THE FIRST TWO THOUSAND DAYS FOR MOM AND BABY V
October 22, 2018
What are some special micronutrients to pay attention to during the first 1000 days before birth? Last week it was Vitamin D.
The next critical player on the list is folate which was covered in a recent article earlier this year that can be reread at this link.
BPA and PFOA
October 22, 2018
BPA or bisphenol A is a chemical that was first brought to commercial levels in the 1950's. It is a base material used in the production of plastics and resins. It became a major concern for safety after it was found to act like estrogenic hormones in mammals. We also learned that this chemical has the ability to affect the expression of our DNA as the work of Randy Jirtle and Dana Dolinoy showed over 15 years ago.
The chemical is leaving society finally as companies and states are starting to ban its use. We should all breath a sigh of relief. Or should we? When it comes to our children,
Placental Signals
October 15, 2018
In this months Scientific American, there is a fascinating article written by Maya Miller about the signals that the placenta sends to the growing fetus. She discusses the research of Dr. Alberto Rosello-Diez in the Journal PLOSone. They looked at what signals growth of the mouse fetus' legs. They inhibited the growth of one leg and watched the other three slow down. It turns out that the restricted leg sent out a signal to the placenta which in turn signaled the other three legs to slow down until the hindered leg caught up.
Amazing,
Dr. M
Scientific American Miller Article
SOY
October 15, 2018
Soy is the cause of much confusion and controversy. I have reviewed much of the literature and find that this response is the most concise and precise. It happens to be from Dr. Weil.
"Remember, for centuries Asians have been eating lots of soy foods, and the supposed terrible consequences of soy consumption haven't materialized among them. In fact some traditional soy-rich Asian diets are associated with lower risks of breast and prostate cancer than western diets.
Based on the weight of available evidence, I remain convinced that soy is safe and nutritious when eaten in relatively whole and unrefined forms in reasonable amounts.
Ketogenic Diet and Seizures
October 15, 2018
In the Journal Cell this year there was a phenomenal research article regarding the effects of nutritional ketosis on severe seizure disorders. Dr. Christine Olsen and colleagues looked at the root cause of the benefits of a ketogesnic diet for seizure disorders. The reason that I am highlighting this story this week is because of the mechanism behind the healing process. It, yet again, shows how powerful nutrition can be when used correctly in difficult disorders where pharmacological medicine fails.
It has been well known historically that the science of ketosis and ketogenic diets has been a part of neurology for over 2000 years for seizures and was reacquired by modern physicians as a treatment in the 1920's. The ketogenic type of eating is a diet that is made up of roughly 80+% fat and the remaining food is split between carbohydrates and protein.
THE FIRST TWO THOUSAND DAYS FOR MOM AND BABY IV
October 8, 2018
What are some special micronutrients to pay attention to during the first 1000 days before birth? Over the next few sections, we will explore the research and recommendations for some critical micronutrients.
Number one on my list is Vitamin D. It is super important as the master switch for bone health and the immune system's police called T regulator cells. Vitamin D is arguably the most important micronutrient for human health. It is one of the four fat soluble vitamins and has the added benefit of
Backpacks
October 1, 2018
My friend Dave and I were having a conversation about low back pain and backpack use in kids. I had to admit that I had not read any recent data on this topic and felt a little ill prepared to answer the question. What does the research say?
Very little.
Back in early 2003, Brent Wiersema and colleagues looked at one year of emergency room visits with backpack related injury as a diagnosis.
Rest Time
October 1, 2018
Last week a young teenage girl collapsed while running a cross country meet in Charlotte. She later died of a cardiac arrest. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of this young lady. There is no easy way to discuss this topic. Death is finite and simultaneously infinitely painful for the survivors. Everyone learns in the moment how to deal with death. There is no on the job training. We are not born ready to accept this reality. It is just thrust upon us.
While I deal with illness and death on a more frequent basis than the average American, hearing of this event hit a stronger cord with me as my daughter is running cross country this year and was supposed to be at that event.
Teens and Driving
September 3, 2018
Teenagers are known to have impulsive behavior and feelings of immortality. As they approach the driving age, parents wrestle with the notion of their safety in the context of driving and freedom. I have a rising driver in the house and the thought of releasing the teenage boy's mind to navigate a 2 plus ton battering ram is very, very scary.
In the December 2014 issue of the Journal Injury Prevention, there is a study looking at the cars that were driven in fatal crashes. On a per mile basis, teenage drivers are three times more likely to die in a car crash then adults. Between 2008 and 2012
THE FIRST TWO THOUSAND DAYS FOR MOM AND BABY III
September 24, 2018
The Perfect Diet for a Mother-To-Be Through a Macronutrient Lens - Part III Fats.
Fats are the third major macronutrient and are found in nature in animals and plants as the major storage form of energy. Fat provides many vital functions for humans including the provision of an energy source, organ insulation, cell membrane fluidity, and a storage site for toxins until the body has the ability to metabolize and clear them.
Traumatic Brain Injury
September 17th, 2018
Traumatic Brain injury can turn a life upside down. Over the past two weeks, we have looked at teenagers driving and sleep issues. They are intimately linked and can cause a negative outcome like a traumatic brain injury.
While spending time in Wyoming this summer, I ran into a wonderful human being named Joey Maxim. He was our fly fishing guide and here is his story.
I do not know the details of his car crash. I only know that for all of us, prevention is the key to avoiding a negative event that can change the course of our lives.
THE FIRST TWO THOUSAND DAYS FOR MOM AND BABY II
September 17, 2018
The Perfect Diet for a Mother-To-Be Through a Macronutrient Lens - Part II Carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are made up of sugars and starches. They are used as a major storage form of energy for cellular function. They are also involved in DNA, RNA
Teens and Sleep
September 10th 2018
Teenagers are sleep deprived. Dubbing it the Great Sleep Recession, Dr. Keyes and colleagues looked at the data from 270,000 teens for self reported sleep patterns in the US over a 20 year period. What they found is not surprising as much as it is disturbing.
Nighttime sleep duration has consistently declined. Peak declinations occurred in the late 1990's and early 2000's. Girls were less likely than boys to sleep for 7 hours or more per night. Those subjects with the lowest socioeconomic status and ethnic minorities suffered from less sleep. Starting at age 12,
THE FIRST TWO THOUSAND DAYS FOR MOM AND BABY
September 10, 2018
The Perfect Diet for a Mother-To-Be Through a Macronutrients Lens
When I think of the perfect diet for mothers-to-be, based on all of the accumulated knowledge to date, I decidedly have to look backwards in time. The diets of the Blue Zones or the Tsimane Indians or other minimally processed ancestral diets seem to possess the best of what is available for the mother child dyad.
When exploring diets, we need to first look at the macronutrients and how they are functional in the pregnancy experience.
Oral Health
September 24, 2018
In the Journal Nature Scientific Reports this week we find a study looking at the link between oral health, the microbes in the oral cavity and obesity. Dr. Craig and colleagues looked at the oral microbiome of 229 mothers and 225 two year old children. They analyzed the intestinal microbiomes for species type and diversity of the children with the intent of exploring the association or lack there of as it relates to overgrowth and weight gain.
We know that oral health is related to heart disease as we age, especially heart attacks. What we do not know is does oral health affect weight gain.
THE FIRST TWO THOUSAND DAYS FOR YOUR NEW LOVE XI
September 3, 2018
(working title)
The Microbiome, chemicals and healing
A healthy maternal gut microbiome is one key to the vitality of a child's early life and potentially entire life. Now that we know how to establish a healthy maternal microbiome, what are the risk factors aside from diet that dramatically reduce the biodiversity and function of the gut microbiome over time.
The answer to this question comes primarily in the form of another question. What substances can alter the function of the bacteria by
Skin Cancer II
August 27, 2018
When your child wants to quit! What to do?
I just read an excellent article written by Emma Walker on the website For Every Mom, she tackles the issues of childhood defeatist attitudes and quitting. As a parent of a teenager and a tweenager, this hit home for me.
My wife and I often discuss the reality behind success and failure as it relates to self defeatist attitudes and work ethic. I am convinced and have been for a long time that some of the reasons for my
THE FIRST TWO THOUSAND DAYS FOR YOUR NEW LOVE X
August 27, 2018
(working title)
Maternal Nutrition and the Microbiome
Part two:
Mom has a gut microbiome that directly seeds her babies microbiome. This microbiome dictates human long term and short term health. Eating a diet loaded with fiber based fruits, legumes and vegetables will cause a highly diverse bacterial microbiome to exist and this existence is correlated with health.
Moving on: The standard American diet that many of us consume is not replete with healthy fibers and whole foods. It comes loaded with animal fats, refined
Longevity
August 20, 2018
An article published last week in the Journal The Lancet Public Health by Dr. Seidelmann, dovetails nicely with the maternal microbiome article above and next week. They specifically looked at the macronutrient percent intake over time and compared it with all cause mortality.
"We studied 15,428 adults aged 45-64 years, in four US communities, who completed a dietary questionnaire at enrollment in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study (between 1987
THE FIRST TWO THOUSAND DAYS FOR YOUR NEW LOVE IX
August 20, 2018
(working title)
Maternal Nutrition and the Microbiome - this was a tricky topic to drill down into one article - so I split it into two. Bear with me on this topic as it is so important in the grander scheme of maternal and child health.
The microbiome by definition: the microorganisms that reside in a particular environment.
Part One
Pregnancy is a dynamic event where a woman's body changes radically, including epigenetically