LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

healthy pregnancy

Do Migraines Harm Your Developing Baby?

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If you have read any of my articles that relates to migraines, then the answer that springs to mind is a strong YES.

I really don’t need to belabor the prior bit of information.  Bottom line is, if you suffer from migraines, do not be led into a false sense of security if the migraine medication you are on is controlling your headaches.  Fix the problem instead.

This particular article looks at the relationship between migraines sufferers and the risk of of adverse pregnancy outcomes (low birthweight, preterm birth, infants born small for gestational age, Caesarean section (CS) and pre-eclampsia).  Here’s what the researchers found when they looked at the pregnancy outcomes from 4911 women with migraines:

  • Low birth weight – 16% increased risk
  • Preterm birth – 24% higher risk
  • C-section – 16% higher risk
  • Pre-eclampsia – 34% higher risk

What does this tell us?  That the problem with migraines are NOT limited to the head.  If they were and medications did anything to fix the problem, than these higher pregnancy risks wouldn’t be present.

Looking for a Healthy Pregnancy? Need to do this First

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probiotics and preterm birth
Maksud /Dollar Photo Club

I know that regular readers will be a little sick of hearing this, but at some point medicine needs to understand the dangers of antibiotics.

It seems that the tide is turning, but few still understand just how massively broad-reaching the effects of the bacterial flora of the human body are. And antibiotics just absolutely destroy the normal bacterial composition of the human body.  And IF it recovers, it can take years to happen.

I won’t go into all the research linking good bacteria to positive health and bad bacterial balance to just about every chronic disease known to man—all of that can be found by reading through past articles that can be found by clicking HERE.

A healthy pregnancy, in today’s environment, is a deliberate act and does not happen naturally. Which sounds kind of crazy, considering that pregnancy is one of the absolute requirements for the perpetuation of our species.  But there are just too many factors in today’s lifestyle that are not conducive to a healthy, full term pregnancy. From ubiquitous chemicals like BPA and phthalates to poor fertility leading to artificial reproduction attempts, it seems like our world has turned against our ability to reproduce safely.

It is very clear that those children born premature as well as those children born to couples who conceived through artificial means are behind the 8-ball health-wise. These children are at higher risk of things like obesity, heart disease and diabetes.  For this reason, anything that can be done to make sure that mom makes it to full-term is a very good thing.

Which makes this particular article so incredibly important. In it, researchers looked at the vaginal microbiota composition as from 40 women during pregnancy and for up to 12 months after delivery. Of this group, 11 women gave birth prematurely. Here’s what they found:

  • 62% of samples from women who delivered preterm had Lactobacillus-poor vaginal microbiota.
  • One-third of women with this low-Lactobacillus vaginal composition delivered very preterm infants born at fewer than 32 weeks of gestation.
  • On the other hand, 3/4 of women who carried pregnancy to term had Lactobacillus-dominant vaginal microbiota.
  • In addition, in women who had high levels of vaginal Gardnerella, a bacteria that can cause bacterial vaginitis, had even worse outcomes when they were Lactobacillus-poor.

While the authors state that this is not enough research to go around making sweeping recommendations to pregnant women to begin douching with Lactobacillus prior to becoming pregnant, I would disagree.

Quite frankly, the results of this study are not surprising given prior research along these lines coupled with how much we know about how the bacterial flora in our bodies drive immune function and inflammation.

What this should wake us all up to (if any of us still happened to be sleeping through the ruckus) is just how far-reaching the devastation of antibiotics can go. It’s not just about getting a day or so of diarrhea after a course of amoxicillin. Rather, it’s about a lifetime of disrupting the balance between inflammation and the proper functioning of your immune system.

Period.

Very Common Chemical Dangerous in Pregnancy

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I have always been and will always remain staunchly against artificial sweeteners.  In ANY amount.

They have become so ubiquitous and so accepted in society today that no one questions their safety.  However, an increasing number of animal and human studies continue to find that these compounds increase the risk of weight gain and diabetes–exactly what people take them to avoid.

I do not care if it is one simple piece of gum per day with aspartame or sucralose.  How little does it take for our bodies to alter our response to sweetness?

If you can’t answer that question with certainty, then the only acceptable answer is NONE.  In this particular study we find that diet sodas actually contribute to preterm birth.  Just one per day increases your risk 38%.  Four per day jumps that risk to 78%.  Bottom line is that these chemicals  are not safe in ANY amounts.

Pre-eclampsia, Gestational Diabetes and Lifestyle Choices

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BETTER PREGNANCY OUTCOMES THROUGH LIFESTYLE?
The research is very heavily in support of the idea that healthy pregnancies begin long before a couple becomes pregnant.  Mom’s AND dad’s weight and health status dictate not only the health of the developing baby but the likelihood of getting pregnant in the first place. In fact, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of infertility in women and it is, without a doubt, a product of a prediabetic lifestyle.
This particular study looks at the levels of oxidative stress in a woman’s body are higher in both gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia.  This means that managing oxidative stress via exercise, a higher phytonutrient diet and  lower caloric intake beginning long before the decision to get pregnant can help improve the outcomes of pregnancy.

Narcotics and Your Baby; Not a Good Combo

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opioid use during pregnancy
Maksud /Dollar Photo Club

You’re reading the title of this thinking that this is pretty stupid.  Who on Earth would think that this is a good idea??  Opioids during pregnancy.

I’m sure that if I gave you the true / false question, “Morphine is ok to take while pregnant,” there’d be no hesitation to check the “false” box.  And it wouldn’t surprise you at all to know that the use of morphine and morphine derivatives during pregnancy can lead to scary things like withdrawal symptoms into the newborn.  The technical term for this is Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NES).

If you agree that it’s absolutely crazy to take opioids during pregnancy, then you will likely be as shocked at the results from this particular study as I was.  In it, researchers looked at the use of opioids during pregnancy to evaluate just how common it was.  Here’s what they found when they looked at group of 112,029 pregnant women:

  • A shocking 28% (31,354) filled at least one opioid prescription during pregnancy.

How is this possible?  There are probably few people out there who would think that opioid use during pregnancy is ok.  I think I may know why; at least in my office.

From what I’ve seen, not enough of the population understand the drugs that they take.  Top culprits are Percocet and Vicodin.  It seems like a good chunk of my patients do not realize that these drugs are opioids.  Sure, most know that OxyContin and Oxycodone contain morphine derivatives.  But a surprising number of my patients over the years have not been aware that common pain medications that are handed out like candy also contain opioids.

So maybe a good chunk of the 31,000+ pregnant women in this study were written a prescription for hydrocodone-containing drugs like Percocet and Vicodin and just didn’t realize it.

Of course, the real question is how they got the prescription in the first place.  The prescribing physician should darn well know that opioids should not be prescribed in pregnant women.

The researchers then looked at what factors played a role in these pregnant women receiving a prescription for an opioid.  Here are the factors they found:

  1. They were more likely to have depression (5.3% vs 2.7%).
  2. Anxiety disorder (4.3% vs 1.6%)
  3. Smokers (41.8% vs 25.8%)

Looking at the list of these 3 factors, I just can’t understand how these patient-related factors should affect whether or not these women got a prescription for an opioid from her physician.

Overall, I don’t really have a take home message.  I’ve provided this article more for educational purposes rather than providing answers because I can’t understand how these prescriptions are written at this frequency.

In my biased opinion, the best and easiest answer to this prescribing problem is chiropractic care during pregnancy for any pain-related complaints instead of these prescriptions.  Maybe the answer is education for these pregnancy-related-opioid-prescribing physicians on the benefits of chiropractic care for pregnant women…??

Pregnancy Weight Gain and Childhood Health

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BREAKING THE CYCLE OF CHRONIC DISEASE BEGINS HOW EARLY?

Based on previous posts, this shouldn’t be a trick question.  The answer is before pregnancy. In this study, women who gained excess weight during pregnancy had children that, at 9 years of age, had pretty much EVERY risk factor for heart disease elevated.  A literal time bomb that will explode decades before it exploded for the parents.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we need to stand up for the health of our children by taking better care of ourselves during pregnancy.  This goes for BOTH the dad and the mom.  The decisions you make today are either helping your child grow up healthier, or you are loading a bullet in the chamber.  Decide.  You can’t sit on the fence.

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Infertility in Women: Can a Simple Change Lead to Success?

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infertility in women and vitamin D
Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/geishabot/

As a father, I can tell you that, despite the days I want to kill them, having children was a very important decision my life.   But this isn’t always an option when infertility in women and men is an issue.

Fertility problems can create stress and disappointment in a relationship and can lead to sexual problems, anxiety and divorce.  Heartbreak on top of heartbreak.

I have certainly covered the topic of infertility (both infertility in women AND in men) many times in the past, always looking at it from a natural standpoint (these prior blog posts can be read by clicking here).  “Fertility specialists” have an agenda and really don’t seem to care why you can’t get pregnant.  They are going to do what they do and to heck with what your underlying problem might be.  They are going to used Clomid first and IVF second, moving on to more expensive procedures if that fails.

The expression, “when all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail,” fits here.  Few “fertility specialists” will have the important discussion with you on thyroid function, achieving an optimal weight, chemical exposures (BPA, phthaltes, flame retardants, etc…), exercise, pulling back from being on a diabetic pathway, exercise and stress management.  All of these are very real factors in a successful pregnancy, but they will require a sincere commitment from you and your partner (YES–both partners need to get on board).

Some of these changes, like managing stress, may involve a complete overhaul of the way you view life.  It’s a major factor in infertility and then feeds back into the problem when stress levels rise from the fertility issue itself.  This is probably one of the reasons why there are always stories about couples who adopt a child and then get pregnant shortly afterwards.  In these cases stress was probably the major player.

While this sounds overwhelming and “not important” in getting pregnant when you could just run down to the nearest “fertility specialist” for a prescription, the stakes are far higher than most couples realize.  If your stress levels are high enough to affect your ability to get pregnant, if you do get pregnant (regardless of how), your stress levels are absolutely going to pre-program your little one for a lifetime of stress-related issues.  THIS is what is at stake.

Of course, some of the changes do not require life-altering approaches.  A simple, good quality prenatal is one of them.  Do NOT do any of the pharmaceutical / prescription ones.  They are all junk and I have yet to see one that is worth more money than a Centrum from Walmart.  A good quality prenatal is going to cost you at least $20 per month and will not be covered by your insurance.

Another simple approach to helping infertility in women is making sure you are getting enough vitamin D.  Yup.  The simple, seems-to-help-with-everything vitamin D.  Same stuff.  Usually not more than $20 per year for the high quality stuff we offer our patients here in the office.  But just how much can it help?

This particular study looked at just this question.  In it, researchers looked at a group of 335 women undergoing IVF treatment to see how much vitamin D levels had an impact on a successful outcome.  The cutoff was 20 ng/ml as deficient.  Here’s what they found:

  • 20% of the women with low vitamin D got pregnant while a much higher 31% achieved pregnancy with higher vitamin D levels.
  • Overall, women with vitamin D levels above 20 ng/mL were 215% more likely to become pregnant.
  • Even better, the women who had higher vitamin D levels (30 ng/mL) had the highest chances of pregnancy.

These are pretty good odds for just a simple, safe and inexpensive intervention.  Keep in mind that most vitamin D experts (myself included) still consider 30 ng/dl too low and that more optimal levels should be closer to 60-100 ng/dl.  So how much better would pregnancy rates be if we looked at the highest levels?

It is also important to note that this was not an intervention trial.  These women were not given vitamin D to see if it could improve pregnancy success, but clearly there is an association between vitamin D levels and fertility.  It’s a strong enough argument for me to recommend at least 2,000-4,000 IU of vitamin D daily to couples (yes–both partners!) who are considering getting pregnant.

 

Planning on Having a Baby? 3 Important Things You Need to Do First

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Diet important for fertility
Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/seandreilinger/

Having a child can be one of the most rewarding experiences in your life. But to go into pregnancy blindly can lead to a lifetime of problems for your baby.

This may sound a little drastic and maybe even a little far-fetched.  Just stay away from drugs, don’t drink alcohol and stay away from nuclear reactors.  Pretty simple.

Ok…so maybe decisions during pregnancy can play a role in your unborn child’s health and well-being.  Maybe you’ll try to eat some more veggies this month and maybe cut back on the fast-food trips.  That’s got to be worth a few IQ points in college.
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