Stretch Marks And Skin Changes In Pregnancy

There are countless physical changes to your skin, both pleasurable and painful attributed to your pregnancy only.

The common skin change that most pregnant woman experience is the stretch marks. Stretch marks are separations of the outer layers of skin caused by the overstretching of underlying layers.

Beside pregnant women, stretch marks are found on children who are obese, adolescents who have a sudden growth spurt during puberty and athletes and body builders who do constant exercises. The most commonly affected areas by stretch marks are hips, abdomen, breasts, thighs and buttocks. Stretch marks are itchy reddish marks.

In pregnancy, heredity plays an important role in determining who will have and will not have stretch marks. If your mother has had them, chances are that you will get them too, unless you were born with stretchy skin. There is no sure shot remedy for stretch marks as mostly they fade after delivery. The only way to avoid stretch marks is to prevent them. We recommend the following –

- Massage vitamin E or olive oil on the abdomen areas from the start of your pregnancy. Massage it liberally over the marks after a shower. Incase you skip a shower, clean the area with a wet cloth and then apply the oil.

- Regular exercise helps to tone your muscles and keep your skin firm.

- Maintain healthy diet and drink plenty of water. Plenty of proteins and vitamin C & E foods should be included in your diet. Increase your intake of minerals such as zinc and silica to maintain healthy skin.

- One ounce of sweet almond or jojoba oil with 7-8 drops of lavender and chamomile oils is a good homemade recipe.

- Avoid excessive weight gain in a short time span.

- Cocoa butter reduces stretch marks and helps to keep the skin supple.

- Wear a glove and massage your skin to increase circulation.

- While massaging your body with body oil, add coconut and almond oil. Daily massage with Olive oil, flaxseed oil, cod liver oil or vitamin E oil after shower or before sleeping is an excellent home remedy for either preventing or treating stretch marks.

- To avoid stretch marks around breasts, wear a supportive maternity bra.

- To make stretch mark cream, mix 1/2 cup cocoa butter, 1 tsp wheat germ oil, 1 tsp apricot kernel oil, vitamin E oil and 2 tsp grated beeswax. Heat the mixture until cocoa butter and beeswax melt, stir well and store in air tight conditioner.

Pain Relief During Childbirth

Giving birth is rightly regarded as an extremely uncomfortable and painful experience for many mothers, and while for some women labor goes quickly and relatively easily, for others it can turn into a real ordeal. Where our grandmothers had to go through the pain barrier more or less unaided, there are quite a few options available for todays pregnant women that can lessen or even completely remove the pain, allowing the joyfulness of giving birth a much greater chance to be appreciated.

- Birthing Pool

Being in water during the early stages of labor can greatly relieve the contraction pains in some women, as the bouyancy takes some of the pressure off the muscles of the lower back. Some women prefer to stay in the water right through to the later stages of labor, and some even choose to complete the birth in a birthing pool.

Birthing pools have become increasingly popular in recent years, as they are seen as a natural way of reducing pain, in line with today's widespread preference for keeping things simple and as close to nature as possible.

- TENS

A TENS machine is a small electronic device which you attach to your lower back with electrode pads. The machine passes a very slight electric current through the pads, which is intended to interfere with the pain signals, reducing the extent of the discomfort. The level of current can usually be increased during contractions, and then lowered back down as the pain subsides again. Some women find TENS machines to be highly effective, while for others the effect is minimal. The devices can usually be hired from the hospital, but are relatively cheap to buy yourself if you want to be sure that one will be available.

- Gas and Air

This is also known as entonox, and is a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen that is breathed in via a pipe whenever the mother-to-be feels the need. It is a very light method of pain relief, and is enough on it's own for some women, especially in straightforward births. The effect is more of a distraction from the pain than an actual reduction, but doesn't feature the drawbacks of the two more heavy-duty pain relief drugs below.

- Epidural

An epidural is an injection of pain relief drugs direct into the lumbar region, and is extremely effective at blocking pain. The initial injection must be performed by a doctor, although the drug levels can then be subsequently topped up by the midwife for as long as it is required. Early epidurals also interfered with movement, and so the entire birth had to be carried out lying down, but more advanced versions of the drugs used now allow the mother to walk around a little to relieve discomfort.

- Pethidine

This is the strongest pain relief option available in most cases, and is extremely effective in stopping pain over a 3 to 4 hour period. Unlike an epidural, it can't be used indefinitely, and only two doses are usually allowed, meaning it is less than ideal for labors lasting longer than 8 hours or so. The drug can also pass through to the infant, in some cases delaying the start of breathing. Antidotes are, however, available should this occur.

Although the choice of which method of pain relief to use is usually left up to the mother, most midwives recommend starting with the less invasive choices such as TENS and gas and air, only moving up to drug treatments if necessary later on.

The Body Fat Setpoint

One pound of human fat contains about 3,500 calories. That represents roughly 40 slices of toast. So if you were to eat one extra slice of toast every day, you would gain just under a pound of fat per month. Conversely, if you were to eat one fewer slice per day, you'd lose a pound a month. Right? Not quite.

How is it that most peoples' body fat mass stays relatively stable over long periods of time, when an imbalance of as little as 5% of calories should lead to rapid changes in weight? Is it because we do complicated calculations in our heads every day, factoring in basal metabolic rate and exercise, to make sure our energy intake precisely matches expenditure? Of course not. We're gifted with a sophisticated system of hormones and brain regions that do the calculations for us unconsciously*.

When it's working properly, this system precisely matches energy intake to expenditure, ensuring a stable and healthy fat mass. It does this by controlling food seeking behaviors, feelings of fullness and even energy expenditure by heat production and physical movements. If you eat a little bit more than usual at a meal, a properly functioning system will say "let's eat a little bit less next time, and also burn some of it off." This is why animals in their natural habitat are nearly always at an appropriate weight, barring starvation. The only time wild animals are overweight enough to compromise maximum physical performance is when it serves an important purpose, such as preparing for hibernation.

I recently came across a classic study that illustrates these principles nicely in humans, titled "Metabolic Response to Experimental Overfeeding in Lean and Overweight Healthy Volunteers", by Dr. Erik O. Diaz and colleagues (1). They overfed lean and modestly overweight volunteers 50% more calories than they naturally consume, under controlled conditions where the investigators could be confident of food intake. Macronutrient composition was 12-42-46 % protein-fat-carbohydrate.

After 6 weeks of massive overfeeding, both lean and overweight subjects gained an average of 10 lb (4.6 kg) of fat mass and 6.6 lb (3 kg) of lean mass. Consistent with what one would expect if the body were trying to burn off excess calories and return to baseline fat mass, the metabolic rate and body heat production of the subjects increased.

Following overfeeding, subjects were allowed to eat however much they wanted for 6 weeks. Both lean and overweight volunteers promptly lost 6.2 of the 10 lb they had gained in fat mass (61% of fat gained), and 1.5 of the 6.6 lb they had gained in lean mass (23%). Here is a graph showing changes in fat mass for each individual that completed the study:

We don't know if they would have lost the remaining fat mass in the following weeks because they were only followed for 6 weeks after overfeeding, although it did appear that they were reaching a plateau slightly above their original body weight. Thus, nearly all subjects "defended" their original body fat mass irrespective of their starting point. Underfeeding studies have shown the same phenomenon: whether lean or overweight, people tend to return to their original fat mass after underfeeding is over. Again, this supports the idea that the body has a body fat mass "set point" that it attempts to defend against changes in either direction. It's one of many systems in the body that attempt to maintain homeostasis.

OK, so why do we care?

We care because this has some very important implications for human obesity. With such a powerful system in place to keep body fat mass in a narrow range, a major departure from that range implies that the system isn't functioning correctly. In other words, obesity has to result from a defect in the system that regulates body fat, because a properly functioning system would not have allowed that degree of fat gain in the first place.

So yes, we are gaining weight because we eat too many calories relative to energy expended. But why are we eating too many calories? Because the system that should be defending a low fat mass is now defending a high fat mass. Therefore, the solution is not simply to restrict calories, or burn more calories through exercise, but to try to "reset" the system that decides what fat mass to defend. Restricting calories isn't necessarily a good solution because the body will attempt to defend its setpoint, whether high or low, by increasing hunger and decreasing its metabolic rate. That's why low-calorie diets, and most diets in general, typically fail in the long term. It's miserable to fight hunger every day.

This raises two questions:

1. What caused the system to defend a high fat mass?
2. Is it possible to reset the fat mass setpoint, and how would one go about it?
   

Given the fact that body fat mass is much higher in many affluent nations than it has ever been in human history, the increase must be due to factors that have changed in modern times. I can only speculate what these factors may be, because research has not identified them to my knowledge, at least not in humans. But I have my guesses. I'll expand on this in the next post.


* The hormone leptin and the hypothalamus are the ringleaders, although there are many other elements involved, such as numerous gut-derived peptides, insulin, and a number of other brain regions.

Pregnancy Massage Therapy

The modern mum-to-be is a stressed out individual, having to cater to increasing pressures of a fast paced society and work place. Yet at the same time, she knows that her wellness is crucial especially during her pregnancy if she wants a smooth delivery process and the birth of a healthy happy baby.

This increased awareness has led to the search for alternative approaches in addition to traditional health services. Pregnancy massage therapy is one such alternative approach. It has much therapeutic value as it enhances the function of muscles and joints, improves blood circulation and relieves mental and physical fatigue.

Pregnancy Massage can be prenatal, postnatal or during the labour process, although many refer pregnancy massage to just prenatal and post-natal massage to mean massage that takes place a few days after delivery.

In a prenatal massage, the massage is focused on reducing pregnancy discomforts and aims to enhance the physiological and emotional well-being of both mother and foetus. A relaxed mother also helps in the development of a brainy and healthy foetus. Also, the massage helps to strengthen and prepares the muscles that are useful for a natural delivery process.

Many women fear a long delivery process. Yet, many desire one that is as natural as possible and without the use of epidural or any other drugs. During labour, massage techniques exist to help shorten the delivery process while easing pain and anxiety.

Post-natal massage focuses on toning the new mother's body, reduce fluid retention and and helps the body be brought back to balance and shape. It also helps to rejuvenate and re-energize the new mother and thus enhance her ability to bond with her baby.

The pregnant female should always first consult her doctors if she is suitable for massage or for any other alternative therapies that they wish to try. Her overall objective is to achieve a good mental state and physical health and to have a wonderful birthing experience.

Now’s the time to reclaim our childbirth skills

Consider this. In the US, 3,680,000 women give birth each year, in the UK 700,000 do, Melbourne, Australia 58,000 and the same in New Zealand. Where Common Knowledge Trust is located 1,000 women give birth. New Zealand is unique. In 1995 midwives became autonomous, lead maternity carers. Direct entry 3 year educational programs were set up, they are paid by Government to provide antenatal, delivery and post-natal care within the concept of continuity of care. Women can choose to give birth at home or in hospital with the same midwife. There is no shared care. Over 85% of all pregnant New Zealand women have a continuity of care midwife. Women choosing to birth in hospital, even when referred to a specialist, will have team midwifery care. Ideal isn't it? Since 1995, the caesarean rate has doubled to over 27% nationally. What's wrong with the picture?

In modern societies where blame, shame and guilt are raging emotions often associated with birth, changing the system doesn't seem to have worked. It's so easy to ask 'so who is to blame?' Gotcha.

I want a new blue car to drive. I'm planning chicken, salad and apple pie for dinner. When my husband and I have sex this weekend, I want to have the most delicious orgasm. I'll breastfeed. These sentences have two elements. The most obvious are the choices. The less obvious are the skills. Driving is a learned skill, so is cooking, making love well and breast feeding. Within these skills are some that relate to natural physiological human urges: hunger, sex, breastfeeding. Somehow we know that we have, or haven't or need to develop skills around these natural physiological experiences. Birth is no different.

Common Knowledge Trust is located in New Zealand, yet all The Pink Kit Method for birthing better™ resources that are and will become available developed in the US in the 1970s when 'choices' for expectant couples opened up possibilities unheard of for our mothers and grandmothers. Little focus has been on the skills birthing women and coaching partners need, although Lamaze, Bradley and Birthworks have offered couples tools and skills to work with the birth plans or choices couples are making.

There are so many choices for modern women and such a focus on individuality that we have lost sight of something very important. We are all one humanity. Every woman throughout Time or Place on this planet has given birth out the same hole. Birth is essentially the same process: one contraction following another until something comes out our vagina. We share the same body and can prepare our birthing body the same way. We discovered this in the 1970s. Stick to the shared body and share a common language. This is The Pink Kit Method for birthing better™. and every expectant couple can teach themselves in the privacy of their own home, along with whatever they are doing to plan or prepare for childbirth. The skills adapt to your individual situation, because they are your skills!

Many birth plans have been foiled by the unexpected. Birth plans are about choice. Birth is about reality and what is happening now. Couple our own skills to the choices we make. When the unexpected happens we have the skills to take into whatever situation we find ourselves. The reason we have so often heard 'There's no way to prepare for birth', is because the unexpected is common place. We do not know what our labour will be like, if we'll birth on our due date or go over 4 weeks, whether our water bag will leak for 2 weeks, our birth professional be sick, the hot water didn't work to fill the pool, our baby turned breech and we're faced with a c/s and on and on. We learned in the 1970s with skills, we can use them in all situations. Nothing has to stop us. We adjust.

The Pink Kit Method for birthing better™ can become the common knowledge skills for expectant couples worldwide. This will happen because you make the resources available in your local community. We don't need another professionally trained group to teach us about our birthing body, we can do it ourselves at home. We (both mother and father) can all learn how to Map the pelvis, know what positions keep us open, to relax inside The Pelvic Clock, to do Kate's Cat, Hip Lifts, Sit Bone Spreads, use a common language and common touch at any birth. And there's more!.

Five years of statistics show that couples who learn and use the skills have about 7% c/s. Some of those couples said they did the work, but really didn't and gave up in labour. This is compared to the 27% all having access to midwifery car, childbirth education, natural therapies etc.

Childbirth can change, one labour at a time, one contraction at a time in even around all the assessments, monitoring and procedures being done. If women wanted natural birth, they'd go bush. We take aspirin for headaches, antibiotics, immunise…the normal and natural is no longer. If birth was so natural, why are direct entry midwives trained for 3 years? Birth is natural. It will happen at the end of pregnancy. If you're planning a labouring birth, then become skilled. If you're planning or needing a non-labouring birth then treat yourself to becoming skilled and use the skills in the birth of your child. Every expectant parent can become involved in birth preparation and have a more positive and fulfilling birth. Don't expect perfect.

Pregnancy – Foods and other things to Avoid

It is essential that you take care when preparing foods and avoid doing certain things when pregnant. This is due to your baby's immune system not being sufficiently developed to fight any infection you may pass to it whilst within the womb. It is believed that a female's immune system may not function at its peak during pregnancy so it is essential that all necessary precautions are taken

Pets

It is essential that if you have a pet that every time you come into contact with them you wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.Pets can pass on harmful bacteria that may be present in their faeces. You may inadvertently become infected with this by touching your mouth or other part of the body and this may in turn infect your unborn child.

Cats are of particular importance due to toxoplasmosis found within their faeces. If you have a cat that uses a litter tray it is important that someone else carries out this task or if this is not possible then you should wear rubber gloves and a face mask to prevent any bacteria being passed. This also applies to gardening where faecal matter can be found in the soil. Again, wear gloves and wash your hands as soon as possible after finishing.

Toxoplasmosis is caused by a parasite. It can go unnoticed in a healthy adult or even an unborn baby. Once you have this infection you will not become re-infected and will be immune for life.

Listeria

This is a bacteria which develops into an illness called listeriosis. The symptoms of this are mild flu, aches and pains, sore throat and high temperatures. In the more serious of cases this can cause septicaemia and meningitis in unborn babies. This is the worst case scenario. In some cases many people are not aware they have caught the bacteria as they do not show any of the above symptoms. During pregnancy, mothers have to be aware of certain foods where this bacteria may be prevalent.

This is true for after pregnancy aswell especially if you are nursing your child. The symptoms usually develop from 2 to 30 days after eating contaminated food.

Foods to Avoid

Cheese

Not all cheeses contain the bacteria but there are some which can be potentially harmful to a pregnant mother. Avoid both pasteurised and unpasteurised soft cheeses which usually have a surface mould or rind such as Brie, Camembert and Danish Blue. Also avoid cheeses coated in wax such as Gouda, Post Salut. It is best to stay clear of the majority of blue cheeses such as Stilton, Gorgonzola and Roquefort. Hard Cheeses such as Cheddar, Parmesan, and Red Leicester fall into the safe category as do softer cheeses made from pasteurised milk such as Cottage cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, processed cheese and cheese spreads. If in doubt play safe and avoid eating it.

Eggs

The salmonella bacteria are most commonly found in eggs. It is best to avoid any foods made with raw or partly cooked eggs such as homemade mayonnaise, meringues, cheesecakes, sorbets or mousses. Eggs are only safe if they have been cooked long enough so that their yolks are hard.Shop-bought mayonnaises are usually safe as long as they have been made with pasteurised eggs. Always check the label if in doubt.

Milk

Avoid all products which have not been pasteurised. All pasteurised products are safe to use all through pregnancy and beyond.

Meat

Do not eat raw or under cooked meat or poultry. Also avoid meats which have been preserved in nitrates such as salami, frankfurters and luncheon meat. Always cook meat so the juices run clear and there is no 'pinkness' or blood within. When touching raw meat and poultry always wash your hands thoroughly before touching any other foods. Liver contains vitamin A in the form of retinol which if taken by a pregnant women can increase her levels way above the recommended daily level and become damaging to the baby. Liver should be avoided aswell as products containing liver such as pate and liver sausage.

Seafood

Oysters and any raw or uncooked fish should be avoided. Also shelled seafood such as crab, prawns, and langoustines should be avoided unless they have been thoroughly cooked and are hot. Most seafood bought from a fishmonger or supermarket should be safe. Fresh tuna should only be eaten once a month due to the potential levels of mercury found within. This is also true for swordfish and shark. Tinned tuna contains lower levels so this is safe to eat every week.

Salads

All pre pared shop bought salads are best to be avoided. So too are dressed salads such as coleslaw, potato salad and Florida salad. It is best to make your own and ensure that all leaves are thoroughly washed free from soils and other deposits found on the leaves.

Should I Breastfeed or use Formula?

The decision of how to feed your baby is a very personal one. The benefits of breast-feeding are numerous and significant, but many women still choose not to for reasons all their own. Before you decide how to feed you child, take a few moments to study up on breastfeeding, then armed with information, making your choice should be easier.

Breastfeeding has two stages, colustrum and regular milk. Colustrum is the very first milk produced. It occurs during the first two to three days, and is a thick, whitish liquid. Colustrum is exactly what a new baby needs. It is low in fat and high in carbohydrates, protein, and antibodies. It is also extremely easy for the newborn's system to digest. One of the first things that the colustrum does is produce a laxative effect. It helps the baby to pass the meconium, which are thick and tarry. It also helps to clear excess bilirubin and prevent jaundice. So, if a baby is born with jaundice, the best thing is to nurse. Colustrum also carries an extremely high number of both antibodies and leukocytes (protective white cells), and helps the baby's immature immune system fight off diseases, viruses, and bacteria. In effect, colustrum super-charges the baby's system and helps prepare him for life outside the womb.

By the third or fourth day after birth, the second stage of breastfeeding occurs. This is when the regular milk comes in. This milk is much thinner, but contains all the nutrition a baby needs to grow and thrive. Just as colustrum did, the regular breast milk carries much-needed antibodies to the baby's system. Antibodies are molecules made by your immune system that help to fight off illness. Breast milk contains all of the antibodies that the mother's body has created. As new germs are introduced into the baby's environment, the mother's body begins preparing antibodies to ward off those germs. These new antibodies are then passed through the breast milk to help the baby fight off the new threat. Now, this doesn't mean that breastfed babies never get sick, but research has shown that they do typically recover more quickly than a formula-fed baby.

There are additional benefits to breastfeeding other than just the antibodies. It has been shown that breastfeeding offers protection against ear infections, respiratory illnesses, allergies, intestinal disorders, colds, viruses, staph, strep, e-coli infections, diabetes, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, childhood cancers, meningitis, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, salmonella, and SIDS. Breastfeeding also offers lifetime protection from Chrohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, some lymphomas, insulin dependent diabetes, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer.

Breastfeeding also offers benefits to the mother. Long-term breastfeeding, for a cumulative total of two years or more, has been shown to reduce a mother's chances of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Breastfeeding also helps the mother to lose weight more quickly after having a baby. Because many women do not get their periods back until they stop nursing, breastfeeding also helps to naturally space out children. But, it is important to note that one should never rely solely on breastfeeding for birth control.

These are just a few of the amazing things that breast milk can do for a baby. You would think that with all this research, the decision to breast-feed would be a "no-brainer". Unfortunately, one of the biggest deciding factors of whether a woman decides to breastfeed is the reaction of family members. Oftentimes the husband is uninformed on the benefits of breastfeeding, and pushes the woman to wean to formula. Many mothers and grandmothers don't support the breastfeeding woman because "that wasn't how it was done in their day." Many women receive dirty looks or harsh comments for discretely nursing in public. All of these factors push a new mother towards formula, despite the amazing health benefits of nursing.

The decision to breast-feed is yours. Take at least as much time to learn about breastfeeding as you did when you picked out your babies crib; more if you can spare it. Arm yourself with knowledge and then make a decision. Only you can decide if breastfeeding is right for you family.

Conjoined Twins

Twins are a kind of multiple births, i.e., when a woman gives birth to more than one baby at the same time. Twins occur when more than one egg is fertilized or when the same egg is fertilized more than once by one or two sperm, leading to formation of more than one fetus.

Conjoined twins are identical twins who are joined together somewhere in the body. Conjoined twins are monozygotic twins, in the sense that they share the same zygote. Sometimes, they also share some vital internal organs. Formation of conjoined twins is believed to be the result of late twinning. When the twinning occurs more than twelve days after fertilization of the egg, it may lead to formation of conjoined twins because the embryo may not split completely. This may be due to genetic or environmental factors.

Conjoined twins are also known as Siamese twins, named after the famous conjoined twins, Eng and Chang Bunker from Siam. Conjoined twin births are very rare, amounting to around one birth in every 1,00,000 births. Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst, famously referred to as the biddenden maids, are one of the earliest known set of conjoined twins. The ratio of male and female sets of conjoined twins was found to be three to one, and they are found more in certain countries like India or Africa.

Conjoined twins rarely survive because of the complexity of the bodies. Most of them are stillborn or die within twenty-four hours after birth. Conjoined twins can be separated surgically if none of the vital organs are involved. There are different kinds of conjoined twins, depending on the part of the body where they are joined. These are cephalopagus, craniopagus, craniothoracopagus, dicephalus, iscopagus, omphalopagus, parapagus, pygopagus and thoracopagus. There are also some rare kinds of conjoined twins, such as parasitic twins (where one twin is not completely formed and depends on the other twin to sustain life), and fetus in fetu (where one twin's fetus is present inside the body of the other twin).

Some people consider separation of conjoined twins as unethical if it involves death or disability of one of the twins. Conjoined twins, if they survive, can lead healthy lives. There are instances where conjoined twins have even married and become parents. The famous Siamese twins, Chang and Eng Bunker, fathered twenty-one children in thirty-one years.

How To Care For Your Body During Pregnancy

Being pregnant means following a healthy lifestyle is more important than ever. It's crucial to understand what steps you can take to keep you and your baby in good health.

Prenatal care is one of the vital factors that ensure a smooth pregnancy. The first checkup should occur during the first 6 to 8 weeks of your pregnancy, when your menstrual period is approximately 2 to 4 weeks late. For women who are relatively healthy and have no complicating risk factors, you will probably see your health care provider every 4 weeks until the 28th week of pregnancy, and then every 2 weeks until 36 weeks of pregnancy. After that you will have an appointment every week until you give birth through inducing labor or otherwise.

Nutrition

Proper nutrition is one of the best ways to enjoy a happy pregnancy. Because you're eating for two, it's doubly important to consume healthy foods and stay away from things that may harm your baby as it develops. When you're pregnant, dieting and cutting calories is not a good thing - you will need to take in about 300 more calories a day to ensure you and your baby are properly nourished, especially as your pregnancy progresses. Caloric intake, however, can vary from woman to woman. For thin women, and women carrying twins, you may be required to consume more than 300 extra calories. Or, if you are currently verweight you might need less. No matter what, you'll need to contact your healthcare provider to determine what's best for you.

Of course, pure calorie consumption is not the only goal - you need to make sure that what you eat is nutritionally sound. Nutritious foods contain the essential vitamins and minerals that contribute to a baby's growth and development.

Although a healthy diet is fundamental to caring for your body during pregnancy, it's actually quite simple to integrate healthy living into your daily life. Maintain a well-balanced diet by following basic dietary guidelines. Lean meats, fruit, vegetables, whole grain breads and low-fat dairy products are all essential to maintaining good health.

Real, healthy food will provide your body with much-needed nutrients. At the same time, during pregnancy certain essential nutrients are required in higher-than-normal amounts. For example, calcium, iron, and folic acid are especially essential in the diet of a pregnant woman. Although your doctor may prescribe vitamin supplements, your diet still needs to contain nutritious food to provide your body with most of its nourishment.

On a normal basis, women need 1,000 mg of calcium per day, but during pregnancy, calcium consumption should rise in order to keep up with calcium loss in your bones. You can get calcium from a wide range of food products, including low-fat dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt; orange juice, soy milk, and cereals that are fortified with calcium; dark green veggies such as spinach, kale, and broccoli; as well as tofu, dried beans, and almonds.

A pregnant woman requires 27 to 30 mg of iron per day because iron is used by the body to make hemoglobin, which is what helps red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body. A lack of iron leads to a dearth of red blood cells, meaning the body's tissues and organs don't receive enough oxygen. With a baby on board, women need to pay extra attention to their iron intake.

Iron is found in both plant and animal matter, but the body absorbs it more easily from meat sources. The following are some foods that contain a good amount of iron: red meat, dark poultry, salmon, eggs, tofu, enriched grains, dried beans and peas, dried fruit, leafy green vegetables, blackstrap molasses, and iron-fortified breakfast cereals.

Many people have already heard about how important folate (folic acid) is for a pregnant woman. For pregnant woman, or those planning on becoming pregnant, it is recommended that you take 0.4 milligrams of folic acid every day. Many women choose to supplement their diet with vitamins in addition to any folic acid intake they receive from food.

It has been found that consuming folic acid 1 month before and during the first 3 months of pregnancy reduces the risk of neural tube defects by 70%, which is why it's considered so critical. The neural tube is formed during the first 28 days of pregnancy, which is usually before a woman even realizes she's pregnant, and it eventually develops into the baby's brain and spinal cord. Lack of sufficient nutrition, particularly a lack of folic acid, may result in a neural tube defect such as spina bifida.

To remain healthy while pregnant, it's also key to drink plenty of fluids. During pregnancy your blood volume increases, so drinking plenty of water is the best way to avoid dehydration and constipation.

Exercise is a great way to feel great throughout an entire pregnancy. There's no reason to stop physical activity once you become pregnant; in fact, dietary guidelines suggest that you take 30 minutes or more each day to work out at a moderate pace.

During pregnancy, regular exercise prevents excessive weight gain, reduces problems such as back pain, swelling, and constipation, improves sleep, increases energy, promotes a positive attitude, prepares your body for labor and lessens recovery time after labor.

Proper sleep is another factor in maintaining health and comfort during pregnancy. Pregnancy can take its toll, and after a long day you will feel more tired than usual. As the baby grows bigger, it will be more difficult to sleep, but try to sleep as best you can - it will do wonders for how you feel!

Once you are ready to give birth and are considering inducing labor it is wise to consider all the advantages and disadvantages. (http://www.healthline.com/yourdoctor/pregnancy/inducing-labor/obip02-03tct-p1.html ) Indeed, several authorities recommend you give informed consent before labor is induced. Of course, the baby is an important concern when considering induction of labor, especially the baby's ability to breathe once delivered.

Following a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, exercising, and drinking plenty of fluids are all important to your overall well-being during pregnancy. If you strive to eat nutritious food and maintain a positive attitude during the course of your pregnancy, the good moments will definitely outshine the difficult ones.

Pregnancy Facts: Coping with the First Trimester

The first 0-12 weeks of a woman's pregnancy is called the first trimester. It is during this period that a woman's body experiences drastic changes during pregnancy. Discomforts and others may or may not be experienced by a pregnant woman during this time, to help you cope with it here are a list of the most common changes and discomforts and how to effectively deal with them.

Morning sickness and Nausea

The stretching of the uterine muscles and the pressure on the digestive tract due to the baby growing can cause increased stomach acids, the body reacts to this increase by releasing it through vomiting. As such, a woman's sense of smell is on hyperdrive during pregnancy; this can also increase irritability as well as the probability of vomiting.

Rejoice, for this doesn't stay for the whole nine months. Usually the vomiting stops after the third month. And do not worry the vomiting doesn't hurt the baby.

To help with morning sickness, try not too eat large meals instead eat small frequent meals so that the stomach doesn't get "shocked." Also, studies show that a diet abundant in complex carbohydrates, like bread and other starchy food, and proteins can help alleviate morning sickness. Also avoid eating fatty food.

Breast swelling

The body, in its preparation for the arrival of the baby, releases progesterone and estrogen in higher levels than usual. These hormones sends a message to the breast to produce more milk, this is in preparation for feeding the baby when it comes out.

The areolas will most likely enlarge and darken. Later on you may notice that these areas start to have white bumps. There may also be increased sensitivity in the breast area and you may also see blue lines along your breasts. These blue lines are only your blood vessels working hard to supply blood to your breasts.

Swelling may increase during the latter period of pregnancy; in this case one must use a good support bra of the right size.

Shortness of Breath and fatigue

Pregnancy can cause fatigue and other emotional changes in a woman. You should know that even while you sleep, your body is feeding another living being. During pregnancy, you body needs more rest. Fatigue is normal, and should go away after the body gets used to it.

To prevent yourself from being more irritable than you are and more tired, try to get as much sleep as you can in the night. The ideal length of sleep for an adult is eight hours, try to get this much every night.

A proper diet also helps with fatigue after all you're already feeding two people. One other reason for the fatigue may be the lack of vitamins and nutrients for the both of you. Take the vitamins that your doctor recommends and make sure you eat lots of nutrient-rich foods.

Exercise is also a big help. It doesn't have to b hard exercise, a light jog a slow walk can in sense practice your body for the extra work it does. But remember, a balance of exercise and rest is needed too much exercise or too much rest can also increase fatigue.

Irritability and mood changes

Because of the increased presence of hormones, mood swings are uncommon, this happens to women monthly during pre-menstrual syndrome.

Lightheadedness

During pregnancy the heart is pumping harder to provide extra blood to the legs and the uterus, as such a woman may experience dizziness due to the lack of blood flow into the brain. Low blood sugar levels can also contribute to dizziness. The best thing to do in this case is to make sure that you eat protein rich food and frequent smaller meals.

Urination Frequency

The rapid growth of the uterus presses the other internal organs away, this includes the bladder. Usually the frequency decreases when the uterus settles into the abdominal cavity. It may return on the third trimester when the uterus drops back down to prepare for birth.

Try leaning forward while urinating. This is to make sure that you empty your bladder completely and can help in decreasing the urinating frequency.

These are the more common discomforts during pregnancy, others like varicose veins, cravings and heartburn are all normal. Being prepared early can help a lot during pregnancy. Be sure to have regular check-ups with your doctor as well as a proper diet, vitamins and exercise.

Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the AUTHOR'S resource box at the bottom of this article is included and all links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.

Rabbits on a High-Saturated Fat Diet Without Added Cholesterol

I just saw another study that supports my previous post Animal Models of Atherosclerosis: LDL. The hypothesis is that in the absence of excessive added dietary cholesterol, saturated fat does not influence LDL or atherosclerosis in animal models, relative to other fats (although omega-6 polyunsaturated oils do lower LDL in some animal models). This appears to be consistent with what we see in humans.

In this study, they fed four groups of rabbits different diets:

1. Regular low-fat rabbit chow
2. Regular low-fat rabbit chow plus 0.5 g cholesterol per day
3. High-fat diet with 30% calories as coconut oil (saturated) and no added cholesterol
   
4. High-fat diet with 30% calories as sunflower oil (polyunsaturated) and no added cholesterol
   

LDL at 6 months was the same in groups 1, 3 and 4, but was increased more than 20-fold in group 2. It's not the fat, it's the fact that they're overloading herbivores with dietary cholesterol!

Total cholesterol was also the same between all groups except the cholesterol-fed group. TBARS, a measure of lipid oxidation in the blood, was elevated in the cholesterol and sunflower oil groups but not in the chow or coconut groups. Oxidation of blood lipids is one of the major factors in atherosclerosis, the vascular disease that narrows arteries and increases the risk of having a heart attack. Serum vitamin C was lower in the cholesterol-fed groups but not the others.

This supports the idea that saturated fat does not inherently increase LDL, and in fact in most animals it does not. This appears to be the case in humans as well, where long-term trials have shown no difference in LDL between people eating more saturated fat and people eating less, on timescales of one year or more (some short trials show a modest LDL-raising effect, but even this appears to be due to an increase in particle size rather than particle number). Since these trials represent the average of many people, they may hide some individual variability: it may actually increase LDL in some people and decrease it in others.

Merry Christmas!

COBRA Subsidy Extended

HR 3326 was signed into law this week. The bill (actually a DOD bill) provides the following benefits to those going onto COBRA (or currently in their first 9 months of COBRA):1. Subsidy on federal COBRA will be extended from 9 months to 15 months at 65% paid by the employer (no information yet on Cal-COBRA)2. Subsidy qualification has been extended to 2/28/2010 and notification is required to

What's the Ideal Fasting Insulin Level?

Insulin is an important hormone. Its canonical function is to signal cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream, but it has many other effects. Chronically elevated insulin is a marker of metabolic dysfunction, and typically accompanies high fat mass, poor glucose tolerance (prediabetes) and blood lipid abnormalities. Measuring insulin first thing in the morning, before eating a meal, reflects fasting insulin. High fasting insulin prevents the escape of fat from fat tissue and causes a number of other metabolic disturbances.

Elevated fasting insulin is a hallmark of the metabolic syndrome, the quintessential modern metabolic disorder that affects 24% of Americans (NHANES III). Dr. Lamarche and colleagues found that having an insulin level of 13 uIU/mL in Canada correlated with an 8-fold higher heart attack risk than a level of 9.3 uIU/mL (1; thanks to NephroPal for the reference). So right away, we can put our upper limit at 9.3 uIU/mL. The average insulin level in the U.S., according to the NHANES III survey, is 8.8 uIU/mL for men and 8.4 for women (2). Given the degree of metabolic dysfunction in this country, I think it's safe to say that the ideal level of fasting insulin is probably below 8.4 uIU/mL as well.

Let's dig deeper. What we really need is a healthy, non-industrial "negative control" group. Fortunately, Dr. Staffan Lindeberg and his team made detailed measurements of fasting insulin while they were visiting the isolated Melanesian island of Kitava (3). He compared his measurements to age-matched Swedish volunteers. In male and female Swedes, the average fasting insulin ranges from 4-11 uIU/mL, and increases with age. From age 60-74, the average insulin level is 7.3 uIU/mL.

In contrast, the range on Kitava is 3-6 uIU/mL, which does not increase with age. In the 60-74 age group, in both men and women, the average fasting insulin on Kitava is 3.5 uIU/mL. That's less than half the average level in Sweden and the U.S. Keep in mind that the Kitavans are lean and have an undetectable rate of heart attack and stroke.

Another example from the literature are the Shuar hunter-gatherers of the Amazon rainforest. Women in this group have an average fasting insulin concentration of 5.1 uIU/mL (4; no data was given for men).

I found a couple of studies from the early 1970s as well, indicating that African pygmies and San bushmen have rather high fasting insulin. Glucose tolerance was excellent in the pygmies and poor in the bushmen (5, 6, free full text). This may reflect differences in carbohydrate intake. San bushmen consume very little carbohydrate during certain seasons, and thus would likely have glucose intolerance during that period. There are three facts that make me doubt the insulin measurements in these older studies:

1. It's hard to be sure that they didn't eat anything prior to the blood draw.
2. From what I understand, insulin assays were variable and not standardized back then.
   
3. In the San study, their fasting insulin was 1/3 lower than the Caucasian control group (10 vs. 15 uIU/mL). I doubt these active Caucasian researchers really had an average fasting insulin level of 15 uIU/mL. Both sets of measurements are probably too high.
   

Now you know the conflicting evidence, so you're free to be skeptical if you'd like.

We also have data from a controlled trial in healthy urban people eating a "paleolithic"-type diet. On a paleolithic diet designed to maintain body weight (calorie intake had to be increased substantially to prevent fat loss during the diet), fasting insulin dropped from an average of 7.2 to 2.9 uIU/mL in just 10 days. The variation in insulin level between individuals decreased 9-fold, and by the end, all participants were close to the average value of 2.9 uIU/mL. This shows that high fasting insulin is correctable in people who haven't yet been permanently damaged by the industrial diet and lifestyle. The study included men and women of European, African and Asian descent (7).

One final data point. My own fasting insulin, earlier this year, was 2.3 uIU/mL. I believe it reflects a good diet, regular exercise, sufficient sleep, a relatively healthy diet growing up, and the fact that I managed to come across the right information relatively young. It does not reflect: carbohydrate restriction, fat restriction, or saturated fat restriction. Neither does the low fasting insulin of healthy non-industrial cultures.

So what's the ideal fasting insulin level? My current feeling is that we can consider anything between 2 and 6 uIU/mL within our evolutionary template, although the lower half of that range may be preferable.

New Tourism Deal Between Argentina, Brazil and Isra

Tourism agreement to be signed between Israel and Argentina (www.jpost.com):"Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov and his Argentinean counterpart Carlos Enrique Meyer will sign a tourism agreement in the near future, after Misezhnikov, who was accompanying President Shimon Peres on his South American tour, said on Tuesday that "Israel considers Argentina to be a country with great tourism potential.

Maternity Leave Challenges in the US Today

Although 163 countries provide guaranteed paid maternity leave for new mothers, the United States does not. In fact, this maternity leave statistic puts the US in the same boat with Lesotho, Papua New Guinea and Swaziland. Australia is the only other industrialized nation that offers no paid maternity leave for new mothers, but it does offer 12 months of unpaid maternity leave. So what does the US offer new moms today?

Let us examine the laws for pregnancy and maternity leave up close. The first federal law that you should be aware of is the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. This Act makes it illegal for employers to fire, refuse to hire, or deny a woman a promotion because she is pregnant. However, it provides no job protection to new parents on maternity leave.

The second federal law that you should be aware of is the Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which provides millions of workers with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected time off for maternity leave or recovery from illness.

If you happen to be so lucky, your company also may offer paid short term disability to help with your maternity leave and recovery from childbirth. Some companies are stricter than others in allowing a new mom on maternity leave to qualify for this paid benefit. Ask your HR representative if this is an option for you.

While most of us can depend on FMLA to guarantee us a return to our jobs, some workers cannot. FMLA only applies to businesses with over 50 employees. The FMLA protects working women and men who have been with the same employer for at least one year and have worked for at least 1250 hours over the course of that year. 40% of workers do not fall within these boundaries. Still more workers who are eligible for FMLA coverage simply cannot afford to take maternity leave without pay. In one survey, 78 percent of workers who needed FMLA but did not take it said they could not afford the unpaid leave. So what does this mean for your maternity leave?

It means that you may have to end your maternity leave before you are ready to leave your baby. To avoid this scenarios, start considering your options before you go on maternity leave.

Job Sharing: You share your job with another person, cutting your hours to half of what they once were. This allows you to spend more bonding time with baby, while giving you some income.

Telecommuting: Working from home may be a possibility if you have a computer, good Internet connection, and a telephone - at least while on a partial maternity leave

Staying Home Full Time: Can you rearrange your budget to stay home - at least temporarily?

Start Your Own Business:There are so many possibilities out there from starting your own childcare business to selling goods on e-bay.

The US has a long way to go to protect working moms. Many families simply can't afford to live on dad's income alone, and many of us are single moms as well, with no choice but to work. With a little creativity and some luck, you may be able to work around the system, so you'll have more bonding time with your baby and a longer maternity leave.

Although 163 countries provide guaranteed paid maternity leave for new mothers, the United States does not. In fact, this maternity leave statistic puts the US in the same boat with Lesotho, Papua New Guinea and Swaziland. Australia is the only other industrialized nation that offers no paid maternity leave for new mothers, but it does offer 12 months of unpaid maternity leave. So what does the US offer new moms today? Let us examine the laws for pregnancy and maternity leave up close. The first federal law that you should be aware of is the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. This Act makes it illegal for employers to fire, refuse to hire, or deny a woman a promotion because she is pregnant. However, it provides no job protection to new parents on maternity leave. The second federal law that you should be aware of is the Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which provides [...]

CA Healthy Families In Jeopardy Again

There is renewed fear that the state may have to shutter the Healthy Families program and remove hundreds of thousands of California children from the health insurance plan (SCHIP).Apparently, CMS has "determined" that a special tax extension plan adopted by the CA Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Scharzenegger (a 2.35% tax paid BY health insurers) fails to meet the CMS reading of the

The Dirty Little Secret of the Diet-Heart Hypothesis

The diet-heart hypothesis is the idea that saturated fat, and in some versions cholesterol, raises blood cholesterol and contributes to the risk of having a heart attack. To test this hypothesis, scientists have been studying the relationship between saturated fat consumption and heart attack risk for more than half a century. To judge by the grave pronouncements of our most visible experts, you would think these studies had found an association between the two. It turns out, they haven't.

The fact is, the vast majority of high-quality observational studies have found no connection whatsoever between saturated fat consumption and heart attack risk. The scientific literature contains dozens of these studies, so let's narrow the field to prospective studies only, because they are considered the most reliable. In this study design, investigators find a group of initially healthy people, record information about them (in this case what they eat), and watch who gets sick over the years.

A Sampling of Unsupportive Studies

Here are references to ten high-impact prospective studies, spanning half a century, showing no association between saturated fat consumption and heart attack risk. Ignore the squirming about saturated-to-polyunsaturated ratios, Keys/Hegsted scores, etc. What we're concerned with is the straightforward question: do people who eat more saturated fat have more heart attacks? Many of these papers allow free access to the full text, so have a look for yourselves if you want:

A Longitudinal Study of Coronary Heart Disease. Circulation. 1963.

Diet and Heart: a Postscript. British Medical Journal. 1977. Saturated fat was unrelated to heart attack risk, but fiber was protective.

Dietary Intake and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Japanese Men Living in Hawaii. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1978.

Relationship of Dietary Intake to Subsequent Coronary Heart Disease Incidence: the Puerto Rico Heart Health Program. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1980.

Diet, Serum Cholesterol, and Death From Coronary Heart Disease: The Western Electric Study. New England Journal of Medicine. 1981.

Diet and 20-year Mortality in Two Rural Population Groups of Middle-Aged Men in Italy. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1989. Men who died of CHD ate significantly less saturated fat than men who didn't.

Diet and Incident Ischaemic Heart Disease: the Caerphilly Study. British Journal of Nutrition. 1993. They measured animal fat intake rather than saturated fat in this study.

Dietary Fat and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Men: Cohort Follow-up Study in the United States. British Medical Journal. 1996. This is the massive Physicians Health Study. Don't let the abstract fool you! Scroll down to table 2 and see for yourself that the association between saturated fat intake and heart attack risk disappears after adjustment for several factors including family history of heart attack, smoking and fiber intake. That's because, as in most modern studies, people who eat steak are also more likely to smoke, avoid vegetables, eat fast food, etc.

Dietary Fat Intake and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Women. New England Journal of Medicine. 1997. From the massive Nurse's Health study. This one fooled me for a long time because the abstract is misleading. It claims that saturated fat was associated with heart attack risk. However, the association disappeared without a trace when they adjusted for monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat intake. Have a look at table 3.

Dietary Fat Intake and Early Mortality Patterns-- Data from the Malmo Diet and Cancer Study. Journal of Internal Medicine. 2005.

I just listed 10 prospective studies published in top peer-reviewed journals that found no association between saturated fat and heart disease risk. This is less than half of the prospective studies that have come to the same conclusion, representing by far the majority of studies to date. If saturated fat is anywhere near as harmful as we're told, why are its effects essentially undetectable in the best studies we can muster?

Studies that Support the Diet-Heart Hypothesis

To be fair, there have been a few that have found an association between saturated fat consumption and heart attack risk. Here's a list of all four that I'm aware of, with comments:

Ten-year Incidence of Coronary Heart Disease in the Honolulu Heart Program: relationship to nutrient intake. American Journal of Epidemiology. 1984. "Men who developed coronary heart disease also had a higher mean intake of percentage of calories from protein, fat, saturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids than men who remained free of coronary heart disease." The difference in saturated fat intake between people who had heart attacks and those who didn't, although statistically significant, was minuscule.

Diet and 20-Year Mortality From Coronary Heart Disease: the Ireland-Boston Diet-Heart Study. New England Journal of Medicine. 1985. "Overall, these results tend to support the hypothesis that diet is related, albeit weakly, to the development of coronary heart disease."

Relationship Between Dietary Intake and Coronary Heart Disease Mortality: Lipid Research Clinics Prevalence Follow-up Study. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. 1996. "...increasing percentages of energy intake as total fat (RR 1.04, 95% CI = 1.01 – 1.08), saturated fat (RR 1.11, CI = 1.04 – 1.18), and monounsaturated fat (RR 1.08, CI = 1.01 – 1.16) were significant risk factors for CHD mortality among 30 to 59 year olds... None of the dietary components were significantly associated with CHD mortality among those aged 60–79 years." Note that the associations were very small, also included monounsaturated fat (like in olive oil), and only applied to the age group with the lower risk of heart attack.

The Combination of High Fruit and Vegetable and Low Saturated Fat Intakes is More Protective Against Mortality in Aging Men than is Either Alone. Journal of Nutrition. 2005. Higher saturated fat intake was associated with a higher risk of heart attack; fiber was strongly protective.

The Review Papers

Over 25 high-quality studies conducted, and only 4 support the diet-heart hypothesis. If this substance is truly so fearsome, why don't people who eat more of it have more heart attacks? In case you're concerned that I'm cherry-picking studies that conform to my beliefs, here are links to review papers on the same data that have reached the same conclusion:

The Questionable Role of Saturated and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Cardiovascular Disease. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. 1998. Dr. Uffe Ravnskov systematically demolishes the diet-heart hypothesis simply by collecting all the relevant studies and summarizing their findings.

A Systematic Review of the Evidence Supporting a Causal Link Between Dietary Factors and Coronary Heart Disease. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2009. "Insufficient evidence (less than or equal to 2 criteria) of association is present for intake of supplementary vitamin E and ascorbic acid (vitamin C); saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids; total fat; alpha-linolenic acid; meat; eggs; and milk" They analyzed prospective studies representing over 160,000 patients from 11 studies meeting their rigorous inclusion criteria, and found no association whatsoever between saturated fat consumption and heart attack risk.

Where's the Disconnect?

The first part of the diet-heart hypothesis states that dietary saturated fat raises the cholesterol/LDL concentration of the blood. This is held as established fact in the mainstream understanding of nutrition. The second part states that increased blood cholesterol/LDL increases the risk of having a heart attack. What part of this is incorrect?

There's definitely an association between blood cholesterol/LDL level and heart attack risk in certain populations, including Americans. MRFIT, among other studies, showed this definitively, although the lowest risk of all-cause mortality was at an average level of cholesterol. The association between blood cholesterol and heart attack risk does not apply to Japanese populations, as pointed out repeatedly by the erudite Dr. Harumi Okuyama. This seems to be generally true of groups that consume a lot of seafood.

So we're left with the first premise: that saturated fat increases blood cholesterol/LDL. This turns out to be largely a myth, based on a liberal interpretation of short-term feeding studies. In fact, it isn't even true in animal models of heart disease. In the 1950s, the most vigorous proponent of the diet-heart hypothesis, Dr. Ancel Keys, created a formula designed to predict changes in blood cholesterol based on the consumption of dietary saturated and polyunsaturated fats. This formula is extremely inaccurate and has gradually been dropped from the modern medical literature. Yet the idea that saturated fat consumption increases blood cholesterol/LDL lives on...

This is it, folks: the diet-heart hypothesis ends here. It's been kept afloat for decades by wishful thinking, puritan sensibilities and selective citation of the evidence. It's time to put it out of its misery.

High housing price defies traditional real estate picture in Beijing

BEIJING, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- There are many riddles in Beijing's property market this year, and the most recent one is the much higher sales price for apartments than for office buildings in the same district, China Daily reported Monday. Industry experts said that in a healthy real estate market, the unit price of commercial property is usually 30 percent higher than that of residential

Public Option Waning, Now Annual Benefit Caps?

It appears that the public option portion of the health care reform legislation may be coming off of the table soon, if not already. There is talk of replacing it with a private insurance, non-profit version overseen by the government. Also, there is talk of at least a temporary reduction in the Medicare age to 55. Apparently part of todays' compromise has to do with trying to keep premiums "

California Healthy Families Back In Business

In the summer I blogged about the closing of new enrollments in the Healthy Families program for children (SCHIP). Recently the program received additional funding and has re-opened to new enrollments. This is very good news for thousands of California families who need this low-cost health insurance coverage for their children. For current information on the California Healthy Families

Closer on Healthcare Reform

It looks like we are getting very close to a final version of the Senate reform bill. Broad agreement has been reached on the Senate version, which is very close to the already-passed House version. CNN Story Dec 8th

Butyric Acid: an Ancient Controller of Metabolism, Inflammation and Stress Resistance

An Interesting Finding

Susceptible strains of rodents fed high-fat diets overeat, gain fat and become profoundly insulin resistant. Dr. Jianping Ye's group recently published a paper showing that the harmful metabolic effects of a high-fat diet (lard and soybean oil) on mice can be prevented, and even reversed, using a short-chain saturated fatty acid called butyric acid (hereafter, butyrate). Here's a graph of the percent body fat over time of the two groups:

The butyrate-fed mice remained lean and avoided metabolic problems. Butyrate increased their energy expenditure by increasing body heat production and modestly increasing physical activity. It also massively increased the function of their mitochondria, the tiny power plants of the cell.

Butyrate lowered their blood cholesterol by approximately 25 percent, and their triglycerides by nearly 50 percent. It lowered their fasting insulin by nearly 50 percent, and increased their insulin sensitivity by nearly 300 percent*. The investigators concluded:

Butyrate and its derivatives may have potential application in the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome in humans.

There's one caveat, however: the butyrate group at less food. Something about the butyrate treatment caused their food intake to decline after 3 weeks, dropping roughly 20% by 10 weeks. The investigators cleverly tried to hide this by normalizing food intake to body weight, making it look like the food intake of the comparison group was dropping as well (when actually it was staying the same as this group was gaining weight).

I found this study thought-provoking, so I looked into butyrate further.

Butyrate Suppresses Inflammation in the Gut and Other Tissues

In most animals, the highest concentration of butyrate is found in the gut. That's because it's produced by intestinal bacteria from carbohydrate that the host cannot digest, such as cellulose and pectin. Indigestible carbohydrate is the main form of dietary fiber.

It turns out, butyrate has been around in the mammalian gut for so long that the lining of our large intestine has evolved to use it as its primary source of energy. It does more than just feed the bowel, however. It also has potent anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects. So much so, that investigators are using oral butyrate supplements and butyrate enemas to treat inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's and ulcerative colitis. Investigators are also suggesting that inflammatory bowel disorders may be caused or exacerbated by a deficiency of butyrate in the first place.

Butyrate, and other short-chain fatty acids produced by gut bacteria**, has a remarkable effect on intestinal permeability. In tissue culture and live rats, short-chain fatty acids cause a large and rapid decrease in intestinal permeability. Butyrate, or dietary fiber, prevents the loss of intestinal premeability in rat models of ulcerative colitis. This shows that short-chain fatty acids, including butyrate, play an important role in the maintenance of gut barrier integrity. Impaired gut barrier integrity is associated with many diseases, including fatty liver, heart failure and autoimmune diseases (thanks to Pedro Bastos for this information-- I'll be covering the topic in more detail later).

Butyrate's role doesn't end in the gut. It's absorbed into the circulation, and may exert effects on the rest of the body as well. In human blood immune cells, butyrate is potently anti-inflammatory***.

Butyrate Increases Resistance to Metabolic and Physical Stress

Certain types of fiber reduce atherosclerosis in animal models, and this effect may be due to butyrate production produced when the fiber is fermented. Fiber intake was associated with lower blood markers of inflammation in the Women's Health Initiative study, and has been repeatedly associated with lower heart attack risk and reduced progression of atherosclerosis in humans. Butyrate also sharply reduces the harmful effects of type 1 diabetes in rats, as does dietary fiber to a lesser extent.

Butyrate increases the function and survival of mice with certain neurodegenerative diseases. Polyglutamine diseases, which are the most common class of genetic neurodegenerative diseases, are delayed in mice treated with butyrate (1, 2, 3). Many of you have probably heard of Huntington's disease, which is the most common of the class. I did my thesis on a polyglutamine disease called SCA7, and this is the first suggestion I've seen that diet may be able to modify its course.

Yet another interesting finding in the first paper I discussed: mice treated with butyrate were more cold-resistant than the comparison group. When they were both placed in a cold room, body temperature dropped quite a bit in the comparison group, while it remained relatively stable in the butyrate group, despite the fact that the butyrate group was leaner****. This was due to increased heat production in the butyrate group.

Due to the potent effect butyrate has on a number of bodily processes, I believe it may be a fundamental controller of metabolism, stress resistance and the immune system in mammals, similar to omega-6:3 balance.

An Ancient Line of Communication Between Symbiotic Organisms

Why does butyrate have so much control over inflammation? Let's think about where it comes from. Bacteria in the gut produce it. It's a source of energy, so our bodies take it up readily. It's one of the main molecules that passes from the symbiotic (helpful) bacteria in the gut to the rest of the body. It's only logical that the body would receive butyrate as a signal that there's a thriving colony of symbiotic bacteria in the gut, and induce a tolerance to them. The body may alter its immune response (inflammation) in order to permit a mutually beneficial relationship between itself and its symbionts.

A Change of Heart

Butyrate has caused me to re-think my position on fiber-- which was formerly that it's irrelevant at best. I felt that fiber came along with nutrient-dense whole plant foods, but was not beneficial per se. I believed that the associations between fiber intake and a lower risk of a number of diseases were probably due to the fact that wealthier, more educated, healthier people tend to buy more whole grains, fruit and vegetables. In other words, I believed that fiber intake was associated with better health, but did not contribute to it. I now feel, based on further reading about fiber and short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, that the associations represent a true cause-and-effect relationship.

I also didn't fully appreciate the caloric contribution of fiber to the human diet. In industrialized countries, fiber may contribute 5 to 10 percent of total calorie intake, due to its conversion to short-chain fatty acids like butyrate in the large intestine (free full text). This figure is probably at least twice as high in cultures consuming high-fiber diets. It's interesting to think that "high-carbohydrate" cultures may be getting easily 15 percent of their calories from short-chain fats. Since that isn't recorded in dietary surveys, they may appear more dependent on carbohydrate than they actually are. The Kitavans may be getting more than 30 percent of their total calories from fat, despite the fact that their food is only 21 percent fat when it passes their lips. Their calorie intake may be underestimated as well.

Sources of Butyrate

There are two main ways to get butyrate and other short-chain fatty acids. The first is to eat fiber and let your intestinal bacteria do the rest. Whole plant foods such as sweet potatoes, properly prepared whole grains, beans, vegetables, fruit and nuts are good sources of fiber. Refined foods such as white flour, white rice and sugar are very low in fiber. Clinical trials have shown that increasing dietary fiber increases butyrate production, and decreasing fiber decreases it (free full text).

Butyrate also occurs in significant amounts in food. What foods contain butyrate? Hmm, I wonder where the name BUTYR-ate came from? Butter perhaps? Butter is 3-4 percent butyrate, the richest known source. But everyone knows butter is bad for you, right?

After thinking about it, I've decided that butyrate must have been a principal component of Dr. Weston Price's legendary butter oil. Price used this oil in conjunction with high-vitamin cod liver oil to heal tooth decay and a number of other ailments in his patients. The method he used to produce it would have concentrated fats with a low melting temperature, including butyrate, in addition to vitamin K2*****. Thus, the combination of high-vitamin cod liver oil and butter oil would have provided a potent cocktail of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D3, K2), omega-3 fatty acids and butyrate. It's no wonder it was so effective in his patients.


* According to insulin tolerance test.

** Acetate (acetic acid, the main acid in vinegar), propionate and butyrate are the primary three fatty acids produced by intestinal fermentation.

*** The lowest concentration used in this study, 30 micromolar, is probably higher than the concentration in peripheral serum under normal circumstances. Human serum butyrate is in the range of 4 micromolar in British adults, and 29 micromolar in the hepatic portal vein which brings fats from the digestive tract to the liver (ref). This would likely be at least two-fold higher in populations eating high-fiber diets.

**** Due to higher mitochondrial density in brown fat and more mitochondrial uncoupling.

***** Slow crystallization, which selectively concentrates triglycerides with a low melting point.

The end of the live real estate auction

Leasing Space to the Government

GSA, the nation's largest public real estate organization, provides workspace for more than 1.2 million federal workers through its Public Buildings Service. Approximately half of the employees are housed in buildings owned by the federal government and half are located in over 7,100 separate leased properties, including buildings, land, antenna sites, etc. across the country. An updated listing

Starting a Real Estate Career

Malocclusion: Disease of Civilization, Part IX

A Summary

For those who didn't want to wade through the entire nerd safari, I offer a simple summary.

Our ancestors had straight teeth, and their wisdom teeth came in without any problem. The same continues to be true of a few non-industrial cultures today, but it's becoming rare. Wild animals also rarely suffer from orthodontic problems.

Today, the majority of people in the US and other affluent nations have some type of malocclusion, whether it's crooked teeth, overbite, open bite or a number of other possibilities.

There are three main factors that I believe contribute to malocclusion in modern societies:

1. Maternal nutrition during the first trimester of pregnancy. Vitamin K2, found in organs, pastured dairy and eggs, is particularly important. We may also make small amounts from the K1 found in green vegetables.
2. Sucking habits from birth to age four. Breast feeding protects against malocclusion. Bottle feeding, pacifiers and finger sucking probably increase the risk of malocclusion. Cup feeding and orthodontic pacifiers are probably acceptable alternatives.
3. Food toughness. The jaws probably require stress from tough food to develop correctly. This can contribute to the widening of the dental arch until roughly age 17. Beef jerky, raw vegetables, raw fruit, tough cuts of meat and nuts are all good ways to exercise the jaws.
   

And now, an example from the dental literature to motivate you. In 1976, Dr. H. L. Eirew published an interesting paper in the British Dental Journal. He took two 12-year old identical twins, with identical class I malocclusions (crowded incisors), and gave them two different orthodontic treatments. Here's a picture of both girls before the treatment:


In one, he made more space in her jaws by extracting teeth. In the other, he put in an apparatus that broadened her dental arch, which roughly mimics the natural process of arch growth during childhood and adolescence. This had profound effects on the girls' subsequent occlusion and facial structure:

The girl on the left had teeth extracted, while the girl on the right had her arch broadened. Under ideal circumstances, this is what should happen naturally during development. Notice any differences?

Thanks to the Weston A Price foundation's recent newsletter for the study reference.

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Vitamin D is ‘nature''s antibiotic’

Washington, Nov 24 : Vitamin D is being appreciated as "nature''s antibiotic” as a string of recent discoveries about the multiple health benefits of this nutrient have come to the fore.

Right from the health of your immune system to prevention of heart disease and even vulnerability to influenza, vitamin D is now seen as one of the most critical nutrients for overall health.

But it is also one of those most likely to be deficient – especially during winter when production of the "sunshine vitamin" almost grinds to a halt for people.

Analogs of the vitamin are even being considered for use as new therapies against tuberculosis, AIDS, and other concerns.

And federal experts are considering an increase in the recommended daily intake of the vitamin as more evidence of its value emerges, especially for the elderly.

"About 70 percent of the population of the United States has insufficient levels of vitamin D. This is a critical issue as we learn more about the many roles it may play in fighting infection, balancing your immune response, helping to address autoimmune problems, and even preventing heart disease," said Adrian Gombart, a principal investigator with the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.

Among other findings about benefits of Vitamin D is the ones made by OSU scientists that it induces the "expression" of cathelicidin, an antimicrobial peptide gene.

This explains in part how it helps serve as the first line of defense in your immune response against minor wounds, cuts, and both bacterial and viral infections.

Experts believe advances in the use of cathelicidin may form the basis for new therapies.

"Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency is a world-wide, public health problem in both developed and developing nations. Nearly one billion people world-wide are deficient," the new report concluded.

The new report found that low levels of circulating vitamin D are associated with increased risk and mortality from cancer.

Vitamin D plays an important role in activating the immune system, fostering the "innate" immune response and controlling over-reaction of adaptive immunity, and as such may help control autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis.

The regulation of cathelicidin by vitamin D, a unique biological pathway for the function of vitamin D that could help explain its multiple roles in proper immune function, is so important that it''s only known to exist in two groups of animals - humans and non-human primates - and has been conserved in them through millions of years of evolution.

Epidemiological studies show a link between vitamin D deficiency and increased rates of respiratory infection and influenza, and it has been hypothesized that flu epidemics may be the result of vitamin D deficiency.

Higher levels of a protein linked to vitamin D have been associated with reduced infections and longer survival of dialysis patients.

Vitamin D has important roles in reducing inflammation, blood pressure and helping to protect against heart disease.

The study has been published in Future Microbiology, a professional journal. (ANI)

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