my mom used to make us do something every few months growing up that i thought was the most insane thing any parent could do. i left it behind the second i grew up and didn't think about it for 20 years. then my son went from the happiest, easiest kid to only wanting pasta, nuggets and candy. meltdowns over getting dressed. random tummy aches that fiber, miralax, and probiotics couldn't fix. dark circles that made him look sick. and his pediatrician just kept saying everything was fine. one night i called my mom and listed all of it. she got quiet. then she asked me something i hadn't heard since i was a kid. turns out she'd been protecting us from something the CDC says over 60 million americans carry right now. and most don't even know because the symptoms just get written off as a phase.