Pregnancy


Adequate Vitamin D Provides Higher Birth Rate

Among women undergoing assisted reproduction treatment (ART), those with vitamin D levels greater than 30ng/ml (or 75 nmol/L)  were approximately 33% more likely to deliver a live baby, compared with women whose levels were deficient or insufficient, a systematic review and meta-analysis suggests. A similar result was seen when the researchers looked at the results of pregnancy tests and clinical pregnancies (where a fetal heartbeat could be detected). When compared with women who had deficient or insufficient concentrations of vitamin D, women who had sufficient vitamin D were 34% more likely to have a positive pregnancy test and 46% more likely […]


Why You Need to Ditch The Sweet Tooth During Pregnancy

One of my most influential acupuncture teachers, Kiiko Matsumoto. always said “No sugar during pregnancy, then 38 weeks you can have sugar”. She learned this from her acupuncture teachers. I asked why and although I never got a straight answer from Kiiko I believe the thinking is that in Chinese Medicine sugar can have a negative impact on the organ system known as the Spleen. In Chinese Medicine the Spleen plays an influential role on the immune system, muscle strength and holding tissue in place. Too much sugar weakens the Spleen and may lead to miscarriage or poor development. Eating […]


Effects of Triclosan and Paraben Exposure during Pregnancy

   Maintaining hygeine and personal care, applying cosmetics… these routines are commonplace nowadays in most women’s lives. Most of us wouldn’t bat an eye at continuing to do our normal personal care routines during pregnancy. And while it is of course extremely important to maintain proper personal care whether pregnant or not, more and more research is showing that which products we choose to use both during pregnancy and preconception can have an effect on birthing outcomes.     In the past couple of years there has been a lot of buzz about sulfates, parabens, and other potentially hazardous preservative chemicals commonly used […]

various personal hygiene products on glass shelf

Pregnant women

Baby’s Gut Flora Altered by Mom’s Anti-Bacterial Soap Use

I had a friend’s dad that was near 80 say to me recently “Why are all kids today sensitive to everything?.  We never had to avoid these things – What is wrong with you guys?”. Ouch. He is right.   What is going on today? There is plenty of data pointing to environmental pollutants and chemicals altering the gut microbiome.   The microbiome is our internal ecology and we need a diversified bunch of beneficial buggers to keep ourselves and immune system healthy. There has been data pointing to the “hygiene hypothesis” and the overuse of antibiotic soaps.   But on […]