Sunday, July 8, 2007
Many Benefits of Birth at Home
Monday, 02 July 2007
• Howick and Pakuranga Times
ONLY two per cent of Kiwi women do it, but one Bucklands Beach mother says she’d do it all again in a flash.
A little more than nine weeks ago, Rachel Springett gave birth to a healthy baby boy in the comfort of her own home.
While the vast majority of New Zealand women opt for hospital births, Ms Springett chose to have her third child at home.
The decision was an easy one for the former Howick Primary schoolteacher, who was already mum to two teenage daughters before the arrival of baby Tane.
“It’s really empowering,” she says. “You have more control to be able to be yourself and you’re more likely to trust your instincts. [Labour] has become so medicalised. It’s such a natural thing but women often don’t trust themselves.”
She describes the day as “perfect” and says she’d recommend homebirth to anyone.
“Having the familiar background made me relax so much more. It just made me feel ‘this is right’. I totally trusted the midwifes. They talked me through it the whole time. I never felt unsafe. The hospital’s just 15 minutes away so it was there as a backup.”
Ms Springett says giving birth at home was also an eye-opener for her partner Wayde and two daughters.
“Society has lost that passing down of mothering skills. My girls learnt so much,” she says.
“[My partner] thought it was a real plus — he wasn’t just hanging around going ‘oh my god’.”
Mother-of-three Lesley Hinson has been a New Zealand registered midwife since 1986 and is a strong advocate of planned homebirths.
Along with several other midwives, she recently led an information evening at Howick’s Crawford Medical Centre for those interested in homebirth.
In New Zealand, homebirths aren’t “the norm” and many women just “go with the flow”, says Ms Hinson.
“We’re all victims of the society we live in. We’re all conditioned to what we grew up with.
“Society gets the image that every baby needs to be born with all the emergency equipment around it. If we don’t promote [homebirth] they don’t think about it.”
She says homebirth is an option for a woman who’s had an uncomplicated pregnancy, has previously given birth and is in good health.
“Some people choose homebirths because they want that privacy. What most women like is that their husband doesn’t need to go anywhere. They’re more relaxed in their own place.”
Midwives are trained to deal with emergencies and don’t hesitate to refer their patients to hospital if there’s a problem during labour, adds Ms Hinson.
“We don’t hang around, but I can’t remember the last time I had to transfer a baby in.”
Although she’s an advocate of planned homebirth, Ms Hinson stresses the final decision of where to have their baby is up to the woman concerned.
“Homebirth is not the average person’s plan, depending on who you know and what you’ve been exposed to. If I meet people and they choose to go into hospital then that’s fine.
“Every woman’s different and every baby’s different. Our group is promoting planned homebirths. We give people information and they make their choices,” says Ms Hinson.
The next information evening on planned homebirths is in August.
For details, contact Joyce on 537-1808, or Clare 533-0233.
Baby Dies From Toxic Breast Milk
A lawsuit over the death of
Tariq's mother Rani was prescribed Tylenol 3 for lingering episiotomy pain. Although Tariq was initially healthy, he developed increasing lethargy after the seven-day mark, and after 11 days he was brought to a pediatrician due to concerns about his skin color and poor feeding. Two days later, Tariq died.
Tariq was found to have high blood levels of acetaminophen, and a blood concentration of morphine six times higher than would normally be considered safe in a neonate. Tylenol 3 contains both acetaminophen and codeine, which is metabolized to morphine in the body. However, not everyone metabolizes codeine at the same rate. Rani Jamieson was an ultra-rapid metabolizer of codeine to morphine, which means that the opiate built up in her breastmilk very fast.
While ultra-rapid metabolization of codeine occurs in about 1 percent of Caucasians, it occurs in as much as 30 percent of some African and Asian populations.National Review of Medicine June 15, 2007
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
| Mothers must use extreme caution when taking any drugs while breastfeeding, because those drugs could be transferred to your baby. Prescription drugs like Tylenol 3 are not the only danger. The excessive acetaminophen you can get from regular Tylenol, even without the codeine, can be extremely dangerous. Because some 5 billion over-the-counter medications are sold in the But you, or your baby, could suffer from serious side effects and possibly die unintentionally if you don't take them with the proper care. Even environmental chemicals like rocket fuel are sadly now being found in breast milk. But nonetheless, breastfeeding is without a doubt the healthiest way to feed your baby. Breastfed infants have added protection against:
So although this child died from breastfeeding, that in no way discounts its value as breastfeeding is not only incredibly good for your baby, it's good for moms, too! |
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Another Tragic and Unnecessary Death
The Sunscreen Myth: How Sunscreen Products Actually Promote Cancer
In fact, sunscreen actually promotes cancer by blocking your body's absorption of ultraviolet radiation, and therefore blocking the production of vitamin D in your skin.
Studies have shown that vitamin D can prevent as many as 77 of all cancers. In addition, most sunscreen lotions also contain cancer-causing chemicals.
A portion of the profits from the sale of these lotions is then donated to organizations such as the American Cancer Society, which in turn runs public service ads encouraging the use of sunscreens.
Proper nutrition is a better way to prevent sunburn then sunscreen lotion. Berries and microalgae such as spirulina, astaxanthin, and blue-green algae can make the body naturally resistant to sunburn, as well as similar radiation damage to the eyes and optic nerve.
NewsTarget.com June 15, 2007Dr. Mercola's Comment:
| How many people know that not getting enough sun KILLS 50,000 people from cancer deaths every year in the US alone? The myth that the sun is detrimental to your health, and that sunscreen is a necessity to guard against cancer is one of the most pervasive hoaxes in our society today. Not only do sunscreens promote cancer by blocking your vitamin D production, they are also likely carcinogens all by themselves. A study in the April 2004 Journal of Chromatography found that there is significant penetration of all sunscreen agents they studied into the skin. So when you use most sunscreens, your body is absorbing synthetic chemicals, and with experts' recommendations to apply generous amounts of the product every few hours, you will likely be absorbing a fair amount. Some of these chemicals are quite dangerous. Octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC), which is present in 90 percent of sunscreen brands, was found to kill mouse cells even at low doses. Sunburn should always be avoided, but there are many all-natural ways to protect yourself from sunburn that you can use instead of resorting to the toxic infusions of commercial sunscreens. Boosting your skin's "internal sunscreen" from within with effective antoxidants from whole fresh vegetables and fruits like goji berries (not the juice), raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, are far healthier options. Additionally, slathering on some aloe vera gel can also be helpful. I recommend testing your vitamin D levels to make sure you're not deficient before resorting to sunscreen of any kind. For more information about the vital importance of vitamin D from sunlight, please review my article Reduce Your Risk of Cancer With Sunlight Exposure, if you haven't already seen it. You might also want to keep an eye out for my forthcoming book, Dark Deception, which is due to be published in 2008. It will take an in-depth look at all of the various issues relating to sunscreen, cancer, vitamin D, and sunlight. |
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Slathering on Sunscreen Does Not Prevent Cancer
Three Girls Died, Others Hospitalized, After HPV Vaccine
1,637 adverse reactions have been reported by Judicial Watch, a public interest watchdog, including three girls who died shortly after receiving the immunization. Judicial Watch obtained the reports from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration using the Freedom of Information Act.
In
British Medical Journal June 9, 2007;334:1182-1183
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
| Should young girls be required to take Gardasil by the government when possible side effects include hospitalization and death? There have also been reports from the These are steep risks for a vaccine that only sometimes protects against HPV, which is virtually 100 percent avoidable without an expensive and potentially fatal vaccine. Please realize that Merck has manipulated the medical and political system to FORCE children to get this dangerous vaccine for their own bottom line profit. The potential promised reduction of cervical cancer is the bait they use. Remember Merck, the manufacturer of this vaccine, is the same company that made Vioxx that killed over 60,000 people. It is also important to understand that this year, some 11,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer, which can be caused by HPV, and about 3,700 will die from it. In comparison, 16 times more American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer (178,480), and 11 times more will die from it (40,460). Remember, it is NOT the infection that is the issue as much as it is the person's immune system. You can be exposed to these bacteria and viruses and if you are living a healthy lifestyle your body's immune system will typically know how to address the infection. |
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Indian Teen Performs C-Sec for the Record Books
DesiGirl
The Hippocratic Oath, according to Wikipedia, "...is an oath traditionally taken by physicians pertaining to the ethical practice of medicine." As even us non-medical professionals know, thanks to a decade of ER and such, upholding the Oath is of vital importance to a physician. Though segments of the original Greek words have been modified to suit the modern times, the essence of it remains the same:
To do no harm to those who come in search of a cure.
I guess this is where the good doctors K Murugesan and his wife, M Gandhimathay slipped. In their eagerness to be the proud parents of a Guinness Book of Records certified 'World's Youngest Surgeon', they veered off their Oath-sworn path and well into the path of controversy.
By allowing their 15-year-old son, Dileepan Raj, to perform a c-section on one of their patients, they have caused moral and ethical outrage within the medical community and across the general populace. As doctors, their duty is towards the welfare of their patient - in this case, a pregnant mother and her unborn infant. How can they put that aside and entertain thoughts of world records and such at this stage?
Not stopping at operating on that poor woman, 27-year-old Neela, the doctors parents decided to go further and let the whole world and its wife know what a pistol they have for a son. They filmed the operation (oh the ignominy of it!) and premiered it at the Indian Medical Association's meeting on May 6. When the assembled brethren didn't gasp in wonder but in dismay at this, Dr Murugesan quipped, and I quote, “If a 10-year-old can drive a car and a 15-year-old can become a doctor in the US, what is wrong if my son, though not qualified, performs a surgery?”
Let's see if we can tell the good doctor what is wrong. Googling for the Hippocratic Oath netted me the gems the doctors have forgotten:
1. To keep the good of the patient as the highest priority - Strike one - having an unskilled boy perform a complex operation such as a caesarean-section, thereby risking not one but two lives is a big no no. I cannot imagine anyone feeling better at the thought of having the proud parents hovering over their son's hands and guiding them.
2. Never to do deliberate harm to anyone for anyone else's interest - it wasn't in anyone else's interest but their own, so that they could see their son's name in the Guinness Book of World Records. That they didn't cause GBH to the mother or the baby is a blessing. So, strike two!
3. To practice and prescribe to the best of my ability for the good of my patients, and to try to avoid harming them - The mother of them all, 'for the good of my patients', has been wiped off the memory banks of the culprits. Strike three!
Three strikes, doc - you're out!
The IMA's less than enthusiastic response and the resulting fallout possibly triggered a late reaction in his brain and Doc Murugesan backpedalled furiously to keep self and wife from disbarment and further negative publicity. He has denied that the offspring actually took the scalpel in his own bare hands and cut open a woman's belly. Apparently, the boy just watched, while his dad did the deed.
Maybe. But what about his claim to the Kumudam Reporter that his boy has been performing such operations from the time he was 12?
With the IMA urging disbarment and the local Health Minister promising 'tough action' if the whole incident could be proven, the future seems a bit sticky for the doctors. But no one can get their hands on a copy of the offending video - maybe the doctors came to their senses and burned the evidence. I, for one, hope that someone locks these offending individuals up and throws away the key. What sort of a doctor, what sort of a person does such a thing?
Growing ear hair to get your name on the record books is one thing; wilfully endangering a person's lives is a different kettle of fish. I say, punish these idiots and make an example out of them. Maybe that will deter other idiots from trying to create such vile records, like the nut who tried to make waves by performing 50 hernia operations in 24 hours.
Another benefit of breastfeeding...
Comparable use of oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy showed no significant effect on the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, said Dr. Mitra Keshavarz, of Malmo Hospital University, Sweden.
The findings add to the "growing body of evidence in favor of breastfeeding and its positive health implications -- this time demonstrating its protective benefits for the mother," Keshavarz said.
The study compared information from the Swedish National Hospital Discharge and the National Cause of Death Register from 1991 to 1996.
The findings were presented at the Annual European Congress of rheumatology in Barcelona.