The Jaundice Epidemic at Modern Maternity Units
Nature's Solution for Neonatal Jaundice and Immune Deficiency
The Epidemic of Newborn Jaundice in Modern Hospitals
You may have heard that newborns today are at risk of jaundice (yellowing of the skin), also called hyperbilirubinemia, which means an excessive amount of bilirubin in the blood. Between 60%–80% of hospital-born infants are expected to present with neonatal jaundice (discoloration of skin and sclera color to yellowish).
The Root (Etiology) of the Problem
Bilirubin (BR) (from the Latin for "red bile") is a red-orange compound that occurs in the normal catabolic pathway that breaks down heme (part of our hemoglobin in red blood cells) in vertebrates. This catabolism is a necessary process in the body's clearance of waste products that arise from the destruction of aged or abnormal red blood cells. Hyperbilirubinemia (excessive amounts of unconjugated bilirubin) in the blood of a newborn can lead to accumulation of bilirubin in certain brain regions (particularly the basal nuclei) with consequent irreversible damage to these areas (called bilirubin encephalopathy) manifesting as various neurological deficits, seizures, abnormal reflexes and eye movements. The neurotoxicity of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia manifests because the blood–brain barrier has yet to develop fully, and bilirubin can freely pass into the brain interstitium, whereas more developed individuals with increased bilirubin in the blood are protected. Aside from specific chronic medical conditions that may lead to hyperbilirubinemia, neonates in general are at increased risk since they lack the intestinal bacteria that facilitate the breakdown and excretion of conjugated bilirubin in the feces (this is largely why the feces of a neonate are paler than those of an adult).
Treatments: Natural vs. Medical
The medical industry labels many cases of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (jaundice) as idiopathic (of unknown origin), possibly caused by factors such as race and genetic polymorphisms. But when we consider the process of clearing bilirubin from the blood, we note the important roles of exposure to sunlight (on the skin) and availability of good bacteria (in the diet, helping intestinal flora oxidize bile products to stercobillin, passable in feces as the brown pigment). So is it surprising to have a pandemic of jaundiced babies when more and more babies are born in neonatal hospital units with artificial lighting and no windows or minimal exposure to natural sunlight, fed with synthetic baby formula and food devoid of good bacteria often available in mother’s breast milk1? In fact, decreased frequency of breastfeeding is associated with exaggeration of physiological jaundice. One of the significant procedures to manage the jaundice in a term healthy baby is the mothers’ encouragement to breastfeed their babies at least 10–12 times per day.
Also, a study that included three clinical trials containing 1103 infants from two countries concluded that babies exposed to sunlight may have a reduced occurrence of jaundice and be jaundiced for fewer days compared to babies who have no preventive treatment for jaundice.
Although many hospitals today promote use of expensive electric phototherapy (shown here) treatments, research has shown that babies exposed to indirect sunlight (to avoid sunburn) had a similar rate of decline in bilirubin levels. This may be why according to National Neonatal-Perinatal Database (NNPD) the incidence of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in in-house live-births (with midwife’s help, the old-fashioned way, currently practiced in many poorer countries as well as among certain Anabaptist Christians in the US) is only 3.3% (vs. 60% or higher with hospital-born babies).
The best things in life are free IF we resort to nature! Looks like nature prefers mother’s own milk (breastfeeding) and sunlight (at home) over costly baby formula and artificially-lit modern hospital maternity units.
My other relevant articles:
Is Ultrasound During Pregnancy Linked to Fetal Brain Injury and Autism?
The Tragic Trend in Infants' Hearing Loss: As We Alter Nature, It Alters us in Return!
And the healthier the mother’s diet, the more nutritious her breastmilk!