C-section babies need to be rubbed with mother's germs ...
According to a recent study by New York University, babies born by C-section should be swabbed with their mother's germs; doctors think this procedure can replace "missing" bacteria that babies are normally exposed to during vaginal birth.
Sharing bacteria during surgery is normally something doctors would actively try to avoid, however the experiment involved giving babies born by C-section a dose of protective germs from mom's birth canal.
It is thought that C-section babies have a greater risk of developing asthma, allergies and other health conditions, and this lack of exposure to microbes could explain why.
C-section babies miss out on certain important bugs
Scientists suspect that babies who haven't been exposed to particular bugs during a natural vaginal birth will suffer consequences later in life. This study shows that it might be possible to at least partially expose C-section babies to the missing microbes by simply swabbing them with vaginal fluid from their mother within two minutes of birth.
This particular study was very small, comparing only seven babies born vaginally with 11 born by C-section, four of whom were given a dose of their mother's bacteria. Over the following month, researchers took samples from all over their bodies to examine how the microbiomes were developing. They found that the four babies who were exposed to their mother's microbes were more similar to those babies born via vaginal birth than to the other babies born by C-section http://dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=24414.
Two particular bacteria species are thought to play a huge role in training the immune systems of babies http://dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=32356 – Lactobacillus and Bacteroides. These were almost completely absent in the untreated C-section babies, however were found in those that had been exposed to the mothers' vaginal fluids.
How else do C-sections affect the health of babies?
Recently the U.S. cesarean birth rate decreased for the first time in over a decade, but it is still true that one-in-three mothers gives birth by cesarean – with scheduled C-sections increasing for non-medical reasons. But doctors are warning that surgical births without labor have impacts on the health of newborn babies.
Babies born by C-section are at a higher risk of health complications than those who are born vaginally, especially if the mother did not go into labor. C-section babies are more likely to have difficulty breathing on their own due to being born preterm, before their lungs have fully developed. Respiratory complications can be serious enough to require intensive care after birth.
Many C-sections are scheduled before the natural due date, and there is a margin of error in identifying fetal maturity. Being born only one week too early can make a huge difference in terms of complications, including long-term illness and disability if born with a low birthhttp://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/pp/prematurebirth/premature_birth_4.php weight.
With a cesarean http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=18133, mothers and babies have less skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth – which has several adaptive benefits for the newborn baby. Pain medications that are used to sedate the mother are thought to affect the newborn's ability to latch on and breastfeed; meanwhile, routine procedures that follow a cesarean such as suctioning can also make it more difficult for babies to breastfeed.
Further research is needed to prove whether or not this new exposure technique works, or in fact makes a difference to the health of C-sectionhttp://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=119&t=21350 babies. The question as to whether exposure to bugs affects early microbiome development is just the start; scientists are looking to find out whether this translates to better health generally in the years that follow.
Sources include:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3426754/Study-tries-C-section-babies-moms-germs-missed.html
http://www.vbac.com/how-does-a-cesarean-affect-the-baby/
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Superfood Cereals: A review of the most delicious and nutritious superfoods for morning meals
I grew up eating a lot of cereal. Sadly, it wasn't the healthiest stuff, either: Lucky Charms, Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops and other sugary processed foods drowned in pasteurized, processed cow's milk. Sometimes I wonder how I ever survived my childhood diet...
Even as a health-conscious adult, I still find myself enjoying a bowl of healthy cereal, but of course now I use almond milk or sometimes rice milk instead of cow's milkhttp://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=33165.
As far as the cereal itself goes, finding a really nutritious and delicious breakfast cereal has been a challenge for a number of years: The mainstream so-called "healthy" processed cereals at the grocery store are all dead, processed foods usually made with extra fiber, less sugar or whole grains -- just enough to call them "healthy" when, by my standards, they aren't very healthy at all. Even most so-called "all natural" cereals still don't meet the standards of what I'd like to put into my body on a regular basis.
So over the last several years, I've been on the lookout for a really high-end, raw breakfast cereal based entirely on organic, non-GMO superfood ingredients. I've sampled many different products from dozens of companies, and there are now three that I would recommend. You'll see all three mentioned here, but my very favorite among all the raw superfood cereals is called, quite simply, Superfood Cereal.
Superfood Cereals
It's made by a company called Living Intentions based in San Francisco, and it's available in four flavors: Acai Blueberry, Cacao Crunch, Chia Ginger and Hemp and Greens. You can find many of these in your local health food stores.
These cereals are really outstanding. They have a delicious taste and texture, but without resorting to refined or chemical sweeteners of any kind. They're all based on organic buckwheat sprouts as their No. 1 ingredient, and if you know about buckwheat, you know it's a super high-protein grain that transforms into a nutritional powerhouse when sprouted! I've often made my own raw buckwheat cereals at home, and I love the fact that I can now get buckwheat in these superfood cereals.
The other ingredients are just as impressive: Chia seeds, amaranth sprouts, quinoa sprouts http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=33577, Hawthorn Berry and many others that are just as impressive.
At the same time, these characteristics of the cereal are quite remarkable. All Superfood Cereals are:
• Sprouted
• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Nut free
• Non-GMO
• Raw
And it goes without saying that they're not made with refined sugars, refined grains, artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners of any kind!
Superfoods for breakfast? Sure!
Breakfast, they say, is the most important meal of the day. The average American breakfast is far too high in processed meats (sausage and bacon), dairy products (milk and butter) and refined sugars and carbs (white toast, jelly and sugary cereals). A typical American breakfast, in fact, is little more than a hodge-podge of refined factory foods enhanced with toxic chemicals and artificial colors. I wouldn't feed that stuff to an animal, much less my own children!
Can you imagine what kind of difference it would make in someone's day if they switched from a toxic "average" breakfast to a superfoodhttp://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=33537 breakfast? Imagine going to work or school fueled by raw superfoods and sprouted foods that just happen to taste super delicious at the same time.
Personally, I believe that a nutrient-dense breakfast that avoids all the toxic chemicals and refined ingredients found in traditional breakfast habits can make all the difference in your day. There's no doubt that people who live on real foods rather than junk foods have improved learning performance, better sustained energy and improved moods and optimism. That's why one of the most important questions you can ask yourself when deciding what to eat is, "How good do I wish to feel today?"
If you want to feel fantastic, start your day with superfoods nutrition!
What's in it
Superfood Cereal is hands down the best raw superfood breakfast cereal I've ever tried. And as you well know by now, I'm extremely picky about what kinds of things I advocate or offer, and I'm thrilled to call these Superfood Cereals "Health Ranger recommended." In fact, when award time rolls around again, I plan on offering this cereal line a Natural News Editor's Choice award.
Their ingredients are really impressive, too. Here's what's in their Acai Blueberry flavor:
Organic Buckwheat Sprouts, Organic Coconut, Local Blackberry Honey, Organic Currants, Raw Brown Rice Bran and Germ (grain-free), Organic Sunflower Sprouts, Organic Banana, Berry Antioxidant Blend (Organic Blueberry Powder, Organic Acai Powder, Bilberry Powder, Camu Camu Fruit Powder, Elderberry Powder and Amla Berry Powder) and Pink Crystal Salt.
Compare this to the typical breakfast cereals http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=33590 you find on the shelves -- even "healthy" cereals: They're typically made almost entirely from corn, wheat and sugar. And a lot of that is genetically modified, too (both the corn and the sugar). I don't know about you, but I'm just not interested in fattening myself up like a cow by feeding myself corn and sugar for breakfast.
Check the ingredients on the cereal in your own cupboard, if you dare. You may find that far too much of it is just corn, wheat and sugar.
That's why I'm happy to talk about these healthier options that are based on truly healthful, gluten-free formulations. And Superfood Cereal tastes so incredibly good that you'll probably forget you're eating a "healthy" breakfast cereal in the first place.
Other great cereal products
There are two other highly nutritious raw breakfast cereal products I also currently recommend: Ruth's Foods Chia Goodness (http://www.RuthsFoods.com) and the entire cereal line from Kaia Foods (http://www.kaiafoods.com/about.html). Both are outstanding products that are also aligned with my philosophy of healthful food ingredients.
I plan to review and recommend many of Ruth's Foods products in the near future, in fact.
Enjoy your superfood breakfast cereals!
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Want to grow a garden with immediate results? Try these five fast-growing superfoods
Gardening is a great and cost-effective way to increase your intake of healthy plant foods http://www.organics.news/, as well as increasing your family's self-sufficiencyhttp://www.selfreliance.news/. But starting a garden can be daunting for people with limited experience. In particular, beginners may have trouble with the often months-long wait required before garden plants are ready for harvest.
Such reluctant gardeners should consider the following five plants, which are easy to grow, and deliver edible results within about a month. As an added bonus, all five grow great indoors, and are therefore suitable even for people living in apartments or other places with limited yard space.
Growing basics
When starting a garden, remember that all vegetables need light, water, air and nutrients (in the form of good soil). Indoor plants should be situated near a window. All of the following crops can be grown even in the winter, as long as they get five to six hours of sun per day.
Plants can be grown indoors in any size container, from a small pot for one plant to a large growing flat. For indoor gardening, be sure to fill containers with potting soil, rather than garden soil. Also make sure that the containers drain well, so your plants don't drown.
All the following vegetables can be grown easily from seed. Plants should be spaced about four inches apart, but seeds can be planted closer, as long as you thin the plants one they come up. Plants will yield best if harvested from frequently.
Five fast-growing superfoods
Baby greens are a great place to start: they grow fast and easily, and are packed with important nutrients. One of the best is baby spinach, which can be harvested within four weeks of planting. It thrives in containers, even when planted close together.
Spinach is high in a wide variety of phytochemicals that have been shown to help fight cancer http://www.preventcancer.news/, along with vitamin C, folate, vitamin K and iron. While most of these nutrients are best absorbed from raw spinach, some, such as iron, are best absorbed when spinach is cooked. A good compromise is to lightly cook your baby spinach, without much water.
Lettuce is grown like spinach, and can be picked starting about 30 days after planting, as soon as the leaves are three inches long. Lettuce is an excellent source of vitamin C – a powerful, immune-boosting and cancer-fighting antioxidant. Lettuce also aids digestion.
Another fast-growing superfood is radish, which has the advantage of being incredibly efficient: both roots and leaves are edible. In fact, the leaves are even higher in vitamin C, calcium and protein than the roots are. Radish is also high in cancer-fighting anthocyanins, as well as zinc, phosphorus and B-vitamins. The roots can be harvested starting 25 to 30 days after planting. As an added advantage, radishes come in an incredible diversity of varieties.
Green onions are another efficient food: the white bulbs have a flavor like onions, while the green leaves have a flavor like chives. Only the tiny roots are inedible. Green onions take up only minimal space, and can be picked as little as three weeks after planting. They are high not only in potassium and vitamin C, but also in the super-antioxidant quercetin. Quercetin has been shown to help protect against chronic conditions including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, allergies and asthma.
The last of the great starter vegetables is baby carrots (a separate variety from regular carrots). These take just 30 days to mature, nearly three weeks less than regular carrots. They are among the easiest crops to plant; just scatter the seeds on top of the soil and moisten them.
Carrots are renowned for their high levels of beta-carotenes, which the body turns into vitamin A. Numerous studies have also linked beta-carotenes and other chemicals found in carrots to cancer-fighting effects.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.offthegridnews.com/survival-gardening-2/5-super-fast-indoor-vegetables-you-can-grow-in-about-a-month/
http://woman.thenest.com/benefits-green-onions-6510.html
http://woman.thenest.com/keep-iron-nutrients-spinach-cooking-15388.html
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=35229
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=35230
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=35231
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=35232
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=35233
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Want to grow a garden with immediate results? Try these five fast-growing superfoods
Gardening is a great and cost-effective way to increase your intake of healthy plant foods http://www.organics.news/, as well as increasing your family's self-sufficiencyhttp://www.selfreliance.news/. But starting a garden can be daunting for people with limited experience. In particular, beginners may have trouble with the often months-long wait required before garden plants are ready for harvest.
Such reluctant gardeners should consider the following five plants, which are easy to grow, and deliver edible results within about a month. As an added bonus, all five grow great indoors, and are therefore suitable even for people living in apartments or other places with limited yard space.
Growing basics
When starting a garden, remember that all vegetables need light, water, air and nutrients (in the form of good soil). Indoor plants should be situated near a window. All of the following crops can be grown even in the winter, as long as they get five to six hours of sun per day.
Plants can be grown indoors in any size container, from a small pot for one plant to a large growing flat. For indoor gardening, be sure to fill containers with potting soil, rather than garden soil. Also make sure that the containers drain well, so your plants don't drown.
All the following vegetables can be grown easily from seed. Plants should be spaced about four inches apart, but seeds can be planted closer, as long as you thin the plants one they come up. Plants will yield best if harvested from frequently.
Five fast-growing superfoods
Baby greens are a great place to start: they grow fast and easily, and are packed with important nutrients. One of the best is baby spinach, which can be harvested within four weeks of planting. It thrives in containers, even when planted close together.
Spinach is high in a wide variety of phytochemicals that have been shown to help fight cancer http://www.preventcancer.news/, along with vitamin C, folate, vitamin K and iron. While most of these nutrients are best absorbed from raw spinach, some, such as iron, are best absorbed when spinach is cooked. A good compromise is to lightly cook your baby spinach, without much water.
Lettuce is grown like spinach, and can be picked starting about 30 days after planting, as soon as the leaves are three inches long. Lettuce is an excellent source of vitamin C – a powerful, immune-boosting and cancer-fighting antioxidant. Lettuce also aids digestion.
Another fast-growing superfood is radish, which has the advantage of being incredibly efficient: both roots and leaves are edible. In fact, the leaves are even higher in vitamin C, calcium and protein than the roots are. Radish is also high in cancer-fighting anthocyanins, as well as zinc, phosphorus and B-vitamins. The roots can be harvested starting 25 to 30 days after planting. As an added advantage, radishes come in an incredible diversity of varieties.
Green onions are another efficient food: the white bulbs have a flavor like onions, while the green leaves have a flavor like chives. Only the tiny roots are inedible. Green onions take up only minimal space, and can be picked as little as three weeks after planting. They are high not only in potassium and vitamin C, but also in the super-antioxidant quercetin. Quercetin has been shown to help protect against chronic conditions including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, allergies and asthma.
The last of the great starter vegetables is baby carrots (a separate variety from regular carrots). These take just 30 days to mature, nearly three weeks less than regular carrots. They are among the easiest crops to plant; just scatter the seeds on top of the soil and moisten them.
Carrots are renowned for their high levels of beta-carotenes, which the body turns into vitamin A. Numerous studies have also linked beta-carotenes and other chemicals found in carrots to cancer-fighting effects.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.offthegridnews.com/survival-gardening-2/5-super-fast-indoor-vegetables-you-can-grow-in-about-a-month/
http://woman.thenest.com/benefits-green-onions-6510.html
http://woman.thenest.com/keep-iron-nutrients-spinach-cooking-15388.html
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=35229
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=35230
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=35231
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=35232
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=35233
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There are 'fracking' chemicals in your toothpaste, detergent
Most people take measures to ensure that the items they use in their homes on a daily basis are not on par with things that are considered unsafe for their bodies or the environment http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=117.
However, researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered that the toxic substances in fracking fluid, which are going down wells, are essentially the same as what's going down the drain in people's households. Their findings, which are published in the journal Analytical Chemistry, show that the same toxic substances exist in fracking fluid samples that are also in many of the everyday items that individuals use, from toothpaste and detergent to ice cream and laxatives.
The findings reinforce what many people have thought all along: that contamination of ground and surface water supplies may be traceable to the chemicals used in the fracking (hydraulic fracturing) process.
Expert: fracking fluid samples have same chemicals that are going down drains at home
"This is the first published paper that identifies some of the organic fracking chemicals going down the well that companies use," says the paper's lead author and a co-founder of the Laboratory for Environmental Mass Spectrometry in CU-Boulder's College of Engineering and Applied Science, Michael Thurman. "We found chemicals in the samples we were running that most of us are putting down our drains at home."
The paper, titled "Analysis of Hydraulic Fracturing Flowback and Produced Waters Using Accurate Mass: Identification of Ethoxylated Surfactants," notes the specific surfactants found. It states, "Two series of ethylene oxide (EO) surfactants, polyethylene glycols (PEGs from EO3 to EO33) and linear alkyl ethoxylates (LAEs C-9 to C-15 with EO3-EO28), were identified in hydraulic fracturing flowback and produced water . . . " According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), ethylene oxide is present in a range of commonly-used household products ranging from detergents and antifreeze to cosmetics and spices. They also note that it's linked to a host of problems including dizziness, spontaneous abortion, nerve damage and impaired memory.
To conduct the study, researchers obtained fracking fluid samples from five states -- Colorado, Louisiana, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Texas -- then analyzed the surfactants in these fluids at a mass spectrometry laboratory sponsored by Agilent Technologies, Inc., where state-of-the art instrumentation was provided.
Additional studies needed to consider variables in fracking process and address other concerns
Because the chemicals in fracking fluid are considered to be proprietary mixtures designed to extract as much oil and gas as possible, hesitancy to reveal chemicals remain due to fracking industry competition. While state and federal regulations do require disclosure regarding the chemicals used, only broad chemical categories are typically provided. Furthermore, variations in the fluid mixtures also exist due to the differing geology surrounding different well sites, and as such, researchers involved with this study note that their findings are not necessarily applicable to all existing wells. Researchers in this study, however, say that they are moving forward with plans to conduct a larger study that will look into samples from other wells in an effort to address these matters further.
Additionally, Thurman expressed concern about other fracking-related issues that he says warrant investigation such as air pollutionhttp://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=117&t=32332, the quantity of water used and earthquakes occurring from wastewater disposal.
Air pollution as it pertains to fracking is a very real concern.
In fact, recent findings in a study led by Dr. David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany-State University of New York, show that air samples near fracking wells contain hydrogen sulfide levels that exceed federal standards by 90 to 60,000 times. Researchers also found there to be very high levels of benzene and formaldehyde around these areas. Formaldehyde http://dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=32441 is a known carcinogen linked to leukemia and nasopharyngeal cancer http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=25439, while hydrogen sulfide has been associated with health hazards such as eye irritation and asthma.
Sources for this article include:
(1) http://www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2014/11/12/major-class-fracking-chemicals-no-more-toxic-common-household-substances
(2) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/ac502163k
(3) https://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/ethylene-oxide-factsheet.pdf
(4) http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=117&t=35223
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