I stumbled across a claim on another blog recently that got my blood boiling. Not much sends me into hyperactive research mode now that I am a stay at home mom. But I haven’t forgotten how to do it.
There is a diet that claims to prevent 100% of preeclampsia and HELLP. My sniffer went into overdrive. 100%? There is almost nothing in medicine that can accurately have the word 100% attached to it. I did some reading about this diet and started becoming enraged. I found many sites that spout the claim found on the diet’s website. Their claim follows in blue…word for word from the homepage of the site.
“Toxemia. Pre-Eclampsia. HELLP Syndrome. Premature birth.
Low birth weight. Intrauterine growth retardation.
It’s not genetics. It’s not random. The cause is NOT unknown. Toxemia CAN be stopped. Preeclampsia
CAN be stopped. Best of all, YOU can stop it!
HOW? All the scientific research being done on toxemia and preeclampsia these days is focusing on treatment, and none of it is promising. But the research has already been done, many times and many ways in the past 50+ years, and we know that you can PREVENT this from happening to you in the first place, no matter what your personal history may be. The simple answer? GOOD NUTRITION.”
Oh, gosh! Why the hell didn’t I think of that? Good nutrition? Guess it is my fault my son was a preemie!
Except….except that it’s not my fault. You see I followed this diet. I clicked on their sample diet and I can tell you….that is what I was eating. Yet, I still developed Class I HELLP.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I believe nutrition and protein intake play a huge role in pregnancy. It is this idea that pre-e and HELLP would go away if we all followed the diet. But it won’t. You see, preeclampsia is a syndrome. (ie. a disease that may be triggered by several independent factors that leads to a common situation (compromised placenta) In my particular case, I was in ridiculously good shape going into pregnancy. My resting heart rate was in the low 60’s, my baseline BP was 105/60, I worked out and taught classes at the gym 6 days a week, and (as I recently discovered) I ate this site’s recommended diet.
When the underlying reason for your pre-e and HELLP syndrome IS actually genetic, diet manipulation can only go so far. In my case my homozygous MTHFR c677 was my problem. Following the diet to the letter would not have saved me from pre-e or HELLP. Knowing prior to conception that I had this thrombophilia might have….heparin could have been given from early on.
I think there is even a bigger picture here. It is the “Pregnancy is not a disease” movement. For most women….it isn’t a disease. It is a natural part of life. But there are those of us that fly in the face of that fanciful notion. Those of us (and our babies) who need medical intervention, sometimes drugs, and science to intervene throw a huge monkey wrench into that movement. So what is the solution to explain us outlyers? That the bad things that happen to us ~5% of pregnant women must be OUR fault. That is essentially what this diet is purporting.
This is not only grossly inaccurate but emotionally damaging to women who have done everything right and still ended up with pre-e, HELLP, and/or a premature baby.
I love it when I see that new research is uncovering more of the mystery behind pre-e and/or HELLP. All that I ask is that before some well-meaning soul tells me about it, writes about it, etc, that you actually check to see what kind of research is being touted. Is it peer-reviewed? Randomized? Double blind? Placebo controlled? Prospective or retrospective? The answers to these questions matter. You see this is the benchmark to which I was held every day of my professional life. I worked for a pharmaceutical company and whenever I presented a study to a physician these were the criteria they asked about. When a “study” didn’t meet all of these criteria, it was treated with great skepticism. I have searched extensively for studies done on this “diet” that meet the above criteria. Surprise! ;-) There are none.
This theory makes me angry. It makes me sad. I wonder how many former pre-e or HELLP sufferers have read information about this “miracle diet” and felt their heart sink and then blamed themselves. It is this kind of misinformation that further damages already traumatized women.
There is a wonderful thread I found on the Preeclampia Forum website that has numerous links to peer-reviewed studies that will dispel the notion that “Mommy could have prevented it.”
I also wanted to send a shout-out to my MTHFR/HELLP/preemie mom pal Kathy, who I just discovered as I was editing this post, wrote about this very issue. She makes some excellent points as well.
I think moms spend enough time playing the guilt game in their own heads without adding unsubstantiated fuel to the fire.
What is really sad about this is the women who belive that because they did not eat the right things or excersie enough/or to much that they caused their pre-e or HELLP.
My gosh I did everything right and I ended up with HELLP and a premature baby(or maybe it was those few pastries I had when I was just in the begining of learning that something was not quite right(sarcasim)it was either that or a good stiff drink;)
Thanks for the comment JoDee. I knew you would understand, having been through HELLP yourself. Yeah…you should probably pay eternal penance for that scone you had in the 4th week.
Found your blog while surfing randomly and had to chime in. The Brewer’s Diet people make me insane, as do the people who insist that home births are safer for every woman. Over at the preeclampsia foundation, we got into an argument with one of them who refused to consider recent studies that contradicted her pitch, since all studies after 1950 are tainted with drug company money– or some such malarkey. You’re right, it’s all about blaming the mothers. Anything except admit that sometimes medical intervention is necessary.
While The Brewer’s Diet is total bunk, there is a new test out there that is helping ease preeclampsia. Premature births and maternal distress related to hypertension and preeclampsia can result in over 10,000 infant deaths and up to $5 billion in annual health care costs in the U.S. But a recent medical breakthrough can alleviate both the worry of infant death and the cost of this expensive health concern. David Chaffin, MD, and Denise G. Webb, CRNP developed MIST in 2002 at the Marshall University’s Maternal Hypertension Center through Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington, WV, conducting clinical evaluations with results showing a 50% reduction in preeclampsia and zero maternal and infant mortalities in treating over 1400 at risk women. Visit http://www.misttechnologies.com/ for more information and start asking your doctor for your MIST test today.
I read the info about the MIST and it does seem like a good tool to use in helping detect possable problems from pre-e. I do wonder however if the 50% reduction in pre-e is simply because they were able to monitor with this system and then possably deliver before the mother developed pre-e, which is of course a good thing. I also read the questions that they have in regards to who may quilify for this monitoring system and that may be with where one flaw lies. According to the questions I would not have quilifed for the monitoring during my HELLP pregnancy,I was 25 years old with no previous pregnancy problems or other known risk factors. I also did not develop pre-e with my pregnancy just HELLP I wonder if it would help in that type of situation. It does bear further follow up and would be something I would ask about if I were to ever have more children. Though now I would if I were to have any more children. That I think is part of the problem when looking at just giving the extra monitoring to those at a pre-determined risk. If some sort of monitoring like this was givin to every pregnant women as part of their normal prenatal care it would probably be much more helpful, maybe in the future it will be.
I don’t care for the underlying message of the “Pregnancy is not a Disease” movement and my son was not only full term, but quite late.
But I did not have a pleasant pregnancy because, while pregnancy is not a disease, it is not your standard state and some women’s bodies are better able to handle the extra load on their various systems. And what the woman’s actions can only do so much.
I went to Lamaze and we were told about how natural childbirth was really “the” way and ceseareans were really unnecessary, dangerous, etc. That surgery treats it like a disease. Well….I couldn’t exactly keep him in there and that was the only way he was leaving.
And my severe edema? While my doctors told me how “fat” I was and how I was just eating too much salt, I was eating only 500ish mg/day. And barely was eating at all. And the other complaints (incessant vomiting, insomnia, a terrible itchy rash, sciatica)? Well they didn’t feel it was worth addressing other than to just “get over it”. Because this was a beautiful time and I should enjoy it–in keeping with the above philosophy.
Right. Because all of that is fun.
I did read the MIST information. If I were to get pregnant at this point I would be able to answer yes to 5 of the 10 questions. But with my pregnancy with Aidan, I would have answered NO to every question, so I am sure I wouldn’t have been able to get such a test.
So I guess I have arrived at JoDee’s take home message. This may be a great screening tool for those who already have identified risks. The pregnancies that plague my mind the most are the ones like mine where NO risk factors were present.
I am (shameful to admit) one of thise know-it-all-moms who used to spout this kind of information. I am totally so embarassed and think what you are writing about it really important. I support you and your son is adorable!
Warmly,
Housefairy, apprentice to KneelingWoman
Thanks for posting here Joy. I really appreciated your comments. It is nice to know that women like you and KneelingWoman are out there. Good luck with your pregnancy.
I work in Labor and Deliver. Have spent a bunch of time working with post partum woman. Most of them, when asked if they feel like a gaping emotional hole, will agree with me. Only a terrible Bully would kick a new mom when she is down. Brand new Moms need emotional support. They do not need to be made to feel quilty about trivial things. The whole situation makes me so mad!!!!!
I’m sorry that anyone made you feel that you were to blame for your pregnancy complications. I teach childbirth ed, and I can tell you that not all natural birth advocates feel that way. Our focus is on what is “best” for women and babies. In the cases of healthy pregnant women (~90%), nature is the way to go. For women who develop complications (~5-10%) - THANK GOD we have advanced, life-saving medical technology!
Diseases are nobody’s “fault” but they definitely have causes. To say that diseases “just happen” suggests that we have no control, and thankfully, we do! The path to better health comes from changing our lifestyles. Our air, water and food sources are full of contaminants and chemicals. Our meats and dairy products are loaded with hormones and antibiotics. Our produce contains herbicides and pesticides. Processed and fast-foods are staples of many peoples diets, and they’re loaded with sodium, chemicals, and preservatives. Our cleaning and personal care products contain toxic chemicals. These are not theories, but grim facts. Does this impact our health? You betchya! If we want better health for ourselves and future generations, then we must make changes in how we live. Gone are the days when we could trust our government and the FDA to look after our best interests - we have to educate and inform ourselves as to what is safe. Check out the book “******.” Visit the ***** website to read about toxins, and the *************to look up toxin ratings in products you probably use www.***.com. What I found especially disturbing is the amount of toxins in popular baby products.
I now buy only organic foods, and most are from local organic farms. This promotes my health AND a healthier environment. I drink purified water. I make all of my own cleaning products (baking soda, vinegar, borax). I use **** personal care products, which are the only 100% natural and organic products available. I love them so much that I now sell them!
I also began using ***, and have had fantastic results. **** is not a supplement, but a food source. It is fresh raw fruits and veggies that have been dehydrated and encapsulated - it provides 14 servings of fresh raw produce daily - way more than most people consume. The pediatrician Dr. William Sears, promotes it. Extensive research studies have shown that **** use in pregnant women has greatly reduced the instances of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and hypertension. I don’t sell ****, but I’ve read the research studies and have experienced the benefits for myself. Since I changed my lifestyle, I no longer suffer from depression, constant colds, migraines, eczema, and rashes.
People who experience illness and disease are not to blame for them. We can only do what we can with the info we have available, and we’ve been given a lot of inaccurate info. Thankfully, new info is available, and we have the power to make changes. Don’t take my word for it - please, do your research, make some changes, and see the benefits for yourself. We may not eliminate all disease, but even a significant reduction would be welcomed!
I forgot to clarify on my last post that there are exceptions regarding the impact of nutrition on disease when genetics are a factor. However, I do believe that a lot of genetic issues we’re experiencing today are a result of the toxins and pollutants we’ve been exposed to over the past 100+ years.
A friend of mine was also told by several insensitive people that she didn’t give birth to her son because she had a C-section. That’s absurd and completely untrue. When a baby emerges from a womans body, regardless of the method, then birth has occurred. While I agree that our C-section rate is too high, there are certainly cases when it’s necessary. The WHO (World Health Organization) has set the acceptable rate at 5-15%, based on statistics from other developed countries.
Jaynie:
I must respectfully disagree that all problems can be fixed with food and supplements. The problem that caused my preeclampsia and HELLP has been DEFINITIVELY identified as a genetic variation of a clotting gene in my blood. My parents are both single carriers of this variation (MTHFR c677). I got both copies which means it can fully express the clotting problems associated with it. My homocysteine levels (which are affected by this variation) are way too high. Even while not pregnant, the ONLY thing that keeps my homocysteine levels at safe levels is one baby aspirin and 2mg of folic acid per day (5 TIMES THE AMOUNT RECOMMENDED FOR A PREGNANT WOMAN).
Additionally, my levels were so high during my pregnancy when the disorder was discovered, that any future pregnancy would require the addition of twice daily heparin to make sure I don’t have a stroke.
I appreciate your kindness. I do value proper nutrition. If you were to know more about me you would know I eat properly and exercise 5-6 times a week. You would be hard pressed to find many healthier 36 year old women.
But, to suggest that I can “fix” a genetically inherited problem is yet again blaming the mom for something out of her control.
Incidentally, Janie, your posts were caught in my spam filter. I don’t mind your comment on my blog, but I did edit out all of the advertising in your original post. I don’t do plugs on this site.