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From: fulk@sunybcs.UUCP (Mark Fulk)
Newsgroups: net.med,net.followup
Subject: Re: Caffeine: Birth Defects and More
Message-ID: <675@sunybcs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 17-Nov-83 08:59:09 EST
Article-I.D.: sunybcs.675
Posted: Thu Nov 17 08:59:09 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 20-Nov-83 01:35:57 EST
References: houxk.114, <2395@yale-com.UUCP>
Organization: SUNY/Buffalo Computer Science
Lines: 30

The original article on caffeine suggested drinking herbal teas as
a substitute during pregnancy.  People who saw that article should
be warned that many herbal teas contain teratogens (birth-defect
producing substances) that are much more powerful than caffeine.
In particular, one should carefully avoid teas containing
chamomile, ginseng, spearmint, and wintergreen.  It would probably
be a good idea to avoid any tea claiming medicinal effects as
those effects are provided by powerful, ill-characterized drugs
in the tea; there has never been a careful study of the teratogenic
potential of herbs so caution is advisable.  My wife is pregnant now;
she not only avoids coffee, tea, and soda (and has greatly reduced
her chocolate intake); she also avoids all herbal teas and honey
(which has also been implicated in birth defects - not from the glucose,
but from the impurities).  When she wants a hot drink she drinks
hot apple cider (sweet, not hard) or hot water.  She accepts that
when she's tired, she should sleep, and doesn't try to artifically
alter her mood.  I'm so glad she being so careful, that I follow the
same rules myself most of the time, and I haven't felt better in years!

Incidentally, the world is full of restrictive advice for pregnant women;
it is very difficult for a woman to remain happy while avoiding various
foods, drinks, and delicacies if her spouse/friend/significant other/co-parent
is whooping it up at the bar or otherwise enjoying things she has forgone.
Husbands/co-parents should observe the same restrictions their wives/etc.
do just for solidarity.
-- 
Mark Fulk				Department of Computer Science
fulk.buffalo@udel-relay			SUNY at Buffalo
...!rocksvax!sunybcs!fulk		4226 Ridge Lea Rd.
(716)831-3061				Amherst, NY  14226