Fetal Heart Monitoring During Labor Revisited

One of the most common obstetrical procedures that occur is Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring using the electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) techniques during labor – these are the straps with a probe wrapped around the mother to monitor fetal heart rate and contractions of the uterus.It was introduced in hopes that it would reduce the incidence of ischemic (lack of oxygen) injury to children during labor. It was introduced in 1980 and it was quickly implemented as policy by the American college of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

But as with many procedure in the medical field, I believe it was implemented more to avoid lawsuits than due to medical necessity.

Stimulant Medications Increase Risk for Sudden Death in Children

There has been quite a recent string of activity surrounding the recent publication in the American Journal of Psychiatry showing a 7 fold increase in the incidence of sudden death in children who are on stimulant medications (Concerta, Ritalin, Adderall, Focalin and Dexedrine).

Recently the FDA urged “caution” in interpreting this study due to parents “bias” in reporting the medications their children were on. The study screened parents by asking them what medications their children were on at time of death. The FDA Director Dr. Robert Temple, MD highly stressed that this screening is “subject to recall bias” and that these results should not serve as a basis for parents stop medication their children due to other “risk behavior associated with ADHD.”

The lead author, Dr. Madelyn Gould, PhD rebuts this argument and states that “This study had enough statistical power to detect an association. My confidence in the results is not diminished, since it has been peer-reviewed [and published].” Incidentally this study was funded by the FDA and the National Institute of Mental Health. Looks like maybe the results were not what they hoped for.

Arm Your Spice Cabinet!

History of Nutmeg: Nutmeg is an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia. This was the world’s only source of nutmeg until the mid 19th century.

Fibromyalgia and Gut Health

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome that is characterized by widespread pain, tenderness, sleep disturbances, fatigue and commonly problems of memory or thinking. Currently there are no lab tests available for fibromyalgia. Diagnosis is made by finding 11 of 18 tender points in the absence of any other disease to explain the pain. The prevalence of fibromyalgia is estimated at 2%-4% worldwide with women being more affected than men (9:1 ratio).

Many theories of what causes fibromyalgia have been explored, but neither the etiology nor pathophysiologic mechanisms are known. Some theories include genetic/familial factors, sleep disturbance, neuroendocrine dysfunction, abnormal pain processing and decreased pain inhibition. Likely it is a combination of several of these categories.

Which Cell Phones and Wireless Devices Emit the Most and Least Radiation? : A new report in place to help protect us and our children

With links between tumors including rare childhood brain cancers and cell phones are commonplace in the news these days, many questions arise regarding their safety and the safety of our children. While doing some weekly research, a recent article caught my attention.

The EWG, in collaboration with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) helped collect data to evaluate the overall radiation exposure with various cell phone manufactures. Currently the government collects data about radiation but it doesn’t require the manufactures to report the figures to us.

According to the FCC the cellular telephone specific absorption rate (SAR) is a value that corresponds to the relative amount of RF energy absorbed in the head of a user of a wireless handset. The FCC limit for public exposure from cellular telephones is an SAR level of 1.6 watts per kilogram (1.6 W/kg). Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) for wireless phones and devices are available at various web sites, or following instructions below, you can find your specific SAR value just for your phone.

Fever Plus Mitochondrial Disease Could Be Risk Factor for Autistic Regression

Children diagnosed on the Autistic Spectrum present with a wide variety of genetic and environmental issues. Subgroups of these individuals have mitochondrial dysfunction. Very recent research was done to examine mitochondrial dysfunction and its association with autistic regression following a fever. In this research the investigators identified 28 patients who met diagnostic criteria for autistic spectrum disorders and mitochondrial disease. Autistic regression occurred in 60.7% (17 of 28), a statistically significant increase over the general autistic spectrum disorder population. Of the 17 individuals with autistic regression, 70.6% (12 of 17) regressed with fever and 29.4% (5 of 17) regressed without identifiable linkage to fever or vaccinations.

These researchers also noted that none of the subjects showed regression with vaccination unless a febrile response was present. The researchers concluded that although the study is small, a subgroup of patients with mitochondrial disease may be at risk of autistic regression with fever. In addition, although recommended vaccinations schedules are appropriate in mitochondrial dysfunction, fever management appears important for decreasing regression risk.

Plastic Additive Bisphenol A (BPA) Linked to Diabetes and Cardiovascular Events in NHANES Analysis

Bisphenol A (BPA) for a long time has been an additive in plastics and other materials used in food packaging and other consumer products and is considered one of the world’s most widely used industrial chemicals. Because of its wide spread use, its health impact has always been a center of debate, but most studies found inconclusive evidence of harm. But recently a study based on the 2003-04 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey clearly demonstrated that BPA significantly raises the chance of having diabetes or a cardiovascular event.

Pediatric Use of Antipsychotics Linked to Metabolic and Cardiovascular Events

Over the last 10 years we have seen a huge increase in the use of antipsychotic medication for our children, despite adequate safety studies (if your autistic child is on any antipsychotic drug other than Risperdal, they are being used off-label and not approved). Many physicians are blindly prescribing these medications without proper training or even monitoring the child for side effects.

Vaginal Delivery Increases Maternal Responsiveness to Newborns and Postpartum Depression

New research suggest that women who deliver vaginally may be more responsive to their newborns and less likely to develop postpartum depression than those who delivered via cesarean section.

Landmark Study Gives More Evidence to the Mercury Autism Connection

A new study, “Biomarkers of Environmental Toxicity and Susceptibility in Autism” in the peer-reviewed Journal of the Neurological Sciences, confirms a causal link between sub acute mercury poisoning in children and their autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. The autism community reported that this study presents, “…some compelling evidence…consistent with the author’s theory that mercury exposure plays a role in autism.” This paper presents the first prospective, blinded cohort study to examine children diagnosed with an ASD using: urinary porphyrin profile analysis (UPPA) to assess the body-burden and physiological effects of their mercury, glutathione analysis to assess susceptibility to mercury poisoning, and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) scores to measure ASD severity.

These evaluations established:

1. Non-chelated patients diagnosed with an ASD had UPPA profiles indicative of mercury poisoning that strongly correlated with ASD severity, measured using CARS scores.
2. Glutathione (a key biochemical in the body’s mercury detoxification pathway) was significantly lower in patients diagnosed with an ASD in comparison with its level in neurotypical controls.
3. Increasing mercury-poisoning severity, as indicated by the UPPA results, was associated with lower glutathione levels among the patients diagnosed with an ASD.

Based upon these findings, the researchers concluded,

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