|
|
|
|
Stopping Birth Defects |
|
Birth Defects |
|
“The
only way to win is not to play.” (quoting
the fictional U. S. Department of Defense computer in the movie Wargames) The only sensible
approach to nuclear war is to never have one. The only sensible approach to
birth defects is to prevent them. Some grim statistics
relevant to birth defects in general: Fully 11% of all
babies born in the Mothers who smoke tobacco
are hurting their unborn child. The carcinogens and other harmful
chemicals in that a pregnant woman takes in when she smokes cigarettes are
transmitted to the unborn baby. Many chemicals in tobacco products, such as
benzene and formaldehyde, are known teratogens (birth-defect causing). Around
20% of all pregnant women smoke. This does not even count second-hand
smoke. Maternal alcohol use
hurts the developing child. Two out of three adults use alcohol, and one in
ten adults is a heavy drinker at the level often termed “alcoholic.” I
am not persuaded that all pregnant women abstain from alcohol, even though
the Surgeon General has stated that there is NO safe minimum level of
alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the
most severe expression of what alcohol can do to a baby. The must be
millions of infants with less obvious but still handicapping alcohol-related
congenital damage. The crudest form of
arithmetic shows eleven percent plus twenty percent plus sixty-six percent
equals 97 percent. 97 percent! This means that genetic factors are not
even necessary to explain a whole lot of congenital diseases and
malformations. And we have not even considered environmental pollutants or
on-the-job exposure to chemicals as causes. We have not even considered
pharmaceutical side effects (remember thalidimide?) These figures also fail to consider
malnutrition, or undernutrition, which may be the greatest factor of all. (My
article on "Pregnancy," posted at this website, discusses this
further.) Obviously, there must
therefore be a lot of overlap in the above numbers. After all, you and I are
well aware that many people, especially many pregnant people, do not smoke,
drink, or use drugs. I would be willing to say that the majority of
pregnant women strictly avoid those harmful behaviors. But there are many
other women who are doing two, or all three, of these dangerous behaviors
well into, or throughout, pregnancy. This constitutes child abuse, and it
must stop. References: Hillemann, H. H.
"Maternal Malnutrition and Congenital Deformity" (Grants Pass
Oregon Address, March 17, 1958) Hillemann. H.H.
"Developmental Malformation in Man and Other Animals" (A
Bibliography) Lee Foundation, Hillemann, H. H.
"The Spectrum of Congenital Defect, Experimental and Clinical"
JOURNAL OF APPLIED NUTRITION 14:1,2 1961 Klein, Dianne (1991) A
coroner’s-eye view of drug babies. Copyright 2004, 2003 and
prior years by Andrew W. Saul. Andrew Saul is the author of the books FIRE
YOUR DOCTOR! How to be Independently Healthy (reader reviews at
http://www.doctoryourself.com/review.html
) and DOCTOR YOURSELF: Natural Healing that Works. (reviewed at http://www.doctoryourself.com/saulbooks.html
) For ordering information, Click Here .
|
|
|
AN IMPORTANT NOTE: This page is not in any way offered as prescription, diagnosis nor treatment for any disease, illness, infirmity or physical condition. Any form of self-treatment or alternative health program necessarily must involve an individual's acceptance of some risk, and no one should assume otherwise. Persons needing medical care should obtain it from a physician. Consult your doctor before making any health decision. Neither the author nor the webmaster has authorized the use of their names or the use of any material contained within in connection with the sale, promotion or advertising of any product or apparatus. Single-copy reproduction for individual, non-commercial use is permitted providing no alterations of content are made, and credit is given. |
|
|
|
|
| Home | Order my Books | About the Author | Contact Us | Webmaster | |
