re case report from Vicky York

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/31/2004 10:23:46 PM Eastern Standard Time, martha writes:

Ayurveda doesn't talk in terms of vitamins, and minerals I don't hear about magnesium anyway. Do you know anything about how magnesium works and gets depleated in the body?

 

A little on Magnesium~

 

Magnesium is used to make progesterone and so if she had low stores to begin with, the high progesterone levels needed to maintain pregnancy would have depleted her even further. Chocolate is high in magnesium and this is why many premenstrual women crave chocolate (although not a good source for obvious reasons!). Proper nerve, lung and cardiac function require magnesium. Animals deficient in magnesium become very irritable. In humans, a magnesium deficiency causes an irregular heartbeat, which is sometimes accompanied by weakness, muscle pain, disorientation and seizures.

 

There really is NO test for magnesium deficiency that is both sufficiently accurate and available for use in routine clinical practice.

 

Bone contains 60% of the body's magnesium. The rest circulates in the blood. Over 300 enzymes use magnesium as an activating co-factor. Without magnesium, many enzymes would function less efficiently. Magnesium also plays a role in ATP production, hence the weakness, and muscle pain with deficiency. The best way to restore Magnesium to the body is through green leafy veggies. Magnesium in present in the plant pigment chlorophyll so plant foods are rich in this mineral. Active Vitamin D can also enhance magnesium absorption.

 

I also wanted to comment that the high protein recommendations come from Brewer's research. He recommends 80-100 grams per day for pregnant women to prevent toxemia~preeclamsia conditions.

Yes, a lot of protein does stress the kidneys and can result in dehydration also causing the weakness, etc.

I have found quinoa to be a good source of complete protein and you can add some fat/oil to this as well. I am very Vata and this works well with my body.

 

I hope this helps some!

Sandy Dwan

[Guest guest]

Martha: I don't know anything about ayurvedic stuff, but I recently

had a client who was anxious, crabby and utterly exhausted just

before and after the birth. She turned out to be anemic and very low

in magnesium ( quickly supplemented by powdered form) And doesn't a

lot of protein stress the kidneys? She might also be suffereing from

one kind of postpartum mood disorder called anxiety. Especially if

she complains of not being able to sleep after the birth. I know you

don't see it as a disease so much as just an imbalance corrected by

right food, etc. Anyway, just some thoughts. Vicky

 

Dear Vicky;

It is entertaining to me that both you and Rachel felt to respond

privately to this report, even though my posted was intended toshare

and invite conversation

 

This kind of info is really welcome; Ayurveda doesn't talk in terms

of vitamins, and minerals I don't hear about magnesium anyway. Do

you know anything about how magnesium works and gets depleated in the

body?

 

This particular woman is a toughie for me; she and her doc are

concerned about ENOUGH protein, so I just suggested keeping to one

complete protein serving per meal, not 2 or 3 (repetition of sugg

months ago to her, btw). THis woman has both high vata and high

pitta, and is feeling resistent to normal measures to self-correct

either - feeling agitation from them.

 

Re the emotions and many other symptoms, it is quite interesting.

If you look at the list in the files on common Vata imbalances, you

will see they are all common postpartum problems ... and Anxiety is

but one of many western appellations for various degrees or angles on

the emotional side of high vata.

 

Don't women just before going into labor often get really agitated?

I'm not trained in birth or midwifery details. Certainly, it seems

she has been on willpower drive mode way too much and out of touch,

even resisting, her below the belt nature. So things encouraging

relaxing into it all have been creating the agitation too ... makes

me think she's holding on to something she needent, as well as the

physiologic imbalances.

 

BTW, she called back the Ayurvedic doc and asked about her dietary

focus. She was told to just emphasise kitchari (rice and mung

porridge, easily digested complete protein) for the next week or so.

It is a commonly advised first food postpartum too ... although

normally the advice is add extra oleation (butter, ghee, sesame oil

tb favored, some other ok). Not sure how she is going to handle it

tho, it will be interesting to see how her postpartum unfolds. As I

said, I think she has some liver imbalances, maybe candida also.

Martha

[Guest guest]

The reason I replied to you personally is I know everyone else thinks in

terms of ayurvedic and I didn't want to sound unbearable ignorant. Plus I am

not well versed in prenatal health. At any rate you are easily

entertained:)! Magnesium is important for osteoporosis and skeletal system,

good nerve and muscle gfunction, heart and kidney health and restful sleep.

It counteracts stress, nerves, irregular heartbeat, emotional instability

and depression. Some of the symptoms of magnesium deficiency are: muscle

spasms, cramping and gastro-intestinal disturbances, irritability and

nervousness, confusion, insomnia, rapid heartbeat, tantrums hypertension,

chronic fatigue,.

To test for magnesium deficiency a procedure called an intracellular

magnesium screen should be performed. Food sources are: whole grains, figs,

garlic, grapefruit, kelp, lemons, lima beans, millet, lnuts, peaches,

black-eyed peas, salmon, sesame seeds,apples, apricots, avocados, bananas,

brown rice, dulse. .

Fat-soluble vitamins hinder the absorption of magnesium, as do foods high in

oxalic acid, such as almonds, chard, cocoa, rhubarb, spinach and tea.

This was some info I researched when my client had the problem. Also I have

to take extra magnesium myself. Otherwise the calcium I must take for

menopause gives me restless leg syndrome. I have irregular heartbeat (PVC's)

and the doc ordered Metropolol so I take magnesium instead and it helps

just as much without the side effects.

you are welcome to post this on the group if you wish, I just didn't want to

bore everyone with allopathic stuff.

Vicky

 

Dear Vicky and Doula Sisters;

First, I really don't consider this allopathic stuff! A rose by any name is

still a rose, and there is a story in Ayurveda of the master who sent two

students out to see what they coud find which was not medicine. One took a long

time to come back, and reported anything could be used as medicine, in the right

context. He got the kudos.

 

Secondly, I think all this info from both you and Sandy is GREAT and useful

stuff for us with our clients! Its going into my files and I'll call this woman

too. Sounds like a little magnesium supplement and some sunshine would be both

good medicines for her.

 

I don't buy the Brewer approach entirely to the proteins tho; I beleive it is

also about quality, food combining, preparation and other factors. I had a

woman recently about 7 months preg with pretoxemia ... but that is another

story. Very good results with my recs, it was another complex situation.

 

PS: it is the skins in the almonds which make them high oxalate. Ayurveda

almost always recs blanching them.

Thanks! Martha

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/1/2004 10:13:28 AM Eastern Standard Time, vmyork writes:

it is the skins in the almonds which make them high oxalate. Ayurveda almost always recs blanching them.

 

Absolutely! Soaking them for 8 hours also will remove the oxalates and other enzyme inhibitors and makes them more easily digested.

 

I don't agree with Brewer either. I am with you on digestibility and food combining, etc.

 

Even though allopathy does not consider sunshine to be a good source of Vitamin D since it isn't the active form, I think it should not be overlooked. It is easy with fatigue, weakness, depression, etc to stay in and I think this creates a vicious cycle. The energy and nutrients we derive from plants ultimately comes from the sun and I feel that it alone has immense healing powers! 20 mins per day is a good place to start!

 

Sandy

[Guest guest]

Well, lactation consultants certainly agree that sunshine is a good source of Vit D. We are up in arms that peds want to start giving babies Vit D, saying breastmilk doens't have enough, as if it were better to give formula with Vit D included. We say D is is a hormone synthesized by the sun, just take babies out in the sun for a walk after nursing and they will be fine. He only needs something like half an hour a week to get enough D and divided up he will never get a sunburn. It's as if all common sense has been forgotten by our culture. Imagine how many pills we will be taking in another 30 years.

 

-

FITJUNKIE

ayurveda

Wednesday, September 01, 2004 7:21 AM

Re: [ayurveda] re case report from Vicky York

 

 

In a message dated 9/1/2004 10:13:28 AM Eastern Standard Time, vmyork writes:

it is the skins in the almonds which make them high oxalate. Ayurveda almost always recs blanching them.

 

Absolutely! Soaking them for 8 hours also will remove the oxalates and other enzyme inhibitors and makes them more easily digested.

 

I don't agree with Brewer either. I am with you on digestibility and food combining, etc.

 

Even though allopathy does not consider sunshine to be a good source of Vitamin D since it isn't the active form, I think it should not be overlooked. It is easy with fatigue, weakness, depression, etc to stay in and I think this creates a vicious cycle. The energy and nutrients we derive from plants ultimately comes from the sun and I feel that it alone has immense healing powers! 20 mins per day is a good place to start!

 

Sandy

[Guest guest]

Great info on Magnesium. Mercola.com talks about a test for magnesium. Vicky

 

-

FITJUNKIE

ayurveda

Tuesday, August 31, 2004 9:37 PM

Re: [ayurveda] re case report from Vicky York

 

 

In a message dated 8/31/2004 10:23:46 PM Eastern Standard Time, martha writes:

Ayurveda doesn't talk in terms of vitamins, and minerals I don't hear about magnesium anyway. Do you know anything about how magnesium works and gets depleated in the body?

 

A little on Magnesium~

 

Magnesium is used to make progesterone and so if she had low stores to begin with, the high progesterone levels needed to maintain pregnancy would have depleted her even further. Chocolate is high in magnesium and this is why many premenstrual women crave chocolate (although not a good source for obvious reasons!). Proper nerve, lung and cardiac function require magnesium. Animals deficient in magnesium become very irritable. In humans, a magnesium deficiency causes an irregular heartbeat, which is sometimes accompanied by weakness, muscle pain, disorientation and seizures.

 

There really is NO test for magnesium deficiency that is both sufficiently accurate and available for use in routine clinical practice.

 

Bone contains 60% of the body's magnesium. The rest circulates in the blood. Over 300 enzymes use magnesium as an activating co-factor. Without magnesium, many enzymes would function less efficiently. Magnesium also plays a role in ATP production, hence the weakness, and muscle pain with deficiency. The best way to restore Magnesium to the body is through green leafy veggies. Magnesium in present in the plant pigment chlorophyll so plant foods are rich in this mineral. Active Vitamin D can also enhance magnesium absorption.

 

I also wanted to comment that the high protein recommendations come from Brewer's research. He recommends 80-100 grams per day for pregnant women to prevent toxemia~preeclamsia conditions.

Yes, a lot of protein does stress the kidneys and can result in dehydration also causing the weakness, etc.

I have found quinoa to be a good source of complete protein and you can add some fat/oil to this as well. I am very Vata and this works well with my body.

 

I hope this helps some!

Sandy Dwan

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/2/2004 2:10:09 AM Eastern Standard Time, vmyork writes:

He only needs something like half an hour a week to get enough D and divided up he will never get a sunburn. It's as if all common sense has been forgotten by our culture. Imagine how many pills we will be taking in another 30 years.

 

So very true~as if we could put in pill form everything found naturally in nature ) How hard (and much less expensive) is it just to do it the natural and right way? It is just crazy.

 

I know sunburn has A LOT to do with diet! My son and I are out in the sun often and I've never applied a sunscreen to him. He is almost 3 now and has never burned.

 

I also agree that supplementing Vit D to breastfeeding babies is ridiculous. It is obvious it is money motivated.

 

How do you feel about the Vitamin K shot given at birth and/or oral Vit K?

 

Thanks for your input!

Sandy