Getting with the program

I’ve always said that my Healthy Parents, Healthy Baby preconception program is about exactly that ... truly healthy parents and truly healthy babies! In other words it’s about a great deal more than fertility. Sadly, when there’s so much publicity given to those increasing numbers TTC (trying to conceive) in vain, when marketing of ART (assisted reproductive technology) as the answer to the baby prayers of anyone over thirty floods the media, it’s a wonderful endorsement of my work when the preconception workup works, just like it’s supposed to.

There’s nothing to beat the wonderful excitement of an easy conception and a first trimester free of morning sickness! Add to that a GP who advises no scan until post 16 weeks (of course I’d ask why scan at all if everything is proceeding normally, but hooray for a medical voice of caution) and I like the chances of a normal, unmedicated birth and successful breastfeeding.  Just as exciting are the words and actions of a young mum in my local wholefood market this morning, endorsing baby-wearing and co-sleeping as the reasons for her secure, confident, adventurous toddler! Hooray for another sane voice and may there be more of you...

Celebrity chefs bring more power to the slow, natural food movement

Celebrity chefs and other leading opinion-formers are poisoning the debate about genetically modified (GM) food, claims environmentalist and author Mark Lynas. Lynas claims that 3 trillion GM-containing meals have been eaten in the last decade and a half. So exactly what’s your point Mr. Lynas? 

Genetically modified food is a completely uncontrolled experiment that I personally want no part of. Like the introduction of the oral contraceptive pill (OCP), assisted reproductive technology (ART), routine prenatal ultrasound, delivery by C-section, babies sleeping alone, vaccination of infants and so much more, it is now impossible to say definitively what the downsides might be. 

But plenty of consumers just want the produce as nature intended - healthy food grown on healthy soil. In the same way, many know that natural fertility management, conception, pregnancy and birth free from medical intervention, co-sleeping and natural immune enhancement are far healthier options than the man-manipulated/tinkered-with versions. I have no doubt that given enough time we’ll start to see the negatives of introducing GM produce to the wider population, by which time and just like all of the above, it may well be totally entrenched and impossible to reverse.

But then again, there just might be a small glimmer of hope. Many in the EU have completely turned their backs on GM, while the USA, biggest driver of the food industry in the world, has embraced it without too much question - hence those 3 trillion GM-containing meals consumed in the last 15 years. But I’m recently heartened when New Mexico joins Washington and California to become the latest US state asked to consider mandatory labeling for foods containing genetically engineered ingredients. More power to the consumers, with the move for similar legislation gaining momentum in other states. The reason behind the movements ... people want to know what they are eating! Prediction is that there will be a “tipping point” at which Federal legislation will need to address GMO labeling. Who knows - those in power might even begin to address the issue of whether GMO is all it’s cracked up to be? 

Tinkering with Nature...

Tinkering with nature

After years of banding penguins to study their habits (and using them as telltale indicators of climate change) new evidence shows that banding significantly affects penguin swimming and breeding ability. Studies of banded and unbanded birds carried out over a period of 10 years demonstrated that banded birds were 16 per cent likelier to die than non-banded birds, and had 39 per cent fewer chicks. 

Should we be surprised? Not really, but we continue to tinker... and in our arrogance (sorry, our ignorance no longer cuts it as an excuse) assume that no harm will result.

Tinkering with fertility - inability to conceive simply Nature’s fail safe mechanism for ensuring that less than optimally healthy folk don’t reproduce - is a good example of that arrogance. While some infertile couples have physical barriers to conception, many more need to make serious improvements to their physical, mental and emotional health rather than rushing for the ART solution.  

How long will it take before we realise that in many instances ART simply creates more problems than it solves?  Years ago - banding penguins was advised against on ethical grounds, with those concerns glibly brushed aside. Is anybody listening to the ethicists who question the assisted reproductive industry? Maybe they’ll eventually have their day in the sun but what’s the human cost in the interim?