The biggest breakthrough in preeclampsia understanding in 50 years
The biggest breakthrough in preeclampsia understanding in 50 years
Living too far from our natural patterns may be the true root of preeclampsia–and its resolution!
One of the tricky things about prenatal care is that most people don’t start learning about it until they are pregnant. By that time, there is so much to learn, and only so much time and energy to do so. But no matter where you are in your own childbearing cycle, chances are you know a women who will be having a baby soon. And you yourself can be a node of information for her.
In the US, we have some of the worst maternal outcomes of any developed nation. How can this be, and what can we do about it?
Statistically, it is not up to healthcare providers, public health, or any official bodies to save us. The vast majority of things that impact pregnancy start at home. So at home is where we can have the biggest impact on maternal wellbeing and survivorship.
In the rest of this post, you will learn about one of the worst pregnancy complications: preeclampsia. I hope it helps you avoid this trouble should you ever become pregnant. And if not yourself, I hope you can pass the information along to someone who needs it. As you will find out, preeclampsia is looking to be yet another place circadian disruption has been wreaking havoc on our health.
In times past, preeclampsia was called toxemia, because when it occurs, the body seems to become toxic. But no responsible toxin has ever been found to cause the symptoms. If unchecked, it can lead to maternal seizures and even death. The new name, preeclampsia, comes from New Latin eclampsia, from French éclampsie, from Ancient Greek ἔκλᾰμψῐς (éklampsis, “sudden development, violent onset”, literally “brightness”), from ἐκλᾰ́μπω (eklámpō, “to shine or beam forth; to burst forth violently”).
We’ve been facing down preeclampsia for decades, with little progress in our medical understanding.
Studying this topic reminds me of studying cancer, autoimmune issues, and mental health. All have had dizzying numbers of hypotheses tested and thrown out. And based on the research coming out lately, these all may be a product of poor light environments. Wouldn’t it be hopeful if we could use the same circadian-strengthening protocols in preeclampsia as well?
“Only through ongoing investigation of naturally occurring antioxidants, such as melatonin, can we hope to safely prolong pregnancy in severe preeclampsia and perhaps, for the first time in fifty years, offer a way to improve, and save, the lives of pregnant women with preeclampsia and their babies.”
Source: Langston-Cox, A., Marshall, S. A., Lu, D., Palmer, K. R., & Wallace, E. M. (2021). Melatonin for the Management of Preeclampsia: A Review. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 10(3), 376. doi.org/10.3390/antiox10030376
Remember: melatonin derangement = circadian derangement = an unnatural lifestyle deviation from the natural solar cycle.
In essence, living too far from our natural patterns may be the true root of preeclampsia–and its resolution! The really good news about this is that the sun is one of the most freely available resources worldwide.
Dig into the archives for more about how to build your relationship (scientifically) with sunshine and nature to nurture your naturally occurring antioxidants such as melatonin! Here are a few good places to start:
circadian pregnancy preparation
make your own natural antioxidants
Isn't it fascinating, too, that the etymology of the word eclampsia leads us back to brightness? If you take nothing else away, know that as modern humans, we need brighter days and darker nights than most of us get.