3 ms·

Fair enough. It's true that I have bias, my wealthier friends who give birth are 'over-educated and academic', and the understanding of a natural birth is a giv

by marquis 13y ago

Fair enough. It's true that I have bias, my wealthier friends who give birth are 'over-educated and academic', and the understanding of a natural birth is a given, while ideally being as close as possible to a good hospital in case of complications. The time I've spent in developing countries, it's just anecdotal to me that a midwife is the first call for a pregnant woman rather than an obstetrician.

rayiner 13y ago
> my wealthier friends who give birth are 'over-educated and academic', and the understanding of a natural birth is a given This is what happens when over-educated people take first-world problems to the extreme and turn them into third-world problems. Like a highly-educated acquaintance of my brother's who married a sherpa and is now upset that he won't accept her working outside the home. > The time I've spent in developing countries, it's just anecdotal to me that a midwife is the first call for a pregnant woman rather than an obstetrician. My father (who works in international development and has long specialized in maternal health) has spent much of his life trying to disabuse women in developing countries (like his native Bangladesh) of this habit.
harryh 13y ago
> my wealthier friends who give birth are 'over-educated and academic', and the understanding of a natural birth is a given That's a little bit like the crazy parents who won't vaccinate their kids. We've done such a good job with immunization that they've never seen the consequences of ignoring it, so they pick up woo-woo theories about autism and ignore all medical science.
- sridharvembu 13y ago
  There is evolving tentative suggestion that autism may be an auto-immune disease: http://sfari.org/news-and-opinion/news/2013/large-study-links-autism-to-autoimmune-disease-in-mothers http://sfari.org/news-and-opinion/news/2013/large-study-link... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15546805 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15546805 --- abstract -- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a spectrum of behavioral anomalies characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, often accompanied by repetitive and stereotyped behavior. The condition manifests within the first 3 years of life and persists into adulthood. There are numerous hypotheses regarding the etiology and pathology of ASD, including a suggested role for immune dysfunction. However, to date, the evidence for involvement of the immune system in autism has been inconclusive. While immune system abnormalities have been reported in children with autistic disorder, there is little consensus regarding the nature of these differences which include both enhanced autoimmunity and reduced immune function. In this review, we discuss current findings with respect to immune function and the spectrum of autoimmune phenomena described in children with ASD. -- end quote --- The immune system in new-born babies and young children is immature and under-developed.

by marquis 13y ago

rayiner 13y ago

> my wealthier friends who give birth are 'over-educated and academic', and the understanding of a natural birth is a given This is what happens when over-educated people take first-world problems to the extreme and turn them into third-world problems. Like a highly-educated acquaintance of my brother's who married a sherpa and is now upset that he won't accept her working outside the home. > The time I've spent in developing countries, it's just anecdotal to me that a midwife is the first call for a pregnant woman rather than an obstetrician. My father (who works in international development and has long specialized in maternal health) has spent much of his life trying to disabuse women in developing countries (like his native Bangladesh) of this habit.

harryh 13y ago

> my wealthier friends who give birth are 'over-educated and academic', and the understanding of a natural birth is a given That's a little bit like the crazy parents who won't vaccinate their kids. We've done such a good job with immunization that they've never seen the consequences of ignoring it, so they pick up woo-woo theories about autism and ignore all medical science.

sridharvembu 13y ago
There is evolving tentative suggestion that autism may be an auto-immune disease: http://sfari.org/news-and-opinion/news/2013/large-study-links-autism-to-autoimmune-disease-in-mothers http://sfari.org/news-and-opinion/news/2013/large-study-link... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15546805 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15546805 --- abstract -- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a spectrum of behavioral anomalies characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, often accompanied by repetitive and stereotyped behavior. The condition manifests within the first 3 years of life and persists into adulthood. There are numerous hypotheses regarding the etiology and pathology of ASD, including a suggested role for immune dysfunction. However, to date, the evidence for involvement of the immune system in autism has been inconclusive. While immune system abnormalities have been reported in children with autistic disorder, there is little consensus regarding the nature of these differences which include both enhanced autoimmunity and reduced immune function. In this review, we discuss current findings with respect to immune function and the spectrum of autoimmune phenomena described in children with ASD. -- end quote --- The immune system in new-born babies and young children is immature and under-developed.