Circumcision Linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Every year in the United States 2,500 infants die from SIDS, and sixty percent of those are boys. The origin of SIDS is generally treated as a great mystery. Some of the frequently suggested causes are respiratory failure, low birth weight, bed-sharing, vaccines, and/or abnormal brain cells. Boys are sixty percent more likely to be born prematurely, another risk factor, but a new paper from a researcher at the University of Sheffield suggests another reason SIDS disproportionally affects baby boys – neonatal circumcision.

How They’re Linked

Circumcision is trauma. We don’t know exactly how trauma will affect an infant, but we do know that trauma can halt development and interrupt other important processes in the body.

Related: Circumcision, the Primal Cut – A Human Rights Violation

Due to how quickly circumcisions are performed, most doctors opt out of anesthesia for the treatment, leaving the baby traumatized by the pain. The most common complication as a result of circumcision is bleeding, although shock, sepsis, circulatory shock, hemorrhage, and death can occur.

Dr. Eran Elhaik, the researcher behind the paper, addresses the effect of circumcision on the cardiovascular system and SIDS.

For instance, circumcision reduces the heart rate [20] and together with the loss of blood there is a danger of reducing the blood volume, blood pressure, and the amount of oxygen reaching the tissues [5, 77]. A reduced blood pressure has been associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition where the walls of the throat relax and narrow during sleep, interrupting normal breathing [77, 78]. Unsurprisingly, SIDS victims experienced significantly more frequent episodes of OSA [79].”

Recommended: How To Heal Your Gut

Culturally Speaking

The U.S. has one of the highest rates of SIDS in the world. We also have one of the highest rates of circumcision in the developed world, establishing a link between neonatal circumcision and SIDS. Once you break things down into further groups, the connection becomes stronger. There is one group in the U.S. that experiences lower rates of SIDS – Latinos like Mexican Americans, who circumcise 44% of boys at birth in comparison to the white rate of 90.8%. Unsurprisingly, rates of SIDS among Hispanic are 39% lower than whites in the U.S.

Related: 10 Circumcision Myths – Let’s Get the Facts Straight

The data in other countries also suggests that circumcision is a risk factor for SIDS. Japan is recognized for its famously low rate of SIDS. Neonatal circumcision is rarely performed there.

Unnecessary Procedure, Avoidable Deaths

This is by no means a comprehensive study. We still don’t know what causes SIDS. It is amazing that years of research have overlooked such a simple factor. Why have scientists considered sleeping arrangements a bigger issue than a life-altering instance of trauma?

Neonatal circumcision is an unnecessary procedure. Many circumcised adult men express regret regarding their circumcision, and science has determined that negative effects from circumcision persist later in life, reducing sexual pleasure and a greater likelihood of infection or cancer. The damage caused by genital mutilation is very much real and likely still not fully understood. There is no good reason to continue it.

Recommended:
Sources:


Can Eggs Actually Lower Risk of Heart Disease?

Chinese researchers examined survey data on 461,213 adults with an average age of 51 years old. None had a history of heart disease when they first joined the study. 83,977 of them developed heart disease or had a heart attack or stroke. Of those, 9,985 died of heart disease or stroke. More than half of the participants were followed for nine years or more. The average egg consumption among participants was half an egg daily. About 9 percent avoided eggs altogether and 13 percent consumed about one egg every day. The study found that people who typically eat an egg every day were less likely to have a heart attack or a stroke compared to those who didn’t eat eggs at all.

Things to keep in mind:

  • This study was an observational study using a questionnaire, so you can’t make a definitive cause and effect conclusion
  • Chinese who consume more eggs tend to be of a higher social class

Another recent study touting the benefits of egg consumption comes from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This study concluded that there is no risk from eating up to twelve eggs a week.

Related: Stop Eating Like That and Start Eating Like This – Your Guide to Homeostasis Through Diet

In this study, researchers recruited 128 participants. They were split into two groups. In the first group, they were instructed to consume two eggs per week, while the other half was instructed to eat 12 eggs per week.

Then, for three months, the participants were put on a diet designed for weight loss. At this time they were told to omit saturated fats and instead to consume monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. However, the egg consumption was not changed. Throughout the study participant’s blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol were monitored. In the end, volunteers went through multiple tests to see if the cardiovascular system was affected.

The study found that participants’ heart health stayed pretty much the same.

Things to keep in mind:

  • The “low egg” group ate more meat to make up for eating fewer eggs
  • The Australian Egg Corporation funded the study
Related: What Causes Chronic Inflammation, and How To Stop It For Good

Our Take on Eggs

Eggs are very high in dietary cholesterol, but they are low in saturated fat. High cholesterol in the blood restricts blood flow to our blood vessels. Eating cholesterol-rich foods can raise cholesterol levels in the blood, but not very much. New research is showing that cholesterol-rich foods do not significantly raise cholesterol, and the rise is not sustained. Saturated fats are not the problem either. The truth is, trans-fats and refined sugars raise cholesterol levels radically more than dietary cholesterol does, and lead to heart disease and pretty much every other common chronic ailment. No studies have shown that cholesterol consumption increase risk of disease. Also, while eggs raise LDL cholesterol, also stupidly known as “bad cholesterol,” but eggs also increase levels of HDL, which is also known as “good cholesterol.”

Regardless of where you stand on eggs, if you choose to eat eggs, make sure you’re getting them from a small farm from free-range chickens. The best, most nutritious eggs have yolks should be more orange than yellow.

Related:
Sources:


BPA is a Risk Factor for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Bisphenol-A, commonly known as BPA, has been banned from baby bottles and sippy cups for more than half a decade, but a new study published in Experimental Biology and Medicine journal finds that BPA is also a risk factor in developing inflammatory bowel disease. According to the Jennifer DeLuca, a graduate student in nutrition and the first author for the study,

This is the first study to show that BPA can negatively impact gut microbial amino acid metabolism in a way that has been associated with irritable bowel disease…” – Jennifer DeLuca, first author for the study

[Image explanation: Receipts are a common source of BPAs]

Bowel Disease and BPA

The term inflammatory bowel disease covers different digestive conditions like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. People with IBD can suffer from severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fatigue. The number of adults in the U.S. with Crohn’s has increased by 1 million people over the last two decades, and research hasn’t presented a cause. It’s highly likely that there isn’t a single cause for chronic illness. Dr. Clint Allred, a researcher from the nutrition and food science department at Texas A&M University, says,

The number of new cases of IBD are increasing, especially in nations that become more industrialized. While the causes of IBD have not yet been determined, several risk factors for developing it or worsening symptoms have been suggested. One such risk factor, the hormone estrogen, has been linked with an increased risk of IBD — and BPA can act as an estrogen. Furthermore, BPA has been previously shown to alter gut microbes similarly to the way the gut microbiota is altered in IBD patients.”

Related: How to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors

Digestive Disorders are Increasing

Digestive disorders of all varieties are now a fact of life for many people. Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis…even instances of colorectal cancer are increasing in younger populations worldwide. The diversity of our microbiome is a huge factor in that. The greater the range of microbes in the gut, the healthier the digestive system is. Diverse bacteria needs diverse fuel. Yet the modern, conventional diet is anything but, with rice, corn, and wheat accounting for two-thirds of all food consumed. We’re also passing down this lack of diversity to our children, and we’ve only begun to see the beginning of what a limited microbiome looks like. According to a study,

…changes in the microbiota of mice consuming a low-MAC (microbiota accessible carbohydrates) diet and harboring a human microbiota are largely reversible within a single generation, however over multiple generations a low-MAC diet results in a progressive loss of diversity, which is not recoverable upon the reintroduction of dietary MACs.” – Nature.com

We’re already seeing these effects, and they will continue to amplify. Our gut microbiota diversity goes away when we don’t take care of it.

BPA Isn’t Going Away

Meanwhile, BPA is not going anywhere. Even if the chemical is completely banned, it has already leached into water supplies around the world, and the plastics scheduled to replace it like bisphenol S are equally or more harmful. Conventional medicine is increasingly out of answers. In fact, a number of medical devices like catheters, surgical instruments, endoscopes, and pacemakers still contain BPA and other plastics.

Realted: Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases

Our natural defenses continue to drop, as we lose gut diversity. Our risk for diseases rises as we surround ourselves and our environment with problematic chemicals. Is it any wonder that this generation will be the first one where parents enjoy a longer lifespan than their children?

Sources:


Seattle Becomes First Major U.S. City to Ban Straws

On July 1st, Seattle became the first major U.S. city to ban plastic straws and utensils. In 2008 an ordinance was passed that banned any one-time-use food-service items that aren’t recyclable or compostable, but the city made an exception for straws and utensils. Back then, biodegradable utensils and straws weren’t widely available. The exemption ended on June 30, and businesses can be fined $250 if they don’t comply.

Image credit: David Suzuki: Straws Suck

Our shoes, our clothing, our contact lenses, chewing gum, food containers, and so much more – all made of plastic. It’s in our salt, our food, and it’s in our water. Plastic may be the most insidious and enduring product we’ve ever produced. It is suffocating our planet and causing catastrophic pollution, much of it hidden and microscopic.

Related: How to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors

Here’s a video about a whale dying from eating a plastic DVD case. Here’s a sea turtle with a straw stuck up its nose. Also, check out the documentary, Plastic Ocean.

People in the U.S. discard an estimated 500 million straws every day. Since Seattle has taken a stand against this completely unnecessary plastic waste hopefully others will follow suit.

Related Reading:
Source:


Baby Treated with Nap and Bottle of Formula, Parents Received an $18,000 Bill

A South Korean family took a vacation to San Francisco two years ago. In a hotel room, their then-8-month-old son fell off their bed and hit his head.  After unsuccessfully trying to console him, they grew concerned. They called 911. An ambulance showed up and transported the family to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital to check him out for internal injuries.

At the hospital, the doctors determined that the baby was fine. He had a short nap in his mother’s arms and drank some hospital infant formula. He was discharged less than four hours later. The family finished their vacation. Then, some two years later, a hospital bill arrived for $18,836. $15,666 of the charge was  designated “trauma activation.”

It’s a huge amount of money for my family. If my baby got special treatment, okay. That would be okay. But he didn’t. So why should I have to pay the bill? They did nothing for my son.”

If my baby got special treatment, okay. That would be okay. But he didn’t. So why should I have to pay the bill? They did nothing for my son.” – Jang Yeo-im, the mom, told Vox

Jang says they had travel insurance that covers only the first $5,000.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm9jJYMZR90

Recommended:


Dehydration Makes it Harder to Think Clearly

A new report in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise discovered that athletes who lost fluid equal to 2 percent their weight showed lower levels of cognition. Water loss at that level is considered a mild to moderate case of dehydration, but researchers still found symptoms impaired cognition, including difficulties focusing on tasks requiring attention and lowered motor coordination. Executive function, the processes that allow you to manage yourself and achieve goals, also declines when dehydration happens.

“We’ve known that physical performance suffers at a threshold of 2 percent of body mass, particularly when it’s from exercise in a warm environment,” said study co-author Mindy Millard-Stafford, a professor in the school of biological sciences and director of the physiology lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

“So the question was, what happens in the brain with the same amount of loss, which is pretty common with people who are active or work outside in the heat. Just like a muscle cell needs water, so do the cells in our brain.”

Recommended: What’s the Best Water for Detoxifying and For Drinking?

Drink

Water is still the gold standard of hydration. Eight glasses is the recommended daily amount of water. From there it can be difficult to sort through the latest and greatest hydrating hacks. These include but are not limited to coconut water, aloe water, fruit-infused water, and probiotic water. There are benefits to be had from these, but your best bet for hydration without side effects is filtered or spring water and cranberry lemonade (unadulterated cranberry juice, lemon juice, and stevia).

Caffeinated, alcoholic, and sweetened beverages like coffees, tea, beer, and sodas are classified as diuretics, which is thought to lead to dehydration in the body. Beverages with high sugar content leads to a feeling of dehydration, as water in the body rushes to blood left unbalanced by sugar. Interestingly, milk does not cause dehydration as the sugars in the lactose cause the body to retain the water from it for longer, but dairy causes phlegm and inflammation in the body. Avoid these.

Eat

What you’re eating is at least as important as drinking water. Fried and ultra-processed foods are high in sodium and notorious for drying out the body. Processed foods high in protein like cured meats are a doubly problematic, as they make your kidneys work harder.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are vegetables and fruit. You know, those foods you should be eating. Summer is the perfect time to eat for hydration, with water-heavy fruits and vegetables like melons, tomatoes, and cucumbers are abundant. Eating a salad daily will provide the body with nutrients it needs to function its best while also maintaining healthy water levels.

Recommended: Stop Eating Like That and Start Eating Like This – Your Guide to Homeostasis Through Diet

You Can Do It

It’s only getting hotter, and this study confirms that dehydration can lead to serious issues. Even if you aren’t an athlete, proper hydration is an important part of staying healthy. Most of the food available at the grocery store can dehydrate you. If you aren’t peeing clearly, maybe it’s time to take a look at what you’re eating.

Sources:


Trump’s Administration Is Not A Fan of Breastfeeding

There was an unexpected battle over a resolution supporting the use of breast milk at the World Health Organization in may. The New York Times reported that the resolution to encourage breastfeeding was expected to be approved quickly by hundreds of government delegates but the United States delegates opposed the language.

The World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations is an agency headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that is concerned with international public health. A proposed resolution asked countries to restrict the misleading marketing of breast milk substitutes. In multiple studies spanning decades of research, breastmilk has been proven beyond a doubt to be the healthiest option for children. The New York Times reported that the resolution was expected to pass easily but U.S. delegates took issue with the language that encouraged countries to “protect, promote and support breastfeeding.” The U.S. did not want to impede the sale of baby formulas.

The U.S. Delegates reportedly told Ecuador, who planned to introduce the resolution, that if the proposal wasn’t dropped that the U.S. would implement trade measures and withdraw military support from northern Ecuador (violence from boarding Colombia causes ongoing issues here). The Ecuadorian delegates caved and then health advocates found another sponsor for the resolution. The Russian delegation introduced the measure, and unlike with Ecuadorian, Russia received no resistance from the U.S.

The Trump administration’s aggressive attempts to water down an international resolution supporting breast-feeding go against decades of advice by most medical organizations and public health experts.” – NY Times

Global health experts believe that the president’s stance on baby formula was due to a lack of knowledge regarding breastfeeding and the history of how baby formulas are marketed in developing countries. In these poor countries when powdered formula is mixed with unclean, unsafe water, it can lead to death.

What happened was tantamount to blackmail, with the U.S. holding the world hostage and trying to overturn nearly 40 years of consensus on best way to protect infant and young child health,” Patti Rundall, policy director of Baby Milk Action

Despite the United States’ best efforts, the final resolution retained most of the original language, but the portion calling on WHO to provide support to countries seeking to halt “inappropriate promotion of foods for infants and young children,” was removed.

A 2016 study published by The Lancet stated that breastfeeding could save 843,000 lives and $300 billion in reduced health care costs a year. The New York Times reported that the baby food market is a $70 billion industry.

This kind of support for corporations over health isn’t new. We could thank Trump’s administration for being so blatantly corrupt and unsubtle that the issues like this are brought out into the open. We could, but we won’t.

Recommended Reading: