On Hiatus

I am taking a leave of absence from teaching, seeing individual clients in the clinic and offering consults via phone and email for the foreseeable future as I await the birth of our third child. Thank you for your understanding and support as I take this time for myself and our growing family.

Take Care,

Lynn Flanagan-Till

Mark your calendars…Delaney Herbal Extravaganza!

Saturday July 30th, I will be talking plants, leading a herb walk and much more at Delaney Farms in conjunction with Denver Urban Gardens…stay tuned!

Colorado Midwives Association Skills Conference

Thanks to everyone that came, I has a blast talking plants with you all ! Here are links to the presentation outline as well as the resource notes. If you need anything else or have any questions feel free to email me.

cma_skills_conference

resource handout

Start planning your herb gardens now, spring will be here before you know it.

Foxglove tribute leaves out key lady

“Dr William Withering, who was born in Wellington, identified the effectiveness of digitalis from foxgloves in the 1700s. To mark the discovery, 550 foxgloves have been planted on Apley roundabout.” Full article here

Dr. Withering did not discover the use of digitalis for the treatment of congestive heart failure, rather he bought the “receipt” (recipe or formulation) from a Mrs. Hutton.

” In the year 1775 my opinion was asked concerning a family recipe for the cure of dropsy. I was told that it had been kept secret by an old woman in Shropshire who had sometimes made cures after the more regular practitioners had failed.” – Dr. William Withering

Let’s give credit to wear credit is due, I’ll be planting some foxgloves in tribute of Mrs. Hutton…yeah!

 

Rushing Birth Even A Little Can Hurt Babies’ Health

“You can’t be just a little bit pregnant, but you can have a baby who’s born just a little bit too early. Too often, however, women who decide to induce labor a week or two before they reach full term don’t realize that rushing the delivery date by even a few weeks may hurt their newborns and, possibly, their pocketbooks” full article here

 

Major Shift Seen in Labor Progression Patterns

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Dec 24 – Women today experience progression of labor later in the dilation process than women decades ago, and obstetrical practice must be changed in order to reflect this shift, the authors of a new study involving than 60,000 contemporary women concludes.

Allowing women more time to progress to 6 centimeters could likely reduce the rate of both intrapartum and repeat cesarean sections in the US, say researchers led by Dr. Jun Zhang of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Maryland.

Right now, Dr. Zhang and colleagues note in the December issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, obstetricians use labor curves developed in the 1950s by Dr. Emanuel Friedman to determine whether a woman’s labor is progressing normally. But given that women are having children later, maternal and fetal body sizes are increasing, and obstetric interventions are being used more often, these guidelines may no longer apply, they add.

Students Expelled For Facebook Picture Of Placenta

“Four Kansas nursing students snapped a picture of themselves posing next to a placenta during class. One of them, Doyle Barnes, posted it on facebook. The next day all four students were expelled”  Full article here.

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Botany Nerd Alert

Wowza, that’s a lot of plants! Researchers at Kew Gardens in London and the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis compiled the most comprehensive list of plant species ever. Makes me want to brush up on my latin names and/or just hope that someone makes a “what’s that plant” app. Article here.

 

Lactation Rooms Are Capitol’s Neutral Zones

More oxytocin and less partisan politics please….article here.

 

Dandelion Mania!

“If dandelions were hard to grow, they would be most welcome on any lawn” ~Andrew Mason ~

A dress made out of dandelions? Yes, please!

 

With their weedy abundance you might not know that Dandelions are an introduced species in the U.S…..they were originally brought here to beautify lawns, ha! I think that Dandelions are pretty darn smart, one of their many medicinal uses is as a gentle and effective liver tonic. Even though millions are spent on toxic chemicals to eradicate those little puff balls, those same chemicals not only destroy the earth but also wreak havoc on our livers….but there is no shortage of dandelions, they seem to pop up everywhere as if to tell us, “No hard feelings, I know you just forgot, but please stop spraying me and just start eating me”.

There is the saying that the kindest thing you can do for your neighbor is to keep up your lawn, although my neighbors would probably agree with that sentiment as my beloved weeds abound…maybe I could sway them a bit by making dandelion wine as a peace offering.

Got eczema? Stop bathing so much and befriend Dandelion! ”Researchers point to anecdotal reports over the years that the juice has benefits in the treatment of dyshidrotic eczema — a form of the skin condition that is characterized by tiny bubble-like blisters and intense itching. A study is now under way at Odense ­University Hospital in Denmark — patients are being given the juice to drink for 20 to 30 days and will then have their symptoms ­monitored for signs of improvement. Scientists do not yet know exactly which compounds in dandelion juice could prove active. However, the juice does contain relatively large amounts of vitamins A, C, D, and B, as well as magnesium, iron, zinc and calcium, and one theory is that these may have a powerful antioxidant effect, minimizing damage to cells.”

For more info on this yellow flowered powerhouse check out the book Dandelion Medicine: Remedies and Recipes to Detoxify, Nourish, Stimulate

 

 

 

 

Test could predict which mothers will need Caesareans

“A test which could stop women labouring for hours in the hope of a “normal” birth only to end up with a Caesarean section has been developed in Sweden.” full article here

…could be a valuable tool in assesing long labors, but I’m currently hesitant to embrace it until much more research is shown. Without fully knowing the limitations of the test I fear that it would be another misused tool that inadvertently raises the cesarean rate instead of the hopes that it would lower it. It is interesteing to think about ways of countering high lactic acid levels though. Thoughts?

THE PREGNANT PATIENT’S BILL OF RIGHTS

via the American Foundation for Maternal and Child Health, read here

Breastfeeding: Becoming a Healthier Nation From the Start

Happy Breastfeeding Awareness Month! Excellent article here.

Desert Willow Herbal Medicine, yeah Chilopsis!

I was surprised to happen upon this article regarding Chilopsis linearis, it’s not a very well known medicinal plant, but seeing the article made my day. It doesn’t grow well here, but south of us it’s abundant, useful and oh so pretty when in bloom. Michael Moore (the herbalist not the film maker) wrote about the uses of Chilopsis, I highly reccomend checking out any of his wonderful books…they are priceless resources in the clinic as well as the field.

Babies remember moments of neglect, study suggests

Article here and study here

More evidence links pesticides to ADHD

“I would recommend thoroughly washing fruits and vegetables before eating them, especially if you are pregnant.” …read more here

eggy problems?

Worried about where your eggs are coming from after the recent salmonella situation? We love knowing our farmer and getting eggs from truly free roaming happy & healthy hens! It’s always fun to see eggs of all different sizes and colors in our weekly carton, and the yolks are seriously dark neon orange, compared to the pale yellow ones normally seen in store bought varieties. I’m looking forward to having chickens in the backyard someday, not only for the eggs but because they are such excellent bug eatters and compost helpers (much needed in the herb/veggie garden). To find a CSA near you that supplies eggs check out Local Harvest. Locally Denver Urban Homesteading teaches classes on backyard chicken raising, nationally check out Backyard Chickens for more information. Ensuring access to safe food is important to everyone, especially preggies, very young/old ones and those with current health complications. Major overhauls in the food industry are needed for the health of the planet, the animals and ourselves, but until these needed changes occur it’s worth the time and effort to find out where your food comes from.

Eggs have seriously been a lifesaver this pregnancy in helping me meet my daily protein goal…..yummy, affordable and easy to cook up fast. Thank you lady birds!

I recently re-watched this documentary that friends showed me years ago, hilarious and amazing…The Natural History of the Chicken, now available on netflix on demand…also a must watch, Therapy Chickens!

NIH Finds Stress May Delay Women Getting Pregnant

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/23/nih-study-indicates-stres_n_689371.html

Technology helps absent obstetricians stay app on things

Really? This is being tauted as an advancement? Woman need more hands on time, support and a relationship w/ their health care provider…not a machine. We are getting closer and closer to the creepy robot midwife that delivered Luke and Leia in Star Wars. http://www.denverpost.com/frontpage/ci_15690581

Planned home birth and neonatal death: Who do we believe?

http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=1422