Canary Kids Project / Movie
Visit epidemicanswers.org
This was the official site for the Canary Kids Project, the brainchild of Beth Lambert, who wants to raise the public's consciousness about the current autism epidemic in the US.
Content is from the site's 2013 archived pages and other outside sources.
The new owners of this domain wanted to keep an edited version of the original website to educate visitors, as well as encourage interested visitors to visit Epidemic Answers for more information.
Go to: https://epidemicanswers.org , Epidemic Answers, Beth Lambert's website dedicated to reestablishing vibrant health in our children and ourselves through education, empowerment and prevention. Epidemic Answers offers a starting point for parents looking to understand why their children are chronically ill and what can be done to recover them.
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The Project
The Canary Kids Project was born of one simple gutsy observation:
In spite of what most parents are told, many of these children can get better.
We have the tools. And by demonstrating how they get better and how to protect their health we have the opportunity to create a better, safer, healthier and more sustainable future . . . for all of us.
Our “big idea” is to create a successful, grassroots, crowd-sourced model for improved health outcomes for children affected by chronic illness that can also serve as a model for healthy sustainable living. We are aggregating and documenting solutions that are ready for replication across the globe.
Step 1: Heal the Children.
We are providing seven children who have autism, ADHD or other seemingly intractable conditions with resources that look beyond what the conventional western medical paradigm has offered thus far. Our program’s direct and comprehensive support for these children and their families will span eighteen months.
Step 2: Document Success.
We are documenting the children’s progress and inviting the world to witness what occurs. We are producing a powerful feature-length film that explores the environmental factors that contributed to their illnesses as well as the healing modalities that got them better.
Step 3: Develop Best Practices.
We are working with leading physicians and scientists to develop a set of best practices that will improve the standard treatment of these illnesses. We are capturing scientific and metabolic data that that will assist other health professionals as well as the general public. Learn more about our research goals here.
Step 4: Spread the Word.
We are sharing this message of hope with the world: Children can get better, and illness can be prevented. Let us show you how.
The film is being sponsored by Epidemic Answers, a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
What's Going On With Autism and Childhood Disorders? with Beth Lambert
With at least 1 in 2 American children diagnosed with a chronic illness, they are the canaries in the coalmine of national health. We do not accept the “new normal” of sick children any more than we accept the demise of fish in our oceans or the loss of biodiversity in our rain forests. Our greatest hope to reverse this devastating trend is to revolutionize how we think about our health and the human relationship with the planet. The Documenting Hope Project is a solutions-oriented science and media initiative poised to inspire parents, physicians and the public to make the necessary changes that will foster health for our children and our planet.
To The Editor: Just wanted you to know that we, in cooperation with the dog beds retailer GoodNightDog.com, sponsored a fundraiser that Beth would be proud of. This company creates gorgeous round pillow dog beds covered with washable designer fabrics. These are the type of product you'd see in Architectural Digest or Southern Comfort. Turns out that high end dog beds are something everyone can afford. And man's best friend deserves the best night's sleep. Anyway, we raised over $700 in one afternoon. Robin Walters
Canary Kids: Putting a Stop to Chronic Childhood Illness
Canary Kids, a new film project directed by award-winning film marker Mary Mazzio of 50 Eggs Films and sponsored by the nonprofit organization Epidemic Answers, takes a closer look at the causes and cures of the modern autism epidemic and other chronic childhood ilnesses.
Canary Kids follows 7 children on their road to recovery from diagnoses of autism, ADHD, asthma, chronic Lyme or other amalgamation of chronic (environmentally-derived) symptoms, through 18 months of unique treatment.
The film documents the devastating health trend among children in the US, outlining the key factors that have contributed to the epidemic of chronic illness, and demonstrating how children can recover from conditions as varied as asthma and autism by stepping outside the conventional Western medical paradigm.
This film seeks to educate viewers and show that we are all affected by this epidemic: Asthma, ADHD, allergies, Lyme, OCD, SPD, LDs, diabetes, obesity, Crohn's, colitis, rare autoimmune conditions . . .
GO TO: https://vimeo.com/60780290 to see the trailer.
A Unique Approach to Healing
The Canary Kids Project was founded on the belief that healing requires an integrative yet individualized approach, one that encourages the body’s own healing responses rather than suppression of symptoms. Each enrolled child and family will be paired with a clinical care coordinator (guided and supported by a team of medical mentors led by Russell Jaffe, MD, PhD, of the Health Studies Collegium, and Martha Herbert, MD, PhD, of Harvard Medical School), and a health coach to help them navigate the many challenges and obstacles on their journey to healing.
A variety of healing modalities will be provided, including, but not limited to personalized nutritional support (including whole, organic, biodynamically-sourced food, and supplementation, if warranted); predictive and functional laboratory and developmental assessments; nontoxic personal and home products; environmental assessments; personalized therapeutic modalities; and emotional/spiritual support.
Financial Support Needed
The Canary Kids Project urgently needs financial backing. Before the 14 children can be enrolled in the program, we need to raise the $5 million necessary to fund the healing, the scientific documentation and the creation of a documentary film that shares the message that recovery is possible.
Hundreds of individuals have already contributed financially to support this people-powered project, but we need more help! Please make a tax-deductible donation today
The Canary Kids Film Project: How to Stop the Autism Epidemic in Its Tracks
By Beth Lambert
I believe that we have the power to stop the autism epidemic in its tracks. In order to do this, we must increase the number of people who understand the root causes of the epidemic. We must increase the number of people who understand that we are all touched by this epidemic. So how do we increase the number of parents and citizens in this country who understand what is happening to our children? How do we accelerate their learning?
We live in a media age. It is time for a big media solution. It is time for a ground-breaking, paradigm-shifting film, made by anaward-winning director, that will raise awareness in a meaningful and powerful way. A film that connects the dots for people. A film that shows how all children in this country are a part of the autism epidemic. A film that can be seen in theaters across the country.
I present to you,Canary Kids: A Film For Our Children.This is a documentary film that is being funded by us, the parents, the scientists, the writers, the advocates, the people who “get it,” who want everyone else to “get it” too. But we need yourhelp.
A New Age, A New Solution
In 2012 The Norman Lear Center at USC Annenberg, a top research and policy institution focusing on the impact of entertainment and media on society, released a research study that answered the following question: Do movies have the ability to change people’s behaviors? By using the documentary film, Food, Inc. as a case study, the answer they found was a resounding: Yes. They did a controlled study and found that after people watched Food Inc. they were significantly more likely to:
- encourage their friends, family & colleagues to learn more about food safety
- shop at their local farmers market
- eat healthy food
- consistently buy organic or sustainable food
So imagine the statistics coming out upon the release of Canary Kids:
People who watched Canary Kids were more likely to:
- refuse antibiotics for their children’s ear infections or viral sore throats
- eat organic whole foods
- try homeopathy before pharmaceutical medications
- replace toxic cleaning and personal care products with safe, green alternatives
- write their Congressmen about toxic exposures in their communities
Now, that is the kind of change that can stop a health epidemic in its tracks.
Beth Lambert is the Executive Director of Epidemic Answers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about the epidemic of chronic illness affecting our children and helping parents find healing solutions. Beth is also the author of A Compromised Generation: The Epidemic of Chronic Illness in America’s Children(Sentient, 2010) and the mother of three young children
We Are All In The Same Boat
What is going to make someone come out to see Canary Kids? Canary Kids is not just about autism. For too long, people not directly affected by autism have looked the other way, because they can’t relate to autism. They don’t know what it is, they don’t see how it impacts them. They may not come out to see a film about autism, but they will come out to see a film about their kids.
Most people don’t understand that the asthma epidemic is directly related to the autism epidemic or that the obesity epidemic is related to the autism epidemic. They don’t yet see that the same environmental factors (pharmaceuticals, vaccines, toxins, diet, etc.) that cause symptoms of autism in one child are the very same environmental factors that cause symptoms of asthma in another.
Canary Kids is a film about all of us, and how every single child in this country is a part of the autism epidemic. The goal of the film is to show the many people who are not (yet) directly affected by autism and who don’t feel the same sense of urgency that the autism community does, that we are all in the same boat. I believe that the people who do not have a child or grandchild or close family member with autism will begin to pay closer attention to the epidemic once they understand that their “unaffected” children are actually a part of the autism epidemic too.
“Almost Autism”
The key lies in helping them to see that their mildly affected children are really “almost autism.”
- A child with GERD and projectile vomiting as an infant: almost autism
- A child who can’t stand to have her hair brushed, skin touched, or clothes on: almost autism
- A child with low muscle tone, apraxia and runny stools: almost autism
- A child with eczema over 70% of his body and an inability to sleep at night: almost autism
- A child with chronic constipation and behavioral problems: almost autism
We are all (in our own unique way) a part of an epidemic of chronic illness, and our children . . . they are our little Canaries.
And that brings us back to the Canary Kids Film Project, a project sponsored by my nonprofit organization,Epidemic Answers. The Canary Kids Film Project will take 7 children with a diagnosis of autism, ADHD, asthma, chronic Lyme or some other amalgamation of chronic (environmentally-derived) symptoms and provide them with free healing and recovery services for the period of 18 months.
The film will document their recovery journey while simultaneously providing an exposé on the factors that contributed to their conditions in the first place. Most importantly, the film will connect the dots for people so that they understand that we are all a part of the autism epidemic: Asthma, ADHD, allergies, Lyme, OCD, SPD, LDs, diabetes, obesity, Crohn’s, colitis, rare autoimmune conditions . . . we are all affected.
We are making this film in collaboration with award-winning director Mary Mazzio of 50 Eggs Inc. The film is slated for theatrical release, but we need funding first. We have already raised $70,000, but we need $250,000 more to enroll the children in the program and additional funding for film production. This has the potential to be a game-changing film.
Please consider supporting this film project in any way you can. We believe this film has the power to wake people up. More importantly, we can help 7 beautiful children get on the road to recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
We are both honored and overwhelmed at the excitement and interest that our project is already inspiring. Many of you have reached out with offers to help us, and we are grateful for each and every offer. Others want to know if their children can be featured in the film. We have put together this FAQ to help answer some of your questions during our pre-launch phase.
How is your program different from other approaches to treating chronic illness?
Conventional medicine tends to view chronic illness as something to be managed based on symptoms, rather than something that can be reversed based on an understanding of underlying causes. Far too often, clinicians focus on symptom suppression and control. In contrast, the Canary Kids Project focuses on addressing and mitigating upstream causes of dis-ease, rather than on downstream symptom management. We aim to show that when individuals are provided with the appropriate therapeutic support and a healing environment, chronic illnesses begin to reverse.
Why are you including seven different chronic conditions? Why not just one?
Growing scientific literature supports a personalized approach to identifiable molecular, physiologic and functional stresses. Similarly, the methods for reversing underlying inflammatory mechanisms common to most chronic illness can also be applied across many disease categories. As these connections are demonstrated, while addressing the unique aspects of each child’s health, CKP offers hope and a thoughtful challenge to the current common symptom treatment paradigm. By providing a viable alternative to the disease/diagnosis-based ‘siloes’ that characterize our current system, CKP is part of a lasting paradigm shift.
Why hasn’t anyone done this comprehensively before now?
We have witnessed breath-taking advances in human health derived through an enormously rich and complex modern scientific enterprise. We have also been trained to believe that many of the chronic illnesses we see in our children (such as autism) have a thoroughly genetic, as opposed to a life-style epigenetic, basis. Indeed the specialization that enables our best minds to achieve medical and scientific miracles when it comes to acute care turns out to be a hindrance when it comes to the prevention and treatment of chronic illness. Technological advances sometimes discourage us from examining the profound influence of what we eat, drink, think, and do;, or in other words, the influence of lifestyle. The Canary Kids Project is unique because it brings together the best that modern science has to offer with the wisdom of traditional and time-honored healing practices that honor the influence of life choices using least risk, highest gain approaches in systematic and well documented ways.
How is the Canary Kids Project Organized?
We are excited toCKP pilots an elegant model of care that supports families in their individual recovery efforts and makes it possible for our healing professionals to work more collaboratively and effectively towards a common goal. Our model relies on:
Medical Mentors who interpret laboratory assessments, support treating physicians, and help to identify supports that should be resourced for individual families based on a real-time assessment of each family’s needs. Medical mentors have clinical experience but are not full time clinicians. They participate in cutting edge science, but have a deep respect for time-honored traditions and traditional medicine approaches. They are chosen for their unusual combination of breadth and depth across a complex landscape of issues in healthcare; for their ability to tap a vast global network of clinical, research, public policy, industry and esoteric experts in chronic illness; for their demonstrated ability to collaborate across narrow therapeutic boundaries; for professionalism, seniority, and respect amongst colleagues that have earned them the right to mentor; and for their compassion.
Community health coaches chosen for their experience and compassion, who provide intensive day-to-day support to our families as they undergo assessments, implement lifestyle changes, and develop new habits.
Physicians with a track record of looking upstream at causes rather than downstream at symptoms, who are trained in functional laboratory assessment and systems biology and with a collaborative approach to recovery that presumes a role for therapeutic modalities which extend beyond their own scope and expertise.
A carefully vetted pool of expert practitioners in each of our program’s five geographic locations who will be called upon in a manner consistent with the individual needs of each child. Examples of skill sets to be represented in the CKP practitioner pool would include nutrition, osteopathy, biological dentistry, developmental optometry, acupuncture, chiropractic, energy medicine among other skills and competencies.
A state of the art technological interface through the Open Medicine Institute’s electronic health record and bioinformatics platform that will enable consistent and accurate data capture for each family enrolled in the project. This technology platform will enable an unprecedented level of communication and collaboration between all members of the family’s designated healing team and Canary Kids mentors and experts.
I like your organizational model but who will be working directly with the children?
CKP is building our practitioner pool in each of the five geographic areas where the project takes place. Each child will have a core healing team (master mentor, health coach, clinical care provider, nutritionist and specialists as needed) from our vetted pool that the program determines may be more helpful on a case-by-case basis.
Have you identified your medical mentors?
Currently the Canary Kids Project is fortunate to be under the guidance of two experienced medical mentors, Dr. Martha Herbert and Dr. Russell Jaffe. We are currently identifying select additional medical mentors to become part of our collaborative team. The role of medical mentor is more fully explained elsewhere but requires an unusual combination of experience, skill, seniority, and sensitivity as well as an active commitment to and participation in the operation of the Canary Kids Project.
Is the Canary Kids Project truly multi-disciplinary?
Yes! Our approach is unique in that we have attracted a team of diverse experts to contribute their varied set of clinical, intellectual and scientific resources and to apply their knowledge to a group of sick children. The Canary Kids Project has attracted advisors, clinicians and scientists from the following disciplines: Neurology and neuroscience, Clinical Pathology, Chinese medicine, environmental medicine, developmental optometry, functional dentistry, biologic psychiatry, functional medicine, integrative nutrition, nutrigenomics, homeopathy, internal medicine, Ayurveda, Osteopathy, Anthroposophic medicine, pediatrics, naturopathy, molecular biology, developmental physiology, mindfulness practices, massage and bodywork, systems biology, informatics, methodology, research design and other fields.
You have said your program is multidisciplinary but what type of information will you need to know about the children in order to guide them towards recovery?
Each child will be assessed individually, in a manner that looks closely at things like family health history, family dynamics, lifestyle, and environmental inputs as well as unique biochemistry, energetic profile, physiology, genetics and heritable information. This entails evaluating the individual’s genetics, microbiome, metabalome and other integral components of systems biology as well as their past and current exposome (environmental exposures).
Okay, but what exactly are you going to do with these kids to assess them?
The Canary Kids Project will require select laboratory samples from each child to include the collection of blood, urine, and stool. The project will also require the family’s participation in other select non-laboratory assessments. A non-laboratory assessment could be in the form of a questionnaire or an evaluation. It could also be in the form of a visit to one of CKP’s practitioners for something like a developmental vision assessment, an osteopathic evaluation, or an assessment for retained reflexes. Efforts will be made to use the least invasive and most manageable assessments available including biometric.
Who is going to help the families do what the program requires of them?
A holistic health coach will be available to each family and will play a key role in helping each family to comply with the program guidelines as well as to make lifestyle changes as proposed by the program. In addition, the Canary Kids Project Program Director will be in charge of the project’s master schedule and provide oversight for each family.
Once you have assessed each child, what kind of recommendations are we likely to see you make for the children enrolled in CKP?
CKP has a preference for less toxic solutions that address causes not symptoms. Today, most children with a chronic illness are given pharmaceutical medications to manage and control symptoms, but rarely do clinicians help the patient address underlying root causes of disease. The Canary Kid Project intends to use symptoms only as information, to help establish a complete understanding of underlying imbalances and what can be done to correct those imbalances. Recommendations may include, but may not be limited to: diet modifications, targeted individualized supplementation, developmental interventions, environmental modifications, and emotional, energetic and mindfulness practices. As each child responds and adapts to therapeutic interventions, they will be continuously monitored and reassessed.
Are there any new untested therapeutics that will be trialed in these children?
The Canary Kids Project does not believe that a “magic bullet” therapeutic is the key to healing and recovery. The program is not about testing therapeutics. CKP is about supporting health in ways that respect the innate healing power of the human body. We begin with oft-neglected foundational supports such as nutrition and clean environment. Then we apply an integrative and multi-disciplinary approach that honors the needs of each individual child. Our strength lies in the careful resourcing of experienced and specialized professionals at the appropriate time for each child. The aim is to offer personalized care that results in improved outcomes rather than “one-size-fits all” medicine.
What makes your team qualified to undertake this task?
Just as the climate change crisis has resulted in an unusual level of collaboration and cooperation among scientists and experts called to action to address the crisis, the health crisis that we are currently facing requires an uncommon and unprecedented level of cooperation among medical, scientific and health experts called to serve this generation of sick children. We have amassed an impressive group of experts that are part of a “coalition of the willing,” and who believe that there is a “fierce urgency of now” to protect the health of our children. Our medical and program advisors collectively have hundreds of years of experience in understanding and reversing chronic disease and have been called to lend their advice, guidance and participation.
How are the laboratory tests that the children receive different from what they might receive at their pediatrician’s office?
To put it simply, CKPs laboratory assessments will be functional and predictive. We believe that medical science is caught in a bind because while there is much promise about personalized medicine, we are still stuck with methodologies that treat everyone as if they were identical or statistical. It is time to take the next step and really personalize evidence-based care. We know enough today to do functionally meaningful tests and to compare them to goal values not statistical ranges that are easily over-interpreted and misunderstood.
What types of specific laboratory tests or assessments will the Canary Kids participants receive?
If you would like more detailed information about the assessments that have been carefully chosen by CKP, you may request a more detailed summary by contacting the program director, Josie Nelson. Some examples of clinical laboratory tests that the children will receive include:
• Llymphocyte response assay, a means through which food/environmental sensitivities and inflammatory burden can be assessed
• HgbA1c
• Organic Acid Tests of metabolism
• Amino Acid profile of other aspects of metabolism
• Comprehensive digestive stool analysis assessing the microbiome
• Retained reflex assessments assessing function and maturity
The program sounds great, but expensive. How can this model be made scalable and available cost-effectively?
The Canary Kids Project intends to provide ‘proof-of-concept’ to support this important new model of personalized and comprehensive care and hopes to inspire others to make these solutions available in a cost-effective way. As an example, some of the clinical assessments that the Canary Kids Project will be using are cost-prohibitive because they are new and have not yet achieved traditional market efficiencies. It is our hope that by paving the way forward, there will be more demand for these types of assessments creating economies and efficiencies. Additionally, as part of the Canary Kids Project, our team will be training health coaches across the country, making the model tested in our program accessible to more and more individuals over time.
Is food really that important?
Yes, we believe that it is. In the words of Dr. Herbert “I tell parents of children of special needs that your child cannot afford empty calories. They need the highest possible quality nutrients at every moment because they don’t have time or space to eat calories that don’t also support other needs. And this is something where we’ve been led to believe that doesn’t really matter, but it actually matters a whole lot. In order to maintain resilience in a toxic, stressful world we need to maintain high nutrient density and the maximum possible range of nutrients every day.”
You talk a lot about environmental stressors. Is there one toxin in particular that is affecting these kids?
We are very concerned about the emphasis on trying to find ‘the smoking gun’ for any of these chronic conditions … the one thing, that if eliminated, could return our children to a state of good health. We believe that the problem is much bigger and that we need to modify our exposure to many things that our systems are not equipped to handle. There are certain exposures that no one’s system is equipped to handle such as intense exposure to radiation or a heavy dose of petrochemicals or a large dose of heavy metals. But there are things that some of us have a harder time with than others because of our genetic or epigenetic weaknesses, or because of our inability to fortify our bodies to the point of resilience. We are especially concerned about continuous low-level exposures to multiple chemicals that deplete individuals of their essential protective nutrients and impair a body’s ability to self-regulate and heal.
Why are you making a film about this program?
We believe that part of the reason why so many children are sick in this country is because we have damaging and unhealthful habits, practices, and routines that are deeply imbedded in our culture and our collective habits and assumptions. To protect our children’s health, it will require a cultural shift, a conscious effort to modify our ways of living. This is a tall order indeed. We believe that by sharing a message of hope, that children can recover from chronic conditions, and by showing how these children get better in a compelling feature-length film, others will be inspired to take responsibility for the lifestyle and health choices that they make in their own families and communities. We want to provide viewers with evidence of hope so that at they will be inspired to test these practices in their own lives.
Canary Kids BLOG
Beth Lambert on Imus in the Morning Talking about Canary Kids!
Beth Lambert on Imus in the Morning1It all started with Epidemic Answers honoring Dierdre Imus for her work in protecting children’s health at our “Evening of Inspiration” benefit for the Canary Kids Film Project on September 27, 2013.
Deirdre brought her husband, Don, and their son, Wyatt. Don had given us a shout out on his show “Imus in the Morning” before the event, but he seemed to be a little not-too-interested in attending yet another charity event.
Apparently, that all changed when he attended the event and saw Beth Lambert, our Executive Director, speak about our Canary Kids Film Project, in which we’ll be documenting the potential recovery of 7 children with autism, ADHD, allergies and asthma as they receive free healing and recovery services for 18 months.
Don quickly invited Beth onto his show, and here’s the video clip of their conversation. It’s a compelling 10-minute video that tells you in a nutshell WHY so many of our children have chronic illnesses these days while also giving us hope that something can be done about it.
Ken Cook Accepts His Canary Award
Ken CookOn September 27, 2013, we honored Ken Cook of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) with a Canary Award at our recent “Evening of Inspiration” benefit for the Canary Kids Film Project for his work in protecting the health of children.
EWG published a landmark study in 2005 called, “Body Burden: The Pollution in Newborns“, which showed an average of over 200 different toxic chemicals in the cord bloods of newborns, meaning these toxins could have only come from the mother. Unfortunately, many people, including most pediatricians are not aware of this study, even this many years later.
If you haven’t checked out EWG’s website, you really should. They’ll let you know which fruits and vegetables are safer to eat that aren’t organic (“The Clean 15″) and which should only be organic (“The Dirty Dozen”).
EWG also publishes its SkinDeep Cosmetics Database, in which you can check the safety of just about kind of personal-care product, from toothpaste to soap to mascara to deodorant. They also have a Cleaners Database for checking the safety of cleaning products such as laundry detergent, window cleaners and more.
There are many other beneficial features for consumers on EWG’s site, so be sure to check it out. In the meantime, check out Ken Cook’s acceptance speech:
Children’s Health Champion Deirdre Imus to Receive Award at New York Charity Event
Children's Health Champion Deirdre Imus to Receive Award at New York Charity EventSee our latest press release here:
WEST SIMSBURY, Conn., Sept. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — Deirdre Imus, President and Founder of the Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center at Hackensack University Medical Center, and Co-Founder/Co-Director of the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer, is being honored for her work to protect children’s health at an upcoming charity event in New York City. Mrs. Imus will be receiving a “Canary Award,” an honor bestowed upon children’s environmental health advocates and champions. Mrs. Imus is to be honored at An Evening of Inspiration, Friday September 27th at the Harmonie Club in New York City. The event is being held to benefit the Canary Kids Film Project, a documentary film project that will provide healing services to children diagnosed with chronic illnesses.
In addition to her work through the Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center and the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer, Deirdre Imus is also the founder of an environmental health web site, dienviro.org, and she is a New York Times best-selling author and a frequent contributor to FoxNewsHealth.com, and Fox Business Channel.
In her quest to clean up the environment for our kids, Deirdre developed the award-winning Greening The Cleaning® program and product line, which replaces the hazardous ingredients commonly found in cleaning agents with naturally-derived ingredients that deliver the maximum level of efficacy at the least level of toxicity. The program and products are used throughout the country in schools, healthcare facilities, and businesses.
In addition to the Canary Award, Deirdre has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors for her impact as a leader in the field of environmental health, and for raising awareness about childhood chronic illnesses that are in epidemic proportions like autism, asthma, and obesity. Deirdre serves on the boards of several children’s health organizations, including the National Autism Association, Safe Minds, Generation Rescue, SKIP of New York, East Harlem Council for Human Services, Inc., Boriken Neighborhood Health Center and Gilda’s Club – Northern NJ.
The Canary Kids Project, sponsored by Epidemic Answers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, will enroll seven children in a healing and recovery program that will span 18 months. The children’s recovery journey will be documented on film and weaved into a powerful feature-length film that will provide an exposé on the environmental origins of the epidemics of autism, ADHD/ADD, asthma, allergies and other conditions skyrocketing in children. The Project will demonstrate that these conditions can often be reversed using cutting-edge healing modalities. For more information, please see www.canarykidsmovie.com.
For more information about the film project, contact Maria Rickert Hong, Media Director, Epidemic Answers.
P.O. Box 191
West Simsbury, CT 06092
Phone: 860-217-0111
Country Artist and Academy Award Nominee Allison Moorer to Perform at Evening of Inspiration
WEST SIMSBURY, Conn., Sept. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — Allison Moorer will be holding a private performance on Friday September 27th in New York City to benefit the Canary Kids Film Project, a documentary film project that will provide healing services to children diagnosed with chronic illnesses. Moorer is slated to play during “An Evening of Inspiration,” a charity fundraising event to be held at the Harmonie Club on East 6oth Street in New York, NY.
Allison Moorer is returning to the live stage as a solo performer. In the past three years, she has welcomed into the world her son John Henry, recorded and toured as part of Steve Earle & The Dukes and Duchesses, and also wrote the song “Oklahoma Sky,” which closed Miranda Lambert’s 2011 hit album Four The Record. Moorer’s seventh and latest studio album, Crows (2010), received worldwide critical acclaim with The Huffington Post stating that she was “blessed with one of the best voices of her generation.” It was the follow up to her celebrated collection of covers, the 2008 Buddy Miller-produced Mockingbird. In 1998, Moorer’s song “A Soft Place To Fall” was included on the soundtrack to Robert Redford’s feature film The Horse Whisperer (in which she also appeared), which led to an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. The opportunity gained her worldwide attention and set the stage for her career. She has been featured on releases by Joan Baez, Kid Rock, Steve Earle, The Chieftains, and Los Straightjackets. Moorer was also featured in The People Speak, a beautiful and moving documentary inspired by Howard Zinn’s popular text, A People’s History of the United States. The film, presented by The History Channel, also featured Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Danny Glover, Matt Damon and more.
The Canary Kids Project, sponsored by Epidemic Answers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, will enroll seven children in a healing and recovery program that will span 18 months. The children’s recovery journey will be documented on film and weaved into a powerful feature-length film that will provide an exposé on the environmental origins of the epidemics of autism, ADHD/ADD, asthma, allergies and other conditions skyrocketing in children. The Project will demonstrate that these conditions can often be reversed using cutting-edge healing modalities. For more information, please see www.canarykidsmovie.com.
EXECUTIVE TEAM
Beth Lambert, Executive Producer
Beth Lambert is the Founder and Executive Director of Epidemic Answers, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about the epidemic of chronic illness affecting our youth, and helping parents find healing solutions. Beth is also the author of A Compromised Generation: The Epidemic of Chronic Illness in America’s Children (Sentient, 2010). Beth is a former healthcare consultant and teacher. She attended Oxford University and graduated with honors from Williams College. She holds an M.A. in American Studies, with a concentration in American Healthcare, from Fairfield University.
Josie Nelson, Program Director
Josie Nelson is an ethicist, an advocate, a certified health coach, and a lifetime student of holistic health. With degrees from both Georgetown University and the University of Chicago Divinity School, Josie planned a traditional academic career but a detour into management consulting changed everything. While her doctoral dissertation lay undone, Josie worked first with industrial engineering clients and later on business ethics initiatives. As a consultant for Fortune 500 firms, she learned many things about the health industry. Since 2002, she has dedicated herself to understanding the rise in childhood illness, especially autism and related disorders, from an historical, political, ethical, scientific and environmental health perspective. She has witnessed the profound impact of an approach to health that includes informed consent, access to real food, integrative medicine, and healing modalities not typically embraced by mainstream medicine. She once held elected office in the District of Columbia and lived to tell about it. She has been blessed with two healthy children, a fine sense of humor, and many wise teachers.
Russell Jaffe, MD PhD, Co-Chair
Dr. Jaffe is Lab Director of ELISA/ACT Biotechnologies LLC and Fellow of the Health Studies Collegium. Through his expertise in non-invasive studies of cells, he developed novel tests for blood platelet survival, fibrinogen survival, platelet aggregation, and lymphocyte response (LRA by ELISA/ACT®). He also developed the first test for traces of blood in stool that is not made falsely negative by ascorbate (vitamin C). Dr. Jaffe received his BS, Ph.D., and MD from the Boston University School of Medicine in 1972. He completed residency training in clinical chemistry at the National Institutes of Health (1973 - 1979) and is board certified in Clinical Pathology and in Chemical Pathology. Dr. Jaffe is the recipient of the Merck, Sharp & Dohm Excellence in Research Award, the J.D. Lane Award, and the U.S.P.H.S. Meritorious Service Award. He was also named an International Scientist of the Year (2003) by the International Biographical Commission for his contributions to Medicine, Biochemistry, and Clinical Immunology. Dr. Jaffe teaches and lectures widely on the causes and consequences of immune defense and repair function in health and disease. His research interests focus on outcome studies based on effective, comprehensive care guidelines and practice parameters.
Martha Herbert, MD PhD, Co-Chair Medical Advisory
Media and Development
Maria Rickert Hong, Media Director
Maria is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor trained at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She specializes in helping parents with special diets for children with Sensory Processing Disorder, autism, ADHD, allergies, asthma, autoimmune and more. She is the author of "Almost Autism: Recovering Children from Sensory Processing Disorder, A Reference for Parents and Practitioners." Maria has recovered herself and her children from chronic illnesses. She is a Board member of Epidemic Answers. Maria is a former equity research analyst covering the oil services sector at Salomon Smith Barney and Lehman Brothers. Later, she covered the gaming, lodging & leisure sector at Jefferies & Co. and Calyon Securities. She quit working on Wall Street when her first son was born. Prior to working on Wall Street, she was a marketing specialist for Halliburton in New Orleans, where she also received her MBA in Finance & Strategy from Tulane University.
Eileen Iorio, Co-Chair Fundraising
Eileen Iorio earned her Bachelors Degree in Business Studies from the University of Limerick, Ireland. She worked as an accountant for Ernst & Young and later as a relationship manager for Northern Trust before taking time off to have her 3 children. When her son developed autism, a journey of discovery led her to the world of healing through biomedical protocols for children with autism and other chronic illnesses. Her son is finally on a path to recovery. Eileen is currently studying to become a health coach to further her learning on the health and nutritional needs of our children. Currently, Eileen is serving as a Board member of Epidemic Answers.
Mary Toulouse, Co-Chair Fundraising
Mary Elizabeth Toulouse graduated from Boston College in 1995 and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications. Mary worked in fixed income at Cantor Fitzgerald International in London and New York as well as in Fixed Income at JP Morgan. After leaving finance, Mary began a second career in education. She taught at Greenwich Academy, while pursing her Master's in Elementary Education at Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY. Mary also worked at her alma mater, Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich, CT. Currently, Mary is serving as a Board member of Epidemic Answers. Mary is married to Brendan Toulouse, she has two children and resides in Harrison, NY.
THE CANARY KIDS PROJECT IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Epidemic Answers is dedicated to educating the public about the epidemic of chronic illness affecting the current generation of children and providing prevention and healing solutions for parents, caregivers and future parents
About the Project
The Canary Kids Project was born of one simple gutsy observation:
In spite of what most parents are told, many of these children can get better.
We have the tools. And by demonstrating how they get better and how to protect their health we have the opportunity to create a better, safer, healthier and more sustainable future . . . for all of us.
Our “big idea” is to create a successful, grassroots, crowd-sourced model for improved health outcomes for children affected by chronic illness that can also serve as a model for healthy sustainable living.