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DID YOU KNOW???

Children's Statistics

More than 7 million women in the United States have been labeled with an impaired ability to conceive a child, and of these women, over 2 million have been deemed infertile. 

Six percent of US infants are now exposed to ovulation stimulation treatments and medications, which are associated with high multiple birth rates and a range of complications for both the mother and the infant. Additionally, ovulation stimulation medications have also been linked to increased preterm delivery rates, even in singleton infants.

Childhood cancer has risen almost 11 percent in the past decade. 

The 1996 statistics from the Centers for Disease Control show that asthma affects over 14 million Americans. This is nearly double the rate from 1980. Almost 5 million of these asthmatics are children.

Obesity among U.S. children has increased by 54 percent in 6 to 11 year olds and by 40 percent in adolescents. These obese children will most likely become obese adults and carry all the extra risks for diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

 

Birth Statistics

It's more dangerous to give birth in the United States than in 49 other countries.  Amnesty International

C Section rates in the United States are at an all-time high and, at over 30%, ranks as one of the highest in the world. This is 15 percent greater than what the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends, stating that a C Section rate which exceeds 15% offers no population health benefits

Amnesty International has declared Cesarean Sections an epidemic in the United States according to their recent report, Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA

More than two women die every day in the USA from complications of pregnancy and childbirth.  Approximately half of these deaths could be prevented if maternal health care were available, accessible and of good quality for all women in the USA.  Amnesty International

The USA spends more than any other country on health care, and more on maternal health than any other type of hospital care.

The United States government set a goal of reducing c-section rates to 15 percent for low-risk, first-time mothers under the Healthy Peoples 2010 objectives, established in 1998, but has failed to meet the goal.

Maternal mortality ratios have increased from 6.6 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1987 to 13.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2006.

Home births rose 20% over four years, government figures show. (2011)

The CDC found home births of infants born prematurely has fallen to less than half the percentage in hospitals today.

Midwives vs. Traditional Hospital Childbirth:

  • Midwives attend 6 percent of all births in the United States.
  • Of midwife-attended births, 95 percent occur in hospitals, 3 percent occur in birth centers, and 1 percent occur in private homes.
  • According to the World Health Organization, 90 to 95 percent of the entire world's births are normal.
  • According to the Public Citizen Health Research Group, certified nurse-midwives have a cesarean section rate of 11.6 percent compared with a national average of 23.3 percent.

Among midwife-delivered home births in 2006, one-fourth (27%) were delivered by certified nurse-midwives, and nearly three-fourths (73%) were delivered by other professional midwives.

Ina May Gaskin and "The Farm" midwives have listed their statistics forThe Farm Midwifery Center: Outcomes of 2,028 pregnancies: 1970-2000 -

  • Births completed at home - 95.1%
  • Non-emergency transports - 3.6%
  • Emergency transports - 1.3%
  • First-time mothers - 44.7%
  • Women having their 6th baby or more - 5.4%
  • All others - 49.9%
  • Vaginal births - 98.6%
  • Cesarean sections - 1.4%
  • US national average for 2001 - 24.4%
  • Cases with no preeclampsia - 99.61%
  • Cases of preeclampsia - .39%
  • Cases with no hemorrhage - 98.2%
  • Cases of postpartum hemorrhage - 1.8%

When comparing midwifery only care there was a 32% reduction in emergency caesarean delivery and a 9% increase in normal vaginal births.

Women who have doula attended births are

  • 26% less likely to give birth by cesarean section
  • 41% less likely to give birth with vacuum extraction or forceps
  • 28% less likely to use any pain medications and
  • 33% less likely to be dissatisfied with or negatively rate their birth experience

 

Facts About Prescriptions (some involve your children)…

20% of recently approved prescription drugs have serious, life threatening side effects. 

Percentage increase from 1985 - 1999 in stimulant psychotropic drugs prescribed to children: 327%

Percentage increase from 1991 - 2000 in stimulant psychotropic drugs prescribed to preschoolers between 2 & 4 years of age: 50%

The number of antidepressants prescribed annually for children under 19: 11 million 

The number of children diagnosed with "ADD/ADHD" & drugged in 1985: 500,000.  Today: approximately 6 million

The total number of advertising violations issued by the FDA for misleading drug ads from 1997 - 2001:  88;  Amount of fines levied for such violations: $0

Number of Americans annually who request & receive a prescription for a specific drug after seeing a commercial for it: 8.5 million

Seven drugs recalled by the FDA between 1993 & 2000 after reports of death & severe side effects exceeded $5 billion in sales before being withdrawn.

A natural herbal cure was found for diabetes. The amount paid to the person that discovered it to not market or announce the cure: $30 million

The approximate number of Americans that die annually from FDA approved drugs: 125,000

The approximate number of Americans that die annually from Aspirin use: 2,000

The amount of money the pharmaceutical industry & the FDA would lose if Americans turned to natural cures (vitamins, minerals, herbs, fruit, etc.) instead of prescription drugs: trillions!

 

Alternative Therapies

The World Health Organization recognizes the ability of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat over 43 common disorders 

Using natural therapies to prepare for birth, such as acupuncture, during the last several weeks of pregnancy can result in an overall:

  • 35% reduction in the number of inductions (for women having their first baby this was a 43% reduction),
  • 31% reduction in the epidural rate.

According to CNN one-half of all medical schools now offer courses in holistic health care; almost one-third of American medical schools-among them Harvard, Yale, John's Hopkins, and Georgetown Universities-now offer coursework in holistic methods.

There are five homeopathic hospitals in the Great British National Service.

One out of three drugs prescribed in Germany is an herb.

The World Health Organization estimates that between 65 to 80 percent of the world's population (about 3 billion people) rely on holistic medicine as their primary form of health care.

In 1993, American consumers spent almost $1.5 billion dollars on herbal remedies  -ten times more than was spent on over-the-counter sleeping pills from grocery stores and drug stores.

Approximately $22 million of U.S. government money has already been spent on alternative medical research since 1992 at the National Institutes of Health and Public Health Services.

The American Medical Association (AMA), in Resolution #514, "is encouraging its members to become better in-formed regarding holistic medicine and to participate in appropriate studies of it.

One out of every ten Americans is under the care of a chiropractor.

In 1991, Americans made more visits to unconventional health care providers (425 million) than to conventional doctors (388 million).

One out of three Americans were using unconventional medicine in 1991.

Americans spent almost $13.7 billion on unconventional health care in 1991; 75 percent of that $13.7 billion (above) was out of pocket.

12 percent of Fortune 500 companies offer alternative medicine as part of their health care compensation packages. That percentage was expected to increase to 18 percent by the end of 1996.

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) A nationwide government survey of more than 31,000 adults on their use of complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) showed that 36 percent of U.S. adults use some form of CAM.

The World Health Organization, estimates that between 65 to 80 percent of the world's population (about 3 billion people) rely on naturopathic or homeopathic medicine as their primary form of health care.

Worldwide, only 10 to 30 percent of people use traditional medicine, 70 to 90 percent use naturopathic and homeopathic health care.

74 percent of the American population desires a natural approach to health care.

Of the one out of three Americans who say they have used natural techniques, 84 percent said they would use it again.

Traditional Chinese Medicine has been chosen by the World Health Organization for worldwide propagation to meet the health care needs of the twenty-first century.

The U.S. government sponsors the use of acupuncture in drug rehabilitation programs.

"In a [Mayo Clinic] study of 50 patients, six acupuncture treatments given over two to three weeks significantly improved their symptoms of pain and fatigue." Time, 2005

"Americans make more visits to holistic health care providers (some 600 million a year) than to M.D.s and spend more money out-of-pocket to do so about $30 billion a year by recent estimates." Newsweek, 12/2002

"A recent study performed by the American Massage Therapy Association revealed that 28 percent of people received a massage from a massage therapist in the past five years, up from 17 percent in 1997. Eighteen percent said they had a massage in the past 12 months. That's 10 percent higher than was reported in 1997." American Massage Therapy Association, 8/2002.

 

References:

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=51188

www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/children.htm

www.childstats.gov/

http://www.inamay.com/statistics.php

www.who.int/topics/child_health/en/

www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/...is-a.../maternal-health-in-the-us

acupuncture.rhizome.net.nz/

http://www.disabled-world.com/medical/alternative/holistic/care-statistics.php