Maternal Health

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 12

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Pregnancy is a super important time. Do not take by inhalation, ingestion or other exposure anything that is a potential toxin for the body.
Things to avoid:
1) Caffeine – in low to minimal doses, it is clear that caffeine is safe for pregnant women and their offspring. Caffeine easily crosses into the placenta and thus the baby’s circulation. In utero babies cannot metabolize caffeine well putting them at risk with increasing exposure. The data does not support the same reality for more moderate to high doses. Caffeine is known to raise blood pressure and heart rate in all users in variable numbers based on metabolism capabilities…… plus a literature review and a recipe.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #61 – Bridget Briggs, M.D. – Hope and Epigenetics Part 3

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This is the third story of hope for us as a species. We have a level of control over our outcome that is baked into our DNA.
Bridget R. Briggs, M.D. and I sit down today to discuss the clinical approach to epigenetics in patients especially women. She is a physician who specializes in Women’s Health. Dr. Briggs received her undergraduate degree from the University of California Los Angeles in Psychobiology. She then completed her medical degree from University of California San Diego School of Medicine before completing her residency in family medicine as well as internship in Obstetrics and gynecology. She has been in practice for 25 years in Southern California. She is the owner of two family medicine practices in California where she specializes in functional medicine and womens health. She is a well known speaker and educator on the topics of epigenetics and methylation in humans.
Her story is personal regarding her deep dive into epigenetics and health based on her family’s history and experiences to date. We take a winding road looking at the clinical applications of epigenetic understandings as laid out by the experts and trailblazers of DNA methylation and phenotypic change in animals and humans. We get into some controversial topics including vaccination, preparation for, avoidance of and much more. The conversation is open, honest and thoughtful. We finish with a hard look at the pregnancy state and how to achieve optimal outcomes for our offspring. It is another story of hope for humanity.
Please enjoy my conversation with Dr. Bridget Briggs,
Dr. M

 

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #58 – Mahmoud Ghannoum, Ph. D. – Microbiomes – Bacterial and Fungal

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This week’s guest is Professor Mahmoud Ghannoum. For over four decades, Dr. Ghannoum has been exploring a critical but neglected inhabitant of the human body, the fungus. Born and raised in Lebanon, Dr Mahmoud Ghannoum is the current Director of the Center for Medical Mycology at Case Western Reserve University. He began his scientific journey at Loughborough University in England where he studied the fungus candida and its health associated diseases. Coupling this work to his curiosity about the whole area of intestinal microorganisms in the human body, he has become one of the leading researchers in the world in this space.
His discoveries include the knowledge that fungal organisms constitute an essential part of the microbiome. In fact, in 2010, Dr Ghannoum was the first scientist to identify over 100 native species of fungi in the oral cavity and that they are mostly friendly to us. Like with bacteria, there are good fungi as well as bad fungi. And just as it was startling to discover that we need positive bacteria in our guts, most people today are shocked to learn that their health depends on flourishing colonies of helpful fungi. Symbiosis in all things seems to be the flavor of the day and history has proven this to be what we should have always assumed.
He is widely published in top journals as well as being the founder and director of Biohm, a company dedicated to microbiome analysis and management from the perspective of fungal and bacterial communities. He is the author of Total Gut Health. This week, Dr. Ghannoum and I look critically at the microbiome of humans from the well trafficked bacterial road to the less travelled fungal road.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 13 Issue 40

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Maternal Microbiome Part II
Mom has a gut microbiome that directly seeds her babies microbiome. This microbiome dictates human long term and short term health. Eating a diet loaded with fiber based fruits, legumes and vegetables will cause a highly diverse bacterial microbiome to exist and this existence is correlated with better long term health……plus a section on mate matching as well as the recipe of the week!
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 13 Issue 39

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Maternal Nutrition and the Microbiome – Part I

This was a tricky topic to drill down into one article – so I split it into two. Bear with me on this topic as it is so important in the grander scheme of maternal and child health.
The microbiome by definition: the microorganisms that reside in a particular environment.
Pregnancy is a dynamic event where a woman’s body changes radically, including epigenetically, hormonally, immunologically and physiologically in order to conceive and carry a baby to term. Pregnancy has always been a scientific fascination because of these changes. Now, we add the microbiome to the list, as it is the latest area of research that is shedding light on how pregnancy outcomes are determined.
Part I
This was a tricky topic to drill down into one article – so I split it into two. Bear with me on this topic as it is so important in the grander scheme of maternal and child health. The microbiome by definition: the microorganisms that reside in a particular environment. Pregnancy is a dynamic event where a woman’s body changes radically, including epigenetically, hormonally, immunologically and physiologically in order to conceive and carry a baby to term. Pregnancy has always been a scientific fascination because of these changes. Now, we add the microbiome to the list, as it is the latest area of research that is shedding light on how pregnancy outcomes are determined…… also two sections on covid vaccines and disease…
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 13 Issue 35

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Here is a short written version of the fructose story in tandem with the podcast with Dr. Rick Johnson where we go deep. We are going to discuss the survival switch and fructose metabolism in specific as it relates to pregnancy. It will be another life changing discussion for many of us. Fructose is the natural sugar found in fruit, honey and root vegetables. Historically, humans consumed fructose in these natural whole foods and did so moderately. Since the 1970’s, there has been a major rise in fructose consumption, primarily as a beverage…. Also, a discussion of fiber and neurodevelopment as well as a review of the book the Carpenter and the Gardener by Alison Gopnik.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

 

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #52 – Jacquelyn Paykel, MD – Whole Health Medicine

This weeks guest is my former classmate and good friend, Dr. Jacquelyn Paykel. Jax, as I call her, is a tour de force in the world of Integrative Medicine at the Armed Forces level. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee with a degree in Anthropology. She then obtained medical and residency degrees in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. To round out her degrees, she completed an Integrative Medicine Fellowship at the University of Arizona as well as an MBA at the UNC Kenan Flagler Business School.
She is the Chief of the Whole Health Service (WHS) at James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa, Florida, leading the first-of-its-kind VA WHS within the U.S. where they develop and implement novel patient-centered clinical and well-being services for patients and employees. A U.S. Navy Veteran, Dr. Paykel has mentored and consulted with VA Medical Centers across the country on implementation of Whole Health. She leads the development and national spread of THRIVE – a virtual Whole Health healing program.
This week we discuss her work with the Veterans Administration Department and Whole Health Service. This work is a model for the entire country.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

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