Pumping Iron
Boosts Overall Health
for Men and Women
W
ayne Westcott, who has served as a consultant for
many national organizations, from the U.S. Air Force to the Ameri- can Council on Exercise, points to the relevant body of research he’s studied, which shows that the health benefits of building muscle can also help ward off many diseases and debilitating conditions.
4 Osteoporosis, by building up bone tissue
4 Diabetes, by increasing lean muscle, which helps the body regulate blood sugar levels
4 Heart disease, by increasing the good cholesterol and lowering the bad
4 Stroke, by lowering resting blood pressure
4 Depression, by building self- esteem and boosting endorphins
4 Colon disease, by increasing natural intestinal movement that keeps the colon clear
4 Energy loss, by enhancing mitochondria, the powerhouse of the body
L
abor and delivery is a natural process that can be en-
joyed. “It’s not some- thing to be afraid of,” says Mel Campbell, author of The Yoga of Pregnancy. “It’s a wonderful and beau- tiful experience. We need to remember that the body is designed for giving birth.” Natural childbirth uses few or no artificial medical interventions such as drugs, continuous fetal monitor- ing, forceps delivery or episiotomies (cuts to enlarge the vaginal opening). According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 32.7 per- cent of deliveries were by Cesarean section in 2013—most performed in situations where a vaginal birth would have posed a relatively low risk to the health of mother and child. Entirely natural childbirth is now rare here compared with other countries, but that wasn’t always the case. In 1900, 95 percent of all U.S. births took place in the home; when more moved to hospitals here in the early 20th century, midwives still
Most births should be viewed as a natural life process instead of a potential
medical emergency.
~Abby Epstein, The Business of Being Born
typically handled the delivery in other coun- tries, sometimes without a doctor present. In America, obstetrics be- came a profession and a doctor-attended birth in a hospital was promot- ed as a safer alternative. By 1938, half of domes- tic births took place in hospitals, and by 1960 it rose to 97 percent.
Currently, midwives attend less than 8 percent of births here, and fewer than 1 percent occur outside a hospital. Natural labor and delivery in a hospital is possible, but, “It’s hard to have an unmedicated birth in many hospitals if you don’t know your rights, understand your physiology and have a doula by your side helping you avoid unnecessary interventions,” says Ina May Gaskin, a pioneering midwife and author of Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth. Key factors to discuss include fetal monitoring, intravenous tubes and the option to eat or drink during labor.
Benefits of Home Births Women choose home births and homey birthing centers because they
natural awakenings May 2015 27
healingways
Giving Birth Naturally
Conscious Choices Lead to Less Intervention by Meredith Montgomery
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