Dr. Fadwa Gillanders spoke to a crowd of around 50 people at the KGOP monthly luncheon at Travelers Pub in Portage,MI on Thursday February 9. She spoke about the mental health impacts of our youth and the impact the last three years has had on children. The event was hosted by the KGOP and a local parent group “Kalamazoo County Citizens United.”
The main topic of the presentation was on oxidative stress and the large impact it has on multiplying the effects of mental illness and disease in our youth. Dr. Gillanders also spoke about the importance and role antioxidants play in our body and how they combat oxidative stress.
Before the 6pm presentation I sat down with Dr. Gillanders and asked her a few questions about the negative mental health impact school lockdowns, isolation, and mask mandates had on children.
Dr. Gillanders stated that school lockdowns and isolation have had and will continue to have a large negative impact on children’s development, setback in learning, and increase in suicide rates stemming from the government mandates for years to come.
She also stated that mask mandates on children hindered their ability to learn and impacted their social skills. The full long term effect of these mandates will not be known for many years.
Parents in Kalamazoo County came together in 2021/2022 school year and launched an onslaught of lawsuits against local school districts and the Kalamazoo Health Department over the mask mandates and quarantines of unvaccinated children. The parent group Kalamazoo County Citizens United helped fund and organize the lawsuits which allowed parents to fight back in their own districts.
Many parents involved in the lawsuits expressed long term concerns on their children’s mental health, setback in learning, and hindering much needed social skills. Some of those parents were in attendance today at the presentation.