Pelvic Floor Party: Kegels are NOT invited
Wow. This is interesting stuff. Revolutionary even.
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…Could Reduce Down Syndrome Dysfunction, Guard Against Dementia
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100603132456.htm
Barbara Strupp, professor of nutritional sciences and of psychology. (Credit: Alexi Wenski-Roberts)
ScienceDaily (June 4, 2010) — More choline during pregnancy and nursing could provide lasting cognitive and emotional benefits to individuals with Down syndrome and protect against neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, suggests a new Cornell study of mice.
The findings, published June 2 in Behavioral Neuroscience, could help lead to increasing the maternal dietary recommendations for choline (currently 450 milligrams a day during pregnancy, 550 milligrams for lactation), a nutrient found in egg yolks, liver, nuts and such vegetables as broccoli and cauliflower.
When I read this I realized that I had heard of this nutrient before and that there was mention of a government “choline problem.” Basically this: that to consume adequate (as in just the RDA) choline without gorging yourself on vegetables, you would have to exceed the government recommendation for cholesterol. From http://www.westonaprice.org/journal/1831-journal-winter-2009-holistic-cancer-treatment.html
“Research into the role of choline in human development casts a glimmer into the dark corners of the current paradigm. Choline is critical for good health and is especially necessary for growing children. If choline intake is too low during pregnancy and growth, brain connections cannot form. And if choline is abundant during developmental years, the individual is protected for life from developmental decline. The National Academy of Sciences recommends 375 mg per day for children nine through thirteen years of age, 450 mg for pregnant women and 550 mg for lactating women and men aged fourteen and older. These amounts are provided by four or five egg yolks per day—but that would entail consuming 800-1000 mg cholesterol, a crime by USDA standards. The committee referred to this as the “choline problem”—I kid you not! Chicken liver and beef liver are also excellent sources of choline, but to get enough of this brain nutrient from liver, you would “poison” yourself by exceeding the maximum recommended allowance for vitamin A.”
Of course, the authors of this article don’t believe that a low fat, low cholesterol diet is healthy (and I tend to agree). You would have to eat 2.2 pounds of cruciferous vegetables, nuts or legumes just to get the RDA of choline. And these studies are talking about consuming 2-5 times the RDA.
I also found that research into the benefits of choline on brain development goes back to more than a decade ago — 1998. Probably further than that, if you checked into it. And yet most people are still completely unaware of it. (I was!)
“Brain function in baby rats was enhanced by feeding extra choline during the equivalent of the third trimester of pregnancy, according to a study at Duke University Medical Center. The offspring performed significantly better on memory tests than those of mothers with the normal intake of choline. Researchers found that choline enhanced a brain function responsible for paving the path between nerve cells, allowing electrical messages to travel more easily. The improved brain wiring persisted in the rats through early adulthood. (Neurophysiology, April 1998)”
I’m so glad our family has free-range, fresh eggs to eat! Think I’ll go hug a chicken…
Full moon
(not quite)
hovering above
round and ripe
blessing the world
with her silver light
waxing, growing…
biding her time.
A woman waits
late in the night
lying in bed
her belly gets tight
and the little one kicks
marking the time
that she waits in the dark
for her babe to arrive.
The moon when she’s full
or the fullness of moons?
One never can tell
how late or how soon
the call will come
but one thing is true:
the moon will be right
and the hour will too.
–ddw
(inspired by a comment from another midwife and looking at the moon while driving home last Friday night)
Gloria Lemay » Licensing, registering and certifying midwives–at what cost?
“Many things are said to entice midwives into becoming part of the medical/government/pharmaceutical system. Some compelling arguments that I have been presented with include:1. Midwives can feminize and change the system from within. We’ll take our herbs, homeopathics and loving care into the hospitals and everyone will see the healing power of midwifery.
2. If we become licensed/regulated, etc., we can work for the very poor who are now unable to access midwifery care.
3. We will be equal colleagues with physicians and will gain their respect. Then, if we need their services, our clients will be treated better and have continuity of midwifery care. We will also be more respected in the community.
These are lofty and tempting goals, especially for women who have chosen a career that is marginalized and abused in Western society. The problem is that these enticements have never been shown to actually come to fruition even years after legalization in government-funded or endorsed practice schemes…”
I just had to laugh at this one from University of Missouri Surplus:
I’ve rented an office in Pittsburg at 156 Quitman Street!
I’m in the process of decorating and getting some furniture for it, but I have already started seeing clients there. I plan on having a ribbon cutting ceremony, sometime in April, I think.
I just got home from The Gathering a couple of hours ago.
The Gathering is where Texas licensed/CPM midwives and nurse midwives get together to share information and support for each other. Many conferences do a lot to strengthen your knowledge. The Gathering strengthens your soul.
I had a wonderful time and finally have some faces to go with the names of CNMs that I have heard or seen over the years: Sister Angela (truly a legend in her own time), Mary Barnett, and Dinah Waranch, to name a few. There was much laughter, a few tears, and lots of valuable information shared between all of us.
I can’t wait until next year!
Today has been a computer day, only interrupted by a wonderful first prenatal with a new client. First I had to wrangle with GoDaddy and my hosting service to get my email to work. Then I decided to upgrade my WordPress. I thought I had lost my blog for a little bit there, but I just needed to re-upload my themes. I decided to take the opportunity to change the design. What do you think?
I know I haven’t posted much of substance lately. I promise you, it’s on my list of things to do really soon…
My hard drive crashed about 3 weeks ago and I had to send my Macintosh off for service. They did a great job for a just a little bit of money, and my iMac is back and better than it was. I’ve got more RAM, a new clock battery, and an upgraded operating system. If you have a Mac and need it upgraded or repaired, I highly reccommend Operator Headgap Systems. They also have great tech service and they sell refurbished Macs as well.
So…on with the blog!
I got my CPM certificate in the mail today! I’m now a Certified Professional Midwife.
What is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM)?
“A Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) is an independent practitioner who has met the standards for certification set by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) and is qualified to provide the Midwives Model of Care. The NARM certification process recognizes multiple routes of entry into midwifery and includes verification of knowledge and skills and the successful completion of both a Written Examination and Skills Assessment. The CPM credential requires training in out-of-hospital settings.”
(from the NARM website)