Consider This . . .
Before couples
plan to conceive, it is essential that they work on improving their nutritional
profile. The recent rise in childhood diseases is indicative of the
harmful consequences of parents ignoring their health before conceiving.
The rate of autism among American children has
nearly doubled over the past decade, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), jumping from about one in 150 children in 2000 to
one in 88 children in 2008, which is the last time official estimates were
calculated. One in 10 American children now has asthma and the rates are
sharply increasing according to the CDC. Childhood cancer, rare just
decades ago is also on the rise including a 30.5% increase in childhood brain
tumors from 1973 to 1988 and a 10.7% increase in the most common childhood
malignancy, acute lymphocytic leukemia. And who doesn’t know a
child with ADHD or ADD today, which increased 66% from 2000 to 2010, according
to a recent study.
To understand why children are getting sicker
despite the fact that medical technology is constantly evolving, one must trace
the issue of kids’ deteriorating health not only to the prenatal period (while
a woman is pregnant), but to the preconception period (before a woman becomes
pregnant). According
to David Berger, M.D., FAAP, preconception care includes two primary elements.
“It’s a matter of testing to see if there are things missing like zinc, iron,
or the thyroid hormone.” Also, Berger said it is not enough to see
if the woman has a sufficient amount of folic acid; she should also consult
with her physician to make sure that her folic acid is being activated by her
body. “The idea is to optimize all of that nutrition. Preconception
care involves removing that which is a problem and giving that which is
missing,” Berger said.
“Removing
that which is a problem” requires a process of detoxification, an important
aspect of preconception care. In 2005,
the Environmental Working Group published a widely publicized study, “Body Burden – The Pollution in Newborns,”
in which they reported that researchers at two major laboratories found an
average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in umbilical cord blood from
10 babies born in U.S. hospitals. Although the study group
may have been small, those findings dispelled prior medical theories that the
placenta shielded cord blood – and the developing baby – from most chemicals
and pollutants in the environment. Environmental toxins appear
to be a key contributor to most chronic disease conditions, but for the very
young who are especially susceptible to these contaminants, the effects can be
devastating.
Many men
and women take multivitamins prior to conceiving and many women take a prenatal
vitamin during their pregnancy. Unsettlingly, the Government
Accountability Office prepared a report in 2009, which revealed that nearly all
of the herbal dietary supplements tested in a congressional investigation
contained trace amounts of lead and other contaminants. Couples who
are trying to improve their health before conceiving should not have to worry
that their contaminated supplements are actually harming their health.
With the
knowledge of how contaminants and toxins negatively affect the health of all
people, including vulnerable babies, Kirkman® developed its Before Baby™
line. As with all of Kirkman’s other products*, Kirkman® tests its
Before Baby™ products for more than 950 environmental contaminants using its Ultra
Tested® protocol. Developed in 2011, this protocol calls for testing
for 24 heavy metals, bacteria, yeast, mold and common allergens. No
other supplement company in the world offers this degree of purity
testing.
Do Healthy Parents Have Healthier Babies?
Many of our
physician customers (many of whom have a high percentage of special needs
children in their patient populations) believe this to be the case. Before
Baby was developed to give prospective parents a foundational nutrition program
to optimize their own health during the preconception and prenatal
periods.
Products in the Before Baby™ Line include:
Having healthy children with strong, healthy
immune systems depends heavily on the parents also having healthy immune
responses that protect them from contracting illnesses that upset their body
chemistry. Kirkman’s Before Baby™ Immune Assist is a powerful combination of
vitamins, minerals, and herbal constituents that specifically address healthy
immune support. This product is formulated so it can be taken in addition to
any daily vitamin product already in a given regimen.
It is universally accepted that toxins,
chemicals, pesticides and other contaminants consumed by parents can negatively
affect the health of their offspring. Kirkman’s Before Baby™ Natural Cleanse is
a combination of detoxifying ingredients that help the body rid itself of these
contaminants. Included are natural, organic fruits and vegetables that are
known to be natural detoxifying agents as well as the vitamins, minerals and
herbs which work synergistically with the detoxification process.
Increased levels of vitamin D consumption have
been shown to improve overall good health, support immune system activity and
provide calcium balance. Many doctors are now recommending higher levels than
in the past. Vitamin D is better absorbed in the presence of food, which is why
Kirkman’s Before Baby™ Vitamin D-3 2000 IU is formulated with organic fruits
and vegetables.
Antioxidants are
compounds that terminate chain reactions that occur in cells when free radicals
are formed by oxidation reactions. When left unchecked, these change reactions
can cause changes to cell structure and eventual death of the cell.
Antioxidants can help prevent this from occurring and have been
investigated in cancer, heart disease and other diseases. Kirkman’s Before
Baby™ Antioxidant blend contains the most powerful antioxidant combination we
could formulate to prevent free radical activity in the body.
The perfect multiple vitamin and mineral to
ensure a healthy nutritional profile for men who are planning to have a family.
Includes the most recent potency updates, trace minerals and Coenzyme Q10.
The
perfect multiple vitamin and mineral to ensure a healthy nutritional profile
for women who are planning to have a baby. This formulation includes the most
recent potency updates, trace minerals and Co Enzyme Q-10.
Kirkman’s Before Baby™ PreNatal Advanced Care
Vitamin Mineral Formula is a complete prenatal vitamin for pregnant women. It
contains all the nutrients required for the health of the mother and the baby
in recognized safe potencies. Furthermore, it is hypoallergenic and Ultra
Tested® to ensure the absence of any potential contaminants. This prenatal
should be the choice for sensitive expectant mothers.