Natural Family News

A recent study of American nurses suggests that there may be a correlation between regular consumption of french fries as a young child and breast cancer. The study reported a 27% increased risk of breast cancer for each weekly serving of french fries eaten between the ages of 3 and 5. I’ve heard of french fries being related to cancer before, so that wouldn’t be surprising. But the design of the study is also pretty weak in my opinion, as the researchers were asking the mothers of grown women to recall their diet as preschoolers. Read more here

I don’t suppose this comes as any surprise to anyone, but apparently children are picking up bad language in school. I found it particularly interesting that one teenager who was interviewed called it “a little bit of a problem” and then went on to say that it was “only among, like, half the students.” If half of the students cursing is a “little” problem, I’d hate to see a big one. This reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw at a homeschooling convention recently that said: “Public school? Aren’t you worried about socialization?”

You can read the article here

The latest in a long line of warnings about over the counter drugs, this study about Tylenol is yet another reason to avoid pharmaceuticals, if at all possible. I knew ibuprofen could cause problems with blood pressure from personal experience, but the information about Tylenol was news to me. The study focused on women, so I’m not sure if that means there were no problems for men or whether they just weren’t the focus of this study. In the study, women aged 34-77 who took the equivalent of one extra strength Tylenol per day over a period of time had double the risk of developing high blood pressure within 3 years. The rates for users of ibuprofen were even higher. I don’t think this study affects those who take the occasional Tylenol or ibuprofen, but, obviously if you are experiencing chronic pain issues, you might want to look for a different solution. Read more…

July 27, 2005

LEAWOOD, Kan. – Updating its 1995 policy, the American Academy of Family Physicians today released an updated clinical practice guideline on trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC). Key updates to the guideline include recommendations that prostaglandins should not be used for cervical ripening or induction and that TOLAC should not be restricted only to facilities with available surgical teams present throughout labor. The guideline does state, however, that a management plan should be in place for each woman undergoing TOLAC in case of uterine rupture or other potential emergencies requiring rapid cesarean section.

The objective of the guideline is to provide an evidence-based clinical practice guideline for pregnant women and their families, maternity care professionals, facilities and policy-makers. The updated guideline is published as a supplement to the online version of the July/August issue of Annals of Family Medicine.

With births by cesarean accounting for approximately 28 percent of all births, the AAFP’s TOLAC guideline offers pregnant women giving birth in facilities that follow the guideline, especially those in rural areas, the option of attempting vaginal birth without mandating the presence of a surgical team. Often, women in rural areas are not given the option of TOLAC because of previous assumptions that a surgical team must be present for these women to attempt to deliver vaginally. The guideline states that TOLAC should not be restricted only to facilities with available surgical teams present throughout labor since there are no studies that show these additional resources result in improved outcomes. This recommendation differs from that of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) in that the ACOG guideline states patients attempting vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) should have “physicians immediately available to provide emergency care.”

“The AAFP’s TOLAC guideline reflects family medicine’s patient-centered approach to care, while continuing the AAFP’s dedication to promoting evidence-based medical practices,” said Dr. Mary Frank, AAFP President. “This will better inform the discussion a pregnant woman has with her family physician.”

To develop the updated guideline, the AAFP’s Commission on Clinical Policies and Research convened a panel of family physicians with particular expertise in this area of maternity care to review the available evidence on TOLAC using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality “Evidence Report on Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC).” The panel also conducted a systematic review of articles published since the evidence report was released.

American Academy of Family Physicians: Founded in 1947, the American Academy of Family Physicians represents more than 94,000 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the only medical specialty society devoted solely to primary care. Please visit www.aafp.org for more information about AAFP.

Editor’s Note: A complete copy of the guideline “Trial of Labor After Cesarean (TOLAC), Formerly Trial of Labor Versus Elective Repeat Cesarean Section for the Woman With a Previous Cesarean Section” can be accessed at http://www.aafp.org/tolac.xml

Apparently the lack of clear-cut laws in Massachusetts has made for mixed messages from local ball parks. Some moms are told they can stay in their seats to breastfeed, and others are shooed off into bathrooms and first aid stations. Sigh.

You can read more here

A new study out of England investigated how mothers who chose to formula feed their babies felt about that choice. They were looking for feelings of guilt, etc. in relation to not breastfeeding. I found several things in the piece disturbing. First, they kept calling it “formula milk”. Perhaps that is an appropriate term, but it just seems wrong to me. Formula is NOT milk. It is a milk replacer, a milk substitute, but not milk. Second, only 39% of women agreed with the statement that “breastfeeding is natural, all women can do it”. While I suppose that some would take issue with the “all women can do it” part, since there are a rare few that can not, it is still sad that such a large percentage of women sees breastfeeding as difficult and unattainable. Finally, I am concerned about this whole idea of how a baby is fed being “moralised”. The authors seem to think that we need to find ways of being more supportive of bottle-feeding mothers and stop making them feel guilty for their choice. While I certainly wouldn’t advocate running around pointing a finger at all moms who formula feed and telling them they are making bad choices for their babies, I find nothing wrong with continuing to be honest about the risks of choosing not to breastfeed and encouraging moms to make informed choices. Perhaps things are different in England, but my experience here in the US is that breastfeeding moms are also made to feel guilty – for “depriving” the father or other family members of the joy of feeding the baby, for choosing to stay out of the workplace to care for the baby, and for having the audacity to do such a thing in a public place.

You can read the article here

A recent study in Singapore showed that children who were breastfed decreased their chances of short-sightedness by 50%. I think there may be an error in the percentages reported in the article, as they don’t seem to match the percentages. The summary of the study does not say how long children should be breastfed to decrease their chances or whether longer periods of breastfeeding would offer greater protection. The initial study was a very small population, but there are plans to conduct a more in-depth, larger study. You can read more here.

Hybrid owners are experimenting with plugging their hybrids in to increase their already good gas mileage. By plugging them in and charging battery packs in the trunk, the cars can get up to 250 mpg. Read more

So, far this lecture tour is not coming anywhere near me, but I so wish that it was. What a great idea! Leave it to Whole Foods and Mothering to start promoting the organic lifestyle to Moms before they give birth. I would have loved a Whole Baby kit, instead of the formula-endorsed bags we were given at the hospital. The lecture tour will educate mothers about nutrition, including information on how to make your own baby food. You can read more about the Whole Baby program here.

For better or for worse, 73 year old organic farmer Arthur Harvey has succeeded in a lawsuit which will require organic manufacturers to use even stricter standards. Many organic companies are upset that the ruling will mean that they can no longer use the organic label if their product contains any synthetic products. Will this help or hurt organic consumers? At this point, it’s hard to say. Will organic manufacturers forced to label their products “made with organic ingredients” cut back to the bare minimum of 70% organic ingredients? Or will they find ways to produce organically those ingredients, such as pectin, that are now unavailable in an organic form? read more

Indiana sounds like a great place to homeschool– very few regulations and even less oversite. Indiana superintendants would like that to change. Once again, we have bureacrats who are concerned about “what about those who aren’t schooling? Ultimately, they’ll end up a burden on the state.” So, I have a proposal for the educators of Indiana, or any other state, for that matter. When they start graduating a 100% literate population, they can start looking at whether homeschoolers are being properly educated. You can read the article here.

A newly published study found that women who had undergone a cesarean section were less likely to get pregnant again. However, it didn’t examine whether this had anything to do with infertility or if it was the result of a lack of desire to have another child. It could be that if a woman had a hard recovery from the c-section she might be reluctant to put herself in the position of possibly going through that again, or that women who are not planning to have any more children may be more willing to agree to a c-section. Regardless, it’s an interesting read.

You can see the article here