Folic Acid & Pregnancy

Having a healthy baby means making sure the mother is healthy too.

One of the most important things you can do to help prevent serious birth defects in your baby is to get enough folic acid every day — especially before conception and during early pregnancy.

What Is Folic Acid?
Folic acid, sometimes called folate, is a B vitamin (B9) found mostly in leafy green vegetables like kale and spinach, orange juice, and enriched grains. Repeated studies have shown that women who get 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) daily prior to conception and during early pregnancy reduce the risk that their baby will be born with a serious neural tube defect (a birth defect involving incomplete development of the brain and spinal cord) by up to 70%.

The most common neural tube defects are spina bifida (an incomplete closure of the spinal cord and spinal column), anencephaly (severe underdevelopment of the brain), and encephalocele (when brain tissue protrudes out to the skin from an abnormal opening in the skull). All of these defects occur during the first 28 days of pregnancy — usually before a woman even knows she's pregnant.

That's why it's so important for all women of childbearing age to get enough folic acid — not just those who are planning to become pregnant. Only 50% of pregnancies are planned, so any woman who could become pregnant should make sure she's getting enough folic acid.

Doctors and scientists still aren't completely sure why folic acid has such a profound effect on the prevention of neural tube defects, but they do know that this vitamin is crucial in the development of DNA. As a result, folic acid plays a large role in cell growth and development, as well as tissue formation.

Getting Enough Folic Acid
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all women of childbearing age — and especially those who are planning a pregnancy — consume about 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) of folic acid every day. Adequate folic acid intake is very important before conception and at least 3 months afterward to potentially reduce the risk of having a fetus with a neural tube defect.

So, how can you make sure you're getting enough folic acid? In 1998, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration mandated that folic acid be added to enriched grain products — so you can boost your intake by looking for breakfast cereals, breads, pastas, and rice containing 100% of the recommended daily folic acid allowance. But for most women, eating fortified foods isn't enough. To reach the recommended daily level, you'll probably need a vitamin supplement.

During pregnancy, you require more of all of the essential nutrients than you did before you became pregnant. Although prenatal vitamins shouldn't replace a well-balanced diet, taking them can give your body — and, therefore, your baby — an added boost of vitamins and minerals. Some health care providers even recommend taking a folic acid supplement in addition to your regular prenatal vitamin. Talk to your doctor about your daily folic acid intake and ask whether he or she recommends a prescription supplement, an over-the-counter brand, or both.

Also talk to your doctor if you've already had a pregnancy that was affected by a neural tube defect. He or she may recommend that you increase your daily intake of folic acid (even before getting pregnant) to lower your risk of having another occurrence.

BIOTIN

Biotin aids in the utilization of protein and other nutrients. It aids in cell growth and fatty acid production. It promotes the health of sweat glands, nerve tissue, bone marrow, male sex glands, blood cells, skin and hair. It helps with some forms of baldness, and has been used in preventative treatments for baldness. It prevents the hair from turning prematurely gray. It alleviates eczema and dermatitis. It alleviates muscle pain. Biotin may help reduce blood sugar levels in people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS: May lead to extreme exhaustion, drowsiness, muscle pain, loss of appetite, depression, grayish skin color.

Lecithin

Why lecithin is good for you

Lecithin is a fatty substance which is found in high concentrations in the cell membrane (phospholipid). Every living cell of the body requires lecithin because of its requirement in creating cell membranes. Lecithin is both water and oil soluble and regulates the movement of fats and nutrients entering and leaving the cell.

Lecithin is required for a whole range of body functions, including infant and foetal development and as an aid in reproduction, is essential in keeping the liver and gall bladder healthy and for heart health.

The body uses lecithin both for the proper formation of bile (the body's main emulsifying compound), and as an emulsifying agent itself. Lecithin helps the body use and absorb fat-soluble nutrients, such as vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K.

Lecithin is an important precursor to the main neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, which plays an important role in memory and muscles control. Myelin sheaths that protect the brain, spine and thousands of nerves in the body are almost two-thirds lecithin.

Soy lecithin, a constituent included in most processed and packaged foods is included as a natural emulsifier or stabiliser, is extracted during the processing of soybean oil. It promotes solidity in margarines and gives a consistent texture to salad dressing and other creamy products.

The body produces its own lecithin in the liver.


Important lecithin facts

* The brain consists of 30% lecithin
* Lecithin is an excellent source of the vitamin B cofactor, choline (choline is part of the lecithin molecule)
* Around 20% of the lecithin found in plants and natural foods consists of phosphatidylcholine
* Choline is so vital in infant development that all baby formula must contain this nutrient
* Lecithin is a phospholipid, which is part of cell membranes
* Lecithin granules contain higher concentrations of phosphatidylcholine
* Lecithin is a good source of linolenic acid

CAUTIONS

* People with bipolar disorder and depression - should not use lecithin as it can worse then depressive stage of the illness
* People with any psychiatric condition - should get medical advice before taking lecithin

What affects calcium absorption and excretion?

Calcium absorption refers to the amount of calcium that is absorbed from the digestive tract into our body's circulation. Calcium absorption can be affected by the calcium status of the body, vitamin D status, age, pregnancy and plant substances in the diet. The amount of calcium consumed at one time such as in a meal can also affect absorption. For example, the efficiency of calcium absorption decreases as the amount of calcium consumed at a meal increases.

Age:
Net calcium absorption can be as high as 60% in infants and young children, when the body needs calcium to build strong bones. Absorption slowly decreases to 15-20% in adulthood and even more as one ages . Because calcium absorption declines with age, recommendations for dietary intake of calcium are higher for adults ages 51 and over.

Vitamin D:
Vitamin D helps improve calcium absorption. Your body can obtain vitamin D from food and it can also make vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight. Thus, adequate vitamin D intake from food and sun exposure is essential to bone health.

Pregnancy:
Current calcium recommendations for nonpregnant women are also sufficient for pregnant women because intestinal calcium absorption increases during pregnancy. For this reason, the calcium recommendations established for pregnant women are not different than the recommendations for women who are not pregnant.

Plant substances:
Phytic acid and oxalic acid, which are found naturally in some plants, may bind to calcium and prevent it from being absorbed optimally. These substances affect the absorption of calcium from the plant itself not the calcium found in other calcium-containing foods eaten at the same time . Examples of foods high in oxalic acid are spinach, collard greens, sweet potatoes, rhubarb, and beans. Foods high in phytic acid include whole grain bread, beans, seeds, nuts, grains, and soy isolates. Although soybeans are high in phytic acid, the calcium present in soybeans is still partially absorbed. Fiber, particularly from wheat bran, could also prevent calcium absorption because of its content of phytate. However, the effect of fiber on calcium absorption is more of a concern for individuals with low calcium intakes. The average American tends to consume much less fiber per day than the level that would be needed to affect calcium absorption.
Calcium excretion refers to the amount of calcium eliminated from the body in urine, feces and sweat. Calcium excretion can be affected by many factors including dietary sodium, protein, caffeine and potassium.
Sodium and protein:
Typically, dietary sodium and protein increase calcium excretion as the amount of their intake is increased. However, if a high protein, high sodium food also contains calcium, this may help counteract the loss of calcium.
Potassium:
Increasing dietary potassium intake (such as from 7-8 servings of fruits and vegetables per day) in the presence of a high sodium diet (>5100 mg/day, which is more than twice the Tolerable Upper Intake Level of 2300 mg for sodium per day) may help decrease calcium excretion particularly in postmenopausal women.

Caffeine:
Caffeine has a small effect on calcium absorption. It can temporarily increase calcium excretion and may modestly decrease calcium absorption, an effect easily offset by increasing calcium consumption in the diet. One cup of regular brewed coffee causes a loss of only 2-3 mg of calcium easily offset by adding a tablespoon of milk. Moderate caffeine consumption, (1 cup of coffee or 2 cups of tea per day), in young women who have adequate calcium intakes has little to no negative effects on their bones.


Other factors:
Phosphorus: The effect of dietary phosphorus on calcium is minimal. Some researchers speculate that the detrimental effects of consuming foods high in phosphate such as carbonated soft drinks is due to the replacement of milk with soda rather than the phosphate level itself.

Alcohol: Alcohol can affect calcium status by reducing the intestinal absorption of calcium. It can also inhibit enzymes in the liver that help convert vitamin D to its active form which in turn reduces calcium absorption. However, the amount of alcohol required to affect calcium absorption is unknown. Evidence is currently conflicting whether moderate alcohol consumption is helpful or harmful to bone.
In summary, a variety of factors that may cause a decrease in calcium absorption and/or increase in calcium excretion may negatively affect bone health.

Low cholesterol

Nowadays, cholesterol is becoming a real threat to many people. The main reason behind this is that people tend to consume more products that are rich in saturated fats, such as whole milk dairy products, poultry, and egg yolks.

Additionally, most people also rely on food chains for their daily diet or perhaps on processed foods, especially if their schedule is too hectic to accommodate home cooking. So if you are one of these people who love to eat these kinds of foods, it’s time to reassess your diet and start eating a low-cholesterol diet.

The low-cholesterol diet is a diet low in saturated fat, which helps lower your cholesterol level and protect you from various heart diseases. The foods that should be included in this diet are fat-free dairy products, lean meats, fish and shellfish, skinless poultry, and whole-grain foods. Fresh fruits and green vegetables, especially when combined with large quantities of olive oil and monostaturates, should also be included because these are rich in vitamins and minerals that are good for your body and reduce your risk for high cholesterol. In addition to these, certain foods that contain plant stanols or plant sterols such as cholesterol-lowering margarines and salad dressings can also be added to your diet to boost your body’s LDL-lowering power.

Meanwhile, foods that are high in cholesterol and saturated fats should only be eaten in moderation. If possible, these should not be included in your diet. Avoid liver and other organ meats, egg yolks, full-fat dairy products, high-fat processed meats, and fried foods. Limiting the intake of these foods can greatly reduce your cholesterol levels and decrease your chances of developing heart disease, as well as protect you from future heart attacks.

A simple low-cholesterol diet is a big help to you, but only if you observe and follow these guidelines regularly. Remember that your health is in your hands.

Good Protein

What is Protein?

Proteins are the basic units of the body which are required for nutrition, growth and repair, and affect a huge number of metabolic, enzyme and chemical processes that occur inside the body.

Protein Composed of Amino Acids

Protein actually consists of smaller units called amino acids, which link together in a variety of differing combinations to perform differing functions. Some amino acid chains are created by the body, but some - essential amino acids - must come from outside the body from food. Although all animal and plant cells contain some protein, the amount and the quality of the protein varies considerably.

Best Protein Food Choices Are Proteins Low in Saturates

Protein may come in many forms, but the better type of protein is low in saturated fat. Good protein choices include: fish, lean beef, lean ham, egg whites, whole eggs, chicken breast, turkey breast, pulses, beans, nuts, seeds, soy products and vegetarian protein foods such as quorn and seitan.
How Much Protein Do We Need in Our Diet?

Assuming you choose nutritious protein, low in saturated fat, you can eat anything between 10 and 20 percent of your calories in the form of protein, although according to government guidelines you should not eat less than 45g of protein (adult females) or 55.5g (adult males).

In practice, eating a variety of foods every day is all you need to do in order to ensure an adequate protein intake.

Guide to Traditional Chinese Medicine

The Origin of Chinese Medicine

It began in China over four thousand years ago. But its methods have no geographic bounds. Today, it is practiced the world over. Chinese herbs do not only come from China, they come from everywhere.

The oldest known book about Chinese Medicine is The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic. It was compiled before 200 BC. It's a summary of medical ideas and techniques that were in use long before the second century BC.

Today, Chinese Medicine has expanded far beyond the Inner Classic. Countless variations and innovations have appeared. But some principles are unchanging. These root principles, such as yin and yang, describe natural laws, the laws your body must ultimately obey. These root principles endow Chinese Medicine with a unique knowledge making it, in some ways, far more evolved than modern technological medicine.

Qi and Blood - It's all about Flow

Chinese medicine is about qi. We study where it comes from, where it goes, and how it flows. Your body is nourished by, cleansed by, and dependent on flows. Think of your qi as all your body's energies, electrical, chemical, magnetic, and radiant.

Matter and energy, (flesh and qi), are governed by natural law. Natural forces such as gravity, time, inertia, friction, yin, and yang, all affect us, inside and out.

Qi must flow. Movement shows that qi exists. Warmth shows that qi is present.

There are many kinds of qi. There's qi of the channels and qi of the collateral channels, protective qi, digestive qi, central qi, and original qi. There's normal qi and perverse qi, kidney qi and lung qi and liver qi (every organ has its own qi).

Qi and blood nourish the body. Qi moves the blood, and blood is mother of the qi.

Normal flows of qi and blood are the basics of good health. When they are abundant and flowing, we are well. When blood or qi is weak or stuck, we become ill.

Theory of Yin and Yang

Yin and Yang describe change.

Yin and Yang refer to the sides of a mountain.
In the morning, one side is in shade, the other in sunlight.
Later in the day, the sides have reversed.
Dark becomes light and light becomes dark.

Nature is like this, forever changing, undulating. In time, Yang turns to Yin. Yin predictably becomes Yang.

Change is certain, a basic law of nature you can count on, like gravity.

Yang and Yin support one another as they oppose each other. There is always yin within yang and yang within yin. You simply can' t have one without the other.

We see the body and its disharmonies in changing shades of Yin and Yang. This helps to understand where events come from and where they are going to.

This helps to understand the disease and the patient.

Theory of the Organs (Zhang and Fu)

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the internal organs have the same familiar names as those we know - heart, liver, kidney etc. However in TCM these 'organs' include more than the flesh and blood of the viscera. Some of the organs also perform tasks which are not perceived by current instrumentation or understood in the West.

As Chinese medicine is largely about energy (qi), many of the organs involve the production, circulation, and storage of energy. To the Chinese doctor, the normal biological function of an organs is often secondary to how the organ is functioning in the creation or circulation of Qi. When the qi is normal, the organ will behave normally.

Chinese medical theory groups the organs into Yin/ Yang pairs. The Yin organs - the heart, spleen, lungs, kidneys, and liver are called the Zang are considered most important, structurally solid, and primarily responsible for the creation and storage of Qi and Blood.

The Yang organs, large intestine, small intestine, stomach, gall bladder, and urinary bladder are called the Fu and are considered less important. They are the hollow organs, responsible mainly for digestion transportation, and elimination.

There is another pair of organs which have energetic functions, yet have no physical reality. These are referred to as the Pericardium and Triple-Heater.

The Five Elements - Relationships of the Organs

A Storm in the Mountains and the Valley is Flooded

Parts of the body are interdependent. The heart depends on the lungs for oxygen. If the kidneys don't work, all the organs suffer. The Five Elements help us understand these relationships. According to this principle, there exist five elemental types. They are known as Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood.

Each type corresponds to a major organ system. Fire corresponds to the Heart, Earth the Spleen, Metal the Lungs, Water the Kidneys, and Wood to the Liver. Each type also has a characteristic taste, color, body odor, or emotion. Some of these correspondences are:

1 - Fire/Red/Heart/Joy/Bitter/Scorched (acrid)

2 - Earth/Yellow/Stomach/Spleen/Worry/Sweet/Fragrant

3 - Metal/White/Lungs/Grief/Hot/Fleshy

4 - Water/Black/Kidneys/Fear/Salty/Putrid

5 - Wood/Green/Liver/Anger/Sour/Rancid

Each element relates to the other according to two cycles of influence- the generating cycle (clockwise) and the checking cycle. Disharmony in one element will create disharmony in others according to these cycles.

The 8 Principles: Pathogenic Yin/Yang Pairs (Disease Factors)

Another way to see disharmony is according to the Eight Principles. These are four Yin / Yang conditions that assess the nature and location of the disharmony. Then, the treatment plan is usually simple - strengthen what is weak, cool the hot, moisten the dry, and so forth. These pairs are:

EXCESS/ DEFICIENT (shi/xu) Simply put, too much or too little. These terms describe both the disease and the patient. Sudden illness is excess. Chronic illness suggests deficiency. Symptoms of excess are stronger or more pronounced than those caused by deficiency. A severe sore throat suggests wind-heat excess (viral), while a persistent scratchy throat implies heat cause by a deficiency of coolness (yin).

INSIDE/ OUTSIDE (interior/exterior) Does the disharmony originate inside the body, or is it invading from the exterior? Diseases caused by deficiency, emotion, or stagnation are Interior. Airborne viruses, bacterial infections, or other pestilential diseases are Exterior. Exterior diseases can penetrate the body and become Interior disease.

HOT/ COLD People can be hot and cold. And just as it can be hot in Miami and cold in Siberia, the Liver can be hot while the Kidney is cold. Disease can also be called hot or cold according to the way it affects the body.

DAMP/ DRY Because life loves water, excessive dampness inside the body helps microscopic life such as bacteria, virus, fungus, etc to breed. Because your body is a whole world, you can have damp-heat in the south (a bladder infection) and dry conditions in the north (dandruff) Swollen tissue, excess phlegm or other fluids are also examples dampness. Dryness indicates a scarcity of fluids. Causes of dryness are Blood or Yin deficiency. Excessive heat scorches the yin fluids and leads to dryness. Prolonged exposure to dry weather will cause dryness inside the body as well.

The Five Emotions

Emotions mingle in the mind/body with countless other currents. They affect the flow and rhythm of our organism by influencing the qi. The qi directly affects the organs.

When emotions are intense, they change our body in profound ways. The emotions correspond to the organs and the five elements. For example,
Joy (or a lack of it) is associated with the Heart (fire),
sadness (over contemplation) the Spleen/Stomach (earth),
grief the Lungs (metal),
fear the Kidneys (water),
anger the Liver (wood).
Strong emotions pervert the qi to create disease. Fear or anger lead to constraint of qi, which results in depression, stagnation, and a multitude of physical ailments.