In April of 2000, our son, Jaden Christopher, was born. Five days later, he was hospitalized for over a week due to severe seizures. They had come on gradually and slowly increased in frequency and intensity. The physicians and nurses ran all kinds of tests on our precious son – every test that they could think of – all of them came back negative. One of the physicians at the hospital commented that Jaden’s seizures were, most likely, caused by the vaccination that he had received when he was 2 days old. Because of this, coupled with the fact that his Great-Aunt had died from a childhood vaccination, we decided, along with our pediatrician, to stop his vaccinations. Jaden’s seizures subsided and he was released from the hospital, though he periodically was observed and tested over the next couple of years.
During this time, I began to research the link between diet and nutrition. As I learned, I began implementing changes into our family’s diet. We bought some of our food from a local health food store and bought organically grown fruits and veggies when we could afford it. Jaden was healthy and happy and we thought he was in the clear, so to speak. But as he grew, several other behavioral issues began to surface. This led me to research the link between chemicals in food and behavior.
Let me first describe some of Jaden’s behaviors. He was constantly asking questions, talking or interrupting from the time he first began to talk. He could not be still, regardless of how hard he tried. I’ve actually tied him to my body or shopping cart so that he wouldn’t dart off through the aisles of a store. He was extremely loud when he played and was constantly teasing other children. If he became overstimulated by loud noises or too much activity going on around him, he would begin to hit his head. He also had an odd aversion to anything metal – especially buttons and zippers – to the point that he would break out into huge, hysterical tears if someone who was wearing them would merely touch him. He would also throw huge, screaming fits in his room (for hours), throwing and hitting things; at times, I would have to physically restrain him. I was exhausted and even began to struggle with not liking my own son. If he behaved like this at 3 years old, I was afraid at what his future might be like.
As I researched the link between chemicals and behavior, I ran across a website containing the research of Dr. Benjamin Feingold. I discovered that my son and I were not alone or unique in what we were going through. Dr. Feingold’s research made complete sense to me; it connected, answering significant questions. I believe that Jaden has a sensitivity to chemicals that was evidenced with that first vaccination and still continues to this day.
The challenge is that chemicals are all around us. For example, they are in our foods, in the form of artificial (sometimes “natural”) flavorings and colors, our personal care products, in the form of artificial colors and scents, our traditional medicines, and our household cleaners. Even our clothes and dishes are cleaned with chemicals. I knew that I had to at least try to remove these items from Jaden’s environment and see if there were any positive results.
Within a week of getting rid of the chemicals in our house, Jaden’s behavior began to calm down. Within a few months, he behaved like a different boy and I was determined to do all that I could to keep him that way. I began to buy locally grown foods that were free of pesticides and harmful additives. I taught myself how to cook from scratch instead of from a box. I learned how to make herbal medicines for my family when they got sick. I also learned how to make my own cleaners, laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, bars of soap, shampoo bars, lotion bars, sunscreen, toothpaste, and much more. I loved it.
I still love it…and that’s why, with my husband’s help, I’ve started JCnaturals (The JC stands for Jaden Christopher). I’m committed to offer only those products that my family uses – quality, chemical-free, and homemade in small batches. All products marked with F1, F2, FA, or FB are accepted for stages 1 or 2 of the Feingold Program.