Gestational diabetes: please suggest any remedy

[Guest guest]

ayurveda , " desert_thought "

<desert_thought wrote:

>

> I wanted to update on my wife's birth experience here in USA and get

> some advice on feeding the baby.

>

 

 

ayurveda , " desert_thought "

<desert_thought wrote:

>

> I wanted to update on my wife's birth experience here in USA and get

> some advice on feeding the baby.

>

 

There were many issues in your post but a couple caught my mind.

 

Get a breast pump and collect the milk and feed to the baby in a

bottle. The child should not be given powdered formulas especially

those containing soy - if the mother is not producing enough milk then

supplement it with goats milk - this can be found in the health food

stores or milk from organically grown grass fed cows also found in the

health food stores - but the more of the mother's milk the better - as

we know mother's milk is much more than simple nourishment for a child

- it aalso is important in developing the immune functions of the child.

 

Here is a link to info on breast pumps -

 

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/breastpumps/

 

Since your wife had Gestational diabetes - in general I would not

reccomend Shubhagya shunti because it has a lot of sugar. There are

many ways to achieve the goals of this medicine without taking sugar.

If the mother-in-law has already bought this medicine give it a

cautious try by taking a dose and one hour later do a blood sugar

reading - if it is not rising then try it but just be careful - if it

raises blood sugar avoid it - this product can be made at home -

leaving the sugar out - a substitute for the sugar could be a low

glycemic sweetener like Xylitol - here is a link to a recipe for this

medicine -

 

http://www.holisticonline.com/Herbal-Med/Remedies/hol_herbal-

tonics-saubhagya-sunti.htm

 

Gestational diabetes often never causes problems after gestation - but

in my mind it reveals a tendency toward Madumeha/Prameha under stress

a type of metabolic disorder - different from Type 2 diabetes- so it

is something that should be watched - also in the child as it develops

- be sure to not ignore any developing symptoms. The child is starting

out with great stress and should be given all support. I wonder how

high your wife's blood sugar went when she was carrying the child? If

there were any development problems in the womb then the child will

need special attention in the first few years of life.

 

Here is a piece that I wrote sometime back for a TCM group – I feel

that infant massage is an excellent technique to develop an

underdeveloped nervous system in a child. A child born under stress

needs full support so as to avoid problems later – meet with an

experienced Vaidya and in the mean time think of some of the ideas in

this piece – in early infancy simply apply oil during the bath. Do not

use baby oils made from mineral oil. Never let the child become dry

skinned.

 

Massage for infants

 

 

I would like to mention a technique that comes from Ayurveda which is

an excellent therapy for child development.

 

In India many people massage children with oils daily. There are many

benefits to this but in my mind the most useful aspect of this

technique is that it develops and strengthens the nervous system of

the child and

develops the Defensive Qi (immunity to external influences) therefore

improving immune functions. Many children develop hyper sensitivities

on the surface that makes them vulnerable to exogenous pathological

influences physical and

psychological. Any child that seems overly sensitive and has

hyperactive and or depressive symptoms (under or hyper reactive)can be

tremendously benefitted by daily massage. Massage of course warms and

stimulates circulation in the skin and the muscles.

 

The techniques are simple and mainly intuitive - therefore easy to

learn. Contraindications are if the child can not accept the massage

and does not enjoy it then it should never be given under those

circumstances. The child should enjoy this experience and it should be

a wonderful cozy and bonding moment between the child and the person

massaging it. If the child is uneasy and fretful leave it off that

time and try later when the child is more relaxed. In India there are

many oils for this and many mothers make their own oil decoctions that

include various herbs. A good oil to use is ordinary organic expeller

processed sesame oil - this oil must be cured by putting it in a pan

and slowly heating it until a drop of water dropped on the top jumps

and bounces and is quickly evaporated, do not over heat the oil- do

not use mineral oils like western baby oils - the oil can be ghee

(clarified butter)but in that case little oil will be needed - it is

best to lightly heat the oil - the room should be warm and the child

should never be allowed to become cold - the environment should be

calm and quiet so as to not tempt the child to distractions.

 

The actual massage is up to you - just be gentle and do not pull or

over stretch the skin so as to avoid any pain whatsoever (the oil

helps with this)- gentle kneeding and stroking are best - if one knows

the meridan system then use the well oiled thumb to gently trace the

pathways of the meridians - speak softly and lovingly to the child -

flex and extend the limbs several times for each limb - do not massage

the abdomen with any pressure at all but gentle clockwise movements

over the abdomen are helpful - do not make the sessions long otherwise

the child will become tired and want to stop - you should anticipate

this and stop the massage before that restless time comes. After the

massage the oil should be wiped off with a towel - do not wash

the oil off with soap - the skin should feel soft and very slightly

moist from the oil not oily - if one needs to remove more oil then wet

towels that have been dipped in warm water that has had a few drops of

non detergent soap added - followed by a clean towel rub

with clear water (soap - even non-detergent should not be left on the

childs skin) my mother used to finish her children's bath with a towel

dipped in clear warm water that has had a few drops of rose water and

the juice of half a lime in it. After the bath the child should be

wrapped in a big towel and layed to rest or set on a chair while you

clean up the massage and bath area. Children love this and it actually

takes only a little more time than an ordinary bath when one becomes

accustomed to the routine.

 

All children who have even the slightest hint of shyness or any other

depressive symptom should by all means take this massage as well as

any child who is fretful or overreactive - three

times a week is actually enough but if there are clear pathologies

present massage daily). I believe that this therapy is the most

helpful thing one can do for a child with hyperactive symptoms. In

modern times many chilren are born with underdeveloped nervous systems

because of the exposure in the womb to drugs, chemicals, and the hyper

reactive states of the mother - this causes an abnormal reactivity in

the child and this massage technique can act almost like a miracle to

help the child to complete the development of their under developed

nervous systems.

 

This also is a perfect time for intimacy and bonding that is often

ignored in this modern busy life. Father's please learn this technique

and do not leave it just to your wife to do - both parents should have

constant intimate interchange with their child - this interaction more

than any other thing gives the child a sense of security. This sense

of security gives the child the security for developing their own

personality without fear and doubts.

 

The only chance we have to survive as a species is to raise healthy

happy children who do not have abnormal desires for power and

pathological acquisition - who are balanced and positive. Only healthy

people are free of perverse, unnatural, and harmful behavior patterns.

It is our obligation to give our children every opportunity for

success we can - and good health is the foundation to a successful

life.

 

Here is a link to a basic book on childhood medical issues – I have

not read this particular book but found it is readily available -

search for other books.

 

http://www.vedicbooks.net/bala-veda-pediatrics-and-ayurveda-p-13579.html

 

Here are names of two good books from TCM on pediatrics -

 

Chinese Pediatric Massage Therapy - by Ya Li

 

Keeping Your Child Healthy With : A Parent's Guide to

the Care & Prevention of Common Childhood Diseases - by Bob Flaws

 

Dr Vinod Kumar

[Guest guest]

dear DT

 

i strongly encourage you to find a midwife rather than seek advice

online

 

all of the theoretical knowledge in the world is nothing compared to

a woman who has not only given birth herself but is properly trained

and has delivered hundreds of babies - just having that kind of

energy around your entire family some piece of mind!

 

for midwifery info see:

 

www.cfmidwifery.org

www.mana.org

www.midwife.org

 

you may also find a trained doula that can give some support:

 

www.napcs.org

www.dona.org

 

and i am sure doula Ysha Oakes would be very helpful:

www.sacredwindow.com

 

as far as breastfeeding is concerned, contact your local la leche

league ASAP for practical advice

http://www.llli.org/

 

please beware that you need to some solid, helpful support to avoid

crisis management

other issues might come up such post-partum depression, vaccinations

etc and you need to be prepared, otherwise you may feel forced into

solutions that you might regret later

 

blessings to you and your new family :-)

Caldecott, Dip. Cl.H, RH(AHG)

Ayurvedic practitioner, Medical Herbalist

203 - 1750 East 10th Ave

Vancouver, BC V5N 5K4 CANADA

web: http//:www.toddcaldecott.com

email: todd

tel: (1)778.896.8894

fax: (1)866.703.2792

 

 

On 9-Nov-07, at 2:43 AM, ayurveda wrote:

 

> As there is no experienced Vaidya in my area if any Vaidya is

> willing to take up our case we can take it offline. Please provide

> me your contact information and we can go from there.

>

> Thanks,

> DT

[Guest guest]

> Since your wife had Gestational diabetes - in general I would not

> reccomend Shubhagya shunti because it has a lot of sugar. There are

> many ways to achieve the goals of this medicine without taking

sugar.

> If the mother-in-law has already bought this medicine give it a

> cautious try by taking a dose and one hour later do a blood sugar

> reading - if it is not rising then try it but just be careful - if

it

> raises blood sugar avoid it - this product can be made at home -

> leaving the sugar out - a substitute for the sugar could be a low

> glycemic sweetener like Xylitol - here is a link to a recipe for

this

> medicine -

>

> http://www.holisticonline.com/Herbal-Med/Remedies/hol_herbal-

> tonics-saubhagya-sunti.htm

 

There are many receipes in ayurveda using sugar, but everywhere sugar

means crystal/candy sugar or jaggery where compatible, conveneient.

This sugar is with most minerals present. Cuases none of the ills of

refined sugar. Diabetics need not wory about these medicines. sugar

alone is different from sugar mixed with other herbs.

 

Even sowbhagya sunthi can be made with sugar substitutes of indian

origin. Other than soubhagya sunthi, several other receipes, e.g.

Gondh ke Laddu, Methi(fenugreek) laddu, contain jaggery, many are

avaialble ready made, at least in Mumbai. They serve the same purpose

as sowbhagya sunthi. Do you have time and efforts and availability of

ingredients to make this. Similarly ready arishtas to be taken for 42

days after birth are readily available, including Janma-ghuti herbal

set. contains 20 herbs, to be ground on stone (just like sandalwood

paste is ground for puja) and licked by baby. This has bitter herbs,

dried dates etc so that insulin resistance gets reduced and baby

feels hunger also, can digest milk, no colic, passes gas if formed,

and eliminates worms if any. Baby sleeps almost 20 hoyrs a day, for

first one month.

 

within an hour of delivery, in India, the mom is fed a hot poridge

of various spices and hot herbs. Traditional procedure demands that

the baby is put to the breast after little cleaning, wrapping in a

thick blanket or cloth, even before the cord is cut. cord should not

be cut till it is pulsating. did hospital follow traditional wisdom?

 

Doula gives daily massage, fomentation to both mom and baby. The

belly is tied, mom is put in sweater, scarf and should not go out of

her room for next 42 days. HOt food, fomentation, hot water bath

after massage. The herbal decoctions take care that reproductive

system returns to normality.

 

The births in hospitals can never be like homebirths!

[Guest guest]

I would like to say one thing about garlic and nursing.

 

I live in Canada - in the praries.

 

It is really cold here -40 in the winter.

 

All of our children were born in the winter - I have four.

 

After the birth of my second and third daughters I had a horrible cold that even

led to sinus infection. I avoided garlic thinking it was to tamsic and finally

decided to try it to get rid of my cold.

It got rid of a horrible cold and infection rapidly within a week.

It had no effect on the nursing of my children and actually even improved the

digestion of my daughter who had been suffering intense constipation.

 

I just put four cloves of garlic in dhal or subji - not a lot but the effect was

very wonderful - I would not totally outlaw garlic for those who are nursing.

 

The woman's body is very cold after delivery and garlic brings warmth and helps

the body get back to its normal state.

 

found it to be a most valuable herb and would certainly not turn anyone away

from it who lived iin a cold climate.

 

Cumin and fennel are also very good for increasing milk production and help to

prevent gas. fennel seems to make the breast milk appealing to babies and helps

babies have regular bowel movements.

When my babies reached three months I started giving them fennel water two or

three tablespoons a day.

This prevented gas and my children and children of many other women sleep

comfortably.

 

I found that the foods I needed to avoid were spinach, big legumes like chick

peas and kidney beans, chilli peppers - in big amounts, any dal other than mung

would upset my constipated daughter. Cabbage and cauliflower caused them gas in

the first three months after birth.

Once the child is past three months I found the effects of my diet were not as

disturbing to the baby. But we should take special care int the first three

months that we eat only easy to digest foods like squshes, mung dal, gourds -

very soft and delicate food should be consumed aloong with good digestive spices

and warming spices - haldi, ginger, help promote digestion of mom and baby and

keep the body from suffering from excessive cold.

 

______________

If your wife is breastfeeding or trying to breast feed, then she

should not be eating onions or garlic.

 

_________________

{Moderator: Few words of experience tilt the scale against a ton of theory]

[Guest guest]

Your are correct. Do you know the ingredients used by

Indian's for food kooking have medicinal properties. I would suggest

you to see blog www.astrotreat.blogspot.com

Dr. Upadhye

_____________________________

 

I would like to say one thing about garlic and nursing.

[Guest guest]

>

> After the birth of my second and third daughters I had a horrible

> cold that even led to sinus infection. I avoided garlic thinking it

> was to tamsic and finally decided to try it to get rid of my cold.

> It got rid of a horrible cold and infection rapidly within a week.

> It had no effect on the nursing of my children and actually even

> improved the digestion of my daughter who had been suffering

> intense constipation.

 

in TCM Alliums such as green onion and garlic bulb enter the Large

Intestine channel, dispersing cold and stagnation and directing the

qi downwards (apana vayu)

 

>

> I just put four cloves of garlic in dhal or subji - not a lot but

> the effect was very wonderful - I would not totally outlaw garlic

> for those who are nursing.

>

> The woman's body is very cold after delivery and garlic brings

> warmth and helps the body get back to its normal state.

 

i would modify this saying that the woman's body is very _deficient_

after childbirth, and as such cold is a symptom of this, and garlic

does help restore this to a degree since it builds ojas, whereas

other spicy herbs, e.g. cayenne, do not...

 

>

> Once the child is past three months I found the effects of my diet

> were not as disturbing to the baby. But we should take special care

> int the first three months that we eat only easy to digest foods

> like squshes, mung dal, gourds - very soft and delicate food should

> be consumed aloong with good digestive spices and warming spices -

> haldi, ginger, help promote digestion of mom and baby and keep the

> body from suffering from excessive cold.

 

i think especially in the cold, dry prairies non-veg foods are the

best strategy to restore a devitalized system, and can be easily

prepared into easily digestible soups and stews

 

my wife hemorrhaged after her last birth (which we stopped with a

herb called yunnan pai yao), but after one week of convalescence with

lots of steamed leafy greens, carmelized onions and garlic, as well

as eggs and properly prepared meats, she was restored to normal and

in very good health

 

its important to remember that humans are the only species of mammal

not to eat the afterbirth and placenta - it may sound gross, but is

serves the purpose of revitalizing the mother after producing all

these tissues from her body - in China some practices call for the

mother to eat the placenta, after being prepared as a soup, or dried,

powdered and taken as capsules...

 

however, i usually recommend goat meat stew, prepared with herbs like

garlic, ashvagandha, shatavari (tien men dong), astragalus, dang gui,

and peony

 

i would make a masala as usual, frying herbs like cumin, dhanya,

mustard, methi, hing, turmeric, ginger etc, in ghee, and then add in

the goat meat, followed by onion and garlic, vegies, the soup stock,

and then the medicinal herbs above, bring to a boil, and cook for 2-3

hours at low heat, adding a little sea salt at the end

 

to accompany this i might make a peshwari style pullao, frying the

dry rice in ghee with crushed almonds, pista, coconut, cumin seed and

goji berries (instead of raisins) before adding the water and salt

 

i have several patients who also make up a similar soup as an adjunct

to osteoporosis treatment, adding in a handful of seaweed (which is a

good idea anyway)

 

such medicinal soups and broths are an excellent strategy in any kind

of convalescence or restorative program, and keep the body warm

during the long, cold, dry winter season

 

best... todd caldecott

 

Caldecott, Dip. Cl.H, RH(AHG)

Ayurvedic practitioner, Medical Herbalist

203 - 1750 East 10th Ave

Vancouver, BC V5N 5K4 CANADA

web: http//:www.toddcaldecott.com

email: todd

tel: (1)778.896.8894

fax: (1)866.703.2792