A Little Dishing from the FertilityBitch: Meg Ryan

Apropos of celebrity adoptions being all the rage, here's a take on Meg Ryan, whose previous egregious anti-Asian behavior now makes it such a thorn in my eye that she adopted a child from China!

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Take our fun flag quiz!!!




[n.b. this is an old post I wrote when I was blogging for Adoption.com--thank ya to the Worsted Witch for reminding me to repost this]

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Okay, for those souls too busy watching the Olympics to be obsessed with Celebrity Fertility, I will update you: the actress Meg Ryan has adopted a baby girl from China. Get it here, from none other than the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4653752.stm

I find this exceedingly ironic given the flap that I was privy to while in Korea. East Asia, as you may or may not know, is a big repository for celebrity shills, people who are above "tainting" themselves with overexposure here, but gladly push all sorts of bizarre products in Asia because 1. they get paid a lot and 2. no one's going to see the ads. This was sort of the bummed out, lower-than-low situation Bill Murray found himself in the movie Lost in Translation as a former star now sunk to touting some whiskey he doesn't even drink and in the meantime loathing himself for falling this low, loathing the Japanese people who were now providing his living.

The people I saw most regularly in ads were Sly Stallone, Brooke Shields, and Meg Ryan. Koreans loooooooove Meg Ryan because she is "cute." And the strange product she endorsed and most likely never used was a soap called Sexy-Mild. The ads, print and TV, were everywhere. I can't remember the exact details of the imbrogilio as it was over ten years ago, but I think she was on Letterman or some other TV talk show back in the good ol' US of A, and the host, justifiably, was needling her a little for being such an overseas shill, and she said something to the effect of (and I paraphrase), "Well, if the people in China or Japan or whatever are so dumb they buy the products just because my face is on it, that's their problem. Plus, it smells bad in China." At least, this is how my Korean colleagues (many of whom have excellent English comprehension skills) recounted it to me.

She obviously must have forgotten that there's AFKN (Armed Forces Korea Network) in Korea, which pipes in American TV for the GIs, but is accessible by anyone. Soon the entire Korean nation was in an uproar over her words. Everyone was hopping mad! She might have made the smelly comment after that; I can't remember, but I do remember it took a few combative news cycles before she realized her advertising image was at stake and she eventually released an apologetic video.

The last celebrity flap like this that I can remember (much milder, actually) was when Kathie Lee Gifford was so upset when she was denied a baby from China because she and her husband's ages added together exceeded 100 (you do the math!)

Anyway, I wish Meg Ryan luck and she could still redeem herself in my Korean American eyes by taking the flag quiz, at the top.

Treehugger sends blog love, we send it back

I forgot in the busy-ness of last week, we got a "Favourite Green" from Treehugger. Yay, us! Yay, green community!

Kimchi instructions

One of the things Michael Pollan (my new hero!) suggests for healthier eating, besides never eating something Grandma wouldn't recognize as food, is to follow "folk" food traditions because if they'd lasted 5,000 years, there must be something to them.

Well, I grew up im the north woods of Minnesota, where there aren't any Koreans (or other people of color in general), so it was a bit difficult for my parents to get kimchi until the late 70s when a tiny market opened in St. Paul (4 1/2 hours away...). But once they got it, they stockpiled a bunch of it, always being careful to hide it if anyone came over, etc. But they ate it religiously with meals, and after a meal out, my dad would rush home (esp if it was a typical, fatty, northern Minnesota meal--what other kinds are there?) and eat a bunch of kimchi, declaring he hadn't eaten unless he'd had kimchi.

So of course I've had this "kimchi helps digestion" thing drilled into me, and it wasn't until recently that I found out it actually DOES have enzymes in it that help you digest food, wouldn't you know? And nappa cabbage is a natural source of lactobacillus probiotics, including the unusually hardy strain, l. plantarum. You can read all about the scientific validity here at this Cornell website, or you can just take my word for it.

So get 1-2 heads nappa cabbage (also called Chinese cabbage) and please try to get organic because cabbage can be very pesticidey.

(thank you to Jason
who takes much better pictures than
I do and loaned me some)

Next assemble the following

• 4-6 cloves of garlic
• 2-3 thumbs of ginger
• green onion and/or garlic chives ("buchu")
• sea salt NOT iodized (kosher is ok, too)
• red pepper flakes ("Gochukaro")
• daikon (optional but very healthy)
• carrots (optional)
• dab of raw honey

Wash and cut up the cabbage into bite sized pieces. Then sprinkle it in a large pot, adding salt between the layers, kind of like you're salting a roast or something.

Then put something heavy on top of it: clean plate, I have a clean stone from our sauerkraut maker.

Leave it overnight to squish out the water. Cabbage should be limp in the morning.



Taste the cabbage--it should be pleasantly salty. It's it's too-too salty, give it a quick rinse.

Stick it all in a bowl and add matchstick veggies . Mash the cloves of garlic and ginger (to taste) through a garlic press, food processor, or mince (I think mashing makes for better taste), add hot pepper.

My aunt uses sugar to get the cultures going, I use a dab of honey. You don't need to use anything at all. Mixing it with the hands is supposed to add a nice "vibe" to the whole thing. I always mix by hand.


Put the finished product in clean glass jars (the beauty of it, you don't need to sterilize, like you do for canning--the garlic and hot pepper keeps everything nice and clean). The color will depend on how much hot pepper you put in. The kimchi here is what it normally looks like (yum!). The picture of my cabbage in the bowl (previous picture) looks "weak" because I put in less pepper because I was making it for my son and didn't want the school calling DCYF on me for torturing my child (believe me, they already talk about the weird mommy who doesn't let her kid have ice cream).

Make sure you press all the air bubbles while you are packing it, so the cabbage will be immersed in juice. Swish about 1/4- 1/2 cu water around the bowl you made the kimchi in to get all the spices and stuff from the sides (recycling! reclamation!) and pour the mixture into the jars so that you have enough fluid. Leave about an inch, but no more, at the top, the close the lids. I put the jars on a tray because--if you did it right--in the fermentation, liquid might be pushed out the top of the jar.

Leave the whole thing out like a science project for 3-4 days and taste it. It should not be moldy or putrid, it should just taste pleasantly fermented--if tastes off (I've only had this happen once) it's because the stuff wasn't packed/immersed tightly enough or not enough salt/garlic. I know leaving food out can seem "unclean," but clever peoples learned to survive before Sub-zero refrigerators were invented**. Refrigerating it too soon will kill or slow the probiotics, so...chill out.

Some previous posts:

• Why Kimchi is Good for You
• Kimchi can kill the avian flu virus
• **Rex Reed's misguided, racist diatribe about Koreans eating "rotting" food**
  

People with Korean-y blood, listen up

Sorry peeps, the kimchi recipe will have to wait. If you are partly or wholly Korean, you might want to check this out:

Sam is 21 years old. He was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
over the winter break; a good match for a bone marrow donor could
greatly increase his chances for survival. He is a hard bone marrow
match because he is biracial (Korean/western European). Potential
donors (18-60 years old) with similar Asian and/or European
backgrounds are his best chance.

There are currently only 10 potential matches for Sam in the bone
marrow database throughout the world -- and they may or may not
ultimately match or be available.

More info on how to register as a bone marrow donor andif you specifically want to be test to help Sam Cross: www.helpsamiam.com.

There is also national Asian American donor registry, btw, and the test doesn't hurt a bit.

KIMCHI recipe is coming. I just need to get a grant application out of the way, first as it is due TODAY. Thanks for your patience!

xo,
Da FertilityBitch

Do-It-Yourself Citrus Toner

I was so excited to find a Buddha's Hand fruit in our local, but very cool supermarket. Of course I was the only one buying it, and people gave me lots of looks and questions.

This fruit is considered to be yummily medicinal, and it's basically all rind, like the Korean citron, yu-ja, that makes a great tea. I can't decide whether I should make tea with it, more maybe throw it into a citrus toner:


Citrus Mint Toner

Inspired by 365 Simple Pleasures, collected by Susannah Seton (Conari Press, 2001).

A splash of this easy-to-make formula will perk up a tired or oily complexion and bring some sparkle to your skin. It uses ingredients that are both refreshing and abundant at this time of year; together they make this toner smell mouth-wateringly delicious.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup water
1/4 cup lemon peel, finely grated
1/4 cup grapefruit peel, finely grated
1 cup fresh mint leaves

1. Bring water to a rapid boil and add other ingredients. Boil 1 to 2 minutes, until peels are soft and slightly translucent.

2. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then strain and discard solids.

3. Store formula in the refrigerator and use a splash whenever needed to perk up your skin.

Mixture keeps for 2 to 3 weeks.

For more lovely citrus smell in your life, try the orange-ginger shea butter from Perfect Organics.

Bees have antibiotics (eek!)

I'm reading Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma where he traces the sources of our foodstuffs and finds that antibiotics are dumped in chicken, pigs, beef. Sickly farm raised, Omega-3-less salmon are also given antibiotics, and then there's the whole overuse of antibiotics by your friendly doc/pediatrician.

Now, say it ain't so, but you could be getting antibiotics via your honey. I noticed our co-op was selling "antibiotic free honey," and so asked Max Gitlen, the general manager of our co-op, and here's what he said:

Most commercial apiaries give their bees antibiotics at this point. It's due to the fact that there is, generally speaking, a crisis in the bee world. As with many other
animals, we have bred our commercial bees to have certain traits (we want them to be productive, docile, etc) and as a result the vast majority of them are VERY similar, genetically speaking. These bees have bred with wild bees, weakening their genetic diversity as well.

As a result, all of them--domesticated and wild--are highly susceptible to the same diseases and bee mites, which have started to kill them off. This is obviously quite dangerous, as bees are the primary pollinators of fruits and veggies, and if they lack the necessary genetic diversity, they may not be able to develop sufficient resistance. Many fruit farmers have already lost portions of their crops to under-pollination!

MAN FERTILITY and I actually know someone who died of one of those antibiotic-resistant "superbugs." I suggest you minimize antibiotics whenever possible because you're probably getting plenty from some OTHER vector you don't yet know about...

Infertility Donuts: The new rap on trans fats

Appetizing! You have to figure that some man-made process that forces hydrogen into vegetable oil in an industrial process has to gum up the human machine somewhere...

From The new rap on trans fats: infertility By William Saletan - Slate Magazine:

Trans fats may cause female infertility.

Data: 'Each 2% increase in the intake of energy from trans unsaturated fats, as opposed to that from carbohydrates, was associated with a 73% greater risk of ovulatory infertility,' even after adjustment for fertility risk factors. Hypothesis: Trans fats disrupt a fertility-boosting 'cell receptor involved in inflammation, glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity.'

Sounds like you might be able to get diabetes from it, too!

Bonus Post: Global Warning Rage, Manhattan Style

After my angry screed against the line of idlin' SUVs at my local prep school, multiply that by a hundred. Looky what I found today in the New York Times (my snarky ex-New Yorker comments are in {}s):

Once Around the Block, James, and Pick Me Up After My Nap

By ERIC KONIGSBERG

The cars gather in front of the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan about 8:30 a.m. In the front seats sit hired drivers (nobody uses the term chauffeur anymore). The cars are mostly big and mostly black luxury-edition sport utility vehicles like the Mercedes GL-Class or the GMC Yukon Denali. They fill the lanes in front of the Y’s entrance on Lexington Avenue, often two or three rows deep.

...The children — ages 3 through 5 — are enrolled at the Y’s famous nursery school. The livery convention on Lexington Avenue occurs most every weekday. Neighbors of the Y and parents with children in the nursery school say they have seen the number of cars and drivers increase considerably over the past couple of years...

...In exasperation, the director of the school, Nancy Schulman, drafted a letter to all families insisting that the drivers wait somewhere else while parents or baby sitters take the children in: find a legal parking space, or take their cars for a few spins around the block.

...Some parents applauded the action. “Personally, I think it’s great of the Y to do that,” said one mother who takes her child to school by taxi.

{What ever happened to taking the subway? Or walking???? One of the best things about NYC!}

...The Y is hardly the only school in the neighborhood where children get to school by car and driver. Dropoff hour at Nightingale-Bamford, on 92nd Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues, and at Dalton’s lower school, on 91st between Park and Madison, is often clogged by chauffeured S.U.V.’s....Over the course of four mornings this winter, at least 22 chauffeured S.U.V.’s were seen, most of them repeatedly, waiting in front of the school while parents brought in their children.

...A parent whom other parents identified as a chauffeur-using mother, Alison Schneider, whose husband, Jack Schneider, is a hedge fund manager, said, “I got the letter, but I don’t really have any feelings about it one way or the other. It’s kind of boring.”

...The consensus from parents who make use of a driver to deliver their children to school, even if the trip is just a few blocks long, is that time is scarce.

...{I love this quote:} Myrna Weiss, a former member of the Y’s board of directors and a grandparent of a child at the nursery school, interpreted the use of chauffeurs...: “It’s also about one-upmanship. That game used to be played much more quietly, over what clubs the parents had their children’s birthday parties at. There weren’t such visible signs of a pecking order.”

{I think this explains the lady I saw. People waste because they can, and its even becoming a status symbol---eeeeeeek! }

(use my username/password: "GreenFertility" on nytimes.com).

p.s. Anyone remember those pics of George H.W. Bush being chauffered (back when they used real, honest to goodness limos) to kindergarten in Greenwich?

Need more? :'Smoking gun' report to say global warming here - CNN.com: "

REVIEW: Perfect Organics Orange Ginger Shea Butter

Well! This sure puts the perfect back into organics.

Orange is my new favorite winter scent--it's so evocative, warm. And my acupuncturists have all been telling me to step up the ginger to warm up my cold constitution. I've been chucking it into soups, but now I have it in Perfect Organics' Orange-Ginger Shea butter.

As I have mentioned many times before, I am lazy. And I love multipurpose products. This is basically plain old organic shea butter with 100% organic oils and non-GMO (thank you!) vitamin E as preservative.

I use shea butter to

• Moisturize
• Lip balm
• Tame staticky hair flyaways
• Can be used as styling gel (sparingly!)
• Spot conditioner for dry ends after shampoo
  
• Great cuticle cream
• PLUS it's not a liquid or a gel
  

Basically, stash one of these in your travel kit and skip the moisturizer, lip balm, hair gel, etc.

I've also heard you can use it as a "personal lubricant." However, I *don't* think it's latex safe and if you're trying to conceive, stay clear of anything that may alter the pH of your vagina!

Rare snow storm surprises Arizona and more weird weather

It's finally snowing here, but I still feel unease. It doesn't smell like winter, and out neighbors tree is still pushing out buds and I still see live pansy flowers in flower boxes all over town...weird.

And weird weather? There's plenty!


Rare snow storm surprises Arizona - Yahoo! News.

There's another storm in Colorado,

In Oklahoma, an ice storm disrupted power to as many as 125,000 homes and businesses while warming temps later led to melting ice and snow that have turned roads into slushy rivers, yards into quagmires and streams into rushing torrents.

And, the coup de grace: a pickup truck carrying radioactive materials used in pipeline scanning equipment was swept from a bridge and disappeared in a swollen creek in Oklahoma's Pittsburg County.

Hmmmm?

See also: global warming rage

Coop-ing

We just joined Urban Greens coop here in Providence, which is kind of a buyers club and is in the process of creating a retail store.

It's kind of a neat thing--the co-op buys directly from local farmers, beekeepers, herbalists, and there's also access to an association catalog where we can buy stuff in bulk. I bought 9 lbs of buckwheat soba noodles...they just came--plop--in some old box...saved a lot on all the pesky plasticky packaging.

There's annual dues, and each member of the co-op works for an additional discount. We packed root veggies one day and our regular job is as Spanish translator.

And while I do depend on Whole Food for many things, I'm really really enjoying getting off the grid even more!

Read more about the joys of co-oping at Eco-chick.

Neonatal Outcomes Worse With Planned Cesarean Than Planned Vaginal...

Planned c-sections are all the rage with celebrities, another US magazine thing that trickles down to the masses...if Kate Hudson does it to keep her skinny hips, why not me?

To be filed under: It's not nice to fool Mother Nature:

Neonatal Outcomes Worse With Planned Cesarean Than Planned Vaginal...: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 08 - Newborns delivered via planned cesarean section are more likely to be transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit and to experience pulmonary disorders compared with those delivered via planned vaginal delivery, according to findings published in the December issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

'The appropriateness of the rising rate of cesarean delivery worldwide has been debated widely,' Dr. Toril Kolas, of Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway, and colleagues write.

In a prospective study, the researchers examined neonatal outcomes among 18,653 singleton deliveries during a 6-month period. Data obtained from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway were analyzed according to intended mode of delivery.

Of the 18,653 deliveries, 17,828 were planned vaginal deliveries and 825 were planned cesarean deliveries. Rates of transfer to the neonatal intensive care unit were 5.2% for planned vaginal deliveries versus 9.8% for planned cesarean deliveries (p < p =" 0.01)."

For the child, the stress of vaginal delivery seems superior to elective.

Global Warming Rage?

We need a new word. There's Road Rage, so why not Global Warming Rage? Last week, I was walking (yes, walking) home from the train station, slogging my way up the hill back to our house (and, yes, getting a bit sweaty in the 60ish degrees) when I saw a woman in her gigantic Volvo waiting for "Timmy/Tommy/Tiffany" to finish his/her soccer game WHILE SITTING IN A RUNNING CAR reading a magazine, while the FertilityBitch, of childbearing age, is sucking her %$)(#$*#$& exhaust and also making projections about exactly when the jetstream will poop out due to Global Warming. I made sure to glare at her, but she didn't even look up from her )(#$&*#$^ House Beautiful!

Also, during school pickup and dropoff, the line of idling SUVs (yes, that's the majority at this private school, there is the occasional Prius) goes around the block. I don't get it--there's not need to have the car on while you're waiting (and if it's in the 60s here, ahem, I assume no need for the heater, not quite aircon time, either). It seems more like a "look at me I can waste because I can."

We have one car, and had trouble renting out house for the sabbatical years because people (1) couldn't fit their blotational SUVs in our tiny garage AND (2) it's only a one-car garage (plus, we don't have cable, but that's an entirely different story). Sometiems I get so depressed that all the effort we put out to reduce out footprint and we just get STOMPED on by everyone else.

Check out Jill Sobule's Manhattan in January. 'Cause here we have, uh, Manhattan in January:



Thanks to the Worsted Witch for the head's up.

(photo: The New York Times)

And remember, this little cold snap we are currently experiencing shouldn't put anyone at ease (I saw someone today jogging in shorts, fueled by the memories of 60 degrees last week). Global Warming is a misnomer--it might also make things colder (esp. if the jetstream stops), and will definitely make the weather wackier. Three blizzards in Denver? Snow in Texas?

Need more? See Global Fertility: Polar Bears Declared Endangered.

tags technorati : global warming

Welcome, Bodhi and Sloane! Congrats Kim!

Let's wish a big ol' happy candy heart to Kim, whose awesome babes rushed into the world a bit early two days ago. But thanks to Kim's spirit and wisdom about nourishing body and soul, these guys are a really, really nice size for twins. Safe mommy and baby (and, happy daddy) whoppee!

You did it, Kim!

Born 01/16/07 @ 2:03 and 2:05 PM, via emergency
c-section -- we are the proud and grateful parents of
two beautiful yet premie babies!

Bodhi James Walsh was first to enter the world with a quiet
and humble little cry. He weighed 4lbs./12.8 oz, he is
17.5" tall and his cranium is 12.5" oblong. His first
name is best defined as "Spiritual Awakening" in the
Buddhist tradition. He has earned this name with his
peaceful demeanor and ethereal good looks. His middle
name is in honor of his paternal Grandfather, James
Walsh.

Sloane Bateman Walsh entered in her own style by biting the
Dr.'s finger as he attempted to help her clear her
mouth for her first breath! Entering the world feet
first, kicking, she is fiesty and perturbed that her
pipsqueak brother popped the timer a few weeks short
by "abrubting" his placenta from the uterus
prematurely. She weighed 5 lbs. 3.2 oz. and is a
towering 18.25" tall with a 13" round head of thick
dark hair. She has already earned the meaning to her
name-"Warrior" with her stern and strong demeanor. Her
middle name is in honor of her maternal Grandfather,
Walter Bateman Allen Jr.

An urban denizen beseeches nature writers to focus on cities for a change

A friend who is an amazing writer wrote this for Grist. Read it:

Grist: "In Cities Is the Preservation of the Word:
An urban denizen beseeches nature writers to focus on cities for a change

By Jenny Price
09 Jan 2007

A plea to nature writers: Come write about Los Angeles. To all the young aspiring Thoreaus out there: Head to this megalopolis in droves, as if to Mecca. Chicago is also good. New York. Pittsburgh. Atlanta. Reno. Providence. Houston. Indianapolis.

Why does the venerable American literary genre of nature writing continue to ignore cities? Sure, a few wonderful writers are traveling the mean streets: very recently, Michael Pollan has rooted urgently through our supermarkets and kitchens. But when I browse the state-of-the-genre bible, the 2002 Norton anthology of nature writing, I can find only two essays -- out of the 83 written after 1960 -- that explore people's connections to nature in the places where most of us live...

More here.

Top IVF doctor's clinics raided by police

From the UK's Independent:

"Two fertility clinics run by Mohamed Taranissi, Britain's most successful IVF doctor, were inspected unannounced on Monday, after one of the clinics was filmed offering unproven treatment to women.

Police accompanied Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority inspectors during the visits to the London-based clinics­ the Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre and Reproductive Genetics Institute­ run by Mr Taranissi, who has produced 2 300 babies over the past seven years and is reportedly worth £30-million.

The HFEA said it obtained search warrants as part of 'regulatory action' after being contacted by 'whistle-blowers who appear to have been working in the centre'.

The investigation comes after staff at one of the clinics were filmed for the BBC's Panorama allegedly offering a 26-year-old undercover journalist 'unnecessary and unproven' IVF treatment, despite she and her husband having no history of fertility problems."

Here's more from the Guardian:

The fertility clinic with the highest IVF success rate in the country is the worst at meeting standards - including safety procedures - set by the fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

The Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre, run by Britain's wealthiest doctor, Mohamed Taranissi, ranks the lowest among 77 clinics currently licensed for treatment. Only one other clinic, the Reproductive Genetics Institute in London, scored lower in an HFEA audit, but it no longer has a licence to practise.

At this point, these are allegations only, but with any medical treatment that becomes a consumer item, may I remind you: caveat emptor! I have definitely heard anecdotal stories of docs trying to "pump up the volume" either with unecessary treatments, or harvesting non viable eggs to stretch out those profitable IVF cycles...

New Diet Drug Is Approved for Pudgy Dogs

If you ever had any doubt that the drug companies, altruistic protestations aside, mainly want to get more people to take their drugs, take more drugs, take them longer, look no further:

New Diet Drug Is Approved for Pudgy Dogs - New York Times: "Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration announced one possible way to address the problem: the first prescription drug to treat obesity in dogs.

“This is a welcome addition to animal therapies, because dog obesity appears to be increasing,” said Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the food and drug agency, announcing the approval of the drug.

Veterinarians define obese dogs as those that are 20 percent overweight. About 5 percent of dogs in the United States are obese, and another 20 precent to 30 percent are overweight, according to the drug agency. In all, Pfizer, the maker of the dog drug, called Slentrol, estimates that four million American dogs are obese and potential candidates for its therapy, which will cost $1 to $2 a day.

Not only is this silly in the face of real health crises facing people, but it's doubly brazen and outrageous because canine obesity can be so easily "cured" by feeding dogs less and exercising them more...

Pregnancy Stories By Age

Here's an interesting site where people contribute their personal stories...it's pretty inspiring in the face of "You're over 35, you're fertility toast," etc. Again, I feel that if you take care of yourself, your fertility can last for quite a while.

From the site:

Pregnancy Stories By Age: "Who says your eggs are too old?

It's not hard to understand the fears surrounding conception. Yes, the statistics show that a woman's fertility declines as she ages, but you must keep in mind that these numbers may have nothing to do with you.

In fact, over the last 20 years, births to women over age 40 have increased by 50%.... And in 1991, 92,000 women in the U.S. over age 40 had babies. That number continues to rise. A lot of forty-something women don't realize how fertile they are, which may account for the fact that they are second only to women ages 18-25 in frequency of abortions.

Who says your eggs are too old? Furthermore, you should know that the vast majority of babies born to women in their forties are healthy. And in healthy women, the vast majority of pregnancies are completed without a hitch.

-Christiane Northrup, M.D., Health Wisdom

REVIEW: Patagonia Water Girl

I've long admired the Patagonia Company for their commitment to the environment. I was looking for some hemp paper, and saw that they also use hemp paper for their office. They've also committed themselves for years to using only organic cotton (why non-organic cotton is bad, see here). But on my short, scrawny ectomorphic self, their clothes looked like feedbags, and smalls were still too big (with a lot of clothes, actually--I'm beyond a 0 in Banana Republic, even though I don't buy their clothes!).

My other ectomorphic friend suggested shopping juniors, and i could sort of do without the sequins and belly-baring shirts. At least now, ta-dah! Water Girl to the rescue! Patagonia sent me a whole style book so I could see the depth of their fashionable, organic, and super functional "W" clothes, from shirts to pants to jackets and swimsuits. Finally something (like this awesome v-necked hoody-without-the-hood) that can go to work and play and is organic!

Doesn't it look nice with my Loomstate jeans?

Here it is in Green Fertility green.

tags technorati : reviews Patagonia organic cotton

Pregnant with Hypothyroidism? Increase Your Medication!!!

For Ali (applause, applause)...and anyone even thinking about conceiving:

Pregnant with Hypothyroidism? Increase Your Medication!!!: "

If you’re pregnant and hypothyroid, you may need an increase in your dose of thyroid hormone replacement, even just a few weeks after conception, according to research reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study, conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital-Harvard Medical School in Boston, found that 85 percent of pregnant women with hypothyroidism --a condition where the thyroid is unable to produce sufficient thyroid hormone -- require an increase in thyroid hormone replacement drug to protect the baby. "**

Hm, coincidentally, Brigham is where I'm headed to check out my wee thyroid, will check back and answer the reader question of how to find a good thyroid doc.

Even more funny, my acupuncture place is just a minute or two away--I'm still trying to figure out if the balancing that's been going on means my thyroid is also more balanced. We'll see!

**And check out What are the normal thyroid levels for each trimester of pregnancy?

Adoption news: Angelina is a Madonna but not vice versa?

Morning Briefing:

Jolie weighs in on Madonna: According to the Daily Mail, Angelina Jolie wasn't impressed with how Madonna decided to go about adopting her son, David, from Malawi. "Madonna knew the situation in Malawi," said Jolie. "It's a country where there is no real legal framework for adoption. Personally, I prefer to stay on the right side of the law. I would never take a child away from a place where adoption is illegal."

Heightening her moral status, perhaps, Jolie actually took the form of Madonna's namesake -- at least in a painting currently showing at the Miami Art Fair, where Jolie appears as the Virgin Mary, holding baby Shiloh in her arms with Maddox and Zahara at her side. (Daily Mail, Kate Kretz)

From Salon.com. Read more here.

p.s. I still like MY idea of Madonna being so concerned for the child's welfare that she will give the baby's father a micro-loan (or, a macro-loan, hey, she's rich!) so he can raise his own child in his own country, as he has said many times he desires to do. Why separate parent and child if you don't have to? Just a thought.

Asymptomatic Thyroid Problems in Mother Can Harm Newborn

Here's a new year's resolution for anyone thinking of getting pregnant this year accidentally or on purpose: GET YOUR THYROID CHECKED.

Here's a "top 10" from Mary Shomon's About.com thyroid guide:

Researchers, reporting in the January 2006 issue of the journal Pediatrics, have reported that there is an increased risk of neurological problems in infants when the mother was hypothyroid -- had low thyroid hormone levels -- early in the pregnancy, even if the mother had no symptoms...

...Some experts are now agreeing that routine screening of thyroid function in pregnant women during the early part of the first trimester may be warranted, given these current findings.

Obviously, they haven't mandated it yet, probably the insurance companies think it's too costly. I remember my primary care doc hemmed and hawed over getting me tested, and then my TSH came in at a 9 (fairly high!) with an extra helping of bad antibodies, and even then he wasn't too urgent about referring me to an endo even though he knew we were trying to get pregnant.

You have to take charge of your own health!

Read the whole article here.

Shrooms Help Gluten digestion?

The following article is interesting, because the maitake (a.k.a. Hen of the Woods) mushroom is prized in Asian medicine as an adaptogen (like ginseng, something that helps your body cope with stress) and I see people like Dr. Andrew Weil recommending it to do things like ward off colds.

Many mushrooms contain something called beta glucans, which are good for the immune system, and maitake is supposed to have one of the highest usable levels of beta glucans. And, like the ever healthful p'yogo mushroom prized by Korean (a.k.a. shitake), it taste deeeelicious.

And now researchers have found it might help GLUTEN digestion? How's that for anti-inflammatory??? I'm finding more and more that the my various (mostly female) relatives always exhorting: eat this, it's good for you (kimchi, mushrooms, bell flower roots, goji berries)! May be smarter than I gave them credit for--now I'm deeply humbled and always learning.

Proteases of Maitake (Grifola frondosa) Responsible for Breakdown of
Wheat Flour Dough and Their Reaction with Gluten Proteins

Makoto ABE1) and Masaharu SEGUCHI2)

1) Department of Japanese Studies, Faculty of Intercultural Studies,
Gakushuin Women's College
2) Laboratory of Food Technology, Faculty of Home Economics, Kobe
Women's University

(Received April 7, 2003)
(Accepted May 15, 2003)

Two proteases capable of decreasing dough strength when added to
wheat flour were purified from Maitake and these were both thought
to be peptidyl-Lys metalloendopeptidase. The major purified protease
SP-3-A hydrolyzed high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits preferably
to the other glutenin subunits. SP-3-A cleaved peptide bonds
adjacent to the N-terminal of lysine in the high-molecular-weight
glutenin subunit.

Folk Fertility Fun: Pistachios

Pure fun fertility stuff: I keep hearing anecdotes about pistachios being good for fertility, if both partners eat them. (And not the disgusting red-dyed ones, please.) In fact, last time I accidentally became pregnant, MAN FERTILITY and I had just come off a pistachio binge.

Pistachios are actually really nutritious: 2 oz has more potassium than a banana, also has significant amounts of vitamin B6, thiamine, magnesium, phosphorous, and copper--all fertility boosters.

Also, check this out from VegParadise: Pistachios trees are dioecious in nature, meaning that the sex of some trees is male and some female, and that both are needed for complete pollination.

And: The Queen of Sheba was convinced that pistachios were a powerful aphrodisiac and ordered the pistachio harvest of the best trees grown in Assyria to be used for her and her royal guests only.

Look for a deep, green color for the freshest nuts. I like the soaked, sprouted, gently dehydrated (more nutritious, easier to digest) organic ones (pictured above) from Jigsaw Health.

Go nuts!

Happy New Year's News

A patient at the Chinese wellness place I go to, I have been informed, is pregnant, and she's 46...and the conception was totally natural. Very inspirational, eyyyy?

Cloned Food: Need you know more?

Got this picture from Dave at The Good Human Blog.

Unless you've been at the North Pole for the last week, you've heard about the FDA's decree that cloned food seems, well, okay to eat, even in the absence of the most half-assed safety studies (to say nothing of a longitudinal one).

Here's all you need to know, so you can sleep well at night knowing the folks in government care about you and what goes into your bod:

"[Milk and meat from cloned animals is] as safe to eat as the food we eat every day."

-- Stephen Sundlof, FDA Chief of vetinary medicine, via telephone interview with reporters.

p.s. stay tuned: did you know conventional honey has antibiotics in it?

Global Fertility: Polar Bears Declared Endangered

We have had a snowless Christmas here in RI and were watching old home movies of our house in Hibbing--six and seven foot snowdrifts!!!! This was some thirty, forty years ago. Scary, people! My mother reports there's no snow in MN, either. Do you need more proof of global warming?

Via Treehugger: ...Today, we find out that our readers and documentary film makers aren't the only ones taking a close look at the plight of the polar bear: according to the Washington Post, the Department of the Interior planned to submit a proposal today for listing the iconic animal as an endangered species. Such proposals are fairly routine, but this has special significance: it would "...[put] the U.S. government on record as saying that global warming could drive one of the world's most recognizable animals out of existence..."

The only utterly laughable glitch in this is that the Bush Administration absolutely refuses to discuss this in the context of Global Warming ("Duh....gee, George, where did the icebergs go, Huh? Huh?"):

From the New York Times:

But in a conference call with reporters, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said that although his decision to seek protection for polar bears acknowledged the melting of the Arctic ice, his department was not taking a position on why the ice was melting or what to do about it...

More here.

Again, if you want to use my info for NYTIMES.com:

USERNAME: Greenfertility
PASSWORD: Greenfertility
Answer to secret question: Soylent Green

Have a nice, safe, holiday

And please try not to eat too much stuff with green frosting, metallic balls, transfats...your present to me!

Triplets for woman with two wombs

To be Filed under: Fertility News of the Weird:

"A UK woman with two wombs is believed to be the first in the world with the condition to give birth to triplets.

Hannah Kersey, 23, from Northam in Devon, had identical twins Ruby and Tilly, who were born from one womb, Grace, who was born from the other."

From the BBC. More here.

The Parental Wish List grows: China Tightens Adoption Rules for Foreigners

Geez, Louise. So the Republicans and the religious right don't believe singles and gays should be allowed adopt, but the potential parental wish lists seem to just be growing longer. This just in about new restrictons on China adoption (is it cultural hegemony, or independently Chinese, I cannot say). All I can say is Brangelina (who have expressed this desire in at least one supermarket tabloid), better get a move on!

This just in from New York Times:

China plans to tighten rules on foreign adoptions, barring people who are single, obese, older than 50 or who fail to meet certain benchmarks in financial, physical or psychological health from adopting Chinese children, according to adoption agencies in the United States.

Soon it will be NO wearers of corrective lenses, NO lovers of the musical "Cats," NO vegans, NO...what? I'm sure writers will make it onto the list sooner rather than later.

My other question is, if gay marriage becomes legal, will slim homosexual couples get to head the list?

More here.

p.s. I have a funny story about Meg Ryan questioning her adoption of a Chinese child that has not to do with her singleness but of her obtuseness regarding Asian culture. Remind me!

tags technorati : China adoption Brangelina Angelina Jolie

HOLIDAY GIFT SERIES: Kwytza Craft's Chopstick Goods-- and promo!

Check out Kwytza Craft's amazing recycled chopstick products.

We were going to get this CD rack for our friend who passed away. It was just his thing: stylish, a little offbeat, and wow--recycled (sanitized, of course) chopsticks.

Their best selling goods (two of which grace our dining room table) are their folding baskets. Very attractive while in use (you need something to put those clementine oranges it, right?), and easy to fold away (also, reduced shipping cost), and MAN FERTILITY likes putting one inside the other to make some groovy nesting modern art sculptures.


And, they're offering some super special holiday prices:

Small: $5

Medium: $7.50

Large: $10

(nuts for nuts)

"Unfortunately, we are out of stock of the soap dish size right now," I am informed.

But you can also get 10% off the other items until Christmas. Tell 'em the FertilityBitch sent you.

Oral Contraceptive Use Increases Risk for Premenopausal Breast Cancer

I think the hormone replacement therapy boondoogle will (or should) go down in history as one of the biggest health scandals ever. I'd been bugging my mom to stop doing HRT ever since I saw the alarming studies that came out in 2002, which warned that taking synthetic estrogen could fuel the growth of estrogen-positive tumors, which carry receptors for estrogen on their cell surfaces (duh!) and fake progesterone is also not well utilized by the body (plus, it's made from pregnant mare's urine--hence, the brand name PreMARin--and the poor pregnant horses are kept in deplorable conditions). Anyway, I'm sure you're reading all about the BIG drop in breast cancer after everyone stopped taking the hormone, which pretty much says everything right there...so no need to go on about it here.

What you may not know about, however, is that oral contraceptives are also a source of fake hormones anad show similar cancer causing abilities.

This is from a medical newsletter I'm subscribed to, NOT an alternative health one. Sad, sad, sad. Even our midwives' office is crammed full of ads for oral contraceptives for such ridiculous conditions as acne! PMS! Well, at least your skin will be nice and clear and you won't be too PMSy when you show up for your chemo!

Oral Contraceptive Use Increases Risk for Premenopausal Breast Cancer: "'The Women's Health Initiative Clinical Trial reported that prolonged exposure to exogenous estrogens and progestins in hormone therapy increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. In addition, the World Health Organization recently classified both postmenopausal hormone replacement and oral contraceptives (OCs) as group 1 carcinogens.'"

Again, simple rule: It's not nice to fool mother nature!

tags technorati : oral contraceptives estrogen breast cancer

HOLIDAY GIFT SERIES: Groovy Mind Gift Baskets

To be filed under: The Fertility Bitch is a lazy bum.

Because I'm not very crafty, I'm all for outsourcing of the presentation aspect of gifts. You should see me at the Brown Bookstore, which offers free wrapping!

Gift baskets are another very nice idea, and The Groovy Mind fits the bill with their fair trade, eco-conscious, socially responsible and YUMMY baskets. I was even happier to see that they include Comanzo's baked goods, a local, family-run organic baked goods company. Here's the treats contained within the Tealicious gift basket:

--2 oz. organic Fair Trade, seasonally harvested Assam Rembeng Estate tea, classically bold, refreshing with a hint of citrus
--2 oz. organic White Peony grown in the Fujian Province of China. The silvery down of the buds and delicate leaves are hand harvested and brew to an amber liquid, a delicate cup, power packed with polyphenols.
--baked-to-order organic Caramel Apple cookies
--baked-to-order organic Pumpkin Biscottis
--sweet and spicy organic Chipotle savories
--and unbleached disposable t-sacs
Gift wrap and card included.

And, in case I need to remind you, the antioxidants in tea are fertility friendly**, the caffeine may even make sperm swin faster, and white tea, like this White Peony, is less processed and has even more good stuff in it. Have a tea party! (p.s. the baked goods are NOT gluten free) Check out this and other Groovy Gifts at TheGroovyMind.com

**Here's a post on how tea may be protective against ovarian cancer, which can be CAUSED by the fertility drug, Clomid.

tags technorati : Groovy Mind gift baskets Chrisrtmas holiday gifts sustainable organic justice tea

BBC NEWS: Epidurals hamper breastfeeding

For the pregnant readers (this means you, Kim!), I offer you this tidbit; I decided to go the no-drugs way because epidurals can cause all sorts of nasty things (headaches, fever, incontinence) and because I heard that it can interfere with breastfeeding. Of course the docs were all, "I've never heard of such a stupid thing, of course epidurals are wonderful." I know the nurses love 'em because it "makes patients easy to manage."

So now the BBC is citing a whole study:

Researchers said those who have the anaesthetic are more likely to have problems in the first week after birth and to stop breastfeeding early.

More here.

tags technorati : epidurals labor anesthetic breastfeeding

HOLIDAY GIFT SERIES: Organic Socks and more by Maggie's Functional Organics

If you have too much time on your hands this holiday season, try this: rub a cut onion on the soles of your feet, wait 15 minutes, and have a loved one (or an enemy) smell your delightful onion breath.

Your feet are like those cut stems of the carnations that you would dye green and blue for science class, absorbing and absorbing all those toxins in the biosphere of your shoes. It made me wonder, why do I wear 100% synthetic athletic socks, i.e., when my feet will be the sweatiest? Partly it was because, like many runers, I am partial to padded socks. Well, luckily, here comes Maggie's to help solve the problem (plus, I'm so glad these come in BLACK, to break the white hegemony). Here's a great stocking stuffer (haha) for the runner in your life.



And for the "this will look so cute on my baby!" types, this li'l dinosaur set is tres adorable. Just visualizing this photo sets the uterus aflutter.

And now a word from Maggie's Functional Organics: "[products] made of cutting scraps from the production of our Camisoles and Criss-Cross Tops (a perfect nursing top!) and help to save useable fabric from our landfills. The design of these adorable sets is another collaboration between Maggie's and the Fair Trade Zone, a worker-owned cooperative in Nicaragua. The sewing of these garments is completed either at the Fair Trade Zone or a sweat-free manufacturer in the U.S.A. "

tags technorati : holiday Christmas gifts Maggie's organic clothes socks toxins

Holiday Gift Discount

Hey, kids, look! 15% discount.

Read a review of the Eco-Me Cleaning kit here.

HOLIDAY GIFT SERIES: Kiva Microloans

Want to give a gift that COMES BACK? Check out Kiva.org, which helps facilitate microloans, i.e., start-up capital so small entrepreneurs can start a business.

And, not surprisingly, so far the loan repayment has been at 100%! This might be a great no-clutter last minute type gift, one that you know will make someone feel great this holiday season. All sorts of increments are welcome.

tags technorati : microloans kiva entrepreneurs startup capital

Green Girls Global Blog Continues CityHippy

I was really sad to check on CityHippy and see the following, but happy for Al's new opportunities (go, Al!):

"Today sadly CityHippy offers up its last post for various reasons (which you can read about here). CityHippy might make a comeback, you never know. Life is in a constant state of change and much good is coming from this ending. From the ashes of CityHippy comes GreenGirlsGlobal."

Girl power! Check it out! In the future you may see some Local Yokel dispatches from Rhode Island, including

(1) Joining the UrbanGreens buying coop. And
(2) Eating a free range chicken Louella killed for us.

Yeee-Haw! HOLIDAY BOOK ROUNDUP

As a writer, I have a kind of animated relationship with books, which I consider to be more than material goods. I also tend to write in books a lot, so in a sense they do become "mine" I guess. Books are, then, another present that I think becomes more than the physical pages, etc., although as you'll see, these guys also have nice covers.

Try Simply Green Giving by fellow Korean American Danny Seo for some truly offbeat ideas (e.g., using old VHS tapes as pre-curled ribbons) for eco-wrapping ideas. Beats using old Biohazard bags from our kid's expired blood test kits, as I do (the bags are a cheery red--really!)


Inconceivable by Julia Indichova (who is also a really nice person, btw) is a book that's a lot more than about conception, which is why I'm recommending it as a gift book. It's really a book about life philosophy and finding your own path, silencing the negative critics in your life (including in your own head). I found it incredibly powerful, a lot of interesting ideas to take into this new fertility year. If you know anyone who's trying to re-take charge of their life, anyone who's being pulled in a zillion directions, this book would be great.




On a similar note, Awakening Beauty the Dr. Hasuchka Way is a "coffee table book with integrity." Susan West Kurz, an early mentee (is that a word?) of the famous Dr. Hauschka and now president of the company, has put forth a book that is beautiful to look at, and yet provides an important counterweight to the "surfacey" ideal of beauty that seems to be developing (please let me know and forward pictures if you spot any un-Botoxed actresses and/or ivory-billed woodpeckers). I know, I know, you're thinking, but this is another company that sells products! However, to give you an example, the book suggests you NOT glob on stuff on your face at night so that (just as Gramma used to say) your skin can breathe. There's also recipes (including DIY skincare stuff), and I will add that this comapny really does do its homework as far as toxins and chemicals are concerned. Dr. Hasuchka cosmetics are one of the few things the FB will put on her face for those rare TV appearances where they force you to wear makeup, so there.

tags technorati : holiday gifts books Christmas eco friendly organic

Cheney's Gay Daughter Pregnant, Dick Cheney Proud Grampa

CBS News: Mary Cheney, 37, and her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, 45, are expecting a baby...

'The vice president and Mrs. Cheney are looking forward with eager anticipation to the arrival of their sixth granddaughter.'

That's just peachy, hypocrites! Believe me, I'm happy for the couple, too. However, for readers who've been with me from the first wee posting six months ago, you know I quit my (ahem, paid) job as the "fertility blogger" at Adoption.com (the experience which, like the gamma rays or whatever that turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk turned me into the FertilityBitch) for the single and damning reason that they bar gays and singles from adopting because, they say, like Grampa Cheney, they believe gays and singles are unfit to be parents (we can make exceptions, right?).

Speaking of making exceptions, in the state of Virginia, where Mary Cheney's partner is from, gay partners are denied many rights, including family visitation rights at a hospital. Is Grampa gonna pull strings for that, too?

Now we just have to have the Bush twins getting preggo (or getting abortions, for that matter) and the hypocrisy circle will be complete.

tags technorati : Mary Cheney pregnancy gay rights marriage Bush twins

HOLIDAY GIFT SERIES: Lydia's Organics

I'm a in love with Lydia's Organics!

Just look at the ingredients in these organic, raw, vegan, sprouted DELICIOUS crackers:

Sprouted almonds*, sprouted sunflower seeds*, nori*, carrots*, parsley*, flax*, ginger*, Original Himalayan Crystal Salt™ & LOVE.

*Organic

These are handcrafted crackers that don't stint at all in their preparation or in their ingredients. Wasn't I just telling you how soaked/sprouted foods are extra good for you? And there's also seaweed, which also packs a nutritional punch, and basically everything in these guys is sooo good for you.

I do believe you can taste the loooooove in these delightful crackers. These would be an awesome present for the pregnant lady in your life (forget Saltines!) or anyone on the go--keep 'em away from fast food or chips, your favorite vegan friend or relative. My son (okay, he eats raw kale and kimchi so he might not be the best example) also loves these.

Or try them for yourself, see what real living food tastes like (and, speaking from my own cracker making experience, soaking, sprouting, Vitamixing, dehydrating, and cursing when you forget to put the top on the mixer all take a long time and trouble!). Lydia herself is all committed to sustainability and environmental justice and her company and its products certainly reflect that.

PLUS: no gluten, no dairy, no soy, free of all common allergen, plus a bunch of ingredients great for fertility. I guess you know what's on MY Christmas list. Hello, MAN FERTILITY?

tags technorati : Lydia's organic raw vegan gluten Himalayan salt organic

"End of Drug Trial Is a Big Loss for Pfizer"--oh yeah, and a big loss to the people who died

Okay, I am cranky, but not necessarily a crank, right? Two days ago, I was ranting,

It's always in Big Pharma's interests to have us on SSRIs (or statins, or birth control pills, etc.) our whole lives (can you say "revenue stream?), who care what it does to our brain, hormones, immune system, OUR UNBORN CHILDREN

...AND OUR LIVES, I should have added.

From The New York Times yesterday,

The news came to Pfizer’s chief scientist, Dr. John L. LaMattina...the company’s most promising experimental drug, intended to treat heart disease, actually caused an increase in deaths and heart problems. Eighty-two people had died so far in a clinical trial, versus 51 people in the same trial who had not taken it...

And the commentary to the Times:

“I’m terribly disappointed...” said Dr. Steven E. Nissen, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic and lead investigator of an earlier torcetrapib clinical trial.

And, why, do you think? "Terribly disappointed" because the drug killed people? Terribly disappointed for the deceaseds' families right before the holidays? Read on...

"...This drug, if it worked, would probably have been the largest-selling pharmaceutical in history.”

I'm tearing up for this poor man as I write this (sob!). I say to you, condolences on your loss of....equity value! On your second (third?) home. Dang!

tags technorati : Pfizer big pharma torcetrapib deaths clinical trial

p.s. What kinda type are you?

Folks,

I'm such an eejit about techie stuff, I just realized I can play with the font on this site. The "normal" itty bitty font crams in more

But is anyone going blind and prefers the larger size? Or maybe larger size just for important news about killer drugs? Comments, please

Super Soaker

Why soak stuff before cooking?

My aunt used to always tell me to soak rice for at least 24 hours, even better if little green things appear--sprouting rice?--as it was much healthier that way.

Anyway, health foodists know by and large that sprouting food makes it even more nutritious. From The Good Sprout News:

Medicinally and nutritionally, sprouts have a long history. It has been written that the Ancient Chinese physicians recognized and prescribed sprouts for curing many disorders over 5,000 years ago. Sprouts have continued to be a main staple in the diets of Americans of Oriental descent. Although accounts of sprouting appear in the Bible in the Book of Daniel, it took centuries for the West to fully realize its nutrition merits....

...During World War II considerable interest in sprouts was sparked in the United States by an article written by Dr. Clive M. McKay, Professor of Nutrition at Cornell University...

...He and a team of nutritionists had spent years researching the amazing properties of sprouted soybeans. They and other researchers at the universities of Pennsylvania and Minnesota, Yale and McGill have found that sprouts retain the B-complex vitamins present in the original seed, and show a big jump in Vitamin A and an almost unbelievable amount of Vitamin C over that present in unsprouted seeds. While some nutritionists point out that this high vitamin content is gained at the expense of some protein loss, the figures are impressive: an average 300 percent increase in Vitamin A and a 500 to 600 percent increase in Vitamin C. In addition, in the sprouting process starches are converted to simple sugars, thus making sprouts easily digested.

24-hour soaking of brown rice, beans, flax, nuts etc. produces many of the same benefits without turning the stuff into sprouts. It takes some advance planning, but why not pack some more power into your meals? Nuts can be soaked (pecans taste even sweeter) and then eaten, or fling them into the dehydrator to get them crispy (but more nutritious) again. Try soaking brown rice--the texture and stickiness will almost resemble white rice--yum!

Extra: here are results of a European soaking experiment on lentil flour that resulted in lower galactosides (flatulence producing substance) and higher levels of available B vitamins. Guess the Bible has some healthy cooking tips...

Paxil and Birth Defects

Okey dokey, I don't normally post on Saturdays, but this is kinda important since almost everyone I know (okay, writers are a unique category) is on some kind of SSRIs.

The cover story in Obstetrics & Gynecology, the flagship journal for the American College of Gynecologists (ACOG) has published the following alert:

Unpublished data regarding the use of Paxil® during the first trimester of pregnancy have raised concerns about an increased risk of congenital heart malformations. Thus, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a public health advisory regarding the use of Paxil® during pregnancy and the manufacturer changed its pregnancy category from C to D...

...A Category D classification means a drug has been found to be harmful to human fetuses.

more here.

I guess a YEAR AGO (oops!) GlaxoSmithKline, in its OWN study (i.e., likely run as favorable to itself as possible) came out with data so worrisome it caused the FDA to issue warnings about an increased risk of birth defects.

Now, why did it take a YEAR to trickle down to ACOG (which is the governing body for your friendly OBs, the ones who answer your questions like, "Is it okay to continue to take Paxil while I'm pregnant?" and "Should I get a mammogram?") Looking at the numbers in the study, it seemed they didn't have too much trouble finding women who were taking Paxil while pregnant (eeek!) and then counting how many birth defects (particularly heart problems) their kids had.

What's even more frightening is the endless ads touting SSRIs for PMS (see your acupuncturist first, People!), which makes it more likely that if you --oops!-- get pregnant, you've already been taking Paxil/Zoloft/Prozac for weeks if not months into your pregnancy.

Always think twice when asked to take drugs. It's always in Big Pharma's interests to have us on SSRIs (or statins, or birth control pills, etc.) our whole lives (can you say "revenue stream?), who care what it does to our brain, hormones, immune system, OUR UNBORN CHILDREN...Remember, those "free" pens ain't free!

tags technorati : fertility Paxil birth defects pregnancy Americian College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists

Your Fertility: Don't Forget, It's Yours

This came in from a women's issues list I'm on. This is almost on par with the rumblings that we now need to re-invade Iraq:

Late last week, after pledging to bring the country together after his electoral losses, President Bush appointed Eric Keroack to lead the Department of Health and Human Services' family-planning program – which supports 4,600 clinics and more than five million people annually.

Putting a doctor who opposes birth control in charge of a federal family-planning program is just plain irresponsible. Sign the petition and say NO to Keroack now.

Keroack has dedicated his career to telling women that birth control and abortion are wrong. He most recently was the medical director for A Woman's Concern, which oversees six anti-choice "crisis pregnancy centers" in Massachusetts and maintains a policy stating "that the crass commercialization and distribution of birth control is demeaning to women, degrading of human sexuality and adverse to human health and happiness."

And those Viagra ads (no crass commercialization of sex here!)? Easy to overlook that when men don't have to worry about becoming pregnant...

tags technorati : fertility birth control Keroack Bush reproductive rights