Friday, August 29, 2008

What's in your vaccine?

Do you know what is in your child's vaccination? Do you know how they even test them to make sure they are safe?

The government's own data collection at Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System: VAERS.org is informative. By 2007, the *government* fund had paid out $1.8 billion in damages to 1500 individuals and/or parents for vaccine injuries, including death. Many of the newest vaccines have limited research on children BEFORE being marketed. Obviously, most parents are not comfortable with having experimental vaccines tried on their child. So, the manufactures rely on "Post Marketing Research". Post Marketing Research is the reporting system that doctors are required by law to document ALL reactions to vaccines. However, most every pediatrician will tell parents that fevers, lethargy, crying, pain, etc are"normal" for the first hours and days after vaccinations. And these are not reported. Long term studies of reactions beyond the first 3-30 days have research on few children. Then they extrapolate the"conclusions" to all 72,000,000 children in the US. Older vaccines have more post-market research.

And then there are the vaccine ingredients, such as human diploid cells and tissue from aborted fetus, which unquestionably places the vaccine issue into the "religious" arena for many people. (note the following list of ingredients is from an 1997 PDR; and thimerasol has been removed in most.)

Here is a link for the drug insert for each vaccine:http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/thi-table.htm Click on each vaccine (blue link by brand name) to view the ingredients, side effects, contraindications, etc.
=================================================================
VACCINE INGREDIENTS
Source: 1997 Physicians' Desk Reference
Toll Free Numbers can be called to obtain product inserts.
This is a representative, not a comprehensive, list of the various types of vaccines.

Acel-Immune
DTaP
Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis
Vaccine Adsorbed Lederle Laboratories 1-800-934-5556
produced using formaldehyde, thimerosal, aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, polysorbate 80, gelatin (animal parts/bovine)

Act HIB
Haemophilus Influenzae Type B (Hib)
Tetanus Toxoid Conjugate
Connaught Laboratories1-800-822-2463
produced using ammonium sulfate, formalin, sucrose, thimerosal medium: semi-synthetic

Attenuvax
Measles Virus Vaccine Live
Merck & Co, Inc.1-800-672-6372
produced using neomycin, sorbitol, hydrolized gelatin medium: chick embryo

DPT
Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Pertussis Vaccine Adsorbed
SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals 1-800-366-8900 ext. 5231
produced using aluminum phosphate, formaldehyde, ammonium sulfate, washed sheep red blood cells, glycerol, sodium chloride, thimerosal medium: porcine (pig) pancreatic hydrolysate of casein

Energix-B
Hepatitis B
SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals 1-800-633-8900 ext. 5231
produced using aluminum hydroxide, thimerosal medium: yeast (possibly 5% residual)

Havrix Hepatitis A
SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals 1-800-633-8900 ext. 5231
produced using formalin, aluminum hydroxide, phenoxyethanol (antifreeze), polysorbate 20, residual MRC5 proteins (from medium) medium: human diploid cells (originating from human aborted fetal tissue)

Biavax Rubella and Mumps Virus Vaccine Live
Merck & Co, Inc.1-800-672-6372
produced using neomycin, sorbitol, hydrolized gelatin medium: human diploid cells (originating from human aborted fetal tissue)

Hib Titer Haemophilus Influenzae Type B (Hib)
Lederle Laboratories1-800-934-5556
produced using polyribosylribitol, ammonium sulfate, thimerosal medium: chemically defined, yeast based

Fluvirin Influenza Virus Vaccine
Medeva Pharmaceuticals 1-888-MEDEVA (716)274-5300
produced using embryonic fluid (chicken egg), neomycin, polymyxin, thimerosal, betapropiolactone medium: embryonic fluid (chicken egg)

FluShield Influenza Virus Vaccine, Trivalent, Types A&B
Wyeth-Ayerst1-800-934-5556
produced using gentamicin sulfate, formaldehyde, polysorbate 80, tri(n)butylphosphate, thimerosal medium: chick embryos

IPOL Inactivated Polio Vaccine
Connaught Laboratories 1-800-822-2463
produced using 3 types of polio virus, formaldehyde, phenoxyethanol (antifreeze), neomycin, streptomycin, polymyxin B medium: VERO cells, a continuous line of monkey kidney cells

MMR
Measles Mumps Rubella Live Virus Vaccine
Merck & Co., Inc.1-800-672-6372
produced using sorbitol, neomycin, hydrolyzed gelatin mediums: M&M - chick embryo Rubella - human diploid cells (originating from human aborted fetal tissue)

M-R-Vax
Measles and Rubella Virus Vaccine Live
Merck & Co., Inc.1-800-672-6372
produced using neomycin, sorbitol, hydrolyzed gelatin mediums: M - chick embryo R - human diploid cells (originating from human aborted fetal tissue) Menomune

Meningococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine
Connaught Laboratories1-800-822-2463
produced using thimerosal, lactose medium: freeze dried polysaccharride antigens from Neisseria Meningitidis

Meruvax II Rubella Virus Vaccine Live
Merck & Co., Inc.1-800-672-6372
produced using neomycin, sorbitol, hydrolyzed gelatin medium: human diploid cells (originating from human aborted fetal tissue)

Mumpsvax
Mumps Virus Vaccine Live
Merck & Co., Inc.1-800-672-6372
produced using neomycin, sorbitol, hydrolyzed gelatin medium: human diploid cells (originating from human aborted fetal tissue)

Orimune Poliovirus Vaccine Live Oral Trivalent
Lederle Laboratories 1-800-934-5556
produced using 3 types of attenuated polio viruses, streptomycin, neomycin, calf serum, sorbitol medium: monkey kidney cell culture

Pneumovax Pneumococcal Vaccine Polyvalent
Merck & Co., Inc.1-800-672-6372
produced using phenol and capsular polysaccharides from the 23 most prevalent pneumococcal types

Imovax Rabies Vaccine Adsorbed
Connaught Laboratories 1-800-822-2463
produced using human albumin, neomycin sulfate, phenol red indicator medium: human diploid cells (originating from human aborted fetal tissue)

Rabies Vaccine Adsorbed
SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals 1-800-366-8900 ext. 5231
produced using betapropiolactone, aluminum phosphate, sodiumethylmercurithiosalicylate (thimerosal), phenol red medium: fetal rhesus monkey lung cells

Recombivax
Hepatitis B Vaccine Recombinant
Merck & Co., Inc.1-800-672-6372
produced using thimerosal, aluminum hydroxidemedium: yeast (residual < 1% yeast protein)

RotaShield
Rotavirus Vaccine, Live, Oral, Tetravalent
Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories 1-800-934-5556
produced using 1 rhesus monkey rotavirus, 3 rhesus-human reassortant viruses, sucrose, monosodium glutamate (MSG), potassiummonophosphate, potassium diphosphate, fetal bovine serum, neomycinsulfate, amphotericin B medium: fetal rhesus diploid cell line

Varivax
Varicella Virus Vaccine Live
Merck & Co., Inc.1-800-672-6372
produced using sucrose, phosphate, glutamate, processed gelatin medium: human diploid cells (originating from human aborted fetal tissue)

Chemical Profiles and Definitions visit http://www.scorecard.org to investigate chemical profiles

Sources: EDF (Environmental Defense Fund) & MME (Mosby's Medical Encyclopedia)Ammonium Sulfate: EDF Suspected - gastrointestinal or liver toxicant, neurotoxicant, respiratory toxicant
Amphotericin B: MME definintion - "a drug used to treat fungus infections. Known allergy to this drug prohibits use. Side effects include blood clots, blood defects, kidney problems, nausea andfever. When used on the skin, allergic reactions can occur."
Aluminum: EDF Suspected - cardiovascular, or blood toxicant, neurotoxicant, respiratory toxicant. More hazardous than most chemicals in 2 out of 6 ranking systems. On at least 2 federal regulatory lists.
Beta-Propiolactone: EDF Recognized - carcinogen EDF Suspected - gastrointestinal or liver toxicant; respiratory toxicant; skin or sense organ toxicant. More hazardous than most chemicals in 3 out of 3 ranking systems. On at least 5 federal regulatory lists ranked as one of the most hazardous compounds (worst 10%) to humans.
Formaldehyde: EDF Recognized - carcinogen Suspected - gastrointestinal or liver toxicant; immunotoxicant, neurotoxicant, reproductive toxicant; respiratory toxicant; skin or sense organ toxicant. More hazardous than most chemicals in 5 out of 12 ranking systems. On at least 8 federal regulatory lists ranked as one of the most hazardous compounds (worst 10%) to ecosystems and human health.
Gentamicin Sulfate: an antibiotic Hydrolyzed Gelatin: obtained from selected pieces of calf and cattleskins, de-mineralized cattle bones (ossein) and pork skin.
Neomycin: an antibiotic Phenol : EDF Suspected - cardiovascular or blood toxicant aka Carbolic Acid - developmental toxicant, gastrointestinal or liver toxicant kidney toxicant, neurotoxicant respiratory toxicant, skin or sense organ toxicant. More hazardous than most chemicals in 3 out of 10 ranking systems. On at least 8 federal regulatory lists.
Phenoxyethanol: EDF Suspected - developmental toxicant, reproductive toxicant (aka: Antifreeze). Less hazardous than most chemicals in 3 ranking systems.
Polyribosylribitol: a component of the Hib bacterium Polymyxin: an antibiotic Polysorbate: EDF Suspected - skin or sense organ toxicant
Sorbitol: EDF Suspected - gastrointestinal or liver toxicant. Less hazardous than most chemicals in 1 ranking system.
Streptomycin: an antibiotic
Sucrose: refined sugar
Thimerosal: EDF Recognized - developmental toxicant. Suspected -skin or sense organ toxicant.
Tri(n)butylphosphate: EDF Suspected - kidney toxicant neurotoxicant. More hazardous than most chemicals in 2 out of 3 ranking systems. On at least 1 federal regulatory list.

http://www.naturodoc.com/library/public_health/vaccine_who_how.htm

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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Did your phone company support Rove, Cheney & Bush?

When you pay your mobile phone bill each month, you probably don't give a lot of thought to where your money goes. But given what's going on in Washington these days, maybe you should. Congress has finally started the process of holding Karl Rove — a.k.a. "Bush's Brain" — accountable for his blatant (and possibly illegal) politicization of the Justice Department. All we (and our friends at Brave New Films) can say to that is, it's about time. (1) But you probably weren't aware that your mobile phone company may be among those that helped fund Rove's rise to power, or advance his dream of a "permanent Republican majority."

Are you comfortable supporting that kind of company? Consider the facts on record: AT&T's® Political Action Committee contributed the maximum amount allowable by law to the Bush/Cheney campaign — twice. (2) In 2000, these funds helped pay Karl Rove's expenses.

(3)So far in this 2008 election cycle, contributions from the joint Political Action Committee of Verizon Wireless® and Verizon Communications Inc.® lean decidedly Republican (4), including five-figure donations to the National Republican Congressional Committee and National Republican Senatorial Committee.

AT&T's current CEO, Randall Stephenson, has donated tens of thousands to conservative politicians and PACs. (5) AT&T's former CEO, Ed Whitacre, was a Bush-Cheney "Ranger" in 2004, raising more than $200,000 to give us four more years of Bush. (6)

Here at CREDO, we have a profoundly different set of values than Karl Rove and the companies that have shown support for his dream of a permanent conservative majority in Congress: We've been calling for Karl Rove to be fired and prosecuted ever since 2005, when his role in 'outing' covert agent Valerie Plame came to light. Instead of right-wing politicians, CREDO has given $60 million to progressive nonprofits like Planned Parenthood, Earthjustice, the ACLU and Iraq Vets Against the War. Rather than suppress voter turnout — Karl Rove's signature trademark for stealing elections (7) — CREDO's voter registration programs have helped 1.1 million people register to vote since July 2007.

If you want to see progressive change for America, it's probably time to stop supporting a company that supported Karl Rove, and make the switch to CREDO Mobile. With CREDO you'll get the same quality coverage, phones and accessories that you enjoy from any major provider — plus fantastic customer service from our team of dedicated and knowledgeable representatives. And under this special "Hang Up on Rove" online offer, we'll even throw in a free Motorola H375 Bluetooth headset. Best of all, if you switch now, we'll pay your early termination fee from those other guys (up to $200).

Visit credomobile.com and learn more, or call 866.513.8673 to talk to someone right now about making the switch. Be sure to mention code 300258 so they'll know I sent you. But please don't delay — this offer ends September 15, 2008.

Thank you, as always, for your support.

Sincerely, Michael Kieschnick
Co-founder and President
CREDO Mobile

Please share this with anyone you think might be interested...thanks!

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Monday, August 25, 2008

Holistic Moms Promote "Birth Rights" on Labor Day

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Date: August 25, 2008
Contact: Nancy Massotto, Executive Director
Telephone: (877) HOL-MOMS

HOLISTIC MOMS PROMOTE "BIRTH RIGHTS" ON "LABOR DAY"
Parenting Group Says Womens' Rights to Natural Childbirth Are Rapidly Disappearing
(Caldwell, NJ) -
This Labor Day, as we honor the steadfast efforts of our country's workers, the Holistic Moms Network (HMN) – a national non-profit with 130 Chapters across the U.S. – will be advocating for some of the toughest labor faced by women: childbirth. Through a number of events – organized on or around Labor Day -HMN will focus attention on the critical issue of preserving a woman's right to choose how and where she gives birth - a right that is rapidly disappearing.

This past June, HMN issued a press release to call attention to the American Medical American Association's adoption of Resolution 205, which states that hospitals and hospital birthing centers are "the safest settings" for labor and delivery, despite strong evidence to the contrary. The Resolution is seen by HMN and birth choice advocates as an attempt to outlaw homebirth and eliminate low-intervention childbirth choices for women, thereby robbing them of a powerful birth experience and placing them and their newborns at higher risk of injury and death.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, vaginal births after Cesarean (VBAC) rates have fallen by 67% since 1996 and U.S. hospitals are increasingly denying women the right to have VBACs, effectively forcing them into unnecessary Cesarean surgery. This runs contrary to the government's own Healthy People 2010 initiative which seeks to increase the VBAC rate to 63% by 2010."Cesarean section is a major surgical procedure that increases the likelihood of many complications for mothers and babies compared to vaginal birth," says Dr. Nancy Massotto, HMN's Executive Director who birthed both of her sons at home. Risks to babies include surgical cuts, breathing problems, and difficulty breastfeeding. Risks to the mother include surgical injury, infection, and death from increased blood loss. Last year, the Associated Press reported that U.S. women are dying from childbirth at the highest rate in decades, with the jump in C-sections partly to blame.

The World Health Organization and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agree that, for the safety of both mothers and babies, a country's C-section rate should not exceed 15%. Medical institutions are clearly not heeding this advice. New Jersey – home to HMN headquarters - has the highest C-section rate in the country – 38.9% in 2007. This is 7% above the national average of 31%. New Jersey Center for Health Statistics data show that Bayonne Medical Center's C-section rate was an astounding 62% in 2006 - up 15% from the prior year. In 2007, Paterson's Barnert Hospital's C-section rate was 53.9 but its VBAC rate was a mere 1.8%.

To inform women about this crisis and about their birth rights, HMN is organizing and participating in Labor Day events across the country.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Watch this & be inspired

This video was produced by the brother-in-law (Scott Seine) of one of my past HypnoBirthing clients. It's a very inspiring video...enjoy!

The song is called American Prayer written by Bono & Dave Stewart. Scott gathered a lot of great guests to participate and hope it inspires. Watch when you have 6 minutes to focus.

This is the time! Change~Hope~Progress

AMERICAN PRAYER:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVi4rUzf-0Q

Premiered on the front page of Huffington Post today
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-stewart/an-anthem-for-change_b_120514.html

Directed by Dave Stewart
Edited by Seth Dalton
Produced by Scott Seine

Share it with those you think would enjoy it...

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Thursday, August 21, 2008

An inspiring HypnoBirthing story

Here is a really inspiring HypnoBirthing birth story from one of my clients that took my class in June 2008. It shows how having a supportive team can really help even when you doubt the process....enjoy!

We have big news! A beautiful new princess has joined the B family. Kylie Anne B. was born on 8/18/08 at 9:59am, weighing in at a healthy 8 lbs 13 oz and 20.5 in long. The girls are thrilled about their newest little sister! We are home, and Mom and baby are doing very well! We will send pictures as soon as we can. I will surely have my hands full in this house full of women! God help me. Love,John, Anne, Lauren, Alexandria & Kylie

Here is Anne's birth story that she gave me permission to share: My original due date was August 12, 2008. I had an appointment with my OB (Dr. Dane Shipp at Pacific Coast Women's Health) that day. I was ready to have this baby, and discussed my options for induction. But, my doctor –knowing full well I wanted a natural delivery – told me that there was no medical reason to induce, and advised me to give it another week. So, I made another appointment for August 18, 2008 fully intending to schedule an induction at that time.

I woke up at 3:30a.m. on August 18th and knew the surges that I felt were different than the practice labor ones I had been feeling for weeks. I started timing them, and they were coming about every 6-7 minutes apart. By 4 a.m., they were every 2-3 minutes, lasting a minute. I woke John and we started getting ready. We waited an hour, but when they were coming every 2 minutes consistently, I really wanted to get to the hospital (Scripps Encinitas). We got there by 5:30 a.m., and checked in. I specifically requested a labor nurse that supported a natural childbirth, and got a wonderful nurse. She was only on until 7:00a.m. though, so I asked her to please assign us another one that also supported natural childbirth. She too was wonderful and I was pleasantly surprised at how the hospital staff went to great lengths to abide by our wishes.

When I got to the hospital, and was checked at around 6 a.m., I was 4cm dilated and 100% thinned. My doctor came in and checked me again at 8 a.m., and I was 6 cm dilated. I had been doing my breathing and listening to the CD until that time, and felt pretty relaxed through the surges; but at 6 cm, it was getting very intense and I started to doubt my abilities. About 20 minutes later, I asked my nurse for pain management options that did not include an epidural. She did tell me that I could have IV drugs, but felt that I would not like the effect they had on me.

By this time, John was really in full mode, doing light touch massage and telling me how great I was doing, how I was laboring just as I had planned through this whole pregnancy, and how I could achieve my goal of a completely natural childbirth. I really wanted to believe him, but really felt doubtful, but decided to try to hold out a little longer. Somewhere between 8:20 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., I knew that I had taken the HypnoBirthing as far as I felt I could, so I asked for the IV drugs. My nurse asked if I could wait for the doctor to check me, because she thought I may be pleasantly surprised by my progress. By 9:00a.m. when my doctor checked me, I was 9 ¾ cm dilated – so in less than an hour, I had progressed 4 cm – and was told that no drugs could be given to me now. I was relieved I had made it that far!

When I was fully opened and thinned, my doctor advised me to do what my body wanted to do naturally – if that meant pushing, great, but he was not going to coach me to push – nor was the nurse, he would just wait for my cues and follow my lead. After 6 cm, I had to abandon the HypnoBirthing breathing and really just did what my body needed (shorter breaths with longer ones between surges). But, I really tried to breathe the baby down, but did not feel that I could continue to do that, and once the last ¼ cm of cervix had opened, I pushed, but did so as gently as I could (until she crowned – then I purple pushed with all my might). The doctor turned all the lights down, used a calm voice, gave me some tips to make me more comfortable and advised what may help to get the baby out quicker, but all in all really supported me. He told me not to be scared of the actual delivery, that everything I was feeling was normal, but that I was doing great (By this time, I was shaking, having some convulsions and getting a little nauseous). He did advise me to slow my breathing down and take some deep slow breaths to gear up for the crowning and to regain some strength.

John was also just incredible during this stage, really giving me confidence to listen to my body and finish my goal, talking softly in my ear (I don't even remember what he said, it was just the sound and tone that kept me calm). I also want to point out that my membranes had not yet released by the time I wanted to push. My doctor said he was not going to advise me to break the water, that there was no medical need to do so, and to just let nature take its course. My membranes did release right after a good push, and Kylie was born about 10 minutes later at 9:59a.m. The hardest part by far was the very end when she was being received – which is when I purple pushed (I was able to help receive my baby – I just held my hands out and held on to her as she emerged –it was incredible.)

It wasn't until about 20 minutes after her birth that I really realized that her birth – although the most difficult thing I had done – was just what I wanted. No one urged me to "speed things along," I had my husband, doctor and nurse all talk me out of using any drugs or intervention – my nurse specifically said to me "I really think you will be disappointed later if you use any drugs right now, I know you can do it, you are doing great." John kept telling me how amazed he was by me, how great I was doing and that I could do it all naturally just like I wanted.

No one told me that they had to break my bag of water or anything. Really, the only thing my doctor insisted on was to start an IV because this was my 3rd baby and he was concerned that it would progress so rapidly that I may have too much blood loss – but I didn't have a problem with having an IV. Even when my placenta did not release after a ½ hour, he just kept waiting and massaging, trying to let my body do what it needed to naturally (it finally release after 50 minutes). I also held Kylie on my chest for an hour before they weighed her and checked her out.

I really wouldn't have changed anything about the way she was born. I think I was the only one that doubted my abilities – so I am so grateful that I had the support system that I did. Without John coaching me and encouraging me 100%, I am sure I would have gotten the drugs, but am SOOO happy that I didn't.

Kylie is a wonderful baby, she hardly cries, is very content and easily soothed. We are on day 2, and I feel refreshed and a lot less tired than I did with my other 2 deliveries. Although I did a mix of HypnoBirthing breathing and "regular" birth breathing, I think HypnoBirthing allowed me to get as far as I did and made this birth so successful.

I wish all the other couples a safe, happy and healthy delivery.

~Anne & John (and Lauren, Alexandria and Kylie)
We hope our story encourages other couples who want to pursue natural child birth.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Childbirth after Previous Birth Trauma

Here is some information about a new Study on PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder):

Subsequent Childbirth after Previous Birth Trauma:
In order to help clinicians provide better care to mothers who are having a subsequent childbirth after suffering through a previous traumatic birth, Cheryl Beck (Professor at the University of Connecticut) and Sue Watson (chairperson of TABS) are now conducting a research study on this topic.

Women who have had another child after having experienced birth trauma are invited to participate in this research study. Just like Professor Beck's previous studies on birth trauma and PTSD after childbirth, this study will be conducted over the Internet. Mothers will be asked to describe their experiences during pregnancy, and labor and delivery after having suffered a previous traumatic childbirth.

If you are interested in participating in this research or wish to find out more about this study, please contact Professor Cheryl Beck directly at the University of Connecticut. Her email address is Cheryl.Beck@uconn.edu.

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Sunday, August 17, 2008

Babies Absorb Chemicals

Babies absorb chemicals from personal care products

http://www.seattlechildrens.org/home/about_childrens/press_releases/2008/02/003170.asp

Use of Baby Personal Care Products Associated With Higher Levels of Phthalates in Children
February 4, 2008

Babies recently treated with infant personal care products such as lotion, shampoo and powder were more likely to have man-made chemicals called phthalates in their urine than other babies, according to a Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute and University of Washington study appearing in the February 2008 issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Phthalates (pronounced "THAH-lates") are added to many personal care and cosmetic products, as well many common household plastic and vinyl products. Some studies suggest phthalates may affect reproductive development in humans. Animal-based studies of phthalates have found that these synthetic chemicals can harm reproductive system development, and studies in humans have found that prenatal exposure or exposure through breast milk can alter hormone concentrations. Early-childhood exposure has not been extensively studied, so additional research is needed to determine if phthalate exposure can indeed cause reproductive development problems or other adverse effects in infants.

Phthalates are commonly found in many plastic products like children's toys, lubricants, infant care products, cosmetics, and personal care products. Since phthalates are not chemically bound to these products, they can be released into the air or into liquids, possibly leading to exposure through breathing, ingestion, and skin contact. Product labels in the United States are not currently required to list phthalate content.
In this study, researchers set out to see if using baby personal care products was associated with urine phthalate concentrations. To accomplish this, they collected urine samples from 163 infants aged 2 months to 28 months, and measured the levels of nine different phthalates in those urine samples. They also had the babies' mothers fill out questionnaires on their use of infant personal care products in the past 24 hours. When they cross-referenced the data, they found that the use of baby powder, lotion, and shampoo were each strongly associated with higher phthalate levels in the urine. The scientists also found that every baby had detectable levels of at least one phthalate in their urine, and about 81% of the infants had detectable levels of seven or more phthalates. Younger babies from birth up through 8 months of age showed the strongest associations between product use and phthalate concentrations, as did babies whose mothers used more infant personal care products.

"We found that infant exposure to phthalates is widespread, and that exposure to personal care products applied onto the skin may be an important source," said the study's lead author, Sheela Sathyanarayana, MD, MPH, a researcher with Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute and assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. "This is troubling, because phthalate exposure in early childhood has been associated with altered hormone concentrations as well as increased allergies, runny nose and eczema. Babies may be more at risk than children or adults because their reproductive, endocrine and immune systems are still developing."

Parents who want to decrease their baby's exposure to phthalates should limit the amount of baby care products used on infants and young children, and apply lotions or powders only if medically indicated. Since phthalates are also found in many household plastic products including plastic food containers, parents can also stop heating plastics in the microwave oven and use glass alternatives for food storage whenever possible. Phthalate-free cosmetics and personal care products are also available.

This research project was supported by grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. With Sathyanarayana, the research team included Catherine J. Karr, MD, PhD, Paula Lozano, MD, MPH, and Elizabeth Brown, PhD, from the University of Washington; Antonia M. Calafat, PhD, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and Fan Liu, MS, and Shanna H. Swan, PhD, from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

For phthalate-free health & beauty products, choose Miessence certified organic products for your family. Go to www.AWellLivedLife.Net & click on the Miessence tab at the top to learn more about the difference between certified organic, organic & natural according to the cosmetic industry. You'll be surprised!

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Friday, August 8, 2008

A HypnoBirthing story

This wonderful birth story is from one of the moms from my classes....enjoy!

Jake Andrew was born on Friday, June 13th, thirteen days early (we think we have a pretty good idea what his lucky number will be!). He weighed 7 lb, 5.3oz, just short of 19.5" long, with a full head of hair! Andy and I couldn't be more happy!!

HypnoBirthing really helped me get through the discomforts of the final weeks of pregnancy, as well as speed up our labor. My water broke at 3 PM on Thursday, June 12th. We were checked into the hospital by 6 PM. I was 1 cm dilated. My doctor came in to check in on me at 7 PM. She indicated that since we were two weeks early and my water had "ruptured", that our labor would be a long one, and she would see us sometime in the late morning. Boy, was she wrong.

Surges became consistent at around 10 PM, with intense surges starting at midnight, I was checked again - still at 1 cm. From midnight to 1:30 AM, surges were extremely intense. At this point I asked for an epidural. Knowing my wishes on our birth plan using HypnoBirthing, both the nursing staff and Andy made sure that this is what I truly wanted. I was checked again - we were now at 7 cm - we had gone from 1 cm to 7 cm in 90 minutes. I credit this progression to everything we learned in HypnoBirthing and our practice. I still wanted the epidural - and it was administered at 3 AM. By 4 AM, I was fully dilated. (If only I could have held on for one more hour!). The decision was made to have the baby move down on its own, since my doctor was at home. I think this worked in my favor because I did not have to "push the baby down". The doctor arrived at about 5:20, and with six surges, Jake was born at 5:42 AM.

Even though I didn't go the full way with HypnoBirthing, I still believe that it was by far one of the best things we did during our pregnancy. Thank you for everything Carol!

Marisa & Andy

P.S. I would recommend that if HypnoBirthing Moms-to-be are having a hospital birth, to request a nurse with experience in natural childbirth. It helped me quite a bit. And just keep visualizing the baby moving down with each contraction, I really think that made our dilation move so quickly.

http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
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Sunday, August 3, 2008

An analogy for birth

An Analogy for Birth-by Mickey Mongan, Founder of HypnoBirthing

There is a rhythm and a flow to each individual labor, just as there is for all of Nature.

I told of a lemon experience story in my last class that made me become even more aware that very little in Nature is synchronized to all happen at the same time and according to someone else's expectation with no consideration of time variation.

As the story goes, I went out to my lemon tree a few months ago to grab some lemons. Well, that's just what I did. The first just wouldn't release no matter how I pulled, so I reached up beyond the lemon and tore the stem from the limb. Yes, I damaged the bark on the limb, but the only thing that really counts is that I ended up with a healthy lemon and a tree that would mend. I next took another lemon and twisted it until it separated from the stem. I had a slightly bruised tree from all the pulling and twisting, but I had a healthy lemon, and I was happy.

I then reached up and cupped another lemon that immediately fell into my hands from the star-shaped end of the stem. I ended up with a happy tree, a healthy lemon, and I, too, was happy.

We need to be able to see labor as individualized as we would see other factors of Nature. For everyone to be happy, we need to wait for the clues from Nature that will come only when Nature is ready. If we trust birth and believe in it's perfect design, then we cannot expect to see everything happen in one time frame.

By the way, I apologized to the tree for attempting to approach the task with a one-size-fits-all mentality.

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Saturday, August 2, 2008