LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

Healthy Pregnancy

The agony of modernity? The case of prolonged labor due to modern medicine

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It is pretty obvious that obstetricians are not needed to delivery a baby.  Otherwise, we would not be here as a species.  That’s not to say that the high risk pregnancies do not benefit from obstetric attendance during pregnancy and the birth.  But what about everyone else?  Is it possible that mainstream medicine’s hand in the childbirth process creates more harm than benefit?

Clearly there are big issues in today’s society when it comes to fertility, healthy pregnancy, healthy deliveries and healthy babies.  The list of problems is quite long, but a few things are certain:

  1. Vaginal births have less complications
  2. Tylenol is not safe during pregnancy
  3. C-section babies start with altered bacterial flora compared to vaginal birth babies
  4. Antibiotics may increase the risk of preterm birth
  5. Healthier nutrition lowers risk of preterm birth
  6. There are many ways to lower the risk of birth defects
  7. Exposure to certain chemicals drastically increases your risk of losing the pregnancy
  8. Good dental health lowers the risk of preterm birth

 If you look at this short list, you’ll see that none of it has to do with medical care.  A truly healthy pregnancy does not require an obstetrician.  They should only be there if something goes wrong.  Instead, mainstream medicine seems to get an itchy trigger finger, trying to interfere with a normal pregnancy.  Not interfering in pregnancy just seems to be a hard thing to do.  The second that an intervention begins (stripping of the membranes, oxytocin, epidurals) the risk of heading towards a C-section increases.

This particular study puts a slightly different light on what modern obstetrics has done to the length of labor.

While I can’t speak from experience, I can imagine that, the shorter the labor, the better.  Researchers compared pregnancies from 50 years ago to today.  Some frightening facts emerged:

  1.  The epidural rate skyrocketed (55% vs 4%)
  2. Oxytocin use almost tripled (31% vs 12%)
  3. Cesarean delivery rates quadrupled (12% vs 3%)
  4. Labor was longer by 2.6 hours in first pregnancies and 2.0 hours in non first-timers

I would imagine that an extra 2.6 hours in labor would seem like an eternity to the woman waiting to have her first baby.  Clearly, there are times when mainstream medicine does not need to be involved in a natural process that has been ongoing for thousands of generations without a problem.

WEAR THIS TO WORK AND YOUR SPERM WILL DIE

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So maybe the title is a little dramatic.  But problems with infertility do not rely solely on the woman.  Viewing infertility from a male standpoint the most important factor to consider is environmental toxicity.  Believe it or not, there are clothes you may wear to work everyday that will affect sperm quality and count.

The EPA registers some 83,000 chemicals for use in the US, and the  vast majority of these have never been scrutinized for their health effects.  However, there are some classes that have been evaluated more fully, and the picture is rarely a positive one.  Frequently on the list of common household exposures are the flame retardants.  They are in everything these days, from your mattress to your clothing to your furniture and your dog’s bedding.  One would think we were under constant pressure to undergo spontaneous combustion.

Flame retardants have shown clear effects on the thyroid gland and cancer risk.  This particular study looked at the presence of flame retardants in the house dust of men attending a fertility clinic.  Researchers looked at the presence of two compounds, tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) and triphenyl phosphate (TPP), and found that they were in 96% and 98% of the men.  As the levels of these compounds in house dust increased, sperm quality decreased.

While one would think that dusting may help the issue, it is not likely to be the case.  Researchers merely looked at dust rather than the blood levels in these patients.  Exposure to these compounds likely comes from multiple sources, including those mentioned above.  The best option is to reduce your overall exposure to these compounds by replacing old cushions, buying clothing without flame retardants and not sleeping on a flame retardant mattress.

In addition to the flame retardants, chemicals like BPA have also show to affect hormone levels in men that could lead to reduced sperm quality and quantity.  Quitting smoking and dietary quality will also have a positive effect on fertility levels in men, with compounds like zinc and lycopene (the red pigment found in tomatoes) having been shown to help.

The bottom line is that, for those men who are a part of an infertile couple, it is not merely your job to just sit patiently at the “infertility” clinic appointment for your partner.  You have to take an active role in improving your health as well.

MATERNAL NUTRITION CAN DECIDE THE UNBORN CHILD’S HEALTH – (12-03-07)

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Maternal Nutrition, Low Nephron Number, and Hypertension in Later Life: Pathways of Nutritional Programming

This is yet another pathway by which forcing women into pregnancy artificially, whose bodies are not ready for pregnancy because of physiological imbalances, is upsetting the balance of our health. The evidence is piling up that the decisions made in pregnancy can haunt that unborn child’s health for decades into the future.

In this article, the idea is put forth that, when mom is not eating properly, the fetus will develop a lower number of filtration units (nephrons) in the developing kidneys. Later in life, as that child becomes overweight (because they will be at increased in risk for obesity because of the unhealthy mom), this will place excess burden on the kidneys, resulting in kidney failure. Add to this mix a society that doesn’t realize the dangers of NSAIDs on the kidneys and you’ve got a nasty increase in dialysis centers.

Read entire article here

WHAT ARE THE SAFE MEDICATIONS DURING PREGNANCY? – (11-05-07)

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A matched patient-sibling study on the usage of paracetamol and the subsequent development of allergy and asthma

Despite mounting evidence of links between paracetamol (Tylenol) use and asthma in children, it seems that many OBs have not caught on just yet.

The bottom line is that there really are NO completely safe medications during pregnancy. This is such an important time in development of future health risks of the child / adult, and we need to be careful of everything that is put into a pregnant woman’s body. This does work out well for chiropractic, however, as adjusting pregnant women doesn’t seem to cause asthma.

Read entire article here

HOW VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION HELPS DURING PREGNANCY? – (11-05-07)

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Vit D Intake During Pregnancy and Risk of Recurrent Wheeze in Children at 3 Years of Age

The rates of vit D deficiency in pregnant women and their newborn babies is unconscionably high. While immediate concerns like rickets jump to mind, of greater concern is how important Vit D is for health immune system balance.

The findings of this study further cement this importance and, extrapolated out, would have impacts on asthma, allergy and autoimmune risk years later. Supplementation of pregnant women with Vit D is very cheap, safe and easy. Individual dosages can be given in a one time dose a month or so before delivery. We need to move on this as a medical culture or this fear mongering of sun exposure is going to further drain our healthcare future.

Read entire article here

PLANNED CESAREAN VERSUS PLANNED VAGINAL DELIVERY AT TERM – (07-23-07)

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Planned cesarean versus planned vaginal delivery at term: Comparison of newborn infant outcomes

It is well accepted that Westernized societies perform way too many C-sections. In many cases it has been a matter of convenience. Even 14 yrs ago, working in histology at a local hospital, the number of placentas we had to evaluate in the pathology department (hence…the number of C-sections performed) were much higher on Fridays and before holidays.

While the results of this study should come as no surprise, it finds that the rates of certain complications doubled in the planned C-section group. Does this mean the pregnancy was more complicated from the start, or that, for some of these woman/doctor pairs, that the medicalization of the birth was just a reflection of the whole pregnancy. But, in their defense, what the heck does Mother Nature know about birth anyway???

Read entire article here

GRILLED MEAT FOR THESE WOMEN IS BAD?

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I know.  I know.  It seems like every time we turn around we hear that something else is bad for us.  Of course, the reality is that, many of these “bad” items come as no surprise (think soda, plastics, weed killer, refined carbs…).

In this particular case, it is important to at least be aware of the association and do what you can to mitigate the risks.  In this particular case, you have to be hypersensitive only for 9 months.

Grilling meats produces two problematic compounds.  The first of these is heterocyclic amines (HCA), that are formed when grilling meats rapidly at high temperatures.  Slowing down grilling times can help reduce the formation of HCA.  Adding spices to the meat can also protect against the formation of HCA.

 The other compound, polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) is produced when fat drips off of the meat and hits the heating source.  It then rises up to stick to the meat and contributes to cancer.  Basting and marinating the meat, using grease traps and using leaner meats and trimming away as much fat as possible before cooking all help to reduce the formation of PAH.

This particular study looks at the contribution of exposure to PAH in pregnancy on birth weight.  Highest exposures (with a combination of inhaled PAH and dietary exposure through barbecued meats) resulted in lower birth weights (by about 8 oz).  The exposures had no effect on the duration of gestation, but rather somehow interfered with the growth of the baby.

Overall, this is not something to run around in fear of as a pregnant woman, but rather, something to be conscientious about when you make your dietary choices during pregnancy.

MORE EVIDENCE LINKING INFANT DRUGS AND ASTHMA / ALLERGIES

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“Atopic” is the term used to describe a tendency towards allergy, asthma or just a general predisposition towards sensitivity of the immune system.  And we are seeing much more of it in our children these days.  But is it just heredity, or something more?

It is clear that our bodies have developed a commensal (mutually beneficial) relationship with the bacteria inside and around us. Certainly there are times when this relationship turns sour, but, in general, the list of benefits we received from our normal flora is quite long.  On the flip side, destroying or not developing a healthy normal flora in the first place throws of the balance of our immune system and opens us up to an equally long list of chronic diseases.  As examples:

  1. Babies born via C-section birth have different bacteria than their vaginal birth counterparts.  This increases risk of asthma.
  2. Antibiotic use in children has been shown in multiple studies to increase the risk of asthma.
  3. More evidence linking antibiotic use and asthma.
  4. Just in case the above studies aren’t enough…
  5. Antibiotic use massively increases the likelihood that a child carries MRSA.

 Other factors that have been shown to increase the risk of asthma in our children may actually begin in the womb:

  1. Tylenol use in infants and children increases the risk of asthma.
  2. Healthier fats (especially omega-3s) during pregnancy lowers the risk of asthma.
  3. Tylenol use in pregnancy increases the risk of asthma in the child.

This particular article offers additional insight into the mechanism by which a normal, healthy bacterial flora may protect against the development of atopy beyond the factors mentioned above. 

H. pylori is a bacteria that was pegged in the mid 80’s as the major cause of stomach ulcers.  Much like anything else in medicine, when we peg a disease on a single factor we like to respond with a single approach (in this case antibiotics).  Regular readers of the Rantings will know that I consider H. pylori an opportunistic pathogen at worst, part of our healthy normal flora at best. 

Prior research has shown that, when H. pylori is present early in the lifespan, it plays a strong role in balancing the immune system and keeping us healthy.  On the contrary, when exposure comes later in life, H. pylori has the potential to disrupt the lining of the gut and potentially cause ulcers.

The bottom line is that, if you are pregnant, thinking about becoming pregnant or have a young child, remember that antibiotics are to be avoided in all but life-threatening situations.  And, if absolutely necessary, follow up with a good course of probiotics for at least 2 weeks afterward.