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Breast-Fed Infants Born in Northern U.S. at High Risk for Rickets

Many people erroneously assume rickets -- the softening of bones in children -- is a problem limited to young patients in developing countries. Truth is, babies, especially those born in the Northeast, face severe vitamin D deficiencies as well as their mothers that spike the risk for rickets, according to recent studies.

Half of the mothers living in Boston and almost two-thirds of their children had blood levels of vitamin D low enough to cause rickets (in babies) and osteomalacia (the adult form of rickets). Vitamin D deficiencies have become so acute, rickets is increasing among infants being breastfed.

What's more, rickets may be only the tip of the iceberg, as that lack of vitamin D may also lead to heart failure and seizures, both of which can be very fatal to a growing baby.

No surprise, vitamin D problems are occurring, especially now with Arctic temperatures plunging much of the Northern Hemisphere into the deep freeze, preventing mothers from getting all the healthy sunshine their bodies need.

So, if you must take an oral supplement to boost your vitamin D levels, like a high quality cod liver oil, for the short term, I urge you strongly to monitor your blood levels regularly, as I have observed cases too many cases of dangerous escalations of vitamin D levels, including my own.

Clinical Pediatrics, Vol. 46, No. 1, January/February 2007: 42-44

Pediatrics, Vol. 118, No. 2, August 2006: 603-610

Pediatric Emergency Care, Vol. 22, No. 11, November 2006: 728-731




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Article's Comment     ( 5 Comments )
 
 
 +4 Points           
 
Author of the Article
BY Leesh   
  
[ Joined on 09/06 ]
[ Posted on February 06, 2007 ]
Post Reply
The Weston A. Price foundation has wonderful resources for getting a sufficient amount of vitamin D. And as already mentioned, spend some time in the sun!
http://www.westonaprice.org/

 
 +4 Points           
 
Author of the Article
BY Russ Bianchi   
  
[ Joined on 09/06 ]
[ Posted on February 06, 2007 ]
Post Reply
Sound advice again from Dr. Mercola ...

HOWEVER ladies, do no consider this an open invitation to stop breast feeding your infants, which is vastly better for children nutritionally, their gasto-intestinal development, as well as  natural immunity boosting, than non, or only partially, absorbable infant formulations commercially produced.

Argumentation, or any representations, that any infant formula or product in this category, is near as good nutritionally as mother's milk is NOT TRUE.

The best source of real nutrition or absorbable dietary supplementation needed for pre and post natal is REAL UNPROCESSED FOOD, high in natural nutrients; not pills, powders, gel caps, etc.

By the way, mother's milk costs a great deal less than canned pasteurized liquids, boiled concoctions, or instatized or spray dried powders.

Your child indeed requires your health to be optimum moms, or moms to be, in delivering breast milk, for at least one year after birth if at all possible (the World Health Organization strongly suggests two years, but as I have said before the pro infant formula lobby is so strong in brainwashing among OB/Gyn's, hospitals and birthing centers you rarely hear this in the USA).

Grandfathered and nonefficacious protocols of pregnancy vitamin pills, which are not absorbed at all, or only partially absorbed, with small compliance factors among expectant mothers, are a JOKE that the Big Pharma producers have hoisted for 50+ years on American pregnancies and tried to lock out all other better for you nutrition ideas.

As Dr. Mercola regularly suggests, safe vitamin D absorption comes from regular safe exposure to the sun and is FREE (weather permitting of course).

 

 +1 Points           
 
Author of the Article
BY Michigan Mom   
  
[ Joined on 06/06 ]
Author of the Article [ Posted on February 07, 2007 ]
 

Absolutely right, In fact, I don't like the title on the blog post. People skimming it may think it is OK not to breastfeed or worry that is "causes" rickets.

Inadequate exposure to sunlight causes rickets, not breastfeeding. I would also bet that the synthetic vitamin D found in formula is not a healthy way to ingest vitamin D. Most pediatricians recommend disgusting tasting vitamin drops to breastfed infants to prevent rickets. That is ridiculous. If you're pregnant get plenty of vitamin D yourself, a small amount is present in breastmilk, and take your baby outside.

There is a lot of controversy over this topic in the breastfeeding community. Some links:

http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/breastfeeding/vitamin-d.html

http://www.lalecheleague.org/Release/vitamind.html

 


 
 +1 Points           
 
Author of the Article
BY Josh Rubin   
  
[ Joined on 06/06 ]
[ Posted on February 06, 2007 ]
Post Reply
Breast milk has so much nutrients in it, it is almost a crime not to give it to a child. Of course there are situations why some women cannot. But if you can, I would. Breast milk is full of so much good cholesterol, good bacteria, etc that it helps the infants nervous system and all the other systems to develop. This is why bottled fed babies mostly get colic and other poopy disorders. There GI tract is not fully developed and cannot handle and detoxify all the toxins that are in soy and other formulas.

Another interesting point. When breast fed, you learn infant development skills of pushing. This involved a rythmic movement of the head, cervical spine and jaw. The head goes into flexion then extension, the cervical spine does the same and the jaw goes into protrusion and restrusion. These are neccessary survival movements and reflexes. When bottle fed, the infant just has to clench down on the nipple of the bottle and milk squirst out. So all the important movements are lost and the musculoskeletal and neurological development of all the muscles involvced is inhibited. This can lead to and has been shown to create many emotional disorders, as well as chronic neck issues, atlas issues, headaches, TMJ and so on. You see great examples of this in the book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A Price. Mariano Rocobado (leading TMJ specialist in the world) has proven in research that children who are not breast fed end up with TMJ dysfunctions, overbites, malocclusion issues and occulo-cervical dysfunctions.


 
 +1 Points           
 
Author of the Article
BY mmc88121   
  
[ Joined on 11/06 ]
[ Posted on February 06, 2007 ]
Post Reply
I did notice that the darker pigmented children seemed to have more trouble than those with lighter pigmented skin.  But considering most doctors will tell you to keep you infants indoors for most of the first six months I am not suprised at this finding.  You need sunshine to have good skin. 

mmc88121
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