| BODY TALK: Ensuring a Healthy Pregnancy |
If you are planning to get pregnant or already are, what you eat and the products you use on your skin and hair can have an effect on the health of your baby. Nutritionists and Naturopaths often advise the importance of eating organic foods before, during and after pregnancy because of the presence of chemicals in foods today. Taking steps to eat healthy, organic foods pays towards ensuring a healthy pregnancy. In today's climate of economic and financial uncertainty, how well you eat is still important. Pregnant mothers who eat healthy, wholesome natural foods tend to be healthier as well as their babies. If organic food is too expensive then peeling the skin off some fruits and vegetables as well as washing them well under running water is important. Many toxins are absorbed into the body through the environment, which is why eating healthily is important to combat the effects of internal pollution, especially while pregnant.
In a study, conducted by the Environmental Working Group in the U.S., it was reported that ' unborn U.S. babies are soaking in a stew of chemicals, including mercury, gasoline byproducts and pesticides.'
| Of course, this does not only occur in
the U.S. but in Europe and moreso in the United Kingdom where pesticide
levels in agricultural products are higher than in Europe and the U.S. Although the effects on babies are unknown at this time, several members of Congress agreed for legislation to strengthen controls on chemicals in the environment. The study based on 10 samples of umbilical cord blood from ten mothers and newborns, found an average of 287 contaminants in the umbilical cords. Some of these chemicals were mercury, pesticides, fire retardants and the Teflon chemical PFOA. Mercury is a noted cause of brain defects and Autism "These 10 newborn babies ... were born polluted," said New York Rep. Louise Slaughter, who publicized the findings at a news conference. "If ever we had proof that our nation's pollution laws aren't working, it's reading the list of industrial chemicals in the bodies of babies who have not yet lived outside the womb," Slaughter, a Democrat, said. "Of the 287 chemicals we detected in umbilical cord blood, we know that 180 cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests," the report said. The Blood tests did not show how the chemicals got into the mothers' bodies. Mercury and Pesticides Among the chemicals found in the cord blood were methylmercury, produced by coal-fired power plants and certain industrial processes. People can breathe it in or eat it in seafood and it causes brain and nerve damage. Also found were polyaromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, which are produced by burning gasoline and garbage and which may cause cancer; flame-retardant chemicals called polybrominated dibenzodioxins and furans; and pesticides including DDT and chlordane. The same group analyzed the breast milk of mothers across the United States in 2003 and found varying levels of chemicals, including flame retardants known as PBDEs. This latest analysis also found PBDEs in cord blood. |
The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, found that the EPA's Toxic Substances Control Act gives only "limited assurance" that new chemicals entering the market are safe and that the EPA only rarely assesses chemicals already on the market.
UC Television: Healthy Women Healthy Families; Prenatal Health. For more on Healthy Pregnancy visit UC Television at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkC1UoR6LpY&feature=related
| "Today,
chemicals are being used to make baby bottles, food packaging and other
products that have never been fully evaluated for their health effects
on children - and some of these chemicals are turning up in our blood," said New Jersey Democrat Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who plans to co-sponsor a bill to require more testing of toxic chemicals. As we are bombarded with chemicals, it is important to take extra steps to ensure our food is as healthy as possible, especially preganant mothers. In addition, chemicals loaded in hair products, skin products, cosmetics, fragrances etc. contribute to phthalates (synthetic chemicals) found in the skin and blood which can cause birth defects such as shorter penile length in boys, lower sperm count in older males and early puberty in female children. |
Other cancer causing chemicals in cosmetics known as DEA, TEA and MEA (known to cause liver and kidney cancer) have been used for decades with no restrictions.
A health pregnancy is easily achieveable once positive steps are taken for the health of both mother and child as well as taking precautions against hidden dangers.
__________________________