LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

Healthy Pregnancy

EATING THIS DURING PREGNANCY MAY DAMAGE BABY’S BRAIN

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When it comes to the epitome of the Standard American Diet (generally referred to as the “SAD” diet), there are few food products that come to mind before the bag of potato chips and the value size french fries. While some try to argue that these were, in some distant life, a potato, I think few actually view either food-like product as anything but unhealthy. But just how much damage does this little crispy delight cause?

When food products are heated to very high temps, one of the by products formed is acrylamide. Personally, I think this sounds like something you would use to bond a broken PVC pipe. Seemingly, the body agrees with me as this substance is a known carcinogen and neurotoxic agent.

But what about exposure in the womb?

While this particular study is a rat study and used unrealistically high doses of potato chips at part of the diet of the pregnant rats, it should raise the concern of everyone. The destruction of the nervous system in the newborns was tremendous.

This is not the first time concern has been raised about acrylamide exposure in the womb, although this study was over 8 years ago, so it would appear we, as a society, as slow learners.

So how much would it take to damage a developing human baby’s brain? A single bag? A bag a day? Does it really matter?  Why would anyone take the risk when the potential for damage is lifelong? Given the continued rise of psychological problems in our children (ADD, ADHD, ASDs…) these deep fried foods should be strictly avoiding by pregnant women.

SURPRISING PROBLEM WITH FERTILITY TREATMENTS

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The number of couples using assisted reproduction techniques (ART) continues to go up.  The problem is that, in most cases, the reason the couple cannot get pregnant is lifestyle.  While they exist, few represent true problems with the ability to reproduce, vs the ability to reproduce RIGHT NOW.

As an example, polycystic ovarian syndrome accounts for a large proportion of the cases of infertility.  This is strongly associated with being prediabetic.  To do the right thing, you address the prediabetic lifestyle in order to allow pregnancy to occur.  Trying to force a pregnancy on a body that is not ready for it can lead to problems.  It’s just really, really not a good idea to mess with Mother Nature in this way.

To understand this current article, we need to understand a process called methylation, which uses factors such as folic acid and B12 to put “marks” onto regions of DNA to turn them on or off.  This allows liver cell DNA, which contains all the information to perform the functions of every other type of cell, to only do “liver” stuff and not “brain” stuff.

This process also occurs in our reproductive cells (sperm and oocyte), where methylation is turned on and off at critical points in the transition from production of the reproductive cells to fertilization to the time spent in the womb.  This process can be called “imprinting” in that it allows messages not contained in the DNA to be passed on to the next generation.

The problem with certain ART procedures is that they may grab these cells at the inappropriate times when the methylation “imprinting” is not present.  Thus, adaptive traits that may protect the newborn may be lost.

While this concept is evolving, I can’t see that the outcome is a good thing, and may be one of the reasons why we see increased risk of preterm labor as well as increased risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes in children conceived through ART.

Let me give a good example.  Had a couple as patients a few years back.  Somehow the topic came up of pregnancy in an office visit and there was obvious tension between the two.  Turns out that they had been trying and her OB was pushing her towards ART.  Well, we did a diet history, made some changes and put her on a high quality prenatal.  Two months later I had a thank you card delivered to me and some 8 months later their little daughter was born.

Had this couple gone through ART, it is impossible to say if the outcome would have been different.  But the bottom line is that ART was NOT what was needed.  Lifestyle was what was needed.

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STRESS PASSED FROM THE FATHER?

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Wow!  This article just floored me.  Had to read it several times just to make sure I got it straight.  We know that a pregnant mom’s stress levels actually affect the unborn child’s ability to deal with stress after the baby is born.  But what about dad’s stress levels?

Normally us males run around thinking what we do has no effect on the pregnancy other than what our DNA contributes at the time of conception.  (Ok..maybe that’s not what is typically running through the male mind…)  Drug use, smoking, poor lifestyle habits, environmental chemical exposure, stress.  These are all factors that mom needs to manage or it will affect the baby.

There has always been a feeling that the male’s side was sheltered from this process.  Research is beginning to break down this misconception.

In this particular mouse study, the male and female offspring of fathers who were put under chronic stress had increased stress and anxiety type behaviors as well as elevated levels of stress hormones.  Not good.

Here’s where the story gets VERY interesting.  These changes were not transmitted through IVF.  Basically, if the father’s DNA was taken and used, the changes did not occur.

This means that the transmission is occurring on a much different level, likely one we do not understand yet.

While this is a mouse study, the implications for humans remain striking.  Stress is likely not only transmitted through the mom, but also the father.  Consider this in the context of todays’ stressful lifestyles.

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BRESTFEEDING STILL NOT SUPPORTED IN HOSPITALS

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I think we’ve long gone past the acceptance that nothing is better for the baby than breastmilk.  For many years, those groups such as the La Leche League were ostracized and viewed as crazy people.  Fast forward decades of research and we now know that there are tangible benefits of breastfeeding that far outweigh formula.

Heck, it has only been recently that we found out that probiotic strains like Lactobacillus actually show up in breastmilk!  And further recent evidence finds that supportive factors like galacotoligosaccarhides (GOS) are present to support the further growth of healthy bacterial flora in the newborn’s gut.

As research progresses I’m sure we’ll find many more compounds unique to breastmilk that are not in formula.  It has never and will never compare.  So why do we have this fascination with formula?

It seems like the recommendations at the hospital as well as the pediatrician’s office favor formula.  You can’t leave a newborn alone in the hospital or he or she may be fed formula.  A new mom goes home with a wonderful bag loaded with formula samples and coupons.

This particular study demonstrates just how pathetic hospitals are at promoting breastfeeding, despite what they may say to expectant parents.  In 2009, a paltry  3.5% of US hospitals met at least 9 out of 10 criteria for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative put together by the WHO.  3.5%.

How comfortable does that make YOU feel about giving birth in a hospital?

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THIS COMMON CONTAMINANT CAN AFFECT FERTILITY

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I realize that my office is a single isolated system and by no means does it reflect the entire picture of what happens outside of my office.  With this in mind, I can honestly say that I have never had a patient who went through “fertility treatment” and fertility was actually addressed.

We need to understand that, when boiled down to an organism level, our body’s only goal is to reproduce and propagate the species (forget arguments about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs here).  So if a couple cannot get pregnant and do the ONE thing it is supposed to do, this is a massive red warning light that something is not right. 

So, one would think that a fertility “expert” would then dig into the more common reasons why infertility can occur.  Sadly, the couples that I have come across over the years have not had this experience.  Instead, some bloodwork is taken and they are usually given a course of Clomid or Metformin or IVF, spending thousands of dollars.  Sometimes it’s successful, sometimes not.

But, if the physiology of the couple is screaming that something is wrong, shouldn’t we pay attention to that FIRST?  Society is paying the price for forced fertility in preterm births, multiple births, obese infants and children and, in the years to come, increased rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

Instead, a full evaluation should include looking at prediabetes (a major cause of infertility in women and almost completely lifestyle-mediated via polycystic ovarian syndrome), prenatal vitamins (almost all of the prescription ones are of very low quality and really, really expensive!) and toxic exposure.

The last one can be a toughie.  A detailed look at what a couple may be exposed to should be undertaken, from pesticides to fertilizers to flame retardants to BPA from plastic water bottles.  The couple should be counseled to avoid as many chemical exposures as is feasibly possible as well as recommendations on detoxification programs to help the body clear out the toxins we are exposed to that we cannot reasonably avoid.

THIS is infertility treatment.

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PRESCRIPTION DRUG USE DURING PREGNANCY ON THE RISE

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From my perspective, the use of ANY prescription medication during pregnancy is of concern.  However, with time it seems like society and medicine are becoming increasingly accepting of its use.

Environmental Working Groups’ (http://www.ewg.org/) 10 Americans study was immensely eye opening view on just how many chemicals the developing baby is exposed to.  While this particular study looked at environmental chemicals, it demonstrated beyond a doubt that the placenta is not the great, wonderful filter we thought it was.  The vast majority of what mom is exposed to the developing baby is exposed to.

Some of these exposures we have an understanding of.  The vast majority of the 88,000 chemicals allowed by the EPA have no studies.  The same holds true for the FDA and prescription drugs.  In general, we have very little data on what effects prescription drugs have on the baby’s development.  Without a doubt, because of our lack of understanding and the vital importance of the topic at hand, the only answer is to err on the side of caution.

I understand that some medications may be necessary during pregnancy.  But this study finds that, over the past 3 decades, prescription use during first trimester has increased 60%.  60% increase.  What drugs exactly are women taking that they didn’t need 30 years ago?   The use of 4 or more medications at a time tripled.

Even more frightening is the finding that, by 2008, a whopping 50% of women (out of 30,000 surveyed) had taken a medication during the first trimester.  That’s half for those of you not good at math.

This suggests that the permissive nature of the use of pharmaceutical drugs has bled over into pregnancy, which used to be the realm of avoid medications at all costs.  The long term ramifications of this chemical exposure to our child has yet to be played out, but I can guarantee it’s not going to be pretty.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002937811002195

TOO MUCH FAT IN PREGNANCY MAY DAMAGE THE BABY PERMANENTLY

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I know that you have been properly indoctrinated into the understanding that what we do before, during and after pregnancy will preprogram the baby for health or disease for decades to come.  The second a couple decides to become pregnant it is no longer about them–every decision they make influences the developing baby.

This particular study, while a mouse study, reinforces this finding in yet another dimension.  The feeding of a high fat diet to pregnant mice let to a permanently reduced the ability of the baby to produce antioxidants, specifically in the liver.  That means that this little baby, due to no fault of it’s own, will suffer increased liver damage as a result of mom’s behavior during pregnancy.

Add to this being overweight prior to pregnancy and reduced intake of antioxidants during pregnancy and other problems are known to occur.

Probably the scariest in society today is the sheer volume of environmental contaminants that the developing baby is exposed to.  According the the 10 Americans Study performed by http://www.ewg.org/ the average exposure of infants in the womb (from a mere 400 out of some 82,000 chemicals approved by the EPA) was to 287 different chemicals.  Run a search on YouTube for the 10 Americans Study and watch the presentation–a strong eye opener.  The exposure is massive.

Some we can be aware of and control.  BPA.  Teflon.  Flame retardants, phthalates, pesticides, insecticides, weed killers, cigarette smoke.  These are just some of the known exposures.  It’s the unknown ones affecting the developing baby that is scary.  The best we can do is limit the known exposure and counteract the exposures with the highest intake of phytonutrients possible through a plant based diet free of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.

Your baby will thank you.  When he or she is 50.

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/141/7/1254.abstract

WANT A HEALTHY PREGNANCY? DO THIS FIRST…

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This is not the first time I’ve mentioned just how critically important the in-utero environment is in programming that child’s health for the next FIFTY years.  If you want to ensure a healthy pregnancy and give your newborn baby the best odds to live a healthy life, you need to begin before pregnancy.

The studies confirming that preprogramming for obesity and diabetes begins in the womb continue to accrue.  This is little doubt left that this is true.  We no know that the second a woman is pregnant, her decisions affect her newborn’s health.  But what about decisions before pregnancy?

Turns out this is just as critically important.  Elevated cardiovascular risk, as evidence by elevated triglycerides (notice we did not say elevated total cholesterol), before conception led to a 60% higher risk of having a baby being born preterm.  Being born preterm increases that baby’s risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.  That baby, with elevated cardiovascular risk, will likely be raised by the mother who never learned to live for her genetics (as evidenced by the elevated triglycerides).

Here’s the rub.  The most common cause of infertility in the US today is polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).  This IS insulin resistance.  It is a lifestyle problem.  Without fixing the prediabetic lifestyle, you will not fix the PCOS.  I have had too many patients over the years who spent tens of thousands of dollars, but no one ever addressed lifestyle, which is the key reason they need the fertility treatment!

By not fixing the lifestyle and forcing a woman’s body into pregnancy when it’s not ready, you are, without a doubt, increasing the risk that a successful pregnancy will put the newborn baby at increased risk for the rest of their lives for chronic diseases.  Seems like very short term thinking to just throw some Clomid at the problem..

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002937811001797