Breast milk is best for baby – and for the workplace, healthy infants > fewer sick days

A pair of substantial mammary glands have the advantage over
the two hemispheres of the most learned professor’s brain
in the art of compounding a nutritive fluid for infants.
– Oliver Wendell Holmes (todo.7) (Substantial isn’t necessary, small but fully mature breasts can make plenty of milk for baby too. – Enough food in well balanced amount for mom is still essential however.)
Breastfeeding is an instinctual and natural act,
but it is also an art that is learned day by day.
It is almost always simply a matter of practical knowledge
and not a question of good luck.
– La Leche League (todo.7) (Moms and babies both can use a little guidance from someone who has experience with the mechanics of positioning and suckling – like riding a bicycle mom has experience with the second and later children but even then the babies still may have difficulty and some guidance may be helpful even for an experienced mom. La Leche League is a volunteer group dedicated to helping promote and help successful breastfeeding relationships between mothers and their infants.)
When we trust the makers of baby formula
more than we do our own ability to nourish our babies,
we lose a chance to claim an aspect of our power as women.
It is an act of female power,
and I think of it as feminism in its purest form.
– Christine Northrup (todo.7) (Infant formula is a blessing for those who are unable to make sufficient breast milk or for babies who don’t tolerate it well or need other specialized nutrition support but there are immune and autoimmune factors that help the infant that only mom herself can make. Human milk also has factors that support a healthy intestinal microbiome (good guy bacteria) and phospholipids which can help promote a healthy appetite and positive growth rate in the infant. While chocolate has a tiny amount of caffeine, its source cocoa beans also have a good supply of phospholipids, choose a lower sugar, lower fat dark chocolate or use Baker’s chocolate and make your own chocolate treats to maximize the phospholipid and other antioxidant content. Pomegranate seeds also contain a good supply of phospholipids, (pomegranate seed oil analysis, P.14) cardamom spice, (P.15), and dark green leafy vegetables and herbs such as oregano, basil, and rosemary are also good sources. Phospholipids are found in membranes and are more plentiful in nuts, seeds and other leafy vegetables. Pumpkin seeds are a good source. (P.8 , 9, 10)
Pumpkin seed kernel oil is being investigated as a medical treatment and was found to be more effective for wound healing in an animal study than the standard wound care ointment or no treatment control groups. (P.11)
Pomegranate seed oil has been investigated as a dietary supplement in an animal based study and found to positively affect fatty acid balance. The discussion suggests consideration as a dietary alternative source for the beneficial fatty acid CLA, Conjugated Linoleic Acid. (P.16)
To do – write this up in more detail for the effectivecare.info website, initially intended for the gender discrimination section 11 of the policy part but additional information on the health benefits of pumpkin seeds /the food information was added to the home page, I still need to do the additional breastfeeding section though/ – to explain the (todo.footnotes). The reference list below includes notes to expand on at a later time.
In the meantime – pumpkin seed kernels are the inner green part that have been shelled. Their texture is similar to sunflower seed kernels but their oil content has a more health promoting nutrient balance than the oil content of sunflower seed kernels. Ideally shop for raw pumpkin seed kernels that are not salted. Salted, roasted pumpkin seeds may also be labeled Pepitos and the salt content may be excessive if eaten in much quantity. An 1/8th to 1/4 cup of raw pumpkin seed kernels, 2 to 4 Tablespoons might be a reasonable serving size of the unsalted type or lightly salted and roasted types. Roasting the seeds increases the phospholipid content but also increases some more negative oxidation chemicals which would decrease some of the benefits of the oil. (P.12) For freshness of the roasted snack, the raw pumpkin seed kernels can be lightly pan roasted for a few minutes with a dash of oil until they puff a little. Toss with a sprinkle of salt and let cool on a paper towel to absorb extra oil. Store any extra in an airtight container to retain crispiness and prevent further oxidation.
(Oxidation of seeds or nuts: spoilage of the oils due to contact with oxygen from the air. Storing all nuts and seeds in airtight containers in a cool or even freezing temperature extends their safe eating shelf life. Rancid oil has a recognizable odor and bad taste and nuts and seeds should be discarded rather than eaten if they have gotten too old and turned rancid as the oxidized oils can be unhealthy, especially if eaten in a larger quantity. One or two wouldn’t be a problem but once the off-taste is noticed throw away the remainder of the package or possibly you might be able to return it to the store if it was a recent purchase. (P.13))
I discuss pumpkin seed kernels as a prenatal healthy food that might help prevent high blood pressure problems on the home page of the website effectivecare.info. It is still a work in progress, un-peer reviewed and draft version in some sections but potentially life saving information is something that I feel deserves to be shared, even if in draft version. The more life threatening type prenatal complication that can include high blood pressure called pre-eclampsia is also discussed in more detail on that website, Preeclampsia and TRP Channels, based on information that has helped former prenatal clients I’ve helped and with more recent information and ,medical hypothesis research posted online by others.
/Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes./
  1. Liz Ryan, Ten Things Never, Ever to Wear to Work, a Q/A article which also discusses the value in more flexible policies based on regular conversations during office hours rather than punitive, gotcha breaking the policy reprimands that go into an employee record. forbes.com Oct. 30, 2017 https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2017/10/30/ten-things-never-ever-to-wear-to-work/?nowelcome=1#938e2af4d9bf (P.1)
  2. What does feminism have to do with breastfeeding? Breastfeeding Medicine, 6/12/2010 https://bfmed.wordpress.com/2010/06/12/what-does-feminism-have-to-do-with-breastfeeding/ (todo.2), Discusses the value of breastfeeding and the issue of class and choice. Women have to be able to afford to have the time off work to be able to breastfeed for the recommended six months, best for baby. If work place policies were more supportive of all women being able to breastfeed, or pump at work, then there wouldn’t be a class issue rich can afford and poor can’t, or seemingly antifeminist, Stay at Home Mom versus Working Mom.
  3. Kara Stiles, The Unsettling Truth about Women and Retirement, forbes.com, Dec. 7, 2017, https://www.forbes.com/sites/karastiles/2017/12/07/the-unsettling-truth-about-women-and-retirement/#2b0070991b63 (todo.3) discusses the grim reality of caregivers being primarily women and that the choice or need to be a stay at home mom also means less accrual of Social Security weeks of work over the career lifetime and less accrual of retirement plan savings. Also mentions the difference in life expectancy between men and women and that women living longer are also having more medical expenses to pay on average, over the longer average lifespan.
  4. Brooke Hauser, I Shared a ‘Real’ Parenting Photo on Social Media—And the Response I Got Shocked Me, health.com, July 5, 2017,  http://www.health.com/family/real-parenting-photo-gloria-steinem (todo.4) Real life story of a working mom who breastfeeds and has two children preschool age or younger. also touches on the increased number of roles women have in our social media and progressive, protest era with a cameo of Gloria Steinem and hat-tip to her role in opening the door to working women who are also mothers.

  5. Caroline Bologna “If Men Breastfed” Video: Shows a Very Different Experience for Working Dads; Women deserve better, HuffingtonPost.com, 12/6/2016 https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/video-imagines-what-life-would-be-like-if-men-could-breastfeed_us_5845d89de4b02f60b0246f7b (todo.5) a hat-tip to Gloria Steinem’s 1978 essay “If Men Could Menstruate,” in an ad for a breast pump company’s introduction of a breast pump, advertised to be an improvement on the currently available models (which are fairly bad, imo, unless you have money for a better electric model or high quality handpump, hand expressing actually works well or better for some women – warning the five minute model in the humorous video would be impossible if not dangerous or dangerous if not impossible.)
  6. Medela, How to Manually Express Breastmilk, the Marmet Techniquehttps://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/tips-and-solutions/130/how-to-manually-express-breastmilk—the-marmet-technique (todo.6) How to tips, and safety, avoid these motions guidance, with illustrations. Medela is a long established lactation supply company with high quality electric and hand breast pumps and educational materials for women.
  7. Cherie, Natural Mama, NZ, My favorite breastfeeding and feminist quoteshttp://naturalmamanz.blogspot.com/2010/10/my-favourite-breastfeeding-and-feminist.html (todo.7)
  8. Zh.Y. Petkova and G.A. Antova, Changes in the composition of pumpkin seeds, (Cucurbita moschata) during development and maturation, Grasas Aceites 66 (1): e058   http://grasasyaceites.revistas.csic.es/index.php/grasasyaceites/article/viewArticle/1523/1657 (P.8) Most phospholipid content was present in the seeds 30 days after flowering, and the amount diminished at 60 and 90 days. Other nutrient content also tended to diminish in amounts except for an increase in starch and fiber content.
  9. Bhalchandra P Vibhute, Dhiraj R Bhide, Vijay Y Karadbhajne, Anand S Kulkarni and RR Khotpa, Fatty Acid Profile of Pumpkin and Bael Seed Lipids of Central India Region, Research & ReviewsISSN: 2320-0189 RRJBS | Volume 2 | Issue 2 | April – June, 2013  http://www.rroij.com/open-access/fatty-acid-profile-of-pumpkin-and-bael-seed-lipids-of-central-india-region-1-3.pdf (P.9)
  10. Tri Joko Raharjo* Laily Nurliana, and Sabirin Mastjeh, Phospholipids from Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata (Duch.) Poir) Seed Kernel Oil and Their Fatty Acid Composition, Indo. J. Chem., 2011, 11 (1), 48 – 52 http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.917.3544&rep=rep1&type=pdf (P.10) this is a longer article which goes into more detail about types of phospholipids and mentions a few health benefits. The research team found 1.03% dry weight phospholipid content in pumpkin seeds including three types: “a) phosphatidylcholine (PC); b) phosphatidylserin (PS); c) phosphatidylethanolamine (PE).”
  11. Sana Bardaa, Nihed Ben Halima, Fatma Aloui, Riadh Ben Mansour, Hazem Jabeur, Mohamed Bouaziz, and Zouheir Sahnoun,

    Oil from pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) seeds: evaluation of its functional properties on wound healing in rats, Lipids Health Dis. 2016; 15: 73. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4827242/ (P.11)

  12. Vesna Vujasinovic, Sonja Djilas, Etelka Dimic, Zorica Basic, Olga Radocaj, The effect of roasting on the chemical composition and oxidative stability of pumpkin oil, European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology, Volume 114, Issue 5, May 2012, Pages 568–574, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejlt.201100158/abstract (P.12)

  13. Sheela Prakash, How to Store Nuts and Seeds, Kitchen Confidence, food52.com, Sept. 17, 2014, https://food52.com/blog/11275-how-to-store-nuts-and-seeds (P.13)

  14. Zahra Amri,  Houda Lazreg-Aref, Manel Mekni, Sinda El-Gharbi, Olfa Dabbaghi, Beligh Mechri, and Mohamed Hammami, Oil Characterization and Lipids Class Composition of Pomegranate SeedsBiomed Res Int. 2017; 2017: 2037341.   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5546132/ (P.14)

  15. Arlen Frank, Chemistry of Plant Phosphorus CompoundsElsevierJun 3, 2013, Chapter 4, Phospholipids, page 247,   https://books.google.com/books?id=6btpFSV1T2YC&pg=PA247&lpg=PA247&dq=cardamom+seed+phospholipid+content&source=bl&ots=14OEP3GnC6&sig=r4Ga99NGKjp2PfB2TVs4jQDxuJk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiKlNPttpLYAhUG1oMKHczmDc0Q6AEIPzAG#v=onepage&q=cardamom%20seed%20phospholipid%20content&f=false (P.15)

  16. Agnieszka BiałekAgnieszka StawarskaJoanna Bodecka,   Małgorzata Białek, Andrzej TokarzPomegranate seed oil influences the fatty acids profile and reduces the activity of desaturases in livers of Sprague-Dawley rats.

    Prostaglandins & Other Lipid Mediators, Vol. 131, July 2017, pp 9-16, ScienceDirect.com http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1098882316301654 (P.16)

Other links:

Limonene: Terpenes 101

Amount of US bombing is worse or similar to the Nazi’s

During the Blitzkreig bombing of the United Kingdom between 1940-1941 over 30000 tons of explosives  were dropped on sixteen cities from German airplanes. The bombs included chemicals designed to increase risk of long burning fires. Over 40000 people lost their lives and many buildings were destroyed.

Our current and previous administration in the United States have been responsible for drone bombing in seven countries. In just the first seven months of 2017 the current administration has increased the amount of drone bombing from the previous years.

2016 – 26,171 drone bombs were dropped by the Obama administration: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/09/america-dropped-26171-bombs-2016-obama-legacy

Airwaves is an independent group that has been tracking the number of bombs dropped by the US and the number they provide is a larger number than the official count released by the U.S.. Almost 11000 in the first three months of 2017 with an increased percentage of civilian deaths. The number of deaths is lower than during the Blitzkreig however we aren’t officially at war either. http://www.mintpressnews.com/us-coalition-dropped-nearly-11000-munition-on-iraq-syria-last-month/226995/

My concern for history and the future is linked because if we don’t learn from the past we are more likely to repeat mistakes and bombing civilians and countries that we aren’t even at war with is a big one, and costly. The Department of Defense has misplaced where $6.5 trillion was spent in the Army budget alone over the last couple of decades. Other money was spent to produce top-secret fake Al Queda propaganda and fake news stories designed to seem like Arabic television to make the group seem more negative than it was – at the time. Between 2006 and 2011 $660 million was paid to a publicity firm in the U.K. to produce the top-secret film footage. Fake atrocities – paid for by U.S. taxpayers to scare U.S. taxpayers and the rest of the world – just who are the terrorists in that story?

Eight other news stories that didn’t get much press attention are highlighted in an end of year summary by an organization that fights censorship by looking for the stories that were suppressed. Free speech isn’t just about what journalists are allowed to say but also about what they aren’t allowed to say. The Nazi’s burned books and controlled the media. I’ve been following alternative news sources and was aware there was suspicion that news was being faked about atrocities. I was not aware of the lack of audits in the military or missing $6.5 trillion from the Army budget. The other eight stories I was familiar with though – pay attention online and it is amazing what you can learn.

A synopsis:

  1. Lead is poisoning children in Flint but is also an infrastructure and soil contaminant in many many urban areas.
  2. The missing $6.5 Trillion from the Army budget and lack of audit, or expectation that the military be audited in the same way that other government agencies are expected (been there, done that – inventories are an annual task.)
  3. The fake news about Al Queda and fake Arabic TV for $660 million.
  4. Voter suppression during the 2016 election occurred in many places by making it more difficult for people to register to vote or to have been taken off the list of registered voters.\
  5. Micro-targeting of voters during the 2016 election was performed for the Trump campaign with the help of modern social media advertising techniques, with assistance from social media staff. News of this has surfaced only recently.
  6. Antibiotic resistant bacteria are gaining ground on human’s ability to create new more effective antibiotics – we may be unable to cure pneumonia or other diseases as easily as we were over the last few decades. Microbes evolve quickly. We have only been using antibiotics since the 1928 (Fleming, penicillin).
  7. The U.S. Navy is killing or injuring large numbers of marine wildlife due to torpedoes, Sonar testing and other underwater devices and air to surface missiles.
  8. The U.S. is the only developed nation in the world with an increasing rate of maternal mortality – more women are dying from childbirth or pregnancy than in previous years. Inadequate rural care and an increased rate of African American women dying is thought to be driving the increase. African American women are 3 to 4 times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes than white women. (Pre-eclampsia isn’t mentioned but it can be life threatening and is more of a risk for African American women than for other racial or ethnic groups. Differences in the average shape of the pelvis bone and less intra-abdominal space within an African American woman may be involved. Magnesium foods may help reduce the risk and spending time daily during the last few months in a knee-chest position that helps relieve intra-abdominal pressure may help reduce risk. Treating people individually instead of as a total group average might help – if individualizing health care based on individual differences seems racist then I don’t understand the word. Why would anyone want health care recommendations that were developed to help someone with a completely different body structure or different type of metabolism from their own? The best health recommendations for one person might not help another or might harm them. The kidneys of African Americans seems to be better at conserving calcium, which also wastes more magnesium. Magnesium deficiency can increase risk of hypertension and diabetes and pre-eclampsia and many other conditions.)
  9. The DNC political party was sued regarding apparent rigging of the primaries in favor of one candidate and the lawyers representing the DNC argued that neutrality is not required by the charter. The group could feasibly just pick a candidate and not have a primary at all according to the legal argument.
  10. The internet was shutdown due to hacking or political intervention more in 2016 than ever before. Internet slowdowns were found to be associated with atrocities and political events as possibly a national attempt to quell protest or limit communication during sensitive times.

Knowledge is painful but being uninformed may be life threatening.

Palestine lost World War II and the rest of the world is losing this current non-war. Every bomb is adding to global pollution and adding to the risk of birth defects in humans and animals. In some areas of the Middle East the rate of birth defects at some places and at some points of time reached 50%. Is that something the Nazi’s did to the United Kingdom with the Blitzkreig bombs? No. Whatever chemicals that were used to promote more fire risk didn’t add a nuclear radiation signature to the soil and air quality.

U.S. bombing is going to kill in slower ways than the Blitzkreig bombs, and likely will affect birth defect rates for a long time. My suggestion was help clean up and repair the soil and people with healing plants.

I’ve written about Zionism and the difference from anti-Zionism and have been called a Nazi for it, but Albert Einstein was a Jew at a time when Palestine was still a free country and he was an anti-Zionist. I am happy to stand with Albert Einstein. My children are 1/4 Jewish, I have nothing against Jewish individuals or groups. However I am very much against segregation and apartheid like laws. Diversity is beautiful and natural and Zionism isn’t diverse – it is about special treatment for one group at the expense of many other groups. The Middle East and Europe are disrupted and terror groups have been increasing in the Philippines and Bangladesh.

When will enough land for one group of people be enough?

Many people were anti-Zionists at the time preceding and during WWII. Taking another nation to give to a different group of people is not fair to the people who farmed the land for a thousand years – in some cases. If the European Jews had lived in the area of Palestine it had been over 1000 years prior, not in recent history.

Being for fair treatment of all groups is not racist or anti-Semitic. The current and past treatment of Arabs, Christians and Semitic Jews (non-European Jews who were living in the area of Palestine) has not been very equal compared to the way the European Jews were and are treated in modern day Israel.

Having two sets of rules for different racial or religious groups is part of the definition of Apartheid. The Israeli leader Netanyahu was recently quoted to say that the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank would never be given up. Three Palestinians including an 11 year old boy were shot by Israeli forces, just another day in their life, or fore-shortened life. The boy was shot in the head, albeit with a rubber bullet but who knows if he will survive that injury. He was taken for medical treatment. https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/10/3/israeli-forces-shoot-11-year-old-palestinian-in-the-head?utm_content=buffercd58a&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

It was wrong to treat black South Africans differently than white South Africans and it is wrong for Israel to be 90% segregated – that may be the wrong word but if 90% of the citizens are all the same religion or ethnicity than it seems applicable.

Persecution and humiliation tactics are commonly used against minorities or groups that are in a minority in that area. The technique may promote a feeling of pleasure in those participating as it may increase levels of dopamine but so would gratitude and friendliness. The humiliation tactic may increase risk of retaliation though in observers of the persecution of someone who they may feel similar to.

Even worse than laws that segregate or give limited supplies of water or energy to some areas are the unspoken policies by the U.S. and Israel to support radical groups sometimes on both opposing sides in the hopes that the two forces would keep each other in check. Arming two opposing radical groups leaves civilians unprotected in the middle.

A first hand account of what Zionists believe today is available in the form an a journalist’s interview of average Israeli citizens or visitors – the theme revealed by the interviews was disturbing to the reporter and to me – ethnic cleansing.

What would you think if Albert Einstein was quoted as saying carpet bombing the Middle East would be okay because he had a spiritual link to the ancient history of the land and he wanted to move in once the dust settled?

In my opinion Jewish people should be able to marry an Arab person if they both want to – and carpet bombing civilians is never okay – nor is random violence. Suggesting that violence against civilians is okay by some people but not others is discrimination, in addition to being violence, and we have seen increasing violence and increasing numbers of displaced people as a result of tension in the Middle East. Apartheid was wrong in South Africa and is wrong in Israel too. Persecution of others can lead to an increased risk of retaliation rather than supporting a goal of peace or communication.

Peace has to start somewhere and accepting and valuing each other’s differences may be the place to start. Not dropping over 20000 bombs is also probably a good place to start or threatening a country that has offered to negotiate if peace was being offered.

“The U.S., together with South Korea, simulates an invasion of North Korea every year. In Donald Trump’s first six months in office, he dropped over 20,650 bombs in approximately seven countries, which killed thousands of civilians. By comparison, Kim Jong-un bombs the ocean.” (theantimedia.org/north-korea-give-up-nukes/)

That number is enormous and is an escalation from 2016 but the number of bombs dropped in 2016 was also large: 26,171 bombs dropped over seven countries according to some record keepers. Even as an estimate that number makes me want to cry, and beg forgiveness, or to start planting sunflowers. (https://twitter.com/TravisRuger/status/917214035585781760) *Update, July 2018, U.S. averaging 121 bombs dropped per day. (see the Newsclick link)

We could also be planting sunflowers in low income urban areas where soil is contaminated with lead. Any areas that had a lot of automobile or other lead gasoline vehicles in the decades prior to its ban are likely to have soil that is dangerous for children to play. The recommendation for contaminated soil is to remove and replace it with uncontaminated soil or to cover over the area with some type of surface that would prevent the lead containing dust from getting in the air or on hands where it can then get into children’s mouths. Old damaged lead paint is best to paint over without dry sanding because dust in the air then may carry the lead elsewhere. Lead remediation specialists use a wet sanding method if they need to more thoroughly prepare a surface that had lead paint in some of the layers.

So as a citizen and former tax payer of the United States which just bombed seven countries with over 20,650 bombs in six months – if you want to call me a Nazi – I’m a citizen of the U.S. – it may be the word to describe us all, until we stop bombing the world in the name of peace or a so-called War on Terror. I’m terrified, please can we stop yet?

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.

A list of countries from a graphic prepared by Occupy London that is included in this article: https://politicalvelcraft.org/2017/08/16/americas-cia-israels-mossad-created-al-qaeda-and-the-isis-terror-group/

My transcribing of the graphic condenses the information to single entries for each country, rather than the consecutive time line used in the graphic and I may have transcribed a few dates inaccurately or the graphic may have contained errors – consider it an estimate that could be verified if desired.

  1. China: 1945-46, 1950-53
  2. Syria: 1949, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2017/apr/07/us-syria-response-donald-trump-assad-pentagon-live
  3. Korea: 1950-53
  4. Iran: 1953, 1998, 2005-present
  5. Guatemala: 1954, 1964, 1967-69
  6. Tibet: 1955-70’s
  7. Indonesia: 1958
  8. Cuba: 1959
  9. Democratic Republic of Congo: 1962-65
  10. Iraq: 1960-63, 1991, 1999-96, 2002-03, 2016
  11. Dominican Republic: 1961, 1965-66
  12. Vietnam: 1961-73
  13. Brazil: 1964
  14. Belgium Congo: 1964
  15. Laos: 1964-73
  16. Peru: 1965
  17. Greece: 1967
  18. Cambodia: 1969-70, 1988-95
  19. Chile: 1970-73
  20. Argentina: 1976
  21. Turkey: 1980
  22. Poland: 1980-81
  23. El Salvador: 1981-82
  24. Nicaragua: 1981-90
  25. Angola: 1980
  26. Lebanon: 1982-84
  27. Grenada: 1983-84
  28. Philippines: 1986
  29. Libya: 1989, 2011, 2016
  30. Panama: 1989-90
  31. Kuwait: 1991
  32. Somalia: 1992-94, 2006-07, 2016
  33. -2020
  34. Bosnia: 1995
  35. Sudan: 1998
  36. Afghanistan: 1998, 2001
  37. Yugoslavia-Serbia: 1999
  38. Yemen: 2011-12, 2016 https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/drone-war/data/yemen-reported-us-covert-action-2012, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/15/us-bombed-yemen-middle-east-conflict : https://www.vox.com/world/2016/10/14/13269580/us-bombing-yemen-houthis

Addition – Nov 28, 2020

Of the seven countries expected to be named in Trump’s executive order [travel ban], the US is currently bombing five of them: Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. In 2016 alone, the country dropped an estimated 26,172 bombs in seven countries, (including Pakistan and Afghanistan), according to the Council of Foreign Relations. This estimate is thought to be on the low-end as each single “strike” can involve multiple bombs, according to the Pentagon’s definition. In Barack Obama’s last year in office, the US dropped 3,028 more bombs than in 2015.https://qz.com/895516/which-countries-is-the-us-currently-bombing/

https://theintercept.com/2020/05/22/us-africa-aid-coronavirus-somalia-libya/

https://qz.com/269630/here-are-the-seven-countries-the-united-states-has-bombed-since-911/

Pre-eclampsia, oxidative stress, and Celiac sprue

Pre-eclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy which can become life threatening to the mother and baby. High blood pressure and severe swelling of the lower legs and face are symptoms of pre-eclampsia. If the condition worsens it is called eclampsia and seizures may be the life threatening risk. The swelling can become severe enough that toxin removal by the kidneys is reduced.

What causes pre-eclampsia is not yet well understood. Providing IV solutions of magnesium sulfate just prior to delivery helps reduce risk of seizures and usually delivery of the baby causes the rest of the symptoms to resolve. However people who’ve experienced IVs of magnesium sulfate shared with me that it feels like fire running through their veins. Background information — magnesium is an electrically active mineral that during normal health is kept in a very narrow range within the blood and is largely found within the interior of cells and within the bones. Calcium is also electrically active and it is in higher concentration within the blood than within the interior of cells.

Skipping ahead, oxidative stress prenatally has been shown to be involved in pre-eclampsia and it causes an increase in calcium flow in the placenta. [1]

While looking for more information about pre-eclampsia I found a Celiac Sprue forum [2] that included questions and comments about whether anyone else with celiac gluten intolerance had also experienced pre-eclampsia or HELLP complications of pregnancy and if so any ideas why they might co-occur. HELLP is a blood coagulation problem which I didn’t look into but Celiac sprue and pre-eclampsia may be likely to co-occur because both involve oxidative stress:

Hi, I’m a dietitian with an autoimmune condition and previous work experience with prenatal health. I’ve been researching why the advice I gave when I was working helped so many women at the time worked – but isn’t in the mainstream medical treatment yet. Increasing magnesium rich foods such as beans, nuts, and seeds helped women that had a history of preeclampsia or high blood pressure to have a normal pregnancy.

In a nut shell – oxidative stress causes the placenta to increase flow of calcium. Too much calcium can cause other cellular reactions and fluid changes. And oxidative stress can be caused by gluten exposure when there is an underlying celiac autoimmune condition or probably other autoimmune conditions.

Re oxidative stress, and calcium channels in the placenta: Reactive Oxygen Species Inhibit Polycystin-2 (TRPP2) Cation Channel Activity In Term Human Syncytiotrophoblast [1]

Re Celiac Sprue and oxidative stress, “long chain omega 3 fatty acids, plant flavonoids and carotenoids” were suggested as antioxidants that may help reduce the “oxidative stress, gene expression & production of inflammatory mediators”:  Celiac disease, inflammation and oxidative damage: a nutrigenetic approach.   Carotenoids include beta-carotene from carrots. Orange, red and dark green fruits and vegetables are generally good sources of carotenoids and plant flavonoids are also found in a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. Omega 3 fatty acids are found in fish oil supplements or salmon, tuna, sardines – limit as a mercury source however during pregnancy or child bearing years. Vegetarian sources of a precursor omega 3 fat include flax seed meal (ground is digestible, whole flax seeds aren’t really), walnuts, and hemp seed kernels.

Sesame seeds, or tahini, sesame paste, has been shown in sports research to help reduce oxidative stress. The trial subjects ate 2 tablespoons per day of the seeds. Effects of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Supplementation on Creatine Kinase, Lactate Dehydrogenase, Oxidative Stress Markers, and Aerobic Capacity in Semi-Professional Soccer Players.

Dark chocolate has also been shown to be beneficial antioxidant source.

Best wishes to any Celiac sufferers – I avoid gluten due to intolerance, initially for fibromyalgia like symptoms, and later autoimmune thyroid  antibodies were found but not antibodies for Celiac Sprue.

A dietitian can help work out more balanced diets when major food items have to be excluded for health purposes. A professional organization offers a search feature for helping to find a Registered Dietitian eatright.org/find-an-expert

~~

One more link that didn’t make it into the comment, magnesium deficiency in combination with elevated calcium levels may be involved in increasing oxidative stress: Magnesium deficiency and oxidative stress: an update, 2016,  [3]

Who am I? What is my purpose? I am a sick person, with professional health experience, who reads and writes about sickness for my own health and for other sick people — they are the ones who realize just how valuable health is and who may appreciate information whether it has a large price tag & an expensive office — or is shared freely out of love and concern. Pain hurts.

One more link because they’re so informative, the inflammatory system seems to be connected to both pain receptors and other nerve receptors so inflammation, (which leads to oxidative stress) activates pain receptors (nociceptors) – /speculation/ which could be part of the reason fibromyalgia and other inflammatory conditions cause pain – they may simply be causing pain receptors to be over-active due to inflammation: Neurogenic Inflammation – The Peripheral Nervous System’s Role in Host Defense and Immunopathology [4]

The inflammatory process causes oxidative stress: Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress as a major cause of age-related diseases and cancer. [5]

Adequate oxygen intake and flow to all the cells throughout the body is also necessary to prevent oxidative stress. Obesity can make it more difficult for oxygenated blood to reach all cells. [6]

Moderate exercise and deep breathing relaxation exercises may be helpful for improving oxygen intake and blood flow.

A previous article I wrote regarding magnesium and pre-eclampsia also includes information from a research hypothesis suggesting that intrauterine pressure itself may also be a trigger for worsening pre-eclampsia symptoms. [7] Not included in the hypothesis was why — which is likely to be due to the fact that physical (osmotic) pressure can cause TRP ion channels to open. TRP channels are a large group of specialized proteins which control flow of minerals such as calcium into the interior of cells. TRP channels include the ones that were shown to be dysregulated by oxidative stess in the placenta which allowed an increase of calcium to enter, which is described in the research article: Reactive Oxygen Species Inhibit Polycystin-2 (TRPP2) Cation Channel Activity In Term Human Syncytiotrophoblast [1]

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.

  1.  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5435874_Reactive_Oxygen_Species_Inhibit_Polycystin-2_TRPP2_Cation_Channel_Activity_In_Term_Human_Syncytiotrophoblast
  2. https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/topic/55927-pre-eclampsia-celiac/
  3. A.A. Zheltova, et al., Magnesium deficiency and oxidative stress: an update, Biomedicine (Taipei). 2016 Dec; 6(4): 20.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5112180/
  4. Isaac M. Chiu, et al., Neurogenic Inflammation – The Peripheral Nervous System’s Role in Host Defense and Immunopathology,  Nat Neurosci. 2012 Jul 26; 15(8): 1063–1067.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3520068/
  5. Khansari N, Shakiba Y, Mahmoudi M., Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress as a major cause of age-related diseases and cancer. Recent Pat Inflamm Allergy Drug Discov. 2009 Jan;3(1):73-80. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19149749
  6. N. Netzer, Hypoxia, Oxidative Stress and Fat., Biomolecules. 2015 Jun; 5(2): 1143–1150.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4496714/
  7. https://transcendingsquare.com/2011/02/19/preeclampsia-magnesium-deficiency-or-grass-staggers/

Magnesium might help protect against beta amyloid placques

Working on experimental medications for a prenatal population places the infants at risk in addition to the female patients. In my professional experience instructing clients about raw pumpkin seeds and the DASH diet frequently helped prevent preeclampsia or high blood pressure problems from reoccurring for patients with a history of having had the problem during a previous pregnancy. Pumpkin seed kernels are similar to sunflower seeds, both are good sources of magnesium and many other nutrients. The DASH diet promotes eating a serving of nuts, seeds or beans daily as a source of magnesium. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. [1]

Additional note: *Raw pumpkin seeds were my recommendation because the toasted salted ones can be very salty which would dilute the amount of magnesium naturally available in the seed compared to the large amount of sodium available from the added salt. Excess sodium can cause increased urinary losses of magnesium in the average person and may increase risk of high blood pressure in people who are salt sensitive. [5]

In a recent study conducted in 19 hypertensive patients after 2 months of adherence to a low (50 mmol/d) and high (200 mmol/d) sodium intake, the investigators observed an increase in intracellular (erythrocyte) calcium and sodium concentrations and a reduction in magnesium concentration during salt loading, primarily in salt-sensitive subjects.82 [5]

Nutritional strategies recommended to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease include increasing intake of magnesium. Research has found that low levels of magnesium promoted build up of  beta amyloid protein while high levels of magnesium promoted breakdown of the misshapen proteins.

“Lab studies show that magnesium modulates enzymes involved in amyloid beta production; at low levels, magnesium favors amyloid beta buildup, while at higher levels it favors amyloid beta breakdown.101,102″ [2]

That article also contains good news for coffee drinkers; drinking 3 to 5 cups of caffeinated coffee per day is associated with reduced risk for Alzheimer’s disease. The article suggests that the caffeine content itself seems to provide the protective effects. [2] Coffee is also a good source of magnesium, perhaps that is a coincidence. However three to five cups of coffee is more than is recommended during pregnancy; one cup per day is likely safe while six cups of coffee per day may be harmful for pregnancy. The article also recommends blueberries and curcumin (found in turmeric which is commonly used in mustard and in curry powder) which would be safe during pregnancy.

The misshapen proteins have a protective effect against bacteria and the yeast Candida albicans so a chronic lowgrade infection may be an underlying cause of the accumulation of beta amyloid placques. [3] [4]

/Disclaimer: This information is for educational or entertainment purposes, see a health professional for individual medical guidance./