#Nigerians For Sale: I Vow to Reduce Illegal Migration to Europe - President Buhari

Following the embarrassing broadcast of modern day slavery, where some Nigerian youths were sold off in  a slave market auction, President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday night in Abidjan declared that all Nigerians stranded in Libya and other parts of the world will be brought home and rehabilitated.

The President while systematically campaigning for 2019,  vowed to reduce the number of Nigerians fleeing the country for Europe illegally through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea by providing basic social amenities such as education, healthcare, and food security at home.

In an interactive session with members of the Nigerian Community in Cote D’ Ivoire,  President Buhari said all necessary steps will be taken to curb illegal migration by Nigerians.

“When it was announced that 26 Nigerians died recently in the Mediterranean, before they proved that they were all Nigerians they buried them.

“But the evidence I have from the Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs, (Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa) is that only three of them were identified as Nigerians. But I’ll not be surprised if the majority of them were Nigerians.

The president agreed that the state of the nation has become grossly unbearable for the average Nigerian .Reacting to a recent footage on the slave auction in Libya, President Buhari said it was appalling that “some Nigerians (in the footage) where being sold like goats for few dollars in Libya.’’

“For people to cross the Sahara desert and Mediterranean through shanty boats… we will try and keep them at home. But anybody who died in the desert and Mediterranean without documents; to prove that he is a Nigerian, there is absolutely nothing we can do,’’ he said.

‘‘After 43 years of Gadhafi, why are they recruiting so many people from the Sahel including Nigerians? All they learned was how to shoot and kill. They didn’t learn to be electricians, plumbers or any other trade,’’ he said.

On domestic issues, President Buhari told Nigerians in the Diaspora that there is ‘‘good news from home’’ in the area of security, economy and anti-corruption.

“We are not doing too badly in trying to secure the country, improve the economy and deal with corruption.

“We are doing our best at all levels including security. It is absolute madness for people to blow others up in markets, churches, and mosques. No religion advocates violence. Justice is the basic thing all religions demand and you can’t go wrong if you do it,’’ he said.

On food security, the President said that his vision of repositioning Nigeria as a food-secure nation is on course as the country is on the verge of attaining food security.

He attributed the development to positive agricultural reform programmes and bumper harvest occasioned by good weather.

According to the President, interventions through the Anchors Borrows Programme of the CBN and the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative, among others, had been very successful in the agricultural reform initiative.

“People have gone back to the farm. We got the CBN, agriculture minister and money was provided at very low interest to farmers and the farmers responded and it was very positive.

“We are lucky that we are in a position to feed ourselves. So we are going to have food security in Nigeria earlier than anybody ever thought,’’ he noted.

The President advised Nigerians in Cote D’ Ivoire to be good ambassadors in their host country, warning that the Embassy will not hesitate to repatriate those who tarnish the image of the country abroad.

Watch the salt

- avoiding salt in the foods that we eat

Many of us enjoy a bit of salt on our food. And you might think you don’t eat much salt, especially if you don’t add it to your food. But don’t be so sure.

What we don’t realise is that salt is hidden in everyday foods that don’t even taste that salty! Things like bread, breakfast cereal, ready meals, sauces, baked beans and pizza. In fact, three quarters of the salt that we eat is found in the foods we buy.

It means that most of us are eating much more salt that than we realise, and that’s before we add any salt while cooking or at the table.

The bad news is that too much salt can raise your blood pressure, which means we are more at risk of getting heart disease or having a stroke.

How much?

To stay healthy, our goal should be to eat no more than 6g of salt a day for adults– that’s around a teaspoonful, which isn’t very much at all. That’s why it’s so important to watch the salt – both how much we add to food and how much is in the foods that we buy.

It’s not just adults that need to watch the salt – if you’ve got kids, you need to keep an eye on it for them as well. If they're under 11, they should be eating less salt than you – that’s even less than one teaspoon.

• Kids aged one to three: 2g salt a day (0.8g sodium)
• Kids aged four to six: 3g salt a day (1.2g sodium)
• Kids aged seven to 10: 5g salt a day (2g sodium)
• Kids aged 11 and over: 6g salt a day (2.4g sodium)

Try not to give them a taste for salt right from the beginning – have a look at the tips on our sister site, Start4Life, which has advice for parents with babies and children under 2.

Luckily, by keeping an eye on what we eat, we can keep a check on the salt. 

Relationship Between Prenatal Alcohol Use and Fetal/Infant Death

Researchers identified an association between prenatal alcohol exposure and fetal death more than 20 years ago. The likelihood of miscarriage increased directly with alcohol consumption. Risk was twice as high in women consuming 1 ounce of absolute alcohol as infrequently as twice a week.³⁵ More recently, fetal mortality was found to be 77 percent higher when alcohol was consumed during pregnancy.³⁶ Prenatal alcohol exposure is also associated with a higher rate of infant death.³⁷

A related research finding was that siblings of children with FAS had increased risk of death due to infectious illness and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) compared with controls. A diagnosis of FAS is an important risk marker for mortality in siblings of an individual with FAS even if the siblings do not have FAS. Maternal alcoholism appears to be a useful risk marker for increased mortality risk in diagnosed cases and their siblings.³⁷ In some populations, such as Northern Plains Indians, binge drinking (four or more drinks in about two hours) in the first trimester was associated with an increased risk of SIDS.³⁸

Effects of Alcohol on the Developing Brain, Continued

Effects of Alcohol on Specific Brain Function

Alcohol can affect specific parts of the brain in ways that impair several functions.^33,34

• Corpus Callosum. The corpus callosum connects the two hemispheres of the brain, allowing the left and right sides to communicate. Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause abnormalities such as thinning or complete absence. These have been linked to deficits in attention, intellectual function, reading, learning, verbal memory, executive function, and psychosocial functioning. ³⁴

Source: Mattson, S.N.; Jernigan, T.L.; and Riley, E.P. 1994. MRI and prenatal alcohol exposure: Images provide insight into FAS. Alcohol Health & Research World 18(1):49–52.

• Hippocampus. The hippocampus is involved in memory, but its precise function is uncertain. Alcohol can change the fibers and cause cell reduction. Some persons with prenatal alcohol exposure have deficits in spatial memory and other memory functions associated with the hippocampus. The hippocampus also acts as a mood control center. Damage to the hippocampus can affect the ability to respond appropriately to emotions, such as anger. ³⁴
• Basal Ganglia. The basal ganglia are nerve cell clusters involved in motor abilities and cognitive functions. Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure can reduce basal ganglia volume. This can affect skills related to perception, such as the ability to manage time or inhibit inappropriate behavior. ³⁴
• Cerebellum. The cerebellum is involved in both motor and cognitive skills. The cerebellum tends to be smaller in people with an FASD. Damage to the cerebellum can cause learning deficits and problems with motor skills, such as balance and coordination. ³⁴
• Frontal Lobes. The frontal lobes control executive functions, such as planning and problem solving. They also control impulses and judgment. Frontal lobes can be smaller in individuals prenatally exposed to alcohol. Persons with an FASD may have poor impulse control and self-monitoring. They might engage in risky or illegal activity to fit in with peers. ^34-36

Effects of Alcohol on the Developing Brain

Competency 1: Introduction to FASD

Effects of Alcohol on the Developing Brain

Alcohol can damage the developing brain when it crosses the placenta. Since the brain develops throughout pregnancy, alcohol exposure at any time can cause brain damage. Prenatal exposure to alcohol can change the brain structurally in ways that can be viewed and measured, including:

• Small head (microcephaly), usually below the 10th percentile.
• Damage to, or absence of the corpus callosum, an area of the brain that contains nerve fibers that bridge the two hemispheres of the brain. MRIs have shown completely missing areas of the brain in some individuals with an FASD.^31,32
• Abnormal cysts or cavities in the brain.
• Neurologic problems, such as seizures, tremors, and poor fine motor skills.
• Patterns of dysfunction on psychometric tests.
  

Prenatal exposure to alcohol also can change the function of different parts of the brain, leading to deficits in executive functioning, memory, word retrieval, concrete thinking, cognitive flexibility, sensory integration difficulties, and sleep disturbances. The damage can lead to developmental delays, learning disabilities, and behavior problems, such as:

• Mental retardation
• Problems with attention
• Hyperactivity
• Poor impulse control
• Problems in social perception
• Speech and language delays or deficits
  • Poor capacity for abstract thinking
  • Specific deficits in math skills
  • Poor judgment
  • Problems with cause and effect
  • Problems anticipating consequences
  • Problems changing behavior or response in different situations

Effects of Alcohol on Developing Embryo

Competency 1: Introduction to FASD

Effects of Alcohol on the Developing Embryo and Fetus

Alcohol is a teratogen, a substance that can harm a fetus. Research has established that maternal alcohol consumption is the leading preventable cause of birth defects and childhood disability in the United States.

When a pregnant woman drinks, alcohol easily crosses the placenta and enters the bloodstream of the fetus through the umbilical cord. When this happens, the blood alcohol level of the fetus can be higher than the mother’s level. The fetal blood alcohol level remains high longer because the fetus cannot break down alcohol the way an adult can. ²⁴

Researchers do not know the amount or timing of alcohol consumption that damages the fetus. There is no known threshold amount. As few as one standard drink per week has been shown to be adversely related to child behavior at age 6 and 7. ²⁵ Higher levels of alcohol consumption increase the risk of fetal damage. Binge drinking, four or more drinks in about two hours, can be especially harmful. ²⁶ Maternal metabolism and alcohol's interactions with other drugs also affect the amount of damage the alcohol can cause to the fetus.

The only statement that can be made with complete accuracy is that zero exposure equals zero risk. Therefore no woman should drink at any point during her pregnancy. Women who consumed alcohol before knowing they were pregnant should stop drinking immediately. Doing so can reduce the risk of fetal harm.

Larger Image

Source: Moore, K.L., and Persaud, T.V.N. 1993. The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders.

FASD occurs after fertilization and is not caused by sperm. The only cause of FASD is maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. By definition the father cannot cause FASD.

However, scientific research has suggested that male alcohol use before conception may affect both conception and the fetus. While some studies show no discernible effects ²⁷, others show that sons of fathers who drank alcohol, prior to conception, have memory deficits, hyperactivity, and other neurologic problems. ^28,29 Some research suggests that male alcohol use can affect the motility of sperm. ³⁰ The only way to completely avoid the risk of damaging a fetus is for both parents to be alcohol free prior to conceiving a child and for the mother to abstain from drinking alcohol throughout her pregnancy.

While men cannot cause FASD, they can help prevent FASD by helping the women in their lives remain alcohol free throughout their pregnancies. They can encourage women not to drink during pregnancy. They can also support and respect a woman’s decision not to drink. Men can also be role models for their significant others. By not drinking themselves, they are modeling the safest behavior for pregnant women. Men can help women get alcohol treatment and follow their treatment plans.

Don’t gamble SEXUAL health •WHY A CHECK UP IS IMPORTANT

Introduction 
Most infections caught through having sex can be treated easily and painlessly. If you are worried that you have put yourself at risk, you should go to your GP or your local Genito Urinary Medicine (GUM) clinic. Not all genital infections are caused by sexual contact, but they may still need treatment.

Embarrassment is probably the most difficult thing they have to treat.Reasons to have a check up
 • it will help put your mind at ease;
 • anyone who has vaginal, anal or oral sex can catch or spread sexually transmitted infections (STIs);  • not everyone will develop symptoms;
 • if not treated early, some STIs can do permanent damage to your health;
 • if not treated early, you risk spreading the infection. Remember most STIs are easy to treat.

If you think you have an infection you should not have sex until you have had a check up. Both you and the person you had sexual contact with should go to your GP as soon as possible.

For women 
What to look for:
• discharge from the vagina or anus;
• pain or stinging when passing urine;
• itchiness, soreness or redness around the vulva or anus;
• swelling of the vulva; • blisters, ulcers or warts around the genital area or mouth;
• sore throat (after oral sex);
• bleeding after sex;
• abdominal pain. Often women have no symptoms - that’s why it’s important to have a check up if you have taken a risk.

For men 
What to look for:
• discharge or pus from the tip of the penis or anus;
• pain or a burning feeling when passing urine;
• itchiness, soreness or redness around the penis or under the foreskin;
• blisters, ulcers or warts around the genital area or mouth;
• sore throat (after oral sex).

Men should try not to pass urine for at least four hours before attending the clinic for a check up. This will help with tests to find out if there is an infection.

What do Sexual Health clinics provide? 
• a clinic where you do not need to be referred by another doctor, but in some cases you may need to make an appointment;
• confidential testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV;
• medical, nursing and social support for people with HIV infection;
• vaccination for Hepatitis B;
• confidential advice and counselling on sexual health issues;
• information on contraception;
• safe keeping of your records within the department.


What happens at the clinic? 
 The doctor will ask you about any particular problems and then may:
• examine your genital area;
• take swabs to check for infection;
• ask you for a sample of urine;
• take a blood test (to check for Syphilis, HIV or Hepatitis B/C);

NB. Unless you tell the doctor otherwise, the blood sample taken from you will be tested for HIV. Treatment Most STIs are easy to treat. Treatment for each infection is different. It may include lotions, tablets or injections. It is important that the course of treatment is completed. You should follow any advice given by the doctor about not having sex during treatment.

Prevention
The spread of most sexually transmitted infections can be reduced by:
• using a condom every time you have sex;
• limiting your number of sexual partners;
• having regular check ups.Some common STIs Chlamydia Chlamydia is one of the most common STIs. Symptoms include a discharge from the vagina or penis or stinging when passing urine. Often there are no symptoms - that is why it is good to have a check up if you have taken a risk. If left untreated it could lead to infertility. 

Non Specific Urethritis (NSU) NSU is an inflammation of a man’s urethra (the tube for passing urine). It can be caused by a number of germs. One of the most common is chlamydia.

Symptoms may include a discharge from the tip of the penis or a burning feeling when passing urine. Gonorrhoea Gonorrhoea may cause a discharge from the vagina, penis or rectum, pain when passing urine or a sore throat. There may be no signs, especially when infection is in the throat or rectum.

Genital Warts 
Genital warts are caused by a virus and are passed by skin to skin contact. They may appear as little lumps or spots on the skin or may cause an itch. Not all lumps or spots on the genitals are warts. However, if you are concerned, it’s important to have a check up.

Warts may appear anytime from two weeks to a year after contact with the virus. There is a link between genital warts and cervical cancer. Women who have had warts should have a regular cervical smear.

This test can help to find cell changes of the cervix usually years before cancer develops. These cell changes can be cured.

Genital Herpes 
Herpes is caused by a virus. There are two types of virus - the first causes sores around the mouth and nose (cold sores) and the second causes sores in the genital area. Both are passed on by oral, vaginal or anal sex with someone who has sores at the time.

There is a very small risk of passing the virus on when there are no sores present.HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV is found in the blood, semen and vaginal fluids of an infected person. It can be passed on through unprotected penetrative sex, sharing needles to inject drugs and from a mother to her baby before or during birth, or by breastfeeding.

All pregnant women in Northern Ireland for example, are now routinely tested antenatally for HIV. Contact with STIs increases the risk of contracting HIV.

A discharge or broken skin around the genital area make it easier for the virus to pass from an infected person to an uninfected partner.

Syphilis
Syphilis is spread during sex, including oral sex. Although half of those infected show no symptoms, painless but infectious sores may appear. These may clear up on their own but symptoms such as a rash may develop later.
Syphilis can be easily diagnosed and treated with antibiotics. If left untreated it can lead to serious health problems, eg damage to the heart, brain and nervous system.

Thrush
Thrush is a very common minor infection caused by a fungus. It often occurs during pregnancy or after a course of antibiotics. It can also be passed by sexual contact. It can cause a thick, white discharge from the vagina, itchiness or redness around the vulva, penis or anus. It can also cause pain during sex or when passing urine.

Bacterial Vaginosis (Gardnerella)
Bacterial Vaginosis is a common cause of vaginal discharge, related to an excess growth of bacteria in the vagina. Symptoms include a fishy smelling discharge which may be more noticeable after sex or during a period. Male partners do not get any symptoms. However, if they are also treated it may reduce the risk of the discharge returning to their female partner.


Please find help as soon as possible.

Drinking During Pregnancy: Is it Really Okay?

I am a member of several different listservs for clinicians, researchers and teachers of psychology and mental health topics. A hot button issue spurring a lot of discussion on one of these listservs is the group's reaction to a recent ABC News video segment (and published story on their website). 

This video segment depicted two women in their 30s who are 8 months pregnant with their first child. One woman has made the choice to not drink at all during her pregnancy, while the other drinks a glass of wine 4 or 5 days a week. In theory, I assume the story was supposed to present the pros and cons of drinking alcohol during pregnancy. In reality, the "take home message" of the story was that moderate drinking (of an unspecified amount) during pregnancy is okay.

This is an issue that draws an emotional reaction from many people- from pregnant women and their spouses; to parents in general; parents of children who have been affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (described below); researchers/scientists, and health care professionals; and finally, "people on the street" who see a pregnant woman drinking. Clearly, the reactions may not always be based on the best available medical and scientific information, but rather, get intertwined with other emotionally charged ideas of self-sacrifice, personal freedom, and privacy issues.

Unfortunately, the ABC video segment did not provide the audience with additional research-based medical/scientific information that could help pregnant women make a more well-informed decision. Rather than presenting different viewpoints and data, the reporter interviewed only one "expert" (Dr. Moritz) during this story. This expert may be a wonderful practicing physician, but he made 2 statements that cloud the issue. The first statement was false, while the other was (hopefully) unintentionally misleading because it omitted crucial facts.

Problematic Point #1:

Dr. Moritz acknowledged that The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the March of Dimes recommend zero alcohol consumption during pregnancy. However, he went on to say that these recommendations are "very, very strict" .... and resulted from the fact that "there are no studies done."

This first point is problematic because we do have studies suggesting that alcohol can damage a growing fetus. It would be more accurate if Dr. Moritz had said that we don't have experiments of the double-blind placebo-controlled variety that would allow us to specify exactly how much (or how little), and when alcohol can be safely be consumed during pregnancy. Obviously, it would have taken a bit of airtime to tease out the meaning of this expanded sentence, but at least it would have been more accurate.

So, what exactly does my new longer sentence mean? A double-blind placebo-controlled experiment is a rigorously designed and tightly controlled type of study that is the gold standard in medical research. "Double-blind" means that neither the pregnant women or the scientists collecting the data would know the level of alcohol that participants received during the study. Being "blind" in this sense is important, particularly when the doctors and women go on to rate their babies and children on scales of emotional. social, and behavioural development. We want to know whether prenatal alcohol exposure causes long term problems (described more below), so we will be examining these kids across time using parent reports, doctor reports, etc. Across time, moms and doctors may unintentionally subtly bias their ratings if they know that the child being discussed was subjected to a little or a lot of alcohol prenatally. Even subtle biases can create problems in studies that can lead to making incorrect conclusions.

"Placebo-controlled" means that among the different groups of women being studied would be one group (again, both experimenters and participants would be "blind" to this fact) who received a placebo, or non-alcoholic version of whatever substance they were using as the "treatment". This is an important component of an experiment that allows a researcher to more precisely determine whether it's truly the alcohol and not something else that's causing the effects on children. If women in the placebo group (who drink no alcohol) have children who are identical to children coming from women who drink several alcoholic beverages per week, then it's awfully hard to conclude that alcohol is causing the problems!

In addition to the double blind placebo control, a "true experiment" would have to be designed as follows: 1) the experimenters would need to find a large group of women who agreed to participate 2) the potential participant pool would need to be as identical as possible before starting the study (women at the same stage of pregnancy, similar body weights, similar history of previous alcohol use, similar diets, etc.), 3) the participants would need to be randomly selected from the pool by a computer program (or another means) to ensure that everyone had an equal chance of being included in the study 3) selected participants would need to be randomly assigned to different study groups that would only differ with regard to the amount of alcohol they were consuming, 4) The method of giving the women alcohol would need to be tightly controlled and not be obviously different across groups (keeping participants and experimenters "blind"). In other words, it would be pretty clear what group you were in if you were guzzling 3 large goblets of wine while the pregnant woman next to you only had a shot glass full. Also, you couldn't simply tell the women to go home and drink one glass of wine 2 days a week. One woman's glass might be 3 ounces, while another woman might consume 7 ounces. All of these rigid study criteria would be designed to eliminate statistical biases that might influence the results of the study.

And that's only the beginning! As I alluded to before, in an ideal study, a participant would be followed across time as her fetus develops and grows (both in the womb and once he or she was out in the world). Because some effects of alcohol exposure are not readily apparent (see my discussion of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders below), participants' children would need to be followed into adolescence. Even then, the study would need to be repeated with other types of pregnant women (of different weights, backgrounds, etc) to figure out whether and how much other factors impact the influence of prenatal alcohol exposure on the development of the fetus and child.

I hope you can see where I am going with this...not only would this research be time consuming and difficult, but ethics boards (that review studies for potential ethical violations before allowing them to go forward) simply would not allow a researcher to proceed. Subjecting a group of pregnant women to this type of research simply to find out whether their children are harmed won't fly. The researchers proposing the study could not argue that the potential benefits of alcohol outweigh the potential risks. Obviously, alcohol is not designed to treat or cure diseases.

So, the best we can do to is rely on less precise studies that are available. And, the studies we have clearly indicate that alcohol easily passes through the placenta and is a teratogen, or potentially harmful substance. In other words, alcohol can harm cell growth. A single binge at a critical period in the growth of the fetus, and repetitive bouts of drinking can cause problems.

So, I disagree with Dr. Moritz. There have been studies conducted. However, I do agree that the type of studies that would allow us to provide guidelines about the exact amount (and timing) of alcohol consumption have not. So, we can't say that drinking any amount of alcohol during pregnancy "will always" cause problems for the fetus. That is also untrue. We can say, though, that the potential risk of harming a fetus is there. We can also say that whether or not a fetus is damaged by prenatal alcohol exposure depends on several factors, including: how a pregnant woman’s body breaks down alcohol; the mother's weight, and the genetic makeup of the fetus and the mother.

Problematic Point #2:

In the ABC story, Dr. Moritz stated that in his many years of practice as an OB/GYN, he had never seen a case of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (a collection of symptoms including abnormal facial features, growth deficiency, and central nervous system problems (e.g., impaired learning, memory, attention span, communication, vision, and/or hearing). I assume that he was trying to reassure the public by suggesting that the risk of having a child with FAS if you drink while pregnant is relatively slim. However, I am troubled by what the viewer may have taken from this comment.

Here's the problem with this point: just because Dr. Moritz has not dealt with this medical condition doesn't mean that the risk isn't real or that it doesn't occur. Unfortunately, Dr. Moritz did not go on to explain that FAS is only one end (the severe or most serious end) of the spectrum of disorders that can result from prenatal alcohol use. The whole group of problems, called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) can range from mild to severe and include physical defects as well as cognitive, behavioral, and emotional problems. Some of these problems may not be apparent right away (e.g., infants with some of these disorders don't look any different than other infants at birth). So, even though Dr. Moritz hasn't seen a child with FAS, he might have delivered a baby with one of the other disorders without knowing it.

Labels used to diagnose the range of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders include FAS; Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE); Alcohol-related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND); and Alcohol-related Birth Defects (ARBD). The label FAE was commonly used in the past to describe a person with behavioral and cognitive problems who didn't have the physical characteristics to warrant a full-blown FAS diagnosis. This FAE diagnosis was eventually expanded and replaced by the labels ARND and ARBD, again keeping the idea that problems exist, but do not fit all of the criteria for FAS. ARND is used to describe people who have behavioral or cognitive problems, or a combination of both (e.g, learning difficulties, poor school performance and/or poor impulse control) resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure. People with ARBD have problems with the heart, kidneys, or bones; hearing loss; or a combination of these. According to the American Institute of Medicine (IOM), 0.6 to 3 babies born per 1,000 have FAS. The rates of less severe Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are much higher; ARND occurs in approximately 9 babies per every 1,000 live births.

Again, the research does not suggest that every women who drinks during pregnancy will go on to have a baby with a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Most won't. However, there is no failproof way to predict whether a person is one of the mothers who will drink while pregnant and have a child with FAS, ARND, or ARBD. The only failproof way to prevent this event is to avoid drinking during pregnancy. That's the reasoning behind the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the March of Dimes' recommendations and also the reason why this information should have been included in the ABC story.

If you would like more information on this issue, here are some resources:

Amerian College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists news release:

http://www.acog.org/About_ACOG/News_Room/News_Releases/2008/Alcohol_and_Pregnancy_Know_the_Facts

Publication from National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism:http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/DrinkingPregnancy_HTML/pregnancy.htm

Surgeon General's Report: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/reports/index.html

Ebrahim SH, Diekman ST, Decoufle P, Tully M, Floyd RL. Pregnancy-related alcohol use among women in the United States, 1988-95. Prenatal and Neonatal Medicine 1999; 4:39-46.

Kodituwakku PW. Patterns of cognitive-motor development in children with fetal alcohol syndrome from a community in South Africa. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. In press.

May PA, Brooke L, Gossage JP, Croxford J, Adnams C, Robinson L, Viljoen D. Epidemiology of fetal alcohol syndrome in a South African community in the Western Cape Province. American Journal of Public Health 2000; 90(12):1905-1912.

Morse BA, Hutchins E. Reducing complications from alcohol use during pregnancy through screening. Journal of the American Medical Women's Association 2000 Summer; 55(4):225 227.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and Office of Research on Minority Health. Identification of At-Risk Drinking and Intervention with Women of Childbearing Age. A Guide for Primary-Care Providers. NIH Publication No. 99-4368; 1999.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and Office of Research on Minority Health. Identification and Care of Fetal Alcohol-Exposed Children. NIH Publication No. 99-4369; 1999.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and Office of Research on Minority Health. Personal Steps to a Healthy Choice: A Woman's Guide. NIH Publication No. 00-4370; 1999.

I am very interested in hearing your opinions and reactions to this story. Does knowing all of this information help you make a decision? If you are currently pregnant, share your ideas about why you choose to drink or not drink. I would also be interested to hear what doctors are currently telling pregnant women about this issue.

Alternatives to drinking –

 ways to relax without alcohol

Cutting back on alcohol is part of making changes to improve your health, and there can be other benefits too. If you tend to drink in the same place, or at the same time, or with the same people, try to change your routine so that you do something different instead. If you drink every day, aim to have at least two days a week when you don’t drink, and find other ways to spend your time.

Why not try…

• having a long relaxing bath
• catching up with an old friend on the phone, or writing to them
• doing some home-working, like making products or stuffing envelopes
• going for a walk, a swim or a bike ride – you’ll feel great!
• doing some odd jobs you’ve been putting off for ages
• walking the dog
• rediscovering your music collection
• starting a new hobby – the options are endless!
• learning to cook or draw
• doing some voluntary work
• joining a club, gym or five-a-side team –  

And there are loads more ideas out there

Alcohol’s hidden harms – effects on our health

What may seem like just a drink or two most evenings can do a lot of harm to your body, inside and out.

You might notice that you’re building up a bit of a spare tyre, if you drink alcohol regularly. That’s because there can be a lot of calories in alcohol. Or perhaps your mood can be a bit low in the mornings. Maybe your skin’s not as clear as it was. And we all know how drinking too much can lead to decreased sexual performance, especially for men.

Health harms of alcohol

As well as the things you notice on the outside, there can be some serious stuff happening on the inside. Regularly drinking over the lower risk guidelines ncreases the chances of suffering more serious health harms such as:

• Cancer of the throat, oesophagus or larynx. Regularly drinking two large glasses of wine (ABV 13%) or two pints of strong lager (ABV 5.2%) a day could make you three times as likely to get mouth cancer.
• Breast cancer in women. Regularly drinking just above the guidelines increases the risk of getting breast cancer by around 20%
• A stroke
• Heart disease or an irregular heartbeat, which can lead to a heart attack
• High blood pressure
• Liver disease such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. If you regularly drink just above the lower-risk guidelines, the risk of liver cirrhosis increases 1.7 times
• Pancreatitis
• Reduced fertility

People who regularly drink just above the lower-risk guidelines increase their risk of ill-health significantly.

The more you drink, and the more often, the greater the risk to your health. And for people with a medical condition (such as diabetes or high blood pressure) or are suffering from depression or anxiety, alcohol often makes life worse.

Cut down on alcohol and feel the benefits

The good news is that you can reduce the risk to your health by cutting down the amount of alcohol you drink. Drinking less now can make a big difference to your health later on. And you might notice some benefits even more quickly, like feeling better in the mornings and having more energy. Sound good? That’s just for starters!

 

Alcohol - How much is too much ?

Alcohol

Drinking alcohol is part of our national culture and so it's easy for us to feel that we know all about it – but how much of what we know is based on fact and how much is just a myth? Although a couple of drinks might not harm your body, too much drink can have serious consequences – on your health, relationships and career.

How much is too much ?

Alcohol is normally measured in units, where half a pint of lager roughly equals one unit. As drinks vary in strength and size, different drinks contain different number of units.

Men can safely drink 3 to 4 units a day, but not more than 21 units a week.
Women can drink 2 to 3 units a day, but shouldn’t take more than 14 units in a week.
Don’t forget! If you’re pregnant or about to drive, it’s best not to drink at all.

How many units are in your favourite drink ? Use the Drinks Checker to find out how much you drink or you can dowload it here 

The drinks tracker is available as a native app for your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.
Download free from the iTunes App Store

It's also available as a native app for your Android device.
Download free from Google play

No smartphone? No problem!

You can keep some ideas to hand with our leaflet, full of info and advice. It’s also got a drinks diary section to help you keep track.

Download "Don't let drink sneak up on you" leaflet (PDF, 867KB)

Calories in Alcohol

Did you know that a glass of wine can have the same calories as four cookies? How about a pint of lager – surprised to hear it’s often the calorific equivalent of a slice of pizza?

Calories from acohol are empty calories, they have no nutritional value. Most alcoholic drinks contain traces of vitamins and minerals but not usually in amounts that make any significant contribution to our diet.

Check out how many calories are in your favourite drink

 

Short-term effects

*Hangovers  

*Sexual difficulties like impotence  

*Slowed breathing and heartbeat

*Loss of consciousness 

*Increased risk of accident and injury

 

Regular over-drinking

Most people who suffer from health problems because of their drinking are not alcoholics, but rather are those who drink heavily over a number of years. Many suffer few immediate consequences of their drinking, but cumulatively it takes its toll. 6,000 deaths from coronary heart disease in men each year are directly due to alcohol..

In Wales for example, alcohol misuse leads to some 1600 hospital admissions each year for alcohol-related liver disease.

Regularly drinking more than the recommended number of units over a long period can lead to complications like:

 *Certain types of cancer, especially breast cancer  *Memory loss, brain damage or even dementia

 *Increased risk of heart disease and stroke 

 *Liver disease, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer

 *Stomach damage  

*Potentially fatal alcohol poisoning

Pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant ?

Drinking alcohol during you pregnancy could result in exposing your unborn baby to harm. To protect your baby as much as possible, try to stop drinking altogether, or, cut down as much as you can. Any reduction you can make will reduce the risks to your baby's health.

If you do need to drink alcohol every day, please speak to health professional such as your midwife before you stop. Alcohol is a harmful substance which crosses freely across the placenta to your unborn baby into the baby's bloodstream and can interfere with how the baby grows and develops.

Drinking during pregnancy has been linked to miscarriage, low birth weight, heart defects, still birth, learning and behaviour problems. The most severe condition linked to alcohol and pregnancy is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

If no alcohol at all is consumed during your pregnancy then there would be no alcohol-related risk to yourself or your unborn baby. Recommended guidelines do not apply during pregnancy, please remember NO ALCOHOL = NO RISK.

View the video