Despite repeated scientific studies that have demonstrated the worthlessness of routine episiotomy, it’s still alive and well. A new study out of Canada shows that in some parts of the world 9 out of 10 first time mothers are given an episotomy. The good news: in some other countries the rates are much lower; Sweden has an episiotomy rate of under 10 percent.
Read a summary here
The VBAC war continues to rage, and large numbers of women continue to be victims of it. It is becoming increasingly difficult for woman to have a VBAC at a hospital, even if she is an excellent candidate for one. It’s no secret what is driving the VBAC ban – litigation. It’s not about VBAC being an unsafe choice medically, it’s about VBAC being a risky choice for doctors legally. One chief of obstetrics is quoted in the article as saying that the risk of uterine rupture may seem quite low, but that “it’s damn high if you’re the one” (that it happens to). Yes, that’s true. But the same could be said for a repeat c-section. The risk of death from anesthesia, hemorrhage, emergency hysterectomy, etc. is quite low, but if you’re the one it happens to it’s “damn high.” The reasonable thing to do is to compare relative risk, and the fact is that the risk of dying from anesthesia from a c-section is higher than the risk of dying from a uterine rupture.
You can read the article here
This isn’t our usual fare exactly, but when I read this article about Big Brother’s plans to air one of the houseguests giving birth, I just had to blog about it. I wonder whether they’re going to allow a doctor or midwife in to attend the birth, or will she be having an unassisted homebirth? Will this kind of publicity be good for homebirths and natural childbirth, in general, or will young women say “no thanks” after viewing the birth?
A recent review of studies from the last decades confirms that breastfeeding lowers the chance that a child will become obese as an adult. The effect seems to last up to 9 months, at which point in time it tapers off. Now, I know that none of us need yet another reason to breastfeed, but with all the current talk of the epidemic of obesity, this seems like one of the easiest ways to prevent obesity and all the health risks that go along with it. You can read more about the study here.
I’m not sure what to make of this study. It seems hard to argue with the conclusions. But I know last night my son was coughing during the night. He didn’t even wake up when I gave him the homeopathic cough tablets, but he stopped coughing for several hours. When he started again, I gave him more tablets, and he slept the rest of the night. He’s three, so I can’t see the placebo affect applying to him. You can read more about the study here.
It seems that mothers with dental cavities may have children at increased risk for developing cavities if those children are born by c-section. Apparently, this is due to decreased exposure to bacteria in the mother’s body. In a vaginal delivery, there is more opportunity for exposure to the mother’s flora. Read more.
What: Organicfest 2005 ~ celebrating everything organic!
When: Saturday, September 10 from 10:00 am ~ 6:00 pm
Where: Pack Square, Asheville NC
Producers: Pure Food Partners and co-sponsored by Asheville Parks & Recreation, local and national businesses & organizations (see list)
Why: Organicfest 2005 is a celebration of everything organic! A FUNtastic day of live music, dancing, drawings for baskets of fabulous organic goodies and gift certificates, free organic samples and giveaways, an Organicfest Market on the Square featuring the finest organic: food and refreshments, clothing, herbs, flowers and natural arts and crafts. Environmental organizations will share informative conversation and help with organic living, organic gardening, farming and other earthcare matters. Fun activities for kids including the Organicfest Garden Parade at 1pm. Join the celebration on Saturday, September 10th from 10am to 6pm in Pack Square, downtown Asheville!
Special Note: The Organicfest is presented in September to celebrate natitional organic month. The organic industry is one of the fastest growing, consumer driven industries in the United States. This special event, (co-sponsored by Asheville Parks & Recreation and other local businesses and organizations) is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate, highlight and promotethe pure, organic food and products available in our community, create a connection to the people who grow and supply organic, and find out why organic is good for people and the planet
For more information, including entertainment schedules, visit www.organicfest.org.
For the first time, personal care products will carry the “official” organic green seal. Manufacturers, such as Dr. Bronner’s soaps, have been given permission to use the seal if they meet the guidelines. In the past, the seal was only used for foods. You can read more here.
A recent study showed that a large percentage of hospitalizations for stomach bleeds are a result of taking aspirin or anti-inflammatory medications. If a natural substance caused this many problems, there would be a call for the substance to be banned. You can read more here.
Cell phone towers are going up all over the place– churches, schools, even one near Old Faithful. But do you really want one in your neighborhood? There have been no studies that have provided concrete risks from cell phone towers, but we haven’t had the technology that long? Is this going to be a case like Teflon where 20 years from now we’re going to have cell phone towers all over the place, only to discover that, oops!, they probably can cause cancer? You can read an article here about a community that rejected the building of a cell phone tower in their area, only to be overruled by the courts.
I was flipping channels a couple of days ago, and I came across an infomercial for a book about natural cures– I think it was on one of the health channels. Since I’m interested in that sort of thing, I watched for a couple of minutes. I didn’t see anything on the talk that made me want to run out and buy the book, but I thought the idea that there are natural cures for almost anything was probably pretty sound. It lines up with my personal beliefs, anyway. So, it was interesting that today while I was searching for articles to blog about, I came across this article. Apparently, this book has become a best seller, which may be a problem for Kevin Trudeau, since the FTC has been carefully watching him after accusing him of fraud in the past. Supposedly, he is banned from doing infomercials, so I’m not sure why he was on the one I saw yesterday. Anyway, it made me think about the question of who can we trust when it comes to our healthcare. Do we trust the drug companies, give the recent discoveries about Merck’s Vioxx? Do we trust the FDA, given the number of drugs they later have to pull off the market? Authors with no medical background who claim to have the cures for all the world’s ills? Web sites? It is a quandry. Let me know what you think.
A recent study found that if oxytocin receptors were blocked during pregnancy, the offspring (in this case animals) gained less weight in the weeks after birth. The results of this study are being considered for helping mothers nurse longer. Some mothers do seem to have a problem with their children gaining weight, but it seems to me in most cases, they receive horrible advice about what to do about that. From the very beginning the doctors will recommend supplementing with formula, rather than attempting to increase the mother’s milk supply. So, given this study’s results, does that mean that the lack of oxytocin receptors is causing the mothers to make less milk? Does it somehow change the quality of the milk? The study doesn’t say. But if it helps more mothers nurse more successfully, I’m all for it. Read more here.