The 4 A's: Numbers are on the Rise!
In 2007, Kenneth Bock, MD, published Healing the New Childhood Epidemics. At that time, he reported that Autism was an epidemic: It spiked 1,500 percent in twenty years. ADHD, asthma and allergies have also skyrocketed over the same period of time. As of the 2007 publication, these conditions affected one in every three children in America, and the numbers have only risen since then.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, latest research indicates that rates of children diagnosed with autism have increased from 1 in 110 in 2006 to an alarming 1 in 59 today!
Similarly, ADHD rates have risen. In 2003, 7.8 percent of children ages 4 – 17 were diagnosed with ADHD. By 2007, numbers had risen to 9.5 percent, and by 2011, 11.0 percent of 4 – 17-year-olds had been diagnosed with the condition. Because ADHD had become more prevalent with younger children, in 2016 research methods altered to include children ages 2 – 17, and studies revealed 9.4 percent had ADHD.
Asthma is currently the leading cause of chronic disease among children. While hospitalization rates due to asthma has decreased in recent years, the condition is the third leading cause for hospitalization for children under the age of 15. As of 2016, 1 in 12 (8.3%) children had been diagnosed with asthma.
Allergic conditions are among the most common medical conditions affecting children in the United States. Among children aged 0–17 years, the prevalence of food allergies increased from 3.4% in 1997–1999 to 5.1% in 2009–2011. The prevalence of skin allergies increased from 7.4% in 1997–1999 to 12.5% in 2009–2011. There was no significant trend in respiratory allergies from 1997–1999 to 2009–2011, yet respiratory allergy remained the most common type of allergy among children throughout this period (17.0% in 2009–2011).
Our experience at Rubin Family Chiropractic coincides with the CDC reports. We have seen an ever-increasing number of patients with one or more of the 4-A disorders. There is hope, though! As a neurologically based chiropractic office, we have also seen our patients make dramatic improvements in their symptoms in a relatively short period of time. Through regular chiropractic care, we enjoy helping parents and children manage and alleviate symptoms of autism, ADHD, asthma and allergies among many other common childhood conditions.
References:
Allergies [internet]. Division of Human Development and Disability, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2018 [cited 31 October 2018]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html.
Asthma [internet]. National Center for Environmental Health. 2018 [cited 31 October 2018]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/most_recent_data.htm.
Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) [internet]. Division of Human Development and Disability, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2017 [cited 31 October 2018]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/features/key-findings-adhd72013.html.
Autism spectrum disorders [internet]. Division of Birth Defects, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2018 [cited 31 October 2018]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html.
Bock K, Stauth C. (2007) Healing the new childhood epidemics: autism, ADHD, asthma, and allergies: the groundbreaking program for the 4-A disorders. New York, NY: Ballentine Books.
