Go Bananas

Bananas aren't just a convenient and tasty snack, they're loaded with nutrients. Their high levels of potassium and vitamin B6 as well as their ability to calm stomach acids and improve digestion make them a perfect pregnancy snack.
The banana plant belongs to the same family as the lily and orchid and grows 10-26 feet high. The fruit of the banana plant is not the only edible or useful part of the plant. The banana flower is often used in Southeast Asian cuisine and the tender core of the banana plant's trunk is used to make a Burmese dish. In addition, the banana's leaves are large, flexible and waterproof, which is why they are often used to wrap food during cooking and serve as make-shift umbrellas in tropical regions. The Japanese use the fibers of the tender leaves and shoots to make textiles and yarns. In Nepal, people use the fibers of the trunk to create fine hand-crafted rugs.
The banana is packed with dietary fiber as well as approximately 467 mgs of potassium (pregnant women need 2000 mg of potassium daily). Bananas are also a significant source of vitamins A, B6 and C, pectin (a soluble fiber), and manganese.
Studies have shown that a mixture of banana and milk suppresses stomach acid secretion significantly, helping to protect against ulcers. Researchers have also found that fresh bananas help to protect animals' stomachs from wounds. Bananas promote the production of the cells that make up stomach lining, producing a thicker mucus shield against acids, and so-called "protease inhibitors" in bananas help to eliminate the bacteria that cause stomach ulcers.
Bananas can help promote colon health as well, due to their fructooligosaccharide content. Fructooligosaccharide is called prebiotic because it has been found to nourish the probiotic (friendly) bacteria in the colon. These bacteria improve your colon's ability to absorb nutrients and protect it from unfriendly microorganisms. In a study of male babies between 5 and 12 months old who had persistent diarrhea, researchers found that green banana and apple pectin decreased stool weights by 50 percent, indicating more nutrients were being absorbed before elimination.
During pregnancy, eating foods high in potassium, such as bananas, can help reduce pregnancy-related swelling of the extremities. It's believed that leg cramps, one of the most unpleasant symptoms of pregnancy, might be relieved by increasing the intake of potassium-rich foods. In addition, the vitamin B6 found in bananas has been shown to help relieve morning sickness. They also balance electrolytes and are a great source of energy.
Vitamin B6 is also essential for the development and operation of our bodies. It is vital to the development of your baby's central nervous system, is a key component during the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitters GABA, dopamine, and serotonin and is essential for proper immune system functioning and the ability of hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the body's tissues.
The increased calcium loss produced by the typical American high-salt diet can be combated by consuming more potassium-rich foods such as bananas. The heart and circulatory system require potassium to maintain normal blood pressure and heart function. The vitamin A carotenoids found in ripe bananas can also help protect from certain cancers, heart disease and diabetes. Look for vibrant golden bananas, which contain the most carotenoids.

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Acupressure to Relieve Pregnancy Discomfort

Acupressure is an ancient healing art developed in Asia over 5,000 years ago, using the fingers, hand, elbow or other device to apply pressure to specific points on the surface of the skin to stimulate the body's natural self-curative abilities. Proponents believe that acupressure may reduce muscle pain and tension, improve blood circulation and release endorphins. It is thought that when an acupressure point is pressed, muscle fibers elongate and relax, allowing blood to flow more freely and toxins to be released and eliminated.
Acupressure uses rubbing, light pounding and gentle massage to direct energy to different parts of the body. It focuses on pressure points along the nervous system's meridians that are connected to various organs throughout the body. It is believed that when an organ stops functioning correctly, it is due to a lack or excess of energy. Acupressure can be used like a faucet, to slow or increase the flow of energy to wherever it is needed. Acupressure can help relieve pregnancy-related discomfort because it is low impact and the body's heightened sensitivity during pregnancy responds well to this kind of treatment.
According to acupressure theory, a pressure point will become painful and hard when an organ malfunctions. When there is too much energy, the point will be sore and sensitive to the touch. To relieve bottled up or excess energy, the point needs to be calmed through slow, deep and sustained finger pressure, in an outward or counter-clockwise direction. The pad of the thumb works best. When there is a shortage of energy, a light, superficial pressure using the fingertips in an inward or clockwise direction will restore balance. An initial worsening of the condition might be felt, but it is part of the healing process and will resolve itself quickly.
Concentrations of pressure points are located near the extremities, around the elbows, fingers, knees and toes, while the wrists contain the most sensitive points. Bending the wrist and fingers back gently can indicate how great the need is for circulation and stimulation in the rest of the body.
Although more research is needed, initial studies have found acupressure to be an effective treatment for many ailments, including nausea and motion sickness, insomnia, sleep apnea, obesity, bedwetting in children, high blood pressure, anxiety, depression and drug addiction.
One of the most effective acupressure points is the Neiguan or pericardium 6 (P6) point, used to relieve nausea and vomiting. It is located on the inside of the wrist, three fingerbreadths above the crease of the wrist between the two tendons. The bracelets sold to relieve motion sickness and other forms of nausea use this pressure point.
To relieve pain during labor, have your partner use their knuckle to apply pressure to the Ciliao BL-32 point, located one finger width up from the crease of your buttocks and one thumb width to the left or right side of the spine. There is a small depression where the point lies. You should feel numbness, warmth or tingling when pressure is applied. If you feel a sharp pain, your partner may be pressing the bone near the point. The pressure points on either side of the spine might not line up perfectly during labor, due to muscle contractions, therefore it's important to communicate with and guide your partner until he or she finds the right spot. This point has been reported by many as being extremely useful for pain relief during labor.

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Apples

You've probably heard the old saying "an apple a day, keeps the doctor away," and may have dismissed it as another archaic old wives' tale. But as scientists are discovering, there may be some truth to it! This popular member of the rose family may help fight cancer and heart disease; protect against sunburn, asthma, and diabetes; and relieve constipation. And a recent study found that eating apples during pregnancy can protect your unborn baby from developing asthma and other lung problems later on in life.
Apples' antioxidant flavonoids may help prevent certain types of cancer. When scientists at University of California at Davis added apple extracts to cultures of human endothelial cells (the cells that line our arteries and are the first defense against cancer), the human cells were protected against the effects of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a compound that triggers cell death and promotes inflammation. The apple extracts actually blocked the signals sent from the tumor that kill cells. The high antioxidant content in apples also helps to eliminate free radicals from the body.
The phenols found in apples may also provide UV-B protection. Studies found that Braeburn apples in particular help protect the skin from sun damage. So eating an apple before going to the beach might be a good way to reduce the risk of sunburn.
Recent studies have discovered apples may have a beneficial affect on lung function in adults and fetuses. One study found that men who ate apples had a lung capacity 138 milliliters greater than those who did not. While another study found that mothers who consumed apples during their pregnancy were less likely to have children who suffer from asthma and wheezing. Scientists believe that the high levels of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory flavonoids, such as quercitin and catechin, are responsible for apples' beneficial affects on lung function, bronchial hypersensitivity and asthma.
Apple season runs from late summer to late fall in the northern hemisphere...

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Attracting the Life You Desire

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have all the luck? Good things always seem to happen to them: they are promoted at work, they succeed at every new thing they try, they have a fabulous spouse and great kids. Are some people truly luckier than others, or is there more to it than mere luck? One theory, called the Law of Attraction, claims our personal energy vibration attracts similar energy vibrations, and this attraction can help you become happier, get ahead, and even cure illness.
According to the Law of Attraction, everything vibrates at a certain frequency and magnetically attracts similar vibration frequencies. In essence, like attracts like. According to this theory, if you are angry with the world, you will attract angry people and aggravating situations; conversely, if you are at peace and happy with the world, then you will attract like-minded people and experiences. Believers insist this attraction can even help you attain your life's goals. For instance, if you desire more financial wealth, believe that you already have more money and your new frequency will attract financial gain. However, keep your thoughts positive. Thinking too much about what you don't want can change your frequency to attract exactly what you were trying to avoid.
There is evidence that ancient civilizations were aware of the magnetic power of positive vibrations. For example, Cleopatra wore a large naturally magnetic lodestone on her forehead to slow down the aging process. Author Wallace D. Wattles, in his book The Science of Getting Rich, refers to the theory as having a "…Hindu origin, and has been gradually winning its way into the thought of the western world for three hundred years. It is the foundation of all the Oriental philosophies, and those of Descartes, Spinoza, Leibnitz, Schopenhauer, Hegel and Emerson…." Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and the ancient Babylonians also make reference in their texts to this powerful secret.
In modern society we often refer to this theory as positive thinking or self-fulfilling prophecy. And the energy and vibrations we all emit can even be used to cure illness and disease, according to believers. The method, called magnetic therapy, uses very strong magnets (a generic refrigerator magnet is about 10 gauss while magnets used in healing range from 450 gauss to 10,000 gauss) and practitioners believe the magnets can improve circulation, relieve muscle pain, and treat depression and other mental illness. Until recently, modern medicine viewed the Law of Attraction and magnetic therapy as quackery and mere placebo effect, but several key studies of their positive effects are causing many to rethink their position.
A recent study at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, showed that magnetic stimulation of the brain can ease severe depression. The technique, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), works on the principle that the brain can be manipulated by small electric currents because brain cells communicate with each other and pass instructions by pulses of electricity. The trick with TMS is to set up the fields over the particular area of the brain that needs retuning. After two weeks of treatment, half of the patients showed a 50 percent improvement in symptoms. Half the patients also had no need for further treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), while all those who had been given a placebo treatment continued to need ECT. Researchers at Imperial College in London have used electromagnets placed over the cerebral cortex of people with incomplete spinal-cord injuries and have reported improvement in the patients' ability to move their limbs and feel sensation. Additionally, in a study at the Medical University of South Carolina, 20 depressed patients who had not been helped by medication underwent treatment for 20 minutes a day for two weeks while 10 had a magnet applied to their scalp but no treatment. In half of the 20 patients, symptoms were reduced by 50 percent, while none of the group of 10 improved.
Critics of the Law of Attraction and magnetic therapy argue that the studies cited by proponents are flawed and un-scientific, that there is no solid evidence for their effectiveness, and believe all the hype is a marketing scheme to sell books, products and movie tickets. Other skeptics raise troubling questions such as: If a child is abused, does that mean the child intended it in some way? Or, if I want to improve my relationship but my spouse doesn't, what will happen?
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Memory Recall

Every species of animal stores some form of memories in its brain, but how and where memories are stored is still poorly understood and hotly debated. Recent studies support the hypothesis that memories are sets of encoded neural connections and to recall a memory, one must simply stimulate the part of the brain where the neural connection for that memory occurs. As scientists learn more about how the human brain works, our understanding of how we remember events and learn new skills and information is enhanced.
We are constantly receiving sensory information from our environment. Some of this data is held for a few moments and then forgotten, while some is moved into short-term memory, and some is stored in our long-term memory. Short-term memory has a limited storage area - able to hold only about seven independent items at one time and for only about 30 seconds - making this area good for information we need now or will need in the near future. Information that may help us in the future is sent to our long-term memory, where it can last a lifetime.
There are two basic types of long-term memory: procedural and declarative. Each uses different parts of the brain. Procedural memories, also called implicit memories, are the "how-to" memories we use when riding a bike or playing an instrument. It is generally difficult for people to communicate their procedural memories because they are based in a non-conscious understanding. For instance, most people can easily characterize a face as "attractive," but they have a hard time explaining why and cannot provide a definition of attractive. So if you are trying to learn to play a musical instrument and it seems as if you are practicing the same thing over and over again with little to gain, a non-conscious understanding and memory are most likely developing.
Declarative memories are made up of the information we accumulate through repetitious practice as well as events and experiences. Declarative memories are so-called due to our ability to communicate them, and are best maintained through repetition or frequent recollection, as well as systematic methods such as mnemonic devices. There are two sub-categories of declarative memory: episodic and semantic. Semantic memories are based on knowledge and understanding and are not related to any one experience. Episodic memory is the memory of an event or experience and incorporates time, place and emotions during the experience. Most people who suffer from amnesia have deficits in episodic memory and studies have shown that episodic memories are more prevalent in women than men.
When trying to learn a skill, we now know that practicing something well is more important than doing more of it or doing it faster. The non-conscious absorption of a skill is recalled correctly when it has been practiced accurately. This is because non-conscious memories are stored as action sequences. If you mess up a sequence, it is better to continue through the mistake, rather than to start over because the memory of it will end when you resume the sequence.
Memories are not hardwired, meaning a memory can be replaced or imaginarily enhanced through suggestion very easily. This is why memories recalled through hypnotism can not be used in a court of law.
The next time you are trying to remember something, think of what type of memory it is. Is it procedural or declarative? If it's procedural, you may be able to simply start the activity, such as riding a bike, and the memories should return. If it's declarative, then you have to ask yourself if it's episodic or semantic. If it's episodic, recalling one aspect can usually bring back the entire experience. If it's declarative then you just might need some more repetition to get the answer right or you can find an episodic memory that relates to it. For example, if you had an emotional relationship around the time that you learned about the American Civil War, remembering details of that relationship might lead you to forgotten information about the Civil War.

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Asparagus for folic acid!

Asparagus has been prized for its delicate taste and nutritional benefits for nearly 2000 years. It has the highest folic acid content of any vegetable, making it a perfect food during pregnancy. It is also a natural diuretic, laxative, and may promote cardiovascular health.
Asparagus is a member of the lily family and related to onions and garlic. The tender spears that we eat grow from an underground crown, which can take up to three years to develop enough to produce shoots; but once it begins, the crown can continue to produce spears for up to 20 years.
The ancient Greeks and Romans believed asparagus could relieve toothaches and bee stings, and while these medicinal benefits have proven false, asparagus can help prevent and relieve other health conditions. Asparagus contains key minerals and amino acids that act as a natural diuretic, which may help relieve PMS-related water retention, arthritis and rheumatism. Its high fiber content may help prevent and relieve constipation, and it contains a particular type of amino acid that helps to neutralize ammonia in the body, which can be toxic and cause fatigue. It also contains rutin, a bioflavonoid, which strengthens blood vessels and prevents their rupture, and is a good source of potassium which can help fight hypertension and quell exercise-related nausea by balancing electrolyte levels.
The high folic acid content in asparagus may play a key role in promoting cardiovascular health. Folic acid has been shown to decrease homocysteine levels in the blood and to improve endothelial function (blood flow) in blood vessels. Homocysteine is a naturally-occurring amino acid, elevated levels of which have been linked to coronary heart disease and stroke. Some scientists estimate that consuming 400 mcg of folate daily could reduce the number of heart attacks suffered by Americans each year by 10 percent.
The folic acid found in asparagus is also necessary for new cell formation and maintenance as well as DNA replication, which are especially important during periods of rapid cell division and growth such as pregnancy. Folic acid deficiency has been linked with neural tube defects, such as spina bifida and anencephaly. Some studies show that folic acid may also help prevent stroke, some cancers, and possibly Alzheimer's disease.
The inulin content of asparagus may also promote intestinal tract health. We are unable to digest inulin, a certain type of carbohydrate, but the beneficial bacteria in our intestine can, which causes more of these good bacteria to grow and inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. The proliferation of these good bacteria can help you to digest food and fight off illness.
It takes only one cup (approximately 5.3 ounces) of asparagus to supply 66 percent of the daily recommended dose of folic acid, and it is also a great source of vitamins C, E and A, and vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6, as well as dietary fiber, iron, manganese, copper, and phosphorous.

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Natural Household Cleaners

Many of the household cleaners we use every day contain toxic chemicals that may be harmful to you, your baby, and the environment. But there's little need for these harsh chemicals when effective and safe alternatives may already be sitting in your cabinets. Here are some common products that can be used for a variety of household jobs - safely and effectively.
Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate)
Baking soda is a mild alkaline that can be used to neutralize, shine and deodorize many items. It can deodorize the refrigerator, carpets, drains, upholstery, and vinyl, as well as your underarms. Use it to clean and polish aluminum, chrome, plastic, porcelain, silver, stainless steel, tin, counter tops, sinks, bathtubs, ovens and fiberglass and even your teeth when used as toothpaste. It is also useful as a fabric softener and stain remover, and can soften hard water and be used as a bath soak.
Borax (sodium borate)
Available at most supermarkets, Borax is an effective deodorizer, prevents mold and mildew growth, boosts the cleaning power of soap and detergent, and removes stains. Sprinkle about a half a cup of Borax in the bottom of your garbage and diaper pails to keep them clean and odorless. It can also be mixed with sugar to attract and kill cockroaches.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch is made from the starch of corn kernels. It can be used to clean windows, polish furniture, shampoo carpets and rugs, and starch clothes. Look for baby powders that contain cornstarch as it is now used as an alternative to talc.
Isopropyl Alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol is an excellent disinfectant and strong degreaser, but be sure to use it in well-ventilated areas, wear gloves, and keep it away from children. Poisoning can occur from ingesting, inhaling, or absorbing it through prolonged contact with the skin. Symptoms of isopropyl alcohol poisoning include flushing, headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and coma.
Lemon Juice (citric acid)
The juice of the common lemon can deodorize and remove greasy or sticky stains from aluminum, clothes and porcelain. It also can be used as a glass cleaner, but don't use it in direct sunlight as it can cause streaking.
Vegetable Oil
Vegetable oil can be made out of several types of seeds and is an effective and safe furniture and wood floor polish.
Soap
An all-purpose liquid soap, which can be used for washing dishes or hands, can be made by simple dissolving the old ends of bar soap (or grated slivers of bar soap) in warm water.
TSP (trisodium phosphate - soda ash and phosphoric acid)
TSP is available at most hardware stores and is a powerful cleanser and degreaser. It is commonly used to clean and treat wood before painting, but is not recommended for use on metal as it can cause corrosion. It is harmful if swallowed.
Vinegar
Vinegar acts as a mild acid to dissolve mineral deposits and grease, remove traces of soap, remove mildew and wax buildup, polish some metals (stainless steel), and deodorize. It is useful for cleaning brick and stone, and can be mixed with water for a powerful carpet cleaner. It can remove the metallic taste in coffeepots and shine windows without streaking. Coat your hands in vinegar before and after slicing onions to remove the smell. Floor and furniture polish can be as simple as a few drops of vinegar in water mixed equally with olive oil. Any type of white vinegar will work well for household chores.
Washing Soda (sodium carbonate decahydrate)
Washing soda, also sold as sal soda, in chemical-supply and drug stores can cut grease on grills, broiler pans, and ovens. It does not emit any harmful fumes but it is caustic, so wear gloves while using it. It can remove petroleum oil, wax, lipstick from surfaces and neutralize odors; however, don't use it on fiberglass, aluminum or waxed floors, because it will take the top layer off. Mix a teaspoon washing soda with a gallon of hot water to clean painted wood floors.
Essential oils
Lavender, tea tree, pine, myrrh, sage, peppermint, rosemary, eucalyptus, wormwood, thyme, and cloves are all essential oils you can add to homemade cleaning solutions. Each has antiseptic, anti-fungal or anti-bacterial properties.
Use the afore-mentioned ingredients for the following... Read more: http://www.parentingweekly.com/pregnancy/breathingspace/vol23/pregnancy_health_fitness.asp