Mom’s
\nGifts of Giving and Her Impact & Some Stress-Free Relief for Her<\/b><\/p>\n
When you think of May, does it remind you of your mom? In case you forgot, Although our mothers can affect our health outcomes, as I wrote about here<\/a>, we do have Regardless of if your mother was amazing (like I am fortunate to claim), More on the Mom-Body Connection<\/b><\/p>\n A few studies this month also Both public health and social conditions have been Still, it’s not just about Children whose mothers were nurturing during the According to the study It’s Not Just Mom’s Love- It’s Community<\/b><\/p>\n Another recent study showed the For this focused study, Ponzi and Flinn chose a “We found that, using the data we collected Supporting Mom’s Health with Aromatherapy<\/b><\/p>\n Now, time to give our moms or 1. Improving Sleep During the Postpartum What mom doesn’t need more This study was a randomized clinical trial with the Conclusions: 2. Calming Anxiety in Labor and Reducing Methods:<\/i> In study, was Results:<\/i> The mean Conclusion:<\/i> Aroma of 3. Burnout Relief<\/b><\/p>\n A small randomized, controlled, DESIGN: This was a randomized, controlled, INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomized to OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcome measures were a 0-10 RESULTS: While both groups had a reduction in CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that inhaling A One Sentence Summary<\/b><\/p>\n Therefore, our health can start Catch the Latest News<\/b><\/p>\n This week, on my homepage<\/a>, I
\nMay 8th<\/sup> is the day to celebrate the important mother figures in our
\nlives. Unfortunately, in our society we can sometimes tend to blame our mom
\nmore than praise her for certain traits and health issues. <\/p>\n
\nthe power to modulate this… even at the level of genetics! It can also be
\nsoothing to realize that regardless of the characteristics our mom provided in
\nher genes (and dads too) and personality, this combination makes us unique individuals.
\nWe can use these experiences and knowledge to understand ourselves better, give
\ngratitude to our past, heal wounds for the future, and rise to better health.
\nFurthermore, the healing and profound power of a mother’s
\ntouch as something which is vital for optimal development. <\/a>If someone
\ndidn’t receive it when we needed it, there are ways to soothe ourselves now
\nthrough understanding, epigenetics<\/a>,
\nand mind-body
\nmedicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nif you learned lessons from your parental relationship and grew, or if your mom
\nis no longer with you, celebrating love and the strong women in our lives is very
\nhealing for our own physical health. In fact, you can read 10 science-based
\nreasons gratitude will benefit you
\nhere<\/a>. (Did you know “an attitude of gratitude” can even help student’s
\nGPA.)<\/p>\n
\nhighlighted the importance of mom’s impact on our future generations. One study
\nshowed that the risks associated with a later birth in moms was outweighed by
\nthe environmental benefits. This means, a mom’s attitude and here resources
\nimpact her child’s development. Science
\nDaily <\/i>reported on this change as follows:<\/p>\n
\nimproving over time in many countries. Previous research on the relationship
\nbetween maternal age and child outcomes has ignored the importance of these
\nmacro-level environmental changes over time. From the perspective of any
\nindividual parent, delaying childbearing means having a child with a later
\nbirth year. For example, a ten-year difference in maternal age is accompanied
\nby a decade of changes to social and environmental conditions. Taking this
\nperspective, this new MPIDR-study shows that when women delay childbearing to
\nolder ages their children are healthier, taller, and more highly educated. It
\nshows that despite the risks associated with childbearing at older ages, which
\nare attributable to aging of the reproductive system, these risks are either
\ncounterbalanced, or outweighed, by the positive changes to the environment in
\nthe period during which the mother delayed her childbearing.<\/i><\/p>\n
\nmoney and environment. The gift of love is free. Science Daily<\/i> also cited a study that showed that moms who nurtured
\ntheir little ones had babes with bigger brains:<\/p>\n
\npreschool years, as opposed to later in childhood, have more robust growth in
\nbrain structures associated with learning, memory and stress response than
\nchildren with less supportive moms.<\/i><\/p>\n
\nresearchers, the children of moms who were viewed as more nurturing exhibited growth
\nin the hippocampus region as determined by three MRI scans. This area in the
\nbrain is associated with emotional regulation, memory, and learning. In this
\nstudy with 127 youths, emotional regulation was the key factor reported on for
\nimprovement. <\/p>\n
\nimpact of children’s friends and social connections on their stress. We all
\nknow the
\nhealth impacts of stress<\/a>! The researchers indicated by studying different
\naspects of the stress response, they had a better comprehensive view of how our
\nenvironment and connection modulates our physiology. Science Daily<\/i> states:<\/p>\n
\nsample of 40 children ranging in ages from 5 to 12 and who represented about 80
\npercent of the total children in the village. Each child was asked a series of
\nquestions about their friends to measure their perceived density and closeness
\nof their social networks. Three samples of saliva were collected before, during
\nand after the interview and cortisol and alpha-amylase levels were measured.<\/i><\/p>\n
\nfrom the one-on-one interviews, children who were stressed about the size and
\ndensity of their perceived social networks had elevated anticipatory cortisol
\nlevels, and responded by secreting more alpha-amylase,” Flinn said.
\n“Our study was in line with past research on stress, loneliness and social
\nsupport in adults, but we strengthened past research by applying it to
\nchildren. Future research should consider a multi-system approach like this one
\nto study cognitive and biological mechanisms underlying children’s perception.”<\/i><\/p>\n
\nmother figures some hints on self-care, because they do so much for us! Here
\nare some abstracts on the use of essential oils and aromatherapy to soothe moms.<\/p>\n
\nPeriod<\/b><\/p>\n
\nsleep? This study in the Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal<\/i> evaluated
\nthe impact of aromatherapy on moms in the postpartum period: <\/p>\n
\ncontrol group. A total of 158 mothers in postpartum period (with certain
\ninclusion criteria) were enrolled in the study and assigned randomly to two
\ngroups of control and intervention. Lavender fragrance (made by Barij Essence
\nPharmaceutical Co.) was used by participants in the intervention group nightly
\nbefore sleeping. The fragrance was dropped on cotton balls, which were placed
\non a cylindrical container at mothers’ disposal. Keeping the container at a
\nprojected distance of 20 cm, the participants inhaled 10 deep breaths and then
\nthe container was placed beside their pillow until morning. This procedure was
\ndone 4 times a week for 8 weeks. For the control group, the same intervention
\nwas done with the placebo. The instrument for collecting data was Pittsburgh
\nsleep quality index, which was completed at the baseline, fourth, and eighth
\nweeks after the intervention. Data were analyzed using independent t test and
\nrepeated measures analysis of variance calculated by SPSS16….<\/i><\/p>\n
\n<\/i><\/b>Considering the effects of aromatherapy on the improvement of mother’s
\nsleep quality during postpartum period, aromatherapy has been suggested as a
\nnon-pharmacological method for the improvement of the maternal health.<\/i><\/p>\n
\nBlood Pressure Readings with Geranium<\/b><\/p>\n
\ncarried out on 100 nulliparous women admitted to Bent al-Hoda Hospital in the
\ncity of Bojnord in North Khorasan province of Iran during 2012-2013. The women
\nwere randomly assigned to two groups of equal size, one experimental group
\n(geranium essential oil) and one control (placebo) group. Anxiety levels were
\nmeasured using Spielberger’ questionnaire before and after intervention.
\nPhysiological parameters (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respiratory
\nrate, pulse rate) were also measured before and after intervention in both
\ngroups. Data analysis was conducted using the x2 test, paired t-test,
\nMann-Whitney U test, and Wilcox on test on SPSS 11.5. <\/i><\/p>\n
\nanxiety score decreased significantly after inhalation of the aroma of geranium
\nessential oil. There was also a significant decrease in diastolic blood
\npressure. <\/i><\/p>\n
\nessential oil of geraniums can effectively reduce anxiety during labor and can
\nbe recommended as a non-invasive anti-anxiety aid during childbirth.<\/i><\/p>\n
\ndouble-blind pilot study that included 14 participants was done to “determine the effectiveness of a mixture of
\nessential oils (peppermint, basil, and helichrysum) on mental exhaustion, or
\nmoderate burnout (ME\/MB) using a personal inhaler.” <\/i> The study from the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Med<\/i>icine abstract reads:<\/p>\n
\ndouble-blind pilot study. Data were collected 3 times a day for 3 weeks
\n(Monday-Friday). The first week was baseline for both groups, the second week
\nwas intervention (aromatherapy or placebo), and the third week was washout…<\/i><\/p>\n
\nreceive a personal inhaler containing either a mixture of essential oils or
\nrose water (as used in Indian cooking). <\/i><\/p>\n
\nscale with 10=worst feeling of burnout, 0=no feeling of burnout. There was a
\nqualitative questionnaire rating aroma and a questionnaire listing perceived
\nstressors. <\/i><\/p>\n
\nperception of ME\/MB, the aromatherapy group had a much greater reduction. <\/i><\/p>\n
\nessential oils may reduce the perceived level of mental fatigue\/burnout.
\nFurther research is warranted. <\/i><\/p>\n
\nwith our moms, be impacted by our own attitude and behaviors, and supported by
\nour nose.<\/p>\n
\nwrote about the need for change in healthcare from sick-care to well-care. Just
\nas I was in my writer’s flow, an article on how Medical
\nErrors are the Third Cause of Death in the United States popped up in my inbox.
\nSerendipity!! You can read all about how this is connected to empowering
\npatients’ health and changing our approach to medicine. <\/b><\/p>\n