Saturday, October 31, 2009

Affects of maternal diet on child's immune system

I have a new theory about how a breastfeeding child may come to react (eczema, hives, etc.) to mother's milk, after coming across some new information about how the intestinal lining works. Perhaps your b-levels are low in both you and your LO and it is affecting the intestinal permeability for you both -- allowing partially digested proteins into your milk, and allowing them through your LOs lining to allow her to react.

Leaky gut is a condition where the intestinal lining us damaged and it let's through bacteria and partially digested or undigested nutrients, including proteins.
Dr. Weil - What Is Leaky Gut?
Is Your Digestive System Making You Sick?


B6, and magnesium both help with sulphation, the breakdown of sulfur, sulfites and toxins in the body. B6 also is needed for production of mucin, a protein that helps protect the lining of the intestine. Taking Tylenol can affect sulphation, as it uses up your sulfate stores, which are needed for this process.
Mothering.com Discussion - sulfur sensitivity
Intolerance to Sulphur (diagram and info)
Sulfation

B vitamins are soluble vitamins that will increase in your breastmilk if you take extra.
Vitamins & other supplements for breastfeeding mothers


If you read my post about supplements for extended nursing, I've had delayed ovulation, digestive issues and my little one has eczema (thought to be related to leaky gut and low D3). I recently started taking a b-complex and vitamin D3 to help with my cycle and the I noticed that his eczema started improving.

Perhaps you might see about adding in some extra B vitamins to your regime. It might help both your and her intestines to improve your intestinal lining. Eating foods to aid your liver will help with bile production, and detoxification. (Top 10 Nutrients for your Liver, Kidney and Gallbladder) and probiotics can help support good flora in the gut which should aid in digestion -- though again, I've seen a big change with just the extra Bs.

A lot of what I've read about anti- inflammatory diets have talked about paleolithic diets. If we ate more traditional diets we would probably be consuming more organ meats, like liver, which are rich in Bs. This might explain why someone eating a Western diet might not be taking in enough B for breastfeeding demands over time.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Supplements for Extended Nursing

Since hitting a fatigue wall last Spring I've been working on taking more supplements. I'm taking my prenatal every day, or not every other day, alternating with a B-complex. The B-complex is for my late ovulation and it is a little soon to tell if it is working, maybe by next cycle.

I'm also taking almost daily a liquid calcium-magnesium-phosphorus-vitamin D supplement.

I also take Slow FE as I've always been on the anemic side. I take that every other day.

I recently added in Carlson D-drops (D3) as we get little sun during the winters in Seattle.

The B-complex and Vitamin D seem to be helping my son with his eczema amazingly. Over time I've had increasing problems with sulfur-containing foods and I recently found mention that this may be due to not enough B6 (and magnesium, if you are craving a lot of chocolate).

I checked KellyMom and it said if you are eating a balanced diet you shouldn't need to supplement but I am feeling much better since I have been. I don't know how many studies have looked at women nursing past a year. I'll have to look into that more.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Vitamin D3 to help with Eczema

My son has eczema that through careful food logging, were have been able to isolate some trigger foods. He does not have anaphylaxis as we did the blood work to rule that out.

Starting mid- August his eczema randomly increased in intensity, and it hasn't been totally clear to me why.

Coming off a cold my son's eczema was way down - even though diet-wise were both had the same exposure to foods he is sensitive to before. He is flaring a bit today again, but perhaps I was a little too cavalier in what I ate, given his rash was down (I'm still nursing him).

I recently started supplementing myself with D3 and a b-complex. The following article and some other discussions on the Mothering forum, have me wondering if it is possible that D3 could help so much. I would be so stoked if we could get it to a more manageable level - or gone for good.

Use of oral vitamin D supplements may help prevent eczema

Mothering discussion of the above linked article.
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=1026192

Anone tried using D3 to treat eczema and seen results either way?