessive or improperly administered vaccination, and continuous exposure to a panoply of environmental toxins. To a degree, genetics play a role in the development of illness for particular children, but genetically based explanations do not explain the unprecedented and widespread biological dysfunctions among children today.

There are no epidemics of genetic illnesses, only environmentally derived illnesses. There are simply too many sick children today to substantiate the theory that genetics cause their illnesses.”

From there Beth draws a picture of family life with “sick kids.” Her research is thorough and well documented with 35 pages of endnotes. She offers parents and medical professionals a cogent plan to reverse the effect environmental factors are having on the health of our children. The chapters cover medication usage, environmental pollution, diet and nutrition, habits, lifestyles immunizations, healing and hope for the future.

Dr. Christiane Northrup author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom, praises the book, “A clear, rational and compelling wake-up call for everyone who is concerned about the health of our future generations. In short, this is a terrific book!”

Beth is the daughter of Charles and Diana Lambert of Amherst. She lives in Connecticut with her husband Greg Behling and their three young children. Beth is a former healthcare consultant and teacher who attended Oxford University, Williams College and holds a Masters degree in American Studies from Fairfield University. She is the Executive Director of PEACE: Parents Ending America’s Childhood Epidemic, a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about the epidemic of chronic illness affecting our youth, and helping parents connect with other parents and appropriate healthcare providers (www.epidemicanswers.org).

For more information about the epidemic or to find a healthcare provider who understands this epidemic, please visit Epidemic Answers, a web project sponsored by Parents Ending America’s Childhood Epidemic (PEACE), a 501c3 nonprofit organization. A Compromised Generation, The Epidemic of Chronic Illness in America’s Children by Beth Lambert is available at the Toadstool Bookshops, Shaw’s Plaza, Milford.

—The Amherst Citizen