Prepare BEFORE you Vaccinate!!!

If you are vaccinating your kids, you need to be aware of this information. Recently on Facebook, in breast feeding support group, there was this post regarding the DTaP vaccine:

“He got the DTaP vaccine on Monday around 2pm. He seemed fine & normal until around 3am when he woke up crying, clammy, sweating, gray/pale and unwilling to nurse or stand up (both VERY out of character for him). Eventually, he projectile vomited 2-3 times and then went in & out of consciousness a couple times. Needless to say we freaked out! My first instinct was to throw him in the bathtub, which we did, as we waited for a return call from the Dr. After about 20 minutes in the tub, he seems to have returned to normal. What a scare! This was the 1st and only vaccine he has had so far.”

If your kids have reactions to vaccines, you need to make sure your Pediatrician reports that vaccine reaction. There is a government program dedicated to reporting reactions from vaccines called VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) http://vaers.hhs.gov/index.

BEFORE the shot!

If your kids or others get future vaccines, there are ways to prepare your and your babies body for an immune response, especially if you are still breast feeding. Dr. Sears has some good tips on what to do before your child gets a vaccine. Check out http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/vaccines/boost-your-childs-immune-system

If Breastfeeding:

For mom, take 4000IU (or more!) of Vitamin D/day to keep the TH1 and TH2 immune cells balanced. Baby gets this Vit D thru mom's milk.

Avoid Coffee and Echinacea ahead of time to avoid creating a TH1 or TH2 dominant immune shift.

DHA supplements (1200mg). This is an omega-3 fatty acid that is a major component of the human brain and central nervous system. This will help decrease inflammation and protect the brain. You can find DHA naturally in fish. One study found fish oil higher in DHA than EPA lowered inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 and IL-1β, associated with neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases. They note the brain normally contains DHA, but not EPA, though both DHA and EPA plasma concentrations increased significantly for participants.*

*Vedin I, et al. (1 June 2008). "Effects of docosahexaenoic acid–rich n–3 fatty acid supplementation on cytokine release". Am J Clin Nutr 87 (6): 1616–1622. PMID 18541548

AFTER the shot!

Do NOT overheat your baby. By overheating baby, it affects the temperature control center in the brain called the hypothalamus. After a vaccine, stressors to the body can cause the immune system to react in a negative manner. 

How well do you know your fat?

Take this QUIZ on abdominal fat! We are all gearing up for the best season of all: WEIGHT LOSS SEASON starting just a few weeks away, Jan 1, 2012.

Belly (Abdominal) Fat Medical Health Quiz on MedicineNet.com

For all those mommies who NEED to get rid of that flabby midsection, come check out the free seminar series we are hosting before the new year starts....sort of like a pre-bootcamp for the New Year!

If Your Baby Can’t Tolerate Milk, Soy, or Hypoallergenic Formula it may be a Corn Allergy | Healthy-Family.org

"Many pediatricians recommend avoiding corn in your baby’s diet until he/she is at least one year old. But the irony of this is that commercial formula manufacturers regularly use corn starch, corn syrup solids, and even soy in all of their formulas, even their most hypoallergenic varieties. "-Caryn Talty in this article:

If Your Baby Can’t Tolerate Milk, Soy, or Hypoallergenic Formula it may be a Corn Allergy | Healthy-Family.org

Beat It! Michael Jackson & Autoimmune Disease

Michael Jackson was the King of Pop. The media portrayed him as an odd man who had many strange eccentricities. Many Americans believed the media and also were quick to judge. The recent trial of Conrad Murray, his personal physician, who was found guilty of manslaughter of the pop stars death in June of 2009, has had many fans reliving their memories of MJ.

Let’s examine a few aspects of how his health made him famous:

1. The “Glove!” This glove hid his skin discoloration from the autoimmune condition called Vitiligo.
2. Lightened skin. Michael was diagnosed with Vitiligo, an autoimmune skin condition in 1986
3. Bandaged fingers. Vitiligo began with skin discoloration on his fingers. Raynaud’s syndrome, an autoimmune condition that affects blood vessel diameter and blocks blood flow to the extremities. Reynaud’s is common with those who have Lupus.
4. Umbrella. Vitiligo, the autoimmune skin condition will cause skin to “bleach” and become blotchy when exposed to sunlight.
5. Wigs. Lupus, an autoimmune disoder, can likely cause hair loss.
6. Collapse on stage in 1995.  Irregular heartbeat gastro-intestinal inflammation, dehydration, and kidney and liver irregularities were what was found in the hospital. Lupus manifests all of these.

Reoccurring theme? Autoimmunity

Sure enough, Michael Jackson had health issues. It is no secret that Michael was suffering from many autoimmune conditions. Autoimmunity is defined as the failure of an organism to recognize its own constituent parts as self, which allows an immune response against its own cells and tissues. Over 50% of people who have antibodies against one tissue, have autoimmune attacks against other tissue. For example those with neurological disorders (ex. Multiple Sclerosis) may develop gastro intestinal upsets leading to the diagnosis of celiac disease. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, the most commonly confused form of Hypothyroid diagnosis is an autoimmune disease that reeks havoc on millions of Americans. Other examples of autoimmune disorders are: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Crohn’s disease, Celiac disease, Diabetes Mellitus Type 1, Graves disease, Psoriasis, Sjogren’s syndrome and many more.

Vitiligo. www.healthfiles.net

Who ever thought that all the iconic images that we associate with the King of Pop was due to his autoimmune health condition?

This peek into his health may give you a deeper appreciation for those that surround you. Autoimmune conditions are on a rise and treatment of these conditions vary from watching and waiting to other very strong immunosuppressant medication.

The real question is, How was Michael Jackson being treated for these autoimmune conditions and did these conditions compromise his heart to allow for an overdose of propofol?

In my next post, see how I would have approached Michael Jackson’s autoimmunities. 

Get a Personality Test before you have a BABY!!

This weekend, I watched DVD1 in the series of More Business of Being Born, produced by Ricki Lake. This movie is an excellent introduction to how women can achieve a home birth in today’s hospital dominated birth world. As an average American living in a large city, the thought of a home birth sounded quite hippy and scary. WHAT IF….WHAT IF…WHAT IF….

This attitude has arrived because I have not been surrounded by any “natural” births. To me, a “normal” birth is being rushed to the hospital, in extreme pain, receiving drugs to eliminate the pain and if the baby is too big, having surgery to get the little sucker out.

Once I did some research, looked at stats of home-birthing a low risk pregnancy, read some of INA MAY GASKIN'S books, it made perfect sense to birth at home. Note, I mention “low risk.” That is the key. My personal goal was a natural, non-medicated birth for my son. Check out the American Pregnancy Association regarding homebirths.

One piece of information I would recommend before deciding if a hospital, birth center, or home birth is right for you or someone you love--have them do a personality test! Like a DISC profile, etc.  See how much the environment really affects effectiveness of getting work done or relaxing. If you have a personality that is easily influenced by others when your guard is down, or when in pain be aware of that especially if planning a natural birth. If nothing bothers you and you have a more dominant aggressive outlook on life, a natural-hospital birth will be easier for you. Know how you react in different environments. It sounds pretty obvious, but this really makes a difference. 

Take me for example. My environment has to have the right “ambiance.” It has to be decorated just perfectly, cleaned up, music has to be playing, candles burning.  Every sense has to be stimulated for me to really get some work done, or relax and feel good.  I would choose a nice stimulating fireplace to LOOK at rather than have heat from it. 

If you want to have a natural birth you have to assess what type of personality you have and how it will be affected by the environment you choose to be in. period. 

Better Birth: Broccoli flavored amniotic fluid and breastmilk?

It all starts with science. The egg gets fertilized, etc... But it needs the right nutrients to stay alive. Read this fun article about how important it REALLY is to eat Broccoli! Especially all those pregnant moms!!!

Better Birth: Broccoli flavored amniotic fluid and breastmilk?

Why the name, "Broccoli Mama?"

Hello! So this is the epic beginning of my blog and I am anxious to get it going! I have so many thoughts about random things, hence the title "Broccoli Mama." Random surrounded by random. Or is it?

My mind works in many ways and it goes in many different directions. My creativity BOOMS at night. I love artsy stuff....but then I love science. I thrive on learning new applications of knowledge to help my understanding of physiology, neurology and anatomy and most importantly help my patients out. My family is my life. I am a new mother and I am caught in the manifesto of "new mom" things. Such as balancing the art of getting enough sleep, having enough milk to feed my son, freaking out about every little thing he does that is not "in the books," and trying to find time to lose this ridiculous fat tub that will not disappear from my midsection.

I am an average woman. I am a mother and I strive to be healthy physically, mentally, spiritually and I do the best thing for my family including sacrificing myself. My goal is to publish and log my journey of life through this.

1. Broccoli. Health. Nutrition, and providing the option of optimal health for my patients is my career. I really don't like the taste of raw broccoli. But there are some things in life you gotta sacrifice to give yourself, family and patients the best methyl donors out there. :)




2. Mama. Family. Being a mother is the most amazing experience because you provide for another (human and animals!). There are so many questions and territories untraveled by first time moms and experienced moms for that matter when it comes to weird and awkward topics.



This journey has begun, and here I come.