VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY IN PREGNANCY MAY IMPAIR LANGUAGE IN OFFSPRING

An Australian long term follow up study of children found that maternal serum vitamin D levels at 18 weeks of pregnancy were related to language difficulties in the children at 5 and 10 years. Vitamin D deficiency during early pregnancy was associated with an almost two-fold higher rate of language impairment in the offspring compared with women with vitamin D levels above 70 n/mol/L. Researchers found that there was a ‘cutoff’ level of 50 nmol/L for circulating 25 (OH)-vitamin D levels, below which the language impairment was seen. They noted that this threshold effect was similar to that seen for vitamin D levels and other health outcomes such as bone density and colorectal cancer risk.

According to the researchers, the developing foetus is completely reliant on maternal vitamin D stores and vitamin D has numerous physiological and endocrine roles vital to neurodevelopment. Levels below 75 nmol/L are considered insufficient. The optimal level required to maintain health in the general population is 75-150nmol/L. Higher levels are recommended to reduce the risk of cancers, heart disease and diabetes.

Click here for the link to this study  Maternal Serum Vitamin D Levels published recently in Pediatrics.

Vitamin D deficiency is so prevalent in the Australian population and testing is relatively simple and inexpensive. Healthscope Functional Pathology offer a blood test to assess vitamin D status. Fasting is not required beforehand.

Ask your doctor for a blood test for Vitamin D, or buy through my shop .

Vitamin D is provided for FREE by the sun (only 15 minutes a day) and yet we have almost become paranoid to get any sun exposure. Unless you are negro or scotish decent (or have known skin cancers) you are probably safe to get some sun exposure.

And the research probably won’t have a definitive answer on this one but my educated guess is that yes, boxing does increase testosterone levels in women. But boxing is often loved by women who have high testosterone levels as it gives them a chance to take out some frustration and is a great form of exercise.

Why would it go up?

There are two research items only that I know of looking at this.

One was by Prof Dabbs in the USA and he studied a group of men. He checked their testosterone levels before a soccer match and split the men. He got one to support one team and the others to support the other team. After the game he checked their levels again.

What he found is that the winning supporters raised their testosterone dramatically (and got all the symptoms that go with that – feeling good, happy and wanting to celebrate). The supporters of the losing team dropped their levels and felt depressed and wanted to go home.

The other bit of research (which is my own) was done a while ago and I asked women (survey) if they felt more feminine wearing dresses. All said yes. I imagine if we did one on boxing (and maybe i will) we will find women feel “euphoric” strong and will get a surge in testosterone.

Thanks for the question! And if you want to grab the special for the next 72 hours only , test kit for hormone levels and consultation with me, you can find out what your levels are at base.

Smiles Sam

Valentines Day – is it a good thing?

ON the Eve before Valentines Day I am wondering if I will get some random flowers, earrings or card, or maybe  I will send something later today or not???

And I have decided to think a bit higher than just my day to day romance needs and dreams and to reflect about the health benefits of Valentines Day.

Over the years working in Coronoary Care Units (the part of the hospital where heart patients go), I know there is a direct link between the heart and our emotions.

I’m not the first to have noticed this phenomena by the way. There are many well researched papers coining terms such as “broken heart syndrome” where people literally have a heart attack because their emotions get broken.

If you have ever experienced a trauma, or someone loved dying you will know about “heart ache”. It is TRUE, REAL and alive in all of us (while our heart beats anyway).When things are wonderful, we feel alive, full of life and light and when someone we love is hurt or dies, we feel crushing chest pain. Almost choking pain. I believe firmly that there is a direct link between our emotions and our heart.

So this Valentine’s Day I urge you to express your love, not just to your partner, but to your family, kids, friends and YOURSELF.Express what your heart is trying to say. If you struggle, express it with an act (nothing that will land you in jail) but something little and significant.

Words are free but some people find them hard to say out loud. (And that is normal, but until you start, you certainly won’t master it). Here are a few I thought might kick start your vocabularly into heart expression…

Nice deep breathe… then say….

I love you. I like you. You make me feel great. Thanks for being you. I love myself.

There you go… not easy for some, but doable.

Enjoy HEART day. I will and I know while my heart beats, I love the world

I must confess that this is not my “home made secret recipe.” The really amazing people from Roar (Gold Coast based cooking group), and Pandoras Heirloom have passed it along.

Why I love it…

* This cake doesn’t require cooking

* There is no added sugar

* It is gluten free, dairy free and egg free and still tastes fantastic

* It has protein, superfoods, omega threes and is healthy. I am sure you could nearly live on it.

Base

Blend these following three ingredients in a blender.

1/2 cup soaked dried apricots

1 cup organic nuts

1 cup of shredded coconut

Press the blended mix into a cake dish or tray

Filling:

1 1/2 cups of dates

1/2 cup of coconut oil (optional for icecream)

2-3 avocados

1/2 – 3/4 cup of cacao.

Mix all ingredients in a blender and place in the base. Allow to set in the fridge.

Delicious!

Some averages:

The average cycle is 28-32 days (this is the time for a bleed , and the gap until the next one)

The average period is 4-5 days (this is the time that you are losing blood)

The heavist day is usually day 2 (clots are not considered normal, although common and can mean you are low in magnesium, B6, progesterone or high in estrogen, or have fibroids, polyps or other things going on).

Pain should not warrant a day off work, panadol but at most should be a dull ache.

PMS symptoms usually mean an underlying hormone problem, which can be easily tested using a saliva test kit

If you are unsure, talk with your friends or book an appointment with me.

You don’t need to suffer with hideous periods any more!

What is the best time in the month yo have  sex if you want to fall pregnant?

Day 1 of the cycle is the first day of the woman’s period. The average woman will hatch an egg (ovulate) around the 14^th day, which will survive for up to a week, but is best for 48 hours, so this is when insemination needs to occur. Many women ovulate earlier than 14 days and many are late ovulators.

To determine whether you are ovulating, a doctor can do a blood test for Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) in the early part of your cycle.  There are many home kits designed to pick up changes in your hormones to let you know if you are ovulating. Other reliable signs are vaginal secretions, which change from being a normal milky or clear fluid with mushy consistency, to egg white consistency and very slimy. Temperature increases; a slight pain on one side; increased libido, a pimple or tears, are also other subtle signs that you may be ovulating.

Many people are rusty on this , even those going that next step (IVF) ..

In 2009 two Melbourne IVF clinics conducted a study and found that only 13 per cent of women had a good understanding of when they were fertile in their cycle, with 53 per cent having a poor understanding and 11 per cent with no understanding at all! This research is alarming, as doctors are referring couples to IVF clinics without first assessing or supplying basic education, and are also installing a fear of ‘infertility’ into their minds, when many may not be.

If you want to find out what your hormones are doing, try a saliva test. Webinars on fertility are coming up so make sure you join the newsletter for the latest info Sam

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affects a large percentage of people and by in large, I find the cause is usually a combination of food intolerances, bowel dysbiosis (eg parasites, worms), stress and hormone imbalances.

Particularly for women, an estrogen imbalance can lead to bloating, constipation and a general feeling of fullness. Some women can gain 2-4 kg the week prior to their period. Normally this is due to increased estrogen and fluid retention not bowel related causes, however the two can be confused.

If you have other symptoms of high estrogen levels (lumpy or tender breasts, acne, headaches, fluid retention, mood changes) then ask for some professional advice, tune into a webinar or do one of the home hormone kits.

There is no need to put up with IBS or other bowel symptoms – find someone in the health industry that you can trust, get them to find the cause and then make action steps to improve your life.

Facts about fertility

What someone had to say…

At age 30, my husband and I are trying to have our first child and for a few months now I have been searching many websites in a frustrating attempt to understand fertility. The other day I was so confused, I put down the laptop and decided to pick up the latest issue of FF magazine for a bit of light relief and to my surprise I find the article ‘Facts about fertility’! Can I just thank you guys for printing the most understandable, informative and interesting article that I ever have read on fertility. My frustration and confusion has ended and I now feel I understand my body so much better.

Thank-you Channel Story for running the story (2 years after it was filmed) as I have been inundated with women saying how much the story has given them hope and options. Thank-you .

Here’s the story