Trusted Information for Healthy Pregnancies
allergies
How can a pregnant homeowner avoid remodeling hazards?
Feb 12th
There are two points during a remodeling project that are critical times at which to consider the impact of potentially hazardous materials during pregnancy.
The first is during demolition, when materials are removed or disturbed, as some of the materials may have been manufactured with known toxins such as asbestos and lead.
The second is during the construction phase, when you should be aware of potentially harmful products used to manufacture building materials that will go in your home.
To stay safe, before beginning demolition, I recommend getting a hazmat inspection by a licensed inspector. This inspection will determine if there is asbestos in any materials that will be removed or disturbed.
For example, asbestos was used in old vinyl sheet flooring, in adhesives used for installing floor tile, in popcorn ceilings and in insulation around furnaces and ducts.
While the asbestos in these building materials is not a danger to health if left undisturbed, demolition or removal of the materials releases the asbestos into the air and becomes a health hazard.
As most people are aware, paint manufactured before 1978 may contain lead, which could lead to lead poisoning if ingested.
Not so well known is that pre-1978 ceramic tile may also contain lead. When lead compounds are locked up in the paint or tile glazing, they are benign to human health.
However, crushing, abrading or shattering of a glaze and sanding or scraping of paint can release a fine dust in which the lead becomes a health risk.
So don't think just because you're not ingesting flaky paint chips that you're safe from lead.
With demolition over, when you begin selecting products for the remodel, pay attention to products that may contain formaldehyde and/or other volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Both formaldehyde and VOCs can be found in a variety of building materials. Cabinets and shelving often are constructed from pressed-wood products that use glues that may contain formaldehyde.
In general, formaldehyde off-gassing sources emit less and less formaldehyde over time.
However, it can take weeks, and sometimes even months or years, to disappear completely.
Long-term exposure to moderate formaldehyde concentrations (at levels lower than those causing irritation) may be linked to respiratory symptoms and allergic sensitivity, especially in children.
Many contractors and building-material suppliers are aware of the importance of good indoor air quality and can guide you to products and practices that will provide a healthy environment for you and your family.
Source
Use of Acetaminophen in Pregnancy Associated With Increased Asthma Symptoms in Children
Feb 5th
Children who were exposed to acetaminophen prenatally were more likely to have asthma symptoms at age five in a study of 300 African-American and Dominican Republic children living in New York City. Building on prior research showing an association between both prenatal and postnatal acetaminophen and asthma, this is the first study to demonstrate a direct link between asthma and an ability to detoxify foreign substances in the body. The findings were published this week in the journal Thorax.
The study, conducted by the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, found that the relationship was stronger in children with a variant of a gene, glutathione S transferase, involved in detoxification of foreign substances. The variant is common among African-American and Hispanic populations. The results suggest that less efficient detoxification is a mechanism in the association between acetaminophen and asthma.
The researchers assessed the use of analgesics during pregnancy and found that 34 percent of mothers reported acetaminophen use during pregnancy, and 27 percent of children had wheeze, an asthma-related symptom. The children whose mothers had taken acetaminophen were more likely to wheeze, visit the emergency room for respiratory problems, and develop allergy symptoms, compared to those children whose mothers did not take acetaminophen. The risk increased with increasing number of days of prenatal acetaminophen use. The children in this study live in neighborhoods of New York City that have been the hardest hit by the asthma epidemic: Northern Manhattan and the South Bronx.
Acetaminophen use among children in the U.S. has increased substantially since the early 1980s and has become increasingly common among women during pregnancy so that most women in the U.S. take acetaminophen during pregnancy. This increase coincided with a doubling of the prevalence of asthma among children in the country between 1980 and 1995.
"These findings might provide an explanation for some of the increased asthma risk in minority communities and suggest caution in the use of acetaminophen in pregnancy," says Matthew S. Perzanowski, PhD, assistant professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health.
Reasons for prenatal acetaminophen use vary, but in this study population the observed associations with headaches suggest pain management as likely; however, other host factors that caused mothers to take acetaminophen and also cause asthma may explain their association. While infection is one such potential confounder, the Mailman School researchers found no association between the reported use of antibiotics and acetaminophen, and adjustment for antibiotic use during pregnancy did not affect the results.
According to the researchers, the prevalence of current wheeze diminished as the children aged, from 40 percent at age one year to 25 percent, 17 percent and 27 percent at ages two, three, and five, respectively. However, the association between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and current wheeze strengthened as the children aged.
The Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health study adjusted relative risks for sex, race/ethnicity, birth order, maternal asthma, maternal hardship, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, antibiotic use and postnatal acetaminophen use.
In a similar study conducted in the UK, the frequency of acetaminophen use during pregnancy and the magnitude of association in the UK study were similar to that in New York City.
Source
Mothers with Celiac Disease Face a Higher Risk of Underweight and Early-term Births
Jan 25th
Women with celiac disease face greater risks for adverse pregnancy outcomes. A team of researchers recently set out to examine the effects of treated and untreated maternal celiac disease on infant birthweight and preterm birth. Among their findings are that expectant mothers with celiac disease face a higher risk of underweight and early-term birth than those without celiac disease.
For their data, researchers used a population-based cohort study of all live births in Denmark between 1 January 1979 and 31 December 2004. During that period, 836,241 mothers gave birth to a total of 1,504,342 babies. Mothers with diagnosed celiac disease gave birth to 1105 of those babies, while 346 were born to women with undiagnosed celiac disease.
The team considered mothers with diagnosed celiac disease to be following a gluten free diet, and those with undiagnosed celiac disease to be on a gluten-inclusive diet. The team measured outcomes based on birthweight, small for gestational age, very small for gestational age and preterm birth. They then compared the results for the treated and untreated celiac disease mothers with those of a celiac-free reference group.
The research team found that mothers with untreated celiac disease gave birth to smaller babies [difference = –98 g (95% CI: –130, –67)], with a higher risk of SGA [OR = 1.31 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.63)], VSGA [OR = 1.54 (95% CI: 1.17, 2.03)] and early birth [OR = 1.33 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.72)] compared with women with no celiac disease.
The good news is that mothers with treated celiac disease showed no increased risk of reduced mean birthweight, or of delivering SGA and VSGA infants or preterm birth compared with mothers with no celiac disease.
From the results, the research team concluded that untreated maternal celiac disease increases the risk of low birthweight, SGA and VSGA, and preterm birth.
Diagnosis and treatment of maternal celiac disease with a gluten-free diet seems to return the birthweight and preterm birth rate to one comparable to women without celiac disease.
Source
Breast not always best, study shows
Jan 6th
Women should forget what they have been told about the health benefits of breastfeeding, researchers have claimed.
A controversial new study has concluded that, contrary to the view of many experts, breast is not necessarily best for children in the first months of life.
Professor Sven Carlsen, who led the Norwegian team, declared: "Baby formula is as good as breast milk."
What really affects the health of a growing infant is the hormone balance in the womb before birth, according to the research.
This in turn influences a woman's ability to breast feed, resulting in a misleading association between breastfeeding and child health, it is claimed.
The only benefit from breastfeeding supported by genuine evidence is a "small IQ advantage", said the scientists. And even this was yet to be properly confirmed.
Prof Carlsen's team reviewed data from more than 50 international studies looking at the relationship between breastfeeding and health. Most concluded that the more children were breastfed, the healthier they were.
On the surface this was correct, said Prof Carlsen, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. But he added: "Even if this is statistically true, it is not because of breastfeeding itself. There are very few studies that have examined the underlying controls on breastfeeding ability."
The largest study on breastfeeding was conducted in Belarus and involved more than 17,000 women and children who were monitored for six years. It "cut the legs out from underneath most of the assertions that breastfeeding has health benefits" said the scientists. For example, the study found no evidence that breastfeeding reduced the risk of asthma and allergies in children.
The research is published in the January edition of the journal Acta Obstestricia and Gynecologia Scandinavica.
Source
Paid WEGO Health Survey: Share your experience with allergies
Aug 10th
If you're living with seasonal or indoor allergies and actively participate in online health communities, you may qualify for a paid survey hosted by WEGO Health on behalf of one of our sponsors.
This 26-question survey is about your experiences with seasonal or indoor allergies, it should take about 15 or 20 minutes to complete.
All participants who complete the survey will receive a $10 Amazon.com gift certificate.
This survey will only be open for a short period of time, so take our Allergy Insight Survey today: http://bit.ly/allergysurvey
This 26-question survey is about your experiences with seasonal or indoor allergies, it should take about 15 or 20 minutes to complete.
All participants who complete the survey will receive a $10 Amazon.com gift certificate.
This survey will only be open for a short period of time, so take our Allergy Insight Survey today: http://bit.ly/allergysurvey
Spotlight Interview with Gabrielle Peterson (aka Peanut Free Mama)
Jul 7th
"I wanted to hear about real life scenarios instead of sterile advice from medical sites...I wanted the next mom who got the peanut allergy diagnosis to find me and know that it is going to be ok, really, truly it is."
Where to find her: Peanut Free Mama
I've been blogging since 2002. I started a personal blog in 2002 at Gab's House o' Sass, then I started a blog for my daughter in 2004 which evolved into my current blog (where I devote most of my writing).
Occupation: I manage the marketing department of a scientific publisher in Northern California.
Why “Peanut Fee Mama”?
When my daughter was diagnosed with a peanut allergy, I really felt that I absolutely had to live peanut and nut free as well. Partly as a sign of solidarity, but also I didn't want to run the risk of causing a reaction by something I ate. So when I created a blog to document the journey we were on, "Peanut Free Mama" seemed like a natural choice.
What made you start your blog?
When my daughter was about 18 months old, she ate a tiny bit of toast (about the size of a pea) with peanut butter on it. Within minutes, her eyes were swollen, her face was covered in hives, and her nose was running. It was awful! Once we had an official diagnosis (and not much else, except for an epi pen prescription), I started on a journey to find as much information as I could via my own research online. I came up empty handed alot! I wanted to hear about real life scenarios instead of sterile advice from medical sites. I started my blog to show how a regular mom was dealing with a peanut allergy and trying to give their child a normal life. I wanted the next mom who got the peanut allergy diagnosis to find me and know that it is going to be ok, really, truly it is.
Are there other places that we can find you on the web?
You can find me on Facebook and on Twitter.
What has been the hardest part about dealing with your child’s peanut allergy for you?
Two things:
First: Trust. Trusting that whoever is watching your child (be it at daycare or school or babysitting) REALLY understands the ramifications of her allergy. It doesn't matter if it's family or not, it's hard to trust another person with your child's care when they have a special need like this. I'm not worried about my daughter eating peanuts or peanut butter directly. I AM worried about her trusting an adult who doesn't know how to read a label (or wont bother to).
Second: Mortality. There's nothing more sobering than facing your child's mortality at an early age. Sure most parents deal with general fears about their kids getting hit by a car or talking to strangers. But having a child with a food allergy that involves anaphylaxis makes you think about your child dying. A lot. It isn't fun.
What do you think is the hardest part about dealing with the peanut allergy for her?
She's just starting to get that she can't have many of the things her friends have. She doesn't cry about it, but I can sense the frustration of it. She also isn't enjoying sitting at the "allergy table" at school. I think she'd be happier if we came up with another solution once she's in Kindergarten this fall.
What do you wish non allergic parents understood about food allergies and allergy parents?
We're not doing this to them. We're not asking them to refrain from sending in nutty treats to school or checking a food label to make their lives difficult. They have the luxury of sending their child off to school or a playdate without wondering if they'll come home (literally) or not due to something they may have inadvertently ingested. If we could make this allergy business go away, we would!
What do you think is the most important thing a parent of a newly diagnosed food allergic child should know?
You aren't alone. It gets easier. Day by day you'll get used to this and after a while this will all be second nature and (dare I say it?) a non-issue for you.
To connect with Gabrielle, visit her WEGO Health page.
This Spotlight Interview was conducted by Janeen, one of WEGO Health's Community Leaders and author of Our Story: The Good, The Bad, and the Food Allergies, a blog about raising children with food allergies.
