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Month: May 2016 - Organic Lifestyle Magazine Month: May 2016 - Organic Lifestyle Magazine

John Oliver on Studies, Our Faith in Science, and Vaccine Skepticism

John Oliver and I don’t agree on everything, like vaccines and about ten other things that immediately come to mind, but I like his show. I think it makes a huge, positive impact in the world. This week’s episode was no exception as John explained the major problems with scientific studies and summed them up by saying, “There is a lot of bullshit currently masquerading as science.”

I don’t give any credence to scientific studies myself unless I’ve had time to read and understand them, which can be surprisingly difficult and time-consuming. But reading the actual study is the first essential step because the version you hear from mainstream media may not even resemble the original study or its findings.

Take the chocolate study John speaks of in this episode, for instance.

This small study compared the effects of high versus low flavonoid chocolate consumption during pregnancy. The study concluded that there was  no significant difference in the rate of preeclampsia between the two groups. There was nothing interesting about this conclusion, or the study for that matter. But to gain attention, the press release written for the study was titled, “The Benefits of Chocolate During Pregnancy.”

Mainstream media further skewed the message as they reported, “Turns out, if you’re pregnant, eating 30 grams a day of chocolate, that’s about 2/3 of a chocolate bar, not the whole chocolate bar, could improve blood flow to the placenta and benefit the growth and development of your baby, especially in women at risk for preeclampsia or high blood pressure.”

This is a time when the words, “A new study shows…” hold little to no meaning.

This is not at all what the study was about or what it concluded. The news report was pure misinformation the viewer was supposed to believe because it was “science.” And of course, as is usually the case, the miss-information was skewed to benefit advertisers and other interest groups who control the media.

Years ago a headline like that may have caught my attention, but now I would see it for what it is – a vague fluff piece, mainstream junk media.

Today, if I was interested in the subject, I’d track down the original study even though I might have to pay for it and I would read several other studies about the subject as well. I would look for answers like whether or not the study sample was large enough, whether proper scientific standards were met, such as a double blind or a control group. I would never accept media’s version, any more than I would accept the conclusion of a poorly structured or executed study.

Unfortunately, John Oliver is himself a victim of the media’s distortion. His statement that science has proven vaccines do not cause autism shows that he is not aware that the pharmaceutical companies conducted those studies and that he, himself, has not looked into the actual research. On the other hand, he shouldn’t have to. No one has the time to research everything, not the right way. This is what makes people like Paul Offit so disturbing. He has actually done the research. He knows better, and he chooses money over truth and integrity.

We live in an interesting time. We are seeing a huge shift in mainstream’s awareness of the risks with vaccines, antibacterial soaps, prescription drugs, genetically modified foods, refined foods, pesticides, herbicides, WIFI, cellular, and the chemicals in our home and bath products. This is a time when the words, “A new study shows…” hold little to no meaning.

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Ugly Fruit & Veggies May Pack Extra Nutrients – Get to Know Them!

(Dr. Mercola) A new initiative has been spawned in the U.S., patterned after a similar effort in France focused on marketing unlovely produce such as “the grotesque apple and the ridiculous potato.”

The premise is built on the realization that just because these foods may have an inferior exterior in comparison with the beautiful darlings on display in fruit baskets, it doesn’t mean they’re not edible and nutritious.

Especially in wealthy countries like the U.S., it’s only the most perfect specimens that grace produce shelves — the crop version of the Rockettes, all having the same shape, uniform skin and general appeal.

For the Love of Ugly

One of the biggest flaws in society is that perfection is practically deified. One thing this ideal has led to is the wholesale waste of fresh, misfit produce that has been deemed unmarketable.

The downside of having plenty is that people feel they have room to be discriminating.

Anything “flawed” needs to go away, so it does — into the garbage heap. Unfortunately, the amount of pitched fruits and vegetables has been estimated at around one-third of what is produced — around 133 billion pounds of food per year.

The sad fact is we’re all to blame. Whether we’re consumers who allow good food to deteriorate in little plastic coffins in our refrigerators, or obsessive “safety first” freaks who actually believe they should purge anything past its so-called “sell-by” date, there aren’t many of us who aren’t guilty of this type of squander.

Growers sorting bumper crops of fruits and vegetables for the marketplace regularly toss produce that isn’t necessarily the best looking, or they simply plow it under.

Food is the Largest Material in U.S. Landfills

Fresh foods are perishable, obviously, but rather than finding someone close by who needs it, the easiest course is to cart it to the nearest landfill. In fact, these once viable foods are what take up the most space in landfills. According to one PBS article:

“Now food is the largest material in our landfills. Of all the things that are in our dumps, the biggest portion is food. And when it rots in a landfill, it emits methane, which is a very potent greenhouse gas, 30 or 100 times more potent than carbon dioxide.”1

A cauliflower, for instance, might have yellow patches; it might just be considered too large. Although it’s crispy, tasty — everything a cauliflower is supposed to be — these are routinely rejected. Perfectly fine peaches that aren’t flawless perfection might end up as cattle feed.

There are multiple points at which waste is generated in a growing operation. One of the problems farmers have is that when prices fluctuate between planting and harvest to the degree that taking it to market isn’t even worth it, the easiest course is the landfill. Some produce goes bad in transport or in processing.

A Natural Resources Defense Council report estimated that as much as 30 percent of some farmers’ crops never make it to market. Another problem with this is that those crops were watered needlessly, and most are well aware of the water shortage in the western U.S.

The Land of Misfit Produce Has Been Found to Be Healthier

Some researchers believe fruits and vegetables that are misshapen, bearing nicks or what have you, may actually have higher antioxidant content. One orchard owner in Virginia suggested that stress may even help create super fruit.

She conducted an off-grid test to compare the nutritional value of both marred and unmarred Parma apples from her orchard, and reported that the ones with blemishes were sweeter by 2 percent to 5 percent — a bonus for her since the sweetest apples produce the tastiest cider.

It’s already well known that organic food is healthier. One reason is because of whatsn’t there — it isn’t loaded down with pesticide residues and other toxins. A 2012 study2 revealed that organic produce contains as much as 40 percent more antioxidants than conventionally grown varieties.

Among those antioxidants are innumerable elements such as carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids and many other health-promoting nutrients. Those may or may not be present in spite of weather and pests, but because of them.

This truly may be a case where what doesn’t kill (organic fruits and vegetables) makes them stronger!

Interestingly, organic produce isn’t just safer to eat, it contains more of what we eat food for — to ingest the vitamins and minerals we need to maintain health; to literallymake food our medicine and medicine our food, as Hippocrates advised.

The ugli fruit gets a gold star in this regard. It has thick, yellow-green skin so loose, lumpy and leathery that anyone who didn’t know better might pass it by.

But studies show it contains 11 antioxidant, free-radical-scavenging and iron-reducing compounds and flavonoids, is anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-allergic, and significantly reduced smoke-induced carcinogens.

Its compounds may help protect against viral infections, allergies, and fungal conditions, and its peel contains coumarin, which may protect against tumorous cancers.3

Don’t Pitch It — Redirect It

Countless organizations are dedicated to feeding the hungry. Shelters, food banks and soup kitchens are there for this purpose. Some have devised innovative ways to convince restaurant and grocery store owners to funnel rejected produce, which very often is perfectly fine, to such places rather than to the landfill.

One program is the EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge,4 dedicated to reducing the amount of food wasted in the U.S. (possibly inspired by the European Union, which declared 2014 as the Year Against Food Waste5).

In fact, a Harvard-based conference titled, “Reduce & Recover: Save Food For People,”6 “prioritizes actions people can take to reduce and recover wasted food.”

Another project called Imperfect Produce7 was designed to offer not-so-perfect plant-based foods for a drastically discounted price, working with Whole Foods and other retailers.

The company delivers “wonky”-looking fruits and veggies from several Southern California locations to homes and offices. The goal is to expand to other areas across the U.S. Imperfect Produce was designed after a French endeavor called Inglorious produce, its goal to market “the grotesque apple, and the ridiculous potato.”

Unfortunately, as one farmer related, getting foods destined for the rubbish heap into the hands of someone who’ll eat it is not free:

“There’s got to be an economic incentive to move more of this into an avenue that food banks could take advantage of. It’s a lot easier and cheaper just to basically throw it away.”8

Farmers in seven states get tax credits for donating produce, but food banks have been lobbying for larger deductions.

It’s What’s on the Inside That Counts

Restaurants and grocery stores on the other end of the operation perpetrate a staggering amount of waste themselves, but a few, including Safeway and Giant Eagle, have jumped on board to find a home for cosmetically challenged, plant-based foods.

An example of how Raley’s western-based grocery chain tackled the dilemma of wasted food is fairly straightforward: They opted to start selling produce that doesn’t necessarily appear flawless, and at a 25 percent or greater discount.

The “Real Good” program — the first of its kind in the U.S. — focuses on fruits and vegetables described as “scarred (or) aesthetically challenged,” but with imperfections so insignificant consumers often can’t tell why it was ever considered a reject.

“The grocer said qualifying produce is uniquely shaped, sized or colored, but otherwise the same in flavor and quality as standard produce offerings. Among the “Real Good” offerings are plums, peppers and pears that will be offered at prices 25 percent to 30 percent lower than flawlessly shaped, uniformly colored produce.”9

Heirloom Fruits and Vegetables — Our Last, Best Hope

Many people who grow their “real food” do so for more reasons than the enjoyment of getting dirt under their fingernails. In many cases it’s because they know using seeds that are the “real thing” — not hybrids crossed from two or more varieties, but open-pollinated and sometimes saved from actual produce — may have advantages many have never considered.

Why would anybody go to the trouble of soaking, scraping, drying and carefully preserving the seeds from their garden produce, or tracking down heirloom seed varieties to grow in their gardens, when they can purchase all the seeds they want down the street for just a few dollars? Turns out there are many motivations:

  • Heirloom varieties aren’t laced with pesticides and other harmful chemicals, such as GMOs.
  • Heirloom foods taste better. Many people today have no idea what some foods are supposed to even taste like, because beauty has replaced flavor in the marketplace. But the originally created model of foods like delicious, meaty tomatoes and nutty, buttery squash exist only from seeds saved, protected, and sometimes handed down through several generations.
  • Heirloom vegetables and fruits often contain superior nutrition. While the bottom line is profit, and profit is maintained by offering more and more of the prettiest peaches, carrots and lettuce, growers have gotten into the habit of planting for a continual bumper crop of higher yields. But it turns out that the practice has backfired; the highest nutrients are often found to be significantly higher in those older varieties.10
  • Heirloom seeds are open-pollinated, meaning you can save and plant the seeds from year to year. They produce plants with offerings that are true to type, which is more often than not, not the case with hybrids.
  • Heirlooms produce less-uniform crops, so they ripen at different times. While large farming operations like everything to reach maturity at the same time so they can pick everything all at once, home gardeners get the advantage of harvesting produce as they need it.

Heirloom seeds are also less expensive — even free. It just stands to reason that if you save your seeds from year to year, you’ll pay literally nothing, other than your time. And the result will be just as mouth-wateringly delicious as last year.

Scientific ‘Improvement’ Not What the Doctor Ordered

Mother Earth News reported:

“A lot of the breeding programs for modern hybrids have sacrificed taste and nutrition,” says George DeVault, executive director of Seed Savers Exchange, the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom and other rare seeds. “The standard Florida tomato is a good example. Instead of old-time juicy tangy tomatoes, it tastes like cardboard.

It was bred to be picked green and gas-ripened because that’s what was needed for commercial growing and shipping.”11

A perfect example of what happens when something like an apple is scientifically targeted for genetic perfection is the Red Delicious apple. These delectable apples with unique coloring and crisp, juicy flavor were America’s favorite for nearly 75 years — until selective breeding rendered them not only unpopular but also virtually inedible.

What happened? Well, when a grower noticed a single branch on a Red Delicious tree produced red apples sooner than the rest, an all-out campaign began among orchard owners to “out-breed” their competitors. The hope was that grafting branches from the source tree might produce ever-more-beautiful apples. What they got instead was a mealy, tasteless mush no one wanted to eat, even though the outside looked gorgeous.

As the old saying goes, beauty is only skin deep. Other fruits and vegetables, unfortunately, have been similarly “messed with,” especially in this age of growers and grocers counting heavily on produce appearing as attractive when it’s unloaded as when it’s picked.

Saving Food in Order to Save People Starts with Caring

It’s not just to keep available food from being wasted. The ultimate goal should be to feed people who are hungry. According to Paul Ash from the California Association of Food Banks:

“Fifty million Americans don’t know where their next meal is coming from. We, meanwhile, are wasting this — all this food. If we cut our food waste even by a third, there would be enough food for all those people who don’t know where their next meal is coming from to be fully fed.”12

The question begs to be asked: With all the hunger in the world — much of it in our own communities–aren’t there more ways this obscene waste can be redirected to do some good?

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Can Stevia Cure Chronic Lyme Disease?

A new study published in the European Journal of Microbiology and Immunology reveals a discovery with the potential to end late stage or chronic Lyme disease.

According to the CDC, Lyme disease is estimated to infect 300,000 Americans per year. While 80-90% of the cases are considered resolved with antibiotic treatment, 10-20% of patients develop the chronic form, a persistent, and sometimes devastating illness that can affect any organ of the body, including the brain and the nervous system.

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by a spirochete bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi. Doxycycline and amoxicillin are antibiotics proven to eliminate the spirochetal form of this bacteria, but Borrelia burgdorferi can be found in morphological forms. It exists as spirochetes, spheroplast (or L-form), round bodies, and biofilms. It changes into the dormant round body form under unfavorable conditions and is believed to hide in a biofilm form. When conditions become favorable, it can return to its spirochete form.

Stevia leaf extract contains a number of phytonutrients that are known antimicrobial agents. In this lab study, the antimicrobial effect of stevia extracts was compared to doxycycline, cefoperazone, daptomycin and to combinations of these antibiotics, which had been found to be effective against Borrelia persisters (persistent forms).

The stevia leaf extract was found to be effective against all known forms of the bacteria in the lab tests. It is important to note that four different extracts were tested. One was chosen due to its effectiveness, which was believed to be a result of its growing conditions and the agricultural practices used.

The extract was compared to the three antibiotics and combinations of the antibiotics. The stevia extract alone was able to eliminate the spirochetes and persisters as well as the three antibiotics in combination.

The biofilm form of the bacteria is the most antibiotic-resistant form. The stevia extract was very effective. The individual antibiotics, however, increased the biofilm rather than eliminating it.

In long-term culture studies with persister cells, stevia extract was more effective than the three-drug combination. Doxycycline and cefoperazone were both ineffective.

The study calls for further investigation and clinical trials. This is a promising start given the earlier studies with stevia did not reveal any ill effects from its use, while showing its ability to lower high blood pressure and reduce blood glucose in type II diabetics.

Borrelia burgdorferi is not the only bacteria stevia may be used to fight. In the future, it may be used to treat E. coli, Salmonella and a number of other pathogens.

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Do You Want to Be Happy? It Takes Some Work

People are seeking happiness. And yes, Virginia, there is a path, not one simple answer. Happiness is a state of mind, a state of being. If you are not happy, consider how you can improve your state of mind through optimum health, giving and receiving love, and becoming attuned to your own spirituality.

Be Healthy

There are lots of excuses when it comes to poor health. Most of them are self-defeating nonsense. Truly healthy choices reap immediate benefits. When we eat right, we feel better. Right then. In that moment. It’s hard to be happy when you don’t feel good.

What if you adopted a healthy lifestyle? What if you felt full of energy and vitality each and every day? Wouldn’t you be happier? It’s not that hard. It’s not a sacrifice. It’s a shift; one that’s well worth the change.

Diet

You argue about your lack of time, lack of money, lack of ability. You can’t cook. You can’t afford organic food. You don’t have time to shop carefully. Set aside the B.S. for a moment and consider the facts. Choosing and preparing a truly healthy diet can be easy and fast.

  • Organic – Organic foods are grown with far fewer pesticides, in healthier soil. They taste better and are better for you. It’s a no-brainer. Fill your body with poison and toxins and you are poisoning yourself.
  • Raw – Raw foods are full of enzymes and nutrients. A diet consisting of 80% (or more) fresh, raw, organic produce will nurture every cell in your body.
  • GMO-Free – Studies conducted by biotech companies suggest genetically modified foods are safe. Long-term studies conducted by unbiased scientists tell a different story, one of reproductive difficulties and cancerous tumors. Avoid GMO foods. Learn where hidden GMOs lurk in food. Better yet, don’t eat processed foods!
  • Stop Drinking – All that hype about alcohol being good for you. Come on. You know better. If may relax you a bit, but so does meditation.
  • Eliminate Caffeine – It’s just another addiction. An expensive one.
  • Additive Free Foods – Avoid all of the things that result in poor health! The list is long, but basically, avoid eating chemicals. Never eat MSG, artificial sweeteners (except stevia), artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives, trans fats, refined sugar, and high fructose corn syrup.
  • Gluten – Eliminate gluten if you suffer from any chronic disease, digestive disease, autoimmune issues, or allergies.
  • Top of Food Chain – If you choose to eat meat, seafood, and dairy, you must consider the source. If those animals were fed antibiotics, GMO foods, and garbage, what are you putting in your body when you eat them? If diary is not organic, chances are it contains rBGH, a genetically modified growth hormone. If you eat seafood, make sure your purchase is not on the list of those with the highest levels of mercury. Don’t eat farmed fish. They are fed GMO feed and garbage. When it comes to meat, dairy and eggs, choose organic.
  • Fresh – Check out your local farmer’s markets for the freshest foods.

So, let’s go back to the original pushback on healthy food – lack of time, lack of money, lack of ability…

Yes, organic food is more expensive. But when you stop eating processed foods, drinking coffee, drinking alcohol, and most of your diet consists of fresh, raw, organic produce, it’s very affordable. You will probably save money. Food prep is pretty fast and easy, too. Anybody can pick up an apple and eat it. Anybody can chop up veggies and make a salad. Anybody can throw stuff in a blender. Where you go from there is up to you; these three actions are the basics.

So why is a truly healthy diet so important? You put the nutrients in; you leave the toxins out. In addition, this kind of diet does two things: it continually detoxes the body and it builds a healthy gut.

A healthy gut is the key to a healthy body. Autoimmune diseases, allergies, and a poor immune system are all symptoms of poor gut health.

Detox and Build a Healthy Gut

Make sure your diet includes chelating foods. Eat lots of raw garlic and onions. Eat fresh cilantro and plenty of cruciferous veggies. In fact, a daily salad with 10-15 veggies is a great start. Not only will you be cleansing your gut, you will be aiding in the proliferation of healthy bacteria with a high fiber, veggie salad each day.

Fermented foods have been getting a lot of attention lately. Unfortunately, a lot of the probiotic benefit of fermented foods is neutralized by stomach acid. Yes, fermented foods help. Salads help more. So eat both! But focus on those daily salads. And skip the sugar filled yogurts.

You will never be healthy with a sick gut. It’s that simple. Learn about Candida, gluten, and leaky gut syndrome.

Exercise

Don’t have the time to go to the gym? Don’t have the money for a membership? Don’t know how to exercise on your own? Oh, come on! Walk!

Get outside and walk in the sun. A daily walk for a minimum of 15 minutes gets the body moving and provides a huge benefit – lymphatic circulation. Our lymphatic system is vitally important to our health. Lymph carries waste from the cells and is a basic part of our immune system. Lymphatic fluid has to circulate through our body to dump waste and for our immune system to find, identify, and eliminate viruses and bacteria. But the lymphatic system does not have a pump. Unlike the circulatory system that relies on the heart, the lymphatic system relies on physical movement, the contraction and relaxation of muscles in order to move through our bodies. So walk, run, dance, bounce on a trampoline. But move every day for your health.

Love

If you want to attract love into your life, give it, give it, give it. Stop focusing on what you don’t have and find a way to make the world a better place.

Whether you choose a cause or find a calling, make sure your choice involves positive change, not empty protest. You can denounce poverty or volunteer to teach literacy. You can rail against deforestation or plant trees. Find something positive and productive to do. If it is your passion, try to make it your work.

When you find a way to give to others or give to the world, you enrich your life and raise your self-esteem. You also meet like-minded people. It’s a win-win.

Spirituality

This is an area in which you need to be true to yourself. Whether you believe you should attend services every Sunday and Wednesday or believe your road to enlightenment is found through meditation, honor your beliefs.

Think Right

No one can deny the fact that we are creatures of habit. What we do and what we think are patterns of behavior. If you’re not happy, these are patterns crying out to be broken.

Vengeance and Forgiveness

Let it go. Holding on to hate or anger hurts one person – you. Well, to be perfectly honest it may hurt those around you as well. Forgiveness does not mean making yourself vulnerable. You can forgive someone and never speak to them again. But holding onto the anger and the pain hurts you.

Forgiveness can be difficult. Sometimes forgiveness is a process rather than an outcome. If someone has hurt you that deeply, violated you so horribly that forgiveness is ongoing even though you no longer have contact, it is still better to work at forgiveness that wallow in anger and pain. Let the hurt go.

Gratitude

If you are not grateful for what you have, what you have achieved, and the people in your life, how can you possibly be happy? Practice gratitude. Whether you say the words aloud each day in private, write in a journal, or share your gratitude with your friends and family around the dinner table, make the expression of gratitude a daily ritual. This one act will create the fundamental shift from a glass half empty to a glass half full mentality.

Right Your Mind

If you’ve never seen it before, watch the Bob Newhart skit called Stop It. The skit is so famous, if you google “stop it”, the video is Google’s first hit. But we’ll also give it to you here.

This is a simple, silly take on a very real phenomenon. Unhappy people tend to dwell on their failures, live in the past, and fear the future.

Stop worrying about the things you can’t change. Stop keeping a tally of everything that’s gone wrong. Shit happens. It happens all the time, to all of us. Life is full of disappointments and tragedy. Everyone faces pain and hardship, challenges that sometimes seem too huge, too overwhelming to survive. But we do.

Instead of dwelling on what has gone wrong in the past, instead of fearing the future, recognize that you control today. Plan for your future. Make goals and achieve them. But live in the now.

Last but not least, be good to yourself. When you become an adult, you become responsible for you. In other words, you become your own parent. Be kind. Be compassionate. Become your better self. How could you not be happy?

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SIDS and SUID

SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) or crib death are terms used to denote the unexplained death of a healthy, sleeping infant less than one year old. The CDC reports that in 2014, about 3,500 babies died from Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID). The three main types of deaths are:

  • SIDS – 44% of the cases – about 1,500 deaths
  • Unknown Cause- 31% about 1,085
  • Accidental Suffocation and Strangulation in Bed- 25% about 875

Unknown cause is described is differentiated from SIDS by not being consistent with or not meeting the diagnostic criteria.

Risk Factors for SIDS

Statistics show that age, sex, race, family history, birth weight, prematurity, multiple births, and environment can all increase the risk of a SIDS death.

SIDS is the leading cause of death for infants 1 month through 1 year of age, with months 2 and 3 being the most critical. Male babies are more likely to die of SIDS than female babies. African American, American Indian, and Eskimo babies are at higher risk. Premature babies, low birth weight babies, or babies from multiple births (twins, triplets, etc.) are at higher risk, as are those with cousins or siblings who have died from SIDS.

Smoking in the home and mothers smoking during pregnancy elevate risk. Smoking is believed to affect an infant’s serotonin levels, which affects breathing and arousal.

Other maternal risks during pregnancy include the age of the mother (younger than 20), the use of drugs or alcohol, and inadequate prenatal care.

Many experts believe multiple factors combine to result in SIDS deaths such as physical issues (low birth weight, multiple births, genetics), sleep environment, and illness. For example, a child with a low birth weight may be placed in bed on his stomach when suffering from a cold. These three issues combine: underdeveloped breathing and arousal, poor sleep position, and congestion.

Sleeping Positions and Conditions

Researchers report a dramatic decline in SIDS deaths due to the “Back to Sleep” campaign – the campaign that has encouraged parents to place on infants on their backs rather than their stomach or side to sleep. The campaign began in 1992. By the year 2000, the SIDS rate dropped by 50% in what seemed to be a corresponding decline to the rising rates of parents adhering to the back-sleeping practice.

It is interesting to note that around a quarter of U.S. parents do not place their infants on their backs to sleep, while that number among African American parents is around 50%. The SIDS rate for African Americans is double that for Caucasians, raising the question: is the higher incidence is due to a genetic predisposition or is it due to the infant’s sleeping position?

It is more difficult for babies to breathe when they are laid down on their stomachs or on their sides. The difficulty or danger is further increased if the surface is soft or the baby’s head is covered by a blanket. When an infant is lying with his face pressed against a surface, the oxygen level is lower than unobstructed sleep. An infant normally moves, gasps, lifts his head and resettles. If the infant’s brain is defective in regards to either breathing or arousal, the infant will slowly suffocate. Overheating is believed to affect arousal ability as well.

Waterbeds, soft plushy quilts, bumper pads, pillows, and plush toys can add to any difficulty of breathing by obstructing the airway. To ensure unobstructed breathing, babies should be laid on their backs with pillows, toys, and plush blankets completely removed from the area. Once your baby is able to roll over (on both sides), sleep position is no longer an issue. If your baby rolls over onto her stomach, it is safe to leave her in this position.

Parents are warned to instruct caretakers, family members, or anyone caring for their child to follow these guidelines for safe sleeping.

Asphyxiation due to breathing or arousal abnormalities is not the only concern in SIDS cases. Cardiac function, control of inflammatory response, and genetic mutations are some of the concerns being researched.

Researchers do not agree on the association between vaccines and SIDS. While the CDC and a number of  studies claim there is no association, other studies show an arguable association between SIDS and the DTP vaccine. During the 1960s, the national immunization campaign required multiple doses of vaccines for the first time. SIDS became an identified medical term in 1969. SIDS was added to the ICD (The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems – the medical diagnostic classification manual) in 1973.

Co-Sleeping and SIDS

Read any article on SIDS and safe sleep practices and you will probably find a warning against co-sleeping (adults sharing a bed with their infant). The fear is that the infant will suffocate when the sleeping parent rolls over and puts weight on the infant or obstructs his or her airway. Other concerns are the infant being suffocated by pillows or by becoming wedged between the mattress and the wall or the mattress and the headboard.

Rather than recommending the child sleep in a separate room, the current recommendation by those who denounce co-sleeping is for the infant to sleep in a separate bed in the same room as the parents. Some suggest special cribs that are open to the bed on one side but provide a separate sleeping space.

Not all experts agree that co-sleeping is dangerous. Many studies suggest the opposite – that co-sleeping with a newborn actually helps the child regulate breathing, heart rate and body temperature, making sleep safer.

Both sides agree that parents who smoke, drink, or use drugs should never co-sleep with an infant. The danger of drinking or using drugs and co-sleeping cannot be emphasized enough, and this includes prescriptions drugs, antibiotics, over the counter drugs, and anything that can disrupt or impair the hormones, the brain, or sleep. SIDS deaths are higher on weekends and they spike on New Years Day – a 33% jump.

Another statistic worth noting – breastfed babies are 60% less likely to die from SIDS.

Conclusion

Like many issues, parents must make decisions for the safety of their babies. These decisions begin during gestation. There is clear evidence that smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of SIDS as well as smoking around the baby after birth. Drug and alcohol use greatly increases the risk. Placing a baby on the stomach or side for sleep greatly increases the risk.

Parents must decide whether or not to co-sleep with their babies and whether to vaccinate or whether to follow the vaccine schedule if they do vaccinate. And mothers need to know all the facts before they decide on breast or bottle.

Unfortunately, as we evaluate the risks of vaccination and co-sleeping, conflicting studies will make these decisions more difficult. It is imperative for parents to consider the source as they do their own research and carefully review studies and articles about these issues before making their own decisions.

We at OLM do not recommend well vaccinated or medicated parents to cosleep with children. Cosleeping works when the people doing it are healthy. Anything that can disturb your natural hormones is dangerous with cosleeping. Eat right, don’t take drugs, avoid toxins, and nature works better. On that note, we also recommend non-toxic mattresses and bedding that do not emit harmful gasses, which many suspect can contribute (and possibly even cause) SIDS.

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