article archive
July 2006
Birth trauma -- Part 2 of a series
by Dr. Ogi Ressel
As a parent, you should be aware of information on well‑accepted,
recognized, and deeply rooted medical procedures and rituals
that may contribute to Traumatic Birth Syndrome, thereby
affecting the health of your baby ‑‑ even for
life:
1. The first of these is "ultrasound." This procedure,
many think, seems safe and innocuous. Current research, however,
tells us that this isn't so. First of all, ultrasound tends
to cause an error in the way cells function. Diagnostic ultrasound
causes genetic damage and alterations in cellular growth
and function. It also plays havoc with the cell genetic code.
This means that it's possible to create errors in the very
code that makes your baby a human being. Not only that, but
ultrasound has also been associated with dyslexia and delayed
speech, as well as demyelination (myelin is the covering
that protects nerves and prevents 'short‑circuits'of
the brain) ‑‑ not a good thing!
An interesting story
from The Sunday Telegraph, Dec. 10, 2001, stated that Swedish
scientists uncovered evidence suggesting ultrasound scans on
pregnant women can cause brain damage in their unborn babies.
In the most comprehensive study yet on the effects of the scanning,
a team of doctors found that men born to mothers who underwent
scanning were more likely to show signs of brain damage.
During
the 1990s, a number of studies hinted that ultrasound scanning
affected unborn babies. Research has suggested that subtle
brain damage can cause people who ought genetically to be right‑handed to become left‑handed.
In addition, these people face a higher risk of conditions
ranging from learning difficulties to epilepsy. The findings
would mean that ultrasound scans are causing slight brain damage
in thousands of babies each year.
Of greatest concern, however,
is the fact that ultrasound affects the immature eggs of a
female baby, thus affecting her own children. Because this
technology is relatively new, this last effect has not been
investigated thoroughly, but parents everywhere should beware.
2.
Electronic Fetal Monitoring (EFM). This is used by most hospitals
although there's been little testing done to determine its
efficacy. Latest research does indicate it adds to parent panic
and has increased C‑sections by 400 percent.
There's nothing more chilling for parents to hear during
delivery than the words, "the baby's heart rate is dropping." This
is the point where all logic leaves and panic takes over.
Many mothers don't realize it's quite normal for the heart
rate of the baby to drop slightly during each contraction.
However, panic will ensure total compliance by parents with
any and all hospital procedures and rituals. Wonderful for
the hospital's bottom line!
3. Epidurals. This has been shown
to increase labor time and cause fever in the mother, which
is then treated with antibiotics for both mom and baby. It
also doesn't allow the mother to "feel" her labor, which then necessitates
the use of forceps, vacuum extraction, and even C‑section
to deliver the baby.
4. Forceps and vacuum extraction. These
procedures use up to 140 lbs. of force to literally "pull the baby out." These
are the two main procedures that cause most of the health
problems seen in children and even adults. The forces applied
to the baby's head and neck often cause nerve and spinal
cord injuries as well as vertebral subluxations. These subluxations
affect the baby's nervous system and are a great threat to
health not only immediately, but can affect the health of
that child even into adulthood.
As well, forceps‑assisted
childbirth significantly boosts a woman's risk of fecal incontinence.
Approximately 10% of mothers report experiencing fecal incontinence
during the year following childbirth. Those whose deliveries
involved forceps and who experienced tears in the anal sphincter
were at double the risk of fecal incontinence during the three
months following delivery, compared with mothers whose deliveries
did not involve forceps. So, the moral of this story is to
give this much thought before allowing forceps to be used.
5.
Caesarean sections. These have been increasingly popular with
the advent of EFM, Amniocentesis, and Chorionic Villi sampling.
It seems to be presented as a very simple procedure, yet many
parents do not realize that it IS surgery.
As soon as the abdomen's
cut, the uterus tends to contract to protect the baby. This
often necessitates the use of steel retractors to open the
uterus, then forceps and vacuum extraction to deliver the baby.
Of course, the mother's anesthetized so she can't feel pain.
Many forget that the anesthetic mom is given also crosses the
placenta and affects the baby. Definitely not the birth of
choice! Still, this seems to be used increasingly by most hospitals
as the preferred method of delivery, for it provides a hospital
with a definite date and time of delivery ‑‑ the
baby is born at a prearranged time. No one is inconvenienced
and no golf games are thus interrupted. What a wonderful thing!
(Dr.
Ogi Ressel, author, researcher, and an x‑ray
and pediatric specialist, teaches The Practice Evolution
Program, the "fastest‑growing coaching program
on the planet." Visit online at www.practiceevolution.com
and take the Practice Health Mini‑Checkup. Dr. Ressel
may be contacted by e‑mail at drogi@practiceevolution.com
or by calling 800‑353‑3082. Interested in receiving
his weekly THOTS "on seeing tons of children and families
in your practice?" Send him an e‑mail and asked
to be added to the list.)