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(Naturopath)
Maria Augustyn - BLOG
Blog
Autism could be prevented
| Posted on February 13, 2014 at 6:51 AM |
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Bacteria in our gut and our brain's health Many of you have
completed or are undergoing a Detoxification Program. The
Integrated Detoxification Program is the most effective way of giving your body
a thorough 'spring clean' and get you feeling fantastic again. It
helps you to remove toxin exposure through dietary and lifestyle changes;
remove bad bacteria and waste from your digestive system; renew your
digestive lining and the healthy bacteria that improves your digestive
function; and releasing your body's toxins so they can be eliminated. In
general, by having a healthy microbiota in our intestine, we are more likely to
have a more responsive and alert immune system that will protect us from many
forms of nasty diseases. The
relationship between our gut flora and our mental health is becoming more
obvious and is being promoted by many health authorities as the basic causation
of many mental disorders…  …including
autism. It
is very dramatic and disturbing learning that we could prevent autism and we
are not doing it. It is possible to test and make sure that little infants are
healthy in their gut. If they have an established gut flora, they are protected
in order to receive the insult of vaccination. By
doing a simple urine test and sometimes a stool analysis test, we can determine
if a baby has a well established intestinal microbiota. It
would be a urine test like the one you had after your first step in the
Detoxification Program. Bad
bacteria produce residues that show in our urine. Have
you had a Detoxification Program? Does
your baby have a healthy microbiota? To
ensure the health of your baby, please make sure that
Please share the news: AUTISM...could be prevented!  Maria Augustyn ND, BHSc, RMT 04 1607 3366 |
Lead exposure may affect 100,000 children
| Posted on November 4, 2012 at 7:54 PM |
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 Lead exposure may affect 100,000 childrenAs many as 100,000 Australian babies and preschoolers mayhave blood lead levels that put them at risk of impaired brain development andbehavioural problems, according to the authors of a new analysis who sayAustralia’s threshold value should be urgently revised to one tenth of thecurrent standard. Environmental health specialists led by Mark Taylor fromMacquarie University made the calculation by extrapolating exposure rates in USchildren to the Australian population of those aged from birth to four years. Professor Taylor said the current Australian recommendation that people be treated if they have morethan 10 micrograms per decilitre of lead in their blood was “obsolete”, and pointedto a finding of the US National Toxicology Program that detrimental effectswere possible even below 5 micrograms per decilitre – the current US thresholdfor treatment. In a letter in the Medical Journal of Australia today,the specialists call for “legislation and standards ... to achieve blood leadlevels below 1 microgram per decilitre.”  The National Health & Medical Research Council isreviewing the effects of lead exposure and expects to issue advice later this year. A spokesman said it would, "consider the [US] recommendations... on the health effects of lead, specifically at different levels ofexposure." How does lead get into a child's body? Kids can take inlead by breathing or swallowing lead dust or by eating soil or paint chips thatcontain lead. Lead is not absorbed through the skin. Drinking water(used to make formula and for cooking) is another source of lead, especially inolder homes. You can't see, smell, or taste the lead, and boiling the waterwon't eliminate it. Even childrenwho aren't chewing on paint chips can get lead into their system if there'slead-based paint in or around their home or another building they spend timein. Doors and windowframes covered with lead paint release tiny particles of lead dust into the airevery time they're opened or closed. Kids may breathe in this lead dust or pickit up on their hands when it settles on floors and furniture. Once the leaddust is on their hands, it's a quick trip to their mouth when they lick theirfingers or eat with their hands. Pregnant women withelevated levels of lead in their blood can transfer lead to their unborn baby. Where are children mostlikely to encounter lead? Here are themost likely situations – and other sources of lead to watch out for. Living in anolder home: The age of yourhouse is an important factor. In general, the older your house is, the morelikely it is to have lead-based paint and the greater the amount of lead thepaint will have.  Older homes arealso more likely to have lead pipes, which can leach lead into water used fordrinking, making formula, and cooking. Spending timein or near any older building: Your child may also be at risk if he attends day-care or school in anolder building, plays in a yard near an older home that's being renovated, orfrequently visits a friend who lives in an older home. Being near afreeway or industrial area:The lead that these sources have put into the air over time is likely to havecontaminated the soil nearby. Carrying leadinto the house: People withcertain jobs and hobbies can inadvertently bring lead residue home on theirhands and clothing. If you work with stained glass or pottery, refinishfurniture, or visit indoor shooting ranges, be sure to change your clothes andwash your hands before returning home. Other commonsources of lead: · Oldfurniture, playground equipment, and toys painted or varnished with alead-based product. (Repainting these items may not be enough to make them safe.The lead paint may have to be removed through a special process first or atleast be sealed in.) · Oldvinyl flooring · Oldplumbing – lead pipes, or copper pipes joined with lead solder · Olderor imported brass faucets · Brasskeys (Don't let your child play with any kind of keys.) · Leadcrystal glassware · Sometoy jewellery · Potterywith lead glaze (especially common in ceramics made in developing countries) · Importedfood in cans sealed with lead solder · Leadfishing weights · Oldbatteries · Somehobby materials (like stained glass supplies) · Someimported makeup (kohl, kajal, surma) · Factories(smelters, battery plants, foundries, incinerators) Leadoccasionally pops up in unexpected places. Some candles have metal-cored wicksthat put unsafe amounts of lead into the air when you burn them, for example,so stick to candles with paper or cotton wicks. In 1996, the CDCdiscovered that some imported vinyl mini-blinds contained lead that had beenadded to stabilize the plastic. Government tests showed that some of theseblinds produced lead dust in dangerous amounts, and the blinds were withdrawnfrom the market. If your home contains non-glossy vinyl mini-blinds from 1996or earlier, you should think about replacing them Should I have my child tested? It might be a good idea,especially if you have concerns about his exposure – if you live in an olderhouse, for example, or a neighbour has been renovating an older house, or ifyour child attends day-care or school in an older building. The screening is a simpleblood test. The American Academy of Paediatricsrecommends routine screening at age 1 and 2, unless you know for sure that yourchild hasn't been exposed. The CDC suggests that state and local healthofficials determine the appropriate screening criteria for their areas, so thatmore children who have been exposed to lead will be screened while children whoare less likely to have been exposed won't be screened unnecessarily. Other groups – like theCoalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning and Healthy Child Healthy World –recommend testing annually beginning at age 1 until age 5 or 6. The Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) recommends that children who are at risk for lead exposure betested at 6 months of age and then every six months until age 2 and thenannually until age 6. Even if your child isn't atrisk, the EPA recommends testing at ages 1 and 2. After age 5 or 6, mostexperts don't recommend routine testing. Talk with your child's doctorabout whether testing your child for lead is a good idea. If you have reason tosuspect that your child may have been exposed to lead, insist that he betested, regardless of his age. What about acute lead poisoning? Fortunately, acute leadpoisoning is rare. If you're aware of the sources of lead mentioned here andtake the appropriate precautions, the chances of your child developing aserious case of lead poisoning are quite low. There are cases, however, inwhich a parent is unknowingly giving child doses of lead. Certain Hispanic andAsian folk remedies – like greta and azarcon, used to treat stomach upset, and pay-loo-ah, used for rash and fever – contain dangerous levels oflead, for example. What are the symptoms of lead poisoning? A child may have no symptoms,even if he has unsafe levels of lead in his body. If there are symptoms, theycan include fatigue or hyperactivity, irritability, aggressive behaviour,reduced attention span, loss of previous developmental skills, difficultysleeping, anaemia, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, constipation,vomiting, headache, and problems with balance and motor control. What's the treatment for lead poisoning in children? A lead blood level greaterthan 10 micrograms/decilitre (mcg/dl) is unsafe. And a level higher than 45mcg/dl is considered very high. If your child has an elevatedblood level, the doctor will take steps to help you identify and eliminatepossible sources of lead in his environment. Once your child's exposure isended, his body will slowly rid itself of lead. The doctor may also recommenddietary changes to ensure that your child is getting adequate iron, calcium,and vitamin C, as well as foods that are low in fat. And your child will beretested periodically to make sure his lead levels are going down. If the level of lead in yourchild's blood is very high, the doctor may recommend a treatment calledchelation therapy. Sometimes this therapy can be done orally, but it mayrequire hospitalization and IV medication. How can I protect my child from lead? Take these steps to protectyour child from lead poisoning: · Make sure he eatswell. If your child is well nourished, his body will be less likely to absorblead even if he's exposed to it. (Fried and fatty foods allow the body toabsorb lead faster.) It's particularly important to eat a diet that providesenough iron, calcium, protein, vitamin C, and zinc. · Keep your child'shands clean. Wash his hands – or teach him to wash his hands – several times aday, particularly when he comes in from playing outside and before eating ameal or snack (something you'll want to him to do anyway). · Keep your homeclean. Wipe up paint chips and dust with a disposable wet cloth and damp mopyour floors. If you're in the market for a new vacuum cleaner, consider onewith a HEPA filter. Not only will it trap lead dust particles, it'll clear theair of some possible allergens as well. · Make sure that yourchild's crib or bed, playpen, and toys don't have any peeling paint. · If your child is ababy or toddler, prevent him from chewing on painted surfaces, such aswindowsills, cribs, play yards, or furniture. · If your child goesto day-care or school, find out when the building was built and whether it hasbeen tested for the presence of lead. Do whatever's possible to provide himwith a lead-free day-care and school environment. · Test your tap waterand take steps to eliminate lead if necessary. Food as medicine Parsley and coriander(cilantro) are among the most famous of foods that chelate. Research shows thatparsley is extremely effective at removing mercury from the body as well asother toxic heavy metals. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and kalecontain antioxidants that increase the production of detoxifying enzymes in thebody. Garlic is also a great food for oral chelation. Make an appointment today to have an assessment done on your child's nutritional habits, and start to support his/her growing body and brain, in order to achieve their best development. Ring: (02) 96713867 0416073366 Sources: 6minutes |
Persistent crying and later behavioural problems
| Posted on April 21, 2011 at 9:39 PM |
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Persistent crying linked to ADHD  Infants who have problems with persistent crying, sleeping and feeding are at higher risk of developing behavioural problems such as ADHD, a study suggests. Swiss researchers analysed data from 22 studies involving almost 17,000 children and found that infants with previous regulatory problems were more likely to have behavioural problems as children than infants without regulatory problems. The most significant association was found for persistent crying in infancy and the development of externalising problems and ADHD, say the researchers in the Archives of Diseases in Childhood (online April 21). Behavioural problems were also most common in children from families with multiple problems. The researchers say that deficits in regulatory competence and stimuli control in infancy may be early markers for uncontrolled behaviour later in childhood. Michael Woodhead 6minutes I find in my practice that the nutrient that is most important for the protection of the baby’s brain development is fat. The frontal part of the brain of our children finishes developing at age 20 or even a little later. That part of the brain is the one that regulates behaviour that let us negotiate with others and reason.  It is very frequent that mothers that are depleted of the good fats (essential fatty acids), suffer from post natal depression. The baby has depleted the mother dry of this building block of the nervous system, making her deficient, and often is not enough…the baby is born with deficiencies, and therefore has a very unsettled start to his/her life.Our modern mothers, in the very valid effort of not putting weight resort to minimising their intake of fats. The healthier alternative would be to avoid nutrient-empty simple refined carbohydrates, and including regular exercise. In a Sydney study of more than 1000 infants born to couples that followed a preconception health program, the findings were that these babies had superb health and a higher than average IQ. Invest in your child’s future health: embark in a Preconception Program, to achieve superb health before you conceive. This is the utmost in PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE. http://www.mariaaugustyn.com/clinicprograms |
Vitamin D defficiency...is your baby at risk?
| Posted on April 20, 2011 at 11:09 PM |
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 Are you vitamin D defficient?Current guidelines to ensure adequacy of vitamin D levels in pregnancy are failing to prevent serious deficiencies in both mothers and infants, research suggests. Screening of more than 300 pregnant women at Westmead Hospital in Sydney found moderate to severe vitamin D deficiency in 22% of Australian born women. Severe deficiency was especially common in dark skinned women, affecting 70% of African women, 44% of women from the Indian subcontinent and 22% of women with a Middle-East background. The high levels of deficiency suggest that routine antenatal screening is needed, said the study authors at the annual meetingof the Perinatal Society of Australia and NZ in Hobart this week. In a study of 89 infants whose mothers had vitamin D deficiency, researchers from the Mercy Hospital for Women in Melbourne found that despite maternal supplementation, 55% of at-risk babies had vitamin D deficiency at birth. Vitamin deficient babies showed a good response to supplementation over 20–60 days with 400IU cholecalciferol daily. Michael Woodhead 6minutes When the prospective parents (both of them) are in the pick of their health, it is a marvellous experience to welcome into the world a child that is the best that they can produce. A supportive treatment for the parents planning to have a child can maximise the health and even the intelligence of the baby. A comprehensive nutritional plan and supplementary regimen can ensure that you are doing your very best for the health of your baby and even for the health of your baby’s babies. Please visit: www.mariaaugustyn.com/clinicprograms (Conceiving a healthy baby) Vitamin D is important for everybody. Deficiency in vitamin D can result from avoiding the sun. the results affect the mineralization of the bones, and causes bone softening diseases such as rickets and osteomalacia. People at risk of vitamin D deficiency are those that do not consume animal products, wear clothing that covers most of the body, and are dark skinned. Adequate vitamin D is also associated with the good health of our hair, good circulation to the legs, cancers, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile diabetes, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, depression, hormonal issues. Where do we get Vitamin D from? The sun  Vitamin D is manufactured on our skin when we are in the sun. It is believed that sunscreen interferes with this mechanism, and that the sun we need is the strong one, that our shadow should be shorter than ourselves. Obviously, we need to use the sun in moderation, and in short sessions, never letting it burn our skin. Dietary sources Fatty fish: catfish, salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, eel. Beef liver Fish liver oils like cod liver oil Eggs Butter and whole milk |
Pollution and premature births
| Posted on April 10, 2011 at 10:26 PM |
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Pollution and premature births   Living near busy roads is not only bad for the heart – it can even induce premature birth, Australian research suggests. A study of 970 mothers and babies in Queensland’s Logan City has found that the more highways around a pregnant woman's home, the more likely she will have an early delivery. Those living in the most heavily congested areas, with 10 or more freeways near their house, gave birth almost two weeks earlier than average, the study found. The findings build on previous work by the same researchers linking air pollution to small fetal size. "Although the increased risks are relatively small, the public health implications are large because everyone living in an urban area gets exposed to air pollution," said researcher Associate Professor Adrian Barnett, from the Queensland University of Technology's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation. "Pre-term and low-birth weight babies stay in hospital longer after birth, have an increased risk of death and are more likely to develop disabilities." The study counted the number of roads around the mothers' homes, up to a 500m radius. Most of the effects were within a 200m radius but negative health effects were present up to 400m. The researchers adjusted for smoking and education in their models, although they could not rule out residual confounding due to socioeconomic status. They were also unable to separate the effects of noise pollution from air pollution. "Vehicles braking and starting means that road junctions have some of the highest levels of noise and air pollution," said Professor Barnett. "Disturbed sleep during pregnancy may cause extra stress and be a risk factor for adverse birth outcomes. A growing body of research now links air pollution to a range of adverse outcomes, particularly the onset of acute cardiovascular events. A recent paper in The Lancet reported that air pollution was on a par with physical exertion and alcohol consumption for its triggering effects on myocardial infarction. David Brill and AAP Many of us cannot run away from our cities...we are stuck! Having a good diet will help us cope with our cities. Often people when they go for a walk choose to use a face mask.  It is very important to wash our hands before eating or preparing food, particularly if we were outdoors, to avoid ingesting the lead that often covers all surfaces when we live close to main roads.Coriander is known to help us detoxify some pollutants like lead that we ingest from our environment. Try Coriander Pesto: |