Preventing Post Partum Depression (PPD)

Last week, I wrote about DHA and how important it is for breastfeeding. Now there have been a couple of studies regarding the benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids for post partum depression (PPD). Post partum depression affects 10-15% of women after childbirth and is defined as a major depressive episode that begins within one month of delivery. PPD is often due to the rapid change of hormone levels that the mother experiences after giving birth. Estrogen and progesterone levels, which were at peak during pregnancy, drop suddenly back to normal after the child is born. However, with proper nutrition during and after pregnancy, side effects like post partum depression can be avoided.

One study from Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, Jan 2006, vol 113, no1, pp 1-5, states that omega-3 fatty acids (o-3 FAs) support further study as a treatment for PPD. The results show that o-3 FAs are beneficial and well tolerated for women with PPD. The two active o-3 FAs, commonly found in fish oil, are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), both of which help brain growth and function.

DHA has shown to have long-lasting beneficial effects for the fetus such as optimal neurodevelopment in utero and in infants, among other benefits for pregnancy and the mother. The drugs used to treat post-partum depression are associated with neonatal toxicity. Remember that whatever you put in your mouth goes to you and your baby even after birth through the breast milk. So if anti-depressants and other drugs could be avoided, it would be better for the baby and the mother. I recommend Nordic Natural Omega 3’s which has a balance of all the Omega’s including DHA and EPA.

Join Dr. Vicky's Educational Forum and receive your weekly tips, monthly newsletters and conference calls. As a new member, you can also “ASK DR VICKY” an online question that may be included in your upcoming FREE teleconference call. Topic for this month is: “Pregnancy, Newborns & Pediatrics.”

Healthy Answers Online is one of the only websites of its kind providing nutritional secrets, suggestions and the latest information and technology available to maximize health and eliminate the common discomforts of pregnancy and improving the outcomes of her and her unborn baby. The site also addresses issues related to newborns, babies, kids, children, parents, fertility, labor and delivery, post-partum and breast feeding.

What Will Mom Need Nutritionally Following the Birth?

When a new mother is breastfeeding, she needs more calories. She must really make an effort to eat properly and enough to make her milk and to sustain her. She is still eating for two, but now she is a milk machine as well, which requires energy and nutrition to make breast milk.

I recommend that moms keep on their supplements and also take an essential fatty acid product that includes DHA. DHA is a fatty acid usually in fish, but there are vegetarian brands available that include other essential fatty acids. Formula companies are now including this essential fatty acid in their formulas. DHA is very important because it helps the integrity of the baby’s cerebral cortex. It also will help mom too, because the fatty acids will help her nervous system and she will make more milk. She might even lose her “baby fat” as a nice side effect.

Fresh is always the word. Try not to eat greasy, spicy foods. Your baby will let you know. If there is a reaction, it will last three to five days until it is out of everyone’s system. Sometimes raw onions or too much garlic will irritate the baby. Dairy products are known to cause colic in some babies due to the casein protein in the milk. But if mom eats a sort of plain food, with fresh in mind, the baby should be very happy. You might want to take extra B vitamins (B Long by Montiff) after the birth and while breastfeeding and eat more protein (try the Raw Foods Thor Vegan Protein Powder or the Pea protein powder, chocolate flavor. For more nutrients check out Essential Nutrients).

Besides nutrition, sleep is essential like resting and napping initially after giving birth. Moms can lay with their babies and breastfeed them lying down in bed during naps or at night.

Remember that breastfeeding takes time. It is an art. So if you need help go to the experts. Look at Breastfeeding or check out La Leche League. Most of them are trained mothers who help others master the art of breastfeeding worldwide.

Join Dr. Vicky's Educational Forum and receive your weekly tips, monthly newsletters and conference calls. As a new member, you can also “ASK DR VICKY” an online question that may be included in your upcoming FREE teleconference call. Topic for this month is: “Pregnancy, Newborns & Pediatrics.”

Healthy Answers Online is one of the only websites of its kind providing nutritional secrets, suggestions and the latest information and technology available to maximize health and eliminate the common discomforts of pregnancy and improving the outcomes of her and her unborn baby. The site also addresses issues related to newborns, babies, kids, children, parents, fertility, labor and delivery, post-partum and breast feeding.

Do Your Homework before Vaccinating

The U.S. government is starting to impose mandatory vaccinations for children starting with Illinois, which now requires newborn infants to be vaccinated 16 times within the first 18 months. But do vaccines really help?

Personally, I believe vaccines are not a solution to fighting disease. The parents of most of the children I have seen over the past decades, being educated, decided against vaccines. I have peers that seem to be healthier than most, and they were never vaccinated. The same goes for patients I have seen who were also not vaccinated. With chiropractic adjustments and adding glyconutrients, phytochemicals and antioxidants to their diet, kids do very well. We should eat fresh and raw foods and eliminate dairy, sugar, dyes and artificial sweeteners. However, everyone should make their own, well-educated decision on vaccines and parents should have a choice in whether or not they want their children vaccinated.

What would I do if I were to vaccinate my child? Well, I wouldn’t. Most parents have experienced or heard of children coming down with a fever or simply not feeling well after a vaccine. These are called adverse effects. I have seen children who had adverse effects to vaccines and have never recovered. One toddler in Australia became a vegetable following a vaccine. I have personally witnessed some parents’ grief when their three month-old was vaccinated, had mucous in the stool, went to sleep and never woke up! Why should I vaccinate when there are risks such as these? Vaccines are not something that we were born with. We are not deficient in vaccines. Moreover, there seems to be scientific evidence that the preservatives in vaccines may contribute to children succumbing to Autism Spectrum Disorders following inoculation.

Some vaccines contain a mercury compound (or trace amounts of it) in the form of a preservative called thimerosal. There is evidence that with sufficient exposure mercury causes neurotoxicity and other organ damage in humans, especially in infants whose brains and systems are still developing. Cases of mercury poisoning have been seen all over the world in Iraq, Japan and even in the U.S. Mercury is a dangerous chemical substance that cannot easily be removed from the body. In addition to that, these preservatives are thought to cause lesions in the gut lining, predisposing these children to inadequate absorption and inflammation, which I believe is the real culprit for children who are autistic. If these kids can heal their gut lining, they can absorb their foods, and then the food will help the body do its job and heal itself.

The evidence against vaccination is quite strong. The New England Journal of Medicine posted an article last week on the two-dose vaccine failure that led to the largest mumps outbreak in two decades. The lead author and an employee of Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), Dr. Gustavo H. Dayan concludes that “a more effective mumps vaccine or changes in vaccine policy may be needed to avert future outbreaks and achieve the elimination of mumps.”

Soon doctors will insist upon a three-dose vaccine and when that fails four, then five, etc. Not to mention other new vaccines for influenza, pneumococcus, and HPV. The 2006 mumps outbreak was not due to a decline in immunity but rather because of the increased amount of vaccination for the disease, which also leads to a double dose of thimerosal in those children. Interestingly, Dayan left the CDCP and now works for Sanofi Pasteur, a company that makes a mumps vaccine.

Scientists are still reviewing the toxic effects of thimerosal in vaccines. For information on vaccines and autism look at this article. Also, Dr. Eisenstein re-published his book Don’t Vaccinate Before You Educate! He presents arguments both for and against vaccines in order to help parents make well-rounded decisions about vaccinations. Feel free to check out the resource page on Healthy Answers Online where you can find out more on vaccines as well as product recalls, recommendations and other informative articles.

Join Dr. Vicky's Educational Forum and receive your weekly tips, monthly newsletters and conference calls. As a new member, you can also “ASK DR VICKY” an online question that may be included in your upcoming FREE teleconference call. Topic for this month is: “Pregnancy, Newborns & Pediatrics.”

Healthy Answers Online is one of the only websites of its kind providing nutritional secrets, suggestions and the latest information and technology available to maximize health and eliminate the common discomforts of pregnancy and improving the outcomes of her and her unborn baby. The site also addresses issues related to newborns, babies, kids, children, parents, fertility, labor and delivery, post-partum and breast feeding.

Fluoride: The Government Approved Toxin

Remember why you hated going to the dentist as a child? How the dental technician made you rinse your mouth with fluoride or sunk your teeth in fluoride foam? It tasted terrible, made your mouth tingly and maybe gave you a headache. The dentist said it would whiten your teeth and protect them against cavities and gum disease, so you obliged. What if it was a lie?

Fluoride is actually a poison! The American Dental Association has been through tons of lawsuits and has now admitted that fluoride not only rots teeth from the inside but that it also causes gum disease as well. Fluoride has major negative effects on humans such as increase risk for bone cancer (especially in boys), puts holes in brain tissue, damages liver and kidneys, calcifies arteries and increases risk for hypothyroid conditions.

Fluoride’s main natural element is fluorine, which is a toxic gas that is the most chemically active non-metallic element. When fluorine is combined with hydrogen it makes hydrofluoric acid, a chemical used to dissolve glass. The Nazis diluted fluoride compounds three parts per million in drinking water to calm prisoners. Fluoride is also used to kill rats. Knowing this, why would anyone want to have these poisonous compounds anywhere near their mouths let alone their children’s?

New York, Colorado, Texas and Florida have been implementing mandatory one minute 0.2% fluoride rinses for school children. These programs are geared toward children who do not live in fluoridated water communities. That’s right, many communities fluoridate water in attempt to help its citizens to “fight” cavities. School and water fluoridation programs are waving over the nation and must be stopped.

Many brands of toothpaste contain 2% fluoride and recommend pea-sized amounts for usage. However, even this amount is toxic and if consumed, users are to call the poison control center. Generally people don’t eat toothpaste, but small children do not know this. Fluoride is highly absorbent especially when added to a liquid. Therefore it does not matter if you eat toothpaste or not, because your body will absorb it anyway.

If you live in fluoridated water communities, I suggest buying water and shower filters for protection. Check with your school district to see if your child is receiving fluoride rinses. After rinsing for one minute, there is no doubt that the entire quantity of fluoride will be absorbed and will affect the future health of your children.

For more information watch this interview with Christopher Bryson, author of The Fluoride Deception, check out Fluoride News Tracker blog or visit http://www.rense.com/general73/ffl.htm

Join Dr. Vicky's Educational Forum on HealthyAnswersOnline.com and receive your weekly tips, monthly newsletters and conference calls. As a new member, you can also “ASK DR VICKY” an online question that may be included in your upcoming FREE teleconference call. Topic for this month is: “Pregnancy, Newborns & Pediatrics.”

Healthy Answers Online is one of the only websites of its kind that provides the nutritional secrets, suggestions and the latest information and technology available to maximize health and eliminate the common discomforts of the woman during pregnancy and improving the outcomes of she and her unborn baby. The site also addresses newborns, babies, kids, children, parents, fertility, labor and delivery, post-partum and breast feeding.