Healthy Children start with Healthy Parents
By Steven Horne, RH (AHG) & Kimberly Balas, ND

Every parent hopes for healthy children. Every grandparent hopes for healthy grandchildren. In fact, healthy children are a joy to everyone.
But hope isn't enough to ensure healthy children. Problems with pregnancy and with the subsequent health of offspring are not accidents of nature. They have causes, and most problems involving pregnancy, birth defects and illness in infants are the results of either poor nutrition or exposure to environmental toxins.

Dr. Weston Price, author of Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, discovered evidence of this when be traveled the world in the 1930s studying indigenous people. He observed that women living in traditional cultures almost always had trouble-free pregnancies, normal deliveries and healthy, disease-free offspring. lf what Dr. Price observed is true, then why do so many women living in modern society have problems with reproduction?

For example, one-third of all births in this country are done by C-section. And, if traditional societies consistently produced healthy children, then why do our offspring suffer from health problems like autism, ADHD, failure to thrive, etc. with all the benefits of modern science? Remember that Dr. Price found that these problems were essentially unknown among people we regard as primitive.

Dr: Price observed that not only did native peoples carefully prepare for conception and childbirth, they deliberately spaced children anywhere from four to seven years apart in order to allow mothers bodies a chance to fully recover before having another child. In addition, these societies went to great lengths to feed pregnant women special nutrient-rich foods in order to ensure healthy offspring.

Preparing for Pregnancy with Nutrition
A mother can't expect to have a good pregnancy, a problem-free delivery and a healthy child if she is living on a diet of devitalized, nutrient-depleted foods and exposing herself to all the chemicals of modern society. Several generations of diets filled with refined carbohydrates, hydrogenated fats and oils, and other processed foods have led to numerous problems with pregnancy and delivery and to a generation of children suffering from serious health problems and behavioral disorders.

If young people today want to be blessed with healthy children, they need to start thinking about caring for their own health by eating properly and minimizing their exposure to chemicals. This needs to be done by both the mother and the father prior to conception so we can start improving the health of future generations.

 

Nutrition for a healthy pregnancy

During pregnancy, a woman needs the nutrients necessary to form two extra pounds of uterine muscle, several pounds of amniotic fluid and the placenta. She also experiences a 50% increase in blood volume, and her liver and kidney cells
need to process the waste from two living beings. And this is all in addition to forming the bones, muscles, skin, glands, nervous system and other vital organs of her developing child.
This means her body will require larger than normal amounts of proteins, good fats, vitamins and minerals nutrients she isn’t going to get from eating a diet of refined and processed foods. A pregnant woman needs to take extra good care of her body by consuming fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and organically raised meat and dairy products. She should also avoid alcohol, coffee, tobacco, refined sugar, white flour, shortening, margarine, commercially-fried foods and hydrogenated oils. ideally, all these dietary changes should take place several months before conception in order to prepare the body for a healthy pregnancy.

Avoid Toxins

Chemicals are a major cause of birth defects and health problems in infants, so a pregnant woman should be very careful to minimize her exposure to toxic chemicals of all kinds, particularly pesticides. Many pesticides will cause a miscarriage because of their xenoestrogenic nature. A pregnant woman should also be careful to use only natural, non-toxic household cleaning products (such as Natures Fresh and Essential Shield Concentrate Cleaner) and personal care products. It is also a good idea to do a cleanse prior to conception. This will minimize a woman's risk of morning sickness, toxemia and other health problems during pregnancy.

Basic Supplements

As mentioned above, traditional cultures used special foods for pregnant women to ensure healthy babies. Supplements can do the same for modern pregnant women. Mega-doses of vitamins and minerals aren't wise, but a good prenatal vitamin like Nature's Prenatal can be beneficial. Natures Prenatal contains essential nutrients for energy and basic health during pregnancy, such as 800 mg. of folic acid, which is essential in the prevention of neural tube defects.
Many women, however, find that using whole foods and herbs are even more important than taking a prenatal in maintaining good health during pregnancy. Ultimate GreenZone, for instance is a great whole food supplement for pregnant women.
Good fats are a must for pregnancy, as a developing child's brain and nervous system need good flits. Super Omega-3 EPA or the equivalent should be considered an essential supplement for pregnancy. Supplementing Super Omega-3 EPA bas been shown to reduce the risk of developing pre-eclampsia, postpartum depression and pre-term labor. Deep ocean fish (especially sardines), walnuts, flax seeds and flax seed oil, hemp seed or hemp seed oil, avocados, coconut oil and organic butter from grass-fed cows are also great sources of good fats for pregnancy.

Mineral Supplements Are Essential

Due to modern agricultural practices, the population as a whole is deficient in minerals. Even when consuming a wholesome organic diet, pregnant women usually need extra amounts of trace minerals. Many problems in pregnancy have been attributed to trace mineral deficiencies because the developing infant pulls minerals from the mothers bloodstream. Drinking a pregnancy tea of equal parts red raspberry leaf, alfalfa and peppermint is an easy way to get the needed trace minerals.
Expectant mothers should steep 3-4 heaping tablespoons of this mixture in a quart of boiling water and drink at least a quart of this tea every day. Other mineral-rich herbs like nettles, oat straw and horsetail can be added to the tea for an even better effect. This tea helps prevent morning sickness and strengthens a woman’s body during pregnancy and delivery.

Red raspberry leaf is especially valuable to pregnant women as it tones the uterus and prepares the body for childbirth, making labor and delivery easier. It also reduces morning sickness, lowers the risk of miscarriage and decreases the risk of postpartum hemorrhage. Women who don't have time to make the pregnancy tea described above, can take Red Raspberry in capsules or use the liquid Red Raspberry Blend.

Other great ways to get minerals include taking liquid Dulse, Colloidal Minerals, Mineral Chi Tonic and/or HSNW. Generous intake of mineral-rich herbs like these has been found to eliminate most of the problems women experience in pregnancy, create healthier babies and make delivery easier.

Pregnant women especially need more iron. Eating dark, green leafy vegetables, organic red meat and iron-rich herbs can keep iron levels normal during pregnancy. Consider supplementing with I-X in addition to adding nettles to your pregnancy tea. Drinking Liquid Chlorophyll will increase utilization of iron.
Taken after childbirth, chlorophyll also increases the quality of the mothers breast milk

 

Parents frequently want to know what herbal remedies and supplements are safe for pregnant women to take. The answer is that most supplements and herbs are completely safe to use during pregnancy. In fact, they are much safer than most prescription or over-the-counter drugs. However, there are a few exceptions.

First, pregnancy is maintained by a balance of hormones. High levels of progesterone and low levels of estrogen help keep a woman pregnant. So, remedies that influence hormones, and especially those with estrogenic activity, should be avoided during pregnancy, especially during the first three months.

Specifically, herbs listed as emmenagogues such as black cohosh, blue cohosh and dong quai should be avoided except during the last five weeks when preparing for delivery. To be on the safe side, one should also avoid hormonal remedies like 7-Keto, DHEA, Pregnenolone and Melatonin Extra. It is also wise to use caution with horrnone-balancing herbal formulas like C-X, FCS II, Female Comfort, Flash Ease, NF-X, X-Action and X-A.
However, many of these herbal formulas have been used safely under the supervision of a skilled practitioner when hormones were out of balance.

Most anti-parasitic remedies should also be avoided. Specifically wormwood, tansy, Artemesia Combination, ParaCleanse and Paw Paw Cell Reg should not be used during pregnancy as they can be abortifacients. Some other herbs that act as abortifacients that should specifically be avoided include anamu, pennyroyal, cotton root and Scotch broom.

It is a good idea not to do harsh cleansing during pregnancy. A small amount of cascara sagrada is OK if increasing fiber,water and magnesium is insufficient to move the bowels, but large amounts of cascara, LBS II, LB-X and LB Extract should be avoided. Senna Combination should be avoided, period. Heavy Metal Detox and large quantities of other cleansing herbs should also be avoided.
Normal quantities of liver formulas like Liver Balance and LIV-J are safe especially for morning sickness or toxemia.

Pregnancy is not a time to be taking large quantities of medicinal plants. Take only those remedies you need to resolve specific health problems and do so under the guidance of someone experienced in their use. Mild, nutritive herbs and supplements (like the one's mentioned above) are not only safe, but extremely helpful when a woman is pregnant. The bottom line is to take extra special care of yourself and your unborn baby.