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Fish oil and pregnancy are not two things you would normally put together; after all it is common knowledge now that oily fish, such as salmon and tuna, quite often have mercury in them which can be harmful to not only the child but the mother too. This leaves a problem though because research is showing that fish oil can be extremely beneficial to fetal development so is there anything that can be done?

Fortunately the answer to that is yes, although you still have to be on your guard. The way you can get around it is by having the fish oil as a supplement, this will ensure that you are getting enough of it for both you and the baby to benefit, however you still need to take care regarding pollutants in the tablet. Not all manufacturers carry out the following process, but if you get a tablet that has been molecularly distilled then you are getting a tablet that has had all of the pollutants taken out of it. But you do need to check this is the case, because as I said before it is not something that is done by all manufacturers.

So what benefits can you expect when combining fish oil and pregnancy?

Well one of the first areas is the baby’s brain development. Research has shown that of the human brain around half of it is made up of fat, and of that amount half again is DHA fat: fish oil is made up of DHA. Now this is an essential fat and that means the body has to acquire more of it from an outside source, and by taking it you will be feeding the baby’s brain with what it really needs during development.

As well as that about sixty percent of the retina is made up of this fat too. Supplementing will help with the healthy development of the eye; although if the child is genetically going to be long or short sighted it will not change that, but it will ensure that the retina develops properly.

The fetus is not the only one that benefits here though, the mother does too. It has been found that taking fish oil in pregnancy lessons the chances of the mother going into preterm labor. Also because of the way the fish oil feeds the brain of the mother as well as the child there is a reduced chance of post natal depression as DHA is known to help combat mood swings and depression.

Of course if you want to combine fish oil and pregnancy make sure you check things out with your doctor first. Once you have the go ahead though just ensure that your product is molecularly distilled and it is higher in DHA fat than it is EPA, which may take a bit of doing as most supplements are the other way round.

By: Danny Lewis

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Children’s Bedroom Paint deas

Introduction

The majority of women know that for a healthy pregnancy it is essential to take prenatal vitamins. This fact is evidenced by the amount of activity concerning this particular subject on Yahoo Answers alone! It is usual for mothers to be concerned about wanting to do what is best for their unborn baby. There is allot of conflicting advice around on the Internet on this particular subject. This article provides some straight answers to some of the questions posed. When is the best time to start taking prenatal vitamins? What exactly are the natural occurring varieties and are these best for your unborn baby? You can find out the answers to these questions by reading through the rest of my article below…

When should I start taking prenatal vitamins?

If you are planning to have a baby it’s beneficial to begin a course of these types of vitamins prior to conception. This is because in order for the vitamins to benefit your baby’s development, they need to be present in the woman’s body in the first four weeks of fetal development.

Which one should I be taking?

Many folks ask this question. The short answer is that you need to be aware that the most important prenatal vitamin to take is folic acid. In some countries you can get this from your doctor on a free prescription once your doctor has confirmed that you are pregnant.

What are natural vitamins and are these best for your unborn baby?

Natural prenatal vitamins are those that occur naturally in foods and other plants. Although these substances may provide some benefit to your unborn baby at 5 1/2 weeks, because these types of supplements are considered as foods they are not regulated by the FDA (U.S Food and Administration).

As a result, it is very difficult to be certain what you are actually putting inside your body when you are take these substances and therefore what the short-term benefits are likely to be for you and your unborn child. Our advice is to stick to the laboratory generated vitamins which are regulated, especially while you’re pregnant.

By: Peter Craske

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Belly Fat

Placenta, an organ exceptional to mammals helps in connecting the developing fetus to the uterine wall.

Placental membrane:

Placenta has a thin layer of composite extra-fetal tissue that separates the maternal and fetal circulation systems called as ‘Placental membrane’ or sometimes as ‘placental barrier’.

Role of Placental barrier:

The physiological role of placental membrane is to protect the fetus from various harmful substances and help in its development by allowing transport of useful substances from mother.

Cloaking of fetus from maternal immune system:

The placenta and fetus is recognized as ‘foreign allograft’ by the maternal immune system because of which immune responses are produced to kill and remove them from the body. So immune tolerance in pregnancy also termed as ‘Gestational immune tolerance’, is required for fetus to continue its development inside mother and to prevent spontaneous termination of pregnancy i.e., abortion or miscarriage which is most common in first few weeks of conception.

The placental barrier thus functions as immunological barrier mainly by two different mechanisms namely:

1) Secretion of neurokinin-B which contains phosphocholine molecules which acts as suppressant for immune responses from mother.

2) Fetus contains small lymphocytic suppressor cells which by inhibiting interleukin-2 stop maternal cytotoxic cells.

Transport of substances from maternal circulation to fetus:

The placental membrane is a semi permeable membrane which allows the selective transport of molecules from maternal blood to fetus blood.

Water is easily transported to fetus. The amount transferred increases as pregnancy advances.

Gases: oxygen, carbon dioxide transport occurs by simple diffusion. Interruption of this transport is very dangerous to the embryonic or fetal survival.

Nutrients: These are essential for fetal development. Water soluble vitamins are transported more quickly than fat soluble vitamins. Free fatty acids enter in small amounts.

Glucose can easily pass the placental membrane.

Hormones: Unconjugated steroid hormones can freely pass through the membrane compared to protein hormones. Thyroxin and Triiodotyroxine are transported in small amounts.

Antibodies: Trans-placental transfer of some antibodies mostly gamma globulins like IgG class occurs frequently. This confers passive immunity to certain diseases like measles, smallpox etc.

Electrolytes: These are widely transported through placental membrane. Intravenous administration of electrolytes to mother may interfere with water and electrolyte status to fetus.

Usage of drugs should be monitored during pregnancy:

Most of the lipid soluble drugs freely pass the placental membrane. This can sometimes lead to harmful effects.

Anti-epileptic drugs such as carbamazepine, valproate and Phenobarbitals in combination with caffeine significantly increases congenital malformations or endanger the fetal survival itself.

Anti-cancer drugs containing ‘thalidomide’ are potentially harmful to fetus.

Certain antibodies known as ‘teratogens’ like tetracycline effect fetal bone growth.

Anti-convulsants produce detrimental effects to fetus like mental retardation.

Sulpha drugs increase the bilirubin concentration and may cause death.

Excess alcohol can also interfere with the fetal growth.

Placental-membrane as ‘Placental barrier’:

It acts as barrier based on size, configuration and charge.

Macromolecules such as cholesterol, triglycerides and phospholipids cannot pass through placental membrane.

Some metabolites, toxins though present in the maternal circulation don’t get through the membrane in amounts to affect fetus.

Heparin and bacteria cannot pass the placental barrier.

Alpha and Beta globulins are not easily transported across placental membrane.

So placental membrane plays a pivotal role in healthy fetal development.

By: Adarsh Y

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Gifts for Toddlers

There is plenty of evidence that fish and fish oil supplements have a multitude of health benefits, including improvement in the cognitive, visual, nervous and cardiovascular systems, as well as benefits in fetal and child development. The main constituents of fish oil are EPA and DHA, also known as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).

So, what about flax seed oil? Flaxseed oil does not contain EPA and DHA. Flax seed oil contains another fatty acid called alpha-Linolenic acid (ALA). This substance is an omega-3 fatty acid. However, it is not very effective as an omega-3 supplement. Why not? The reason is that ALA can be converted into EPA and DHA in the body, but ONLY INDIRECTLY. The body can then convert EPA into DHA. But this is not what our bodies need. Our bodies need DHA and EPA, in the most direct way possible.

So, right from the beginning, we’re dealing with an indirect production of EPA and DHA, which are actually the most important components of fish.

Furthermore, the conversion of ALA into EPA is not efficient at all. National Institute of Health researchers did a study to determine how effective ALA from flax seed oil is at increasing DHA and EPA levels in the body. The results were very disappointing. Only 0.2% of ALA was converted into EPA. Of that, only 23% became DHA. This means that to less than one half of one percentage point of the omega-3 fatty acids found in flax seed oil actually become DHA.

On the other hand, the researchers found that the half-life of the DHA found in fish oil is 20 hours and that the EPA is 67 hours! So, by taking fish oil capsules, you get precisely the omega-3 fatty acid your body needs, they are absorbed directly into the bloodstream and can stay there for days!

This, in turn, means that the EPA and DHA are staying in your body to do their jobs, like cleaning your blood vessels and building better brain cells, among many other things.

I used to take quite a few tablespoons of flax seed oil every single day, and was very disappointed with the lack of results. I was wasting money and not getting the effects I wanted. After I started researching the subject in-depth, I found out the reason why. The choice is obvious. To take care of ourselves and our families, the best thing we can do is take a top-quality fish oil supplement everyday.

By: Konstantin Jensen

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Criminal Lawyers

During the first year of a baby’s life they rapidly transition through numerous stages of development. Development of communication and interaction is often the most exciting. As a newborn your baby will primarily communicate through reflexive cries to indicate they are hungry, tired or uncomfortable. Over 12 months this communication develops into a responsive intentional use of first words such as ‘mamma’ or ‘daddy’. The ability to communicate is essential and the following is a guide of age expected development in the first year of life.

6 Months
By 6 months old your baby will squeal in delight when he sees his mother or father. He has become very responsive when he recognises a familiar adult, possibly smiling, or moving his arms or vocalizing to people talking to him. Your baby is soothed by you holding or rocking him and has become a little more discriminating between familiar and unfamiliar adults. By 6 months of age your child should demonstrate the following skills:
Startle in response to noise, turn to where a sound is coming from - localising sound make different cries for different needs - tired cry versus a hungry cry watch your face as you talk to him he smiles / laughs in response to you smiling and laughing imitates other sounds such as ‘ah, eh, ur, oh’ cooing 9 Months
By 9 months of age your baby will protest vocally and through facial expressions when you take a toy off him. He is sitting independently and now has a different perspective on life. Being upright enables him the use of his hands and to explore toys. Some 9 month olds may have started to wave goodbye and are using specific gestures to communicate. By 9 months of age your baby should demonstrate the following skills:
Respond to his name respond to a telephone ringing or the dog barking understand the concept of being told ‘no’ uses gestures to communicate needs and wants plays social games with you eg. peek a boo enjoys being around people babble e.g. bababa, dadada repeats sounds 12 Months
By 12 months of age your baby has started communicating by combining words with facial expression and gesture. For example they will point to a bird and look at their mother and say ‘mama’. Your baby will also start to play differently such as clapping hands or banging objects. By 12 months your baby should demonstrate the following skills:
Follows simple instructions e.g. come here, sit down looks to a toy that an adult points to eg. ‘look at the ball (point to the ball) uses three to five words frequently waves goodbye shakes head ‘no’ gains your attention by using noises, sounds, gestures and eye contact shows you toys responds to praise interested in simple books Combines lots of consonant and vowel sounds together e.g badaba, madu Signs of a Possible Problem
By 12 months of age there are some signs that could indicate that your child may not be reaching the language milestones expected for his age. All children do develop skills at their own rate but there are still a few signs that may indicate the need for professional advice.
An infant who is not responding to sounds in the environment. An infant who is not vocalizing (cooing, babbling) A one year old who is not saying any single words (”mama” or “dada”) Does not learn to use gestures, such as waving or shaking head by 12months Does not point to objects or pictures by 12months A 12month old who is not using consistent and frequent eye contact with familiar adults

By: John Don

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Prenatal Vitamins

Good nutrition throughout the pregnancy is essential for fetal brain development, but some nutrients are more important than others. Research done over the last 10 years indicates that one of the essential nutrients for normal brain and visual function is Docosahexaenoic acid or DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid.

We have known for many years that pregnant women must consume enough folic acid, vitamin B9. Otherwise, their babies are at an increased risk for neural tube defects, spina bifida being the most common. Because of that, all prenatal vitamins contain folic acid, along with vitamin A, C, D, E, calcium, iron and Zinc, as well as many of the B-complex group.

Recommendations for folic acid intake during pregnancy range from 800-1000mcg per day. Larger doses are recommended for women that have given birth to a child with a neural tube defect in the past. These defects occur during the first month of pregnancy. So, good nutrition is important even when a woman is trying to conceive.

Many doctors are now recommending DHA supplementation for normal eye and fetal brain development for one simple reason. The brain cells and the retina in the back of the eye are composed of it. They are composed of many other things, as well. So, DHA is not the only essential nutrient, but it should not be overlooked.

Some doctors suggest regular fish consumption to insure adequate DHA intake, but others are concerned about the amount of mercury that is in many species. Mercury consumption during pregnancy has a negative effect on fetal brain development, impairing learning, behavior and memory.

Fish oils, on the other hand, can be tested for mercury and other contaminants. They can be purified if necessary, to remove all traces of contaminants. Of course, not all brands are the same. It is important to learn what standards the manufacturer has for purity and how much DHA is present in each capsule.

What’s the recommended daily intake of DHA? Recommendations vary. The ISSFAL (International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids) recommends 300mg/day of DHA for pregnant and lactating women.

A recent recommendation from the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Milan was that all women of childbearing age should strive for an intake of at least 200mg per day for several reasons. First, is for healthy fetal brain development. There is a great deal of evidence supporting that benefit.

Other benefits for which there is a significant amount of evidence include a reduced risk of premature birth, preeclampsia and postpartum depression. The most well known benefit of omega-3 supplementation is to the future health of the heart. So, it’s not just good for baby. It’s good for mom, too, both in the short and the long-term.

DHA is now included in a number of infant formulas, in order to make it more similar to human breast milk. Decades ago, when researchers realized that breast-fed children had generally higher IQs and fewer behavioral problems than formula-fed babies, they debated about the reason.

Now, it seems that it was DHA. Cow’s milk does not contain it and until recently, neither did infant formulas. But, for healthy fetal brain development and early childhood development, it is essential.

By: Valerie Rosenbaum

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Beautiful Women Discussion

Baldness also called is alopecia and hair loss. Baldness is caused by hormones and genetic predisposition. Baldness involves the state of lacking hair where it often grows, especially on the head. Hair loss has always been a top cosmetic concern for men. Hair grows about an inch every couple of months. Each hair grows for 2 to 6 years, remains at that length for a short period ,then falls out. A new hair soon begins growing in its place. At any one time, about 85% of the hair on your head is in the growing phase and 15% is not. Some mycotic infections can cause massive hair loss. Male baldness usually begins with thinning at the hairline, followed by the appearance of a thinned or bald spot on the crown of the head. Male pattern baldness is characterized by hair receding from the lateral sides of the forehead, known as “receding hairline”. Baldness in men occurs when the follicle shrinks over time, resulting in shorter and finer hair. The end result is a very small follicle with no hair inside. Complete hair loss is a common result of cancer chemotherapy, due to the toxicity of the drugs used. Ordinarily, hair should grow back. However, in men who are balding, the follicle fails to grow a new hair. Why this occurs is not well understood, but it is related to your genes and male hormones.

Male baldness cures have been around for thousands of years. The first will be our own immunity system. Male-pattern baldness is a result of a gene in the body that converts large quantities of testosterone into DHT (dihydrotestosterone). This DHT hormone, though helpful during fetal development, is devastating to hair follicles, causing them to become damaged and shrunken. Spot Baldness or Patch Baldness (Alopecia Areata) has been recognized as an Autoimmunity Disease They are pretty sure that it is one particularly enzyme’s overzealous conversion of testosterone into (DHT) or dihydrotestosterone, an important part of male fetus development that causes baldness. Women with common baldness rarely develop bald patches. Instead, they experience a diffuse thinning of their hair.Women suffering from baldness can blame powerful andogens created by the ovaries and adrenal glands combined with loss of estrogen for their hair loss. This is evidenced by a high-rate of female pattern baldness among women during menopause when testosterone levels are highest among women.

Hair loss is a devastating condition that affects millions of men and women around the world. Hair loss is caused by a temporary situation such as medication. Hair loss due to infection may require oral antibiotics or antifungals. Alopecia areata can be treated with injections of steroids such as triamcinolone into the area. Treatments for baldness range from the medicinal to the surgical. Finasteride (Propecia) is a prescription hair loss treatment that is prescribed for men only. Minoxidil (Rogaine) is rubbed directly onto the scalp and works for both men and women. It usually works best for hair loss at top and back of the scalp, where there is still some remaining hair. This is available over the counter at most pharmacies. Finasteride’s hair-raising success is due to its ability to specifically inhibit Type II 5-alpha-reductace, the enzyme that converts testosterone into a more potent androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Propecia’s 1 mg dose of finasteride can effectively lower DHT levels by as much as 60% when taken daily. Baldness could be treated by heat treatment. Heat treatment.is success rate of up to 85% for the technique, which involves heating hair follicles with electricity to improve blood flow. The electrical energy is then converted into heat energy deep inside the underlying hair cells around the scalp, making the capillaries widen.

Home remedy for Baldness Tips

1.Massage with olive oil before going to bed at night and next morning, wash off the hair gently.

2.Take some leaves of henna and boil them into mustard oil. Massage of this prepared oil is very effective to treat hair loss.

3.Ground well seeds of black pepper and lime to make a paste. It is useful for the treatment of patchy baldness.

4.Wash hair regularly with cold and clean water. After washing the hair rub the scalp with fingertips well.

5.Take a few drops of coconut milk and massage of this milk into the roots of hair all portion of the scalp.

6.Avoid sharp clips, tight rubber bands and spiky brushes.

7.Do not over comb the hair.

8.Massage with bhongra juice is also very effective to reduce hair loss.

9.Take the powder of shana seeds and a few drops of essential oils such as sesame oil, coconut oil or castor oil. Mix both of them well and make a paste. Use this paste on scalp regularly.

10.Take a little amount of honey and a few drops of kanta karika juice. Mix both of ingredients very well and apply this mixture over the scalp.

11.Take the oil of Sagvan seeds and massage of this oil give amazing results.

12.Massage of aloe Vera gel or coconut milk over the scalp; leave it for about one hour. After this rinse the hair with warm water. It gives amazing results if one uses this massage at least 3-4 times a week.

13.Amaranth is another valuable remedy for hair loss. Its fresh leaf juice should be applied to the hair. It will help the growth of the hair and keep it soft.

14.The paste of liquorice, made by grinding the pieces in milk with a pinch of saffron, is another valuable remedy for patchy baldness. This paste should be applied over the bald patches at night before going to bed.

15.Onion has also been found beneficial in patchy baldness. The affected part should be rubbed with onions morning and evening till it is red. It should be rubbed with honey afterwards.

By: Juliet Cohen

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Natural Remedies