Pre-eclampsia, also known as toxemia, pregnancy poisoning or MTLP, is one of the most common and potentially most serious complications of pregnancy, yet it is actually so easy to prevent.
I'm going to explain this very simply, the way I was able to understand it myself. It certainly is even more complex, but what I am writing here has been enough for me to successfully prevent pre-eclampsia for two decades and to treat it in women who have already had it.
So: Plasma, the fluid of the blood, seeps into the surrounding tissue where the walls of the blood vessels are the thinnest, i.e. the hands and feet. These swell up and you have water retention. To a certain extent, this is okay. But if too much plasma seeps out, water retention increases and spreads throughout the body and the blood becomes thicker and thicker.
Incidentally, the thicker blood can be seen in the blood count by an increased Hemoglobin (Hb). So if the Hb rises, often from around 32 weeks' gestation, without taking iron or consciously eating an iron-rich diet, there is reason to be wary. Physiologically, the Hb actually falls during pregnancy because the blood volume increases more than the solid components. It is therefore diluted.
Thicker blood leads to higher blood pressure. And with higher blood pressure, protein can also be pushed through the kidneys and end up in the urine. This results in the three famous pre-eclampsia symptoms of water retention, high blood pressure and protein in the urine. Other symptoms that can also be triggered by high blood pressure are visual disturbances such as seeing stars, hearing problems, headaches and dizziness.
A pregnant woman has an ever-increasing blood volume during pregnancy. It increases enormously by around 50%! It reaches its maximum volume from around 32 weeks and it is very important for the pregnant woman, her own health and the care of the baby to maintain this blood volume optimally until the end of the pregnancy.
The problem with pre-eclampsia, as explained, is that too much plasma seeps into the surrounding tissue. But why does this happen? Because there is not enough osmotic pressure in the blood. This means that there is not enough albumin and salt in the blood to keep the fluid, the plasma, in the blood. Albumin is provided by the liver and in order for it to do this, you have to eat enough protein. You also need to eat enough salt. And it is an advantage if the liver is not very busy elsewhere, for example with detoxification. This is where the liver comes into play and also the aspect of toxins. The kidneys are also involved in detoxification. And by the way, the detoxification organs of the mum-to-be have to work for two during pregnancy, because the mother takes over the removal of harmful substances for the child. At least as far as she can manage.
Another symptom of pre-eclampia that can be explained by this, is pain in the area of the liver or the entire abdomen.
In the worst case, eclampsia (eclamptic fits) can result or organ failure. Mother or baby can die. Luckily, those extreme cases are very rare. But the more malnourished, the poorer, more deprived and more desperate people are, the more often such cases occur.
The three main symptoms of pre-eclampsia in a pregnant woman (starting earliest around the middle of pregnancy and mostly at some point during the third trimester) are:
Other signs may include:
You will usually find at least three symptoms or signs if it really is pre-eclampsia. It's an old rule that's usually true, that you have to be able to find at least three signs of something.
Signs in the baby can include:
Signs in the placenta can include:
A very important factor in the prevention and treatment of pre-eclampsia is nutrition.
Make sure you eat:
My nutritional advice loosely follows the Brewer diet. (More about that further on.) However, I want to add that of all the women that I've cared for that ate mostly real and good and enough food, none developed severe preeclampsia and only very few developed mild symptoms that could be stabilised until they went into labour.
Real food can mean a lot of different nutritional choices. I have cared for and known women eating according to the Brewer diet, according to Weston A. Price, according to Anthony William, women eating a whole food, vegan, raw vegan, meat-heavy or Paleo diet and other individual choices and combinations. As long as they had enough real natural food and not too much of anything bad (such as refined flour, refined sugar, anything artificial etc.), they were all fine. None developed severe preeclampsia and only very few developed mild symptoms that could be stabilised until they went into labour.
Another interesting observation is that most women with bad nutrition do not develop pre-eclampsia. But a certain percentage does. So there must be a combination of nutritional and other factors at play. We can try to also explore those other factors, but the one we know the most about, because it has been the best researched and because there is exxtremely ample anecdotal evidence available, is the factor of nutrition.
The right mix of exercise and rest is also very beneficial.
Good exercise is, for example, swimming, walking (preferably combined with collecting herbs), yoga, cycling...
And try to eliminate all causes of stress. That also plays a big role.
If topics come up for you during pregnancy, examine them and try to solve them. Deal with "your stuff", as it comes up. Talk with your partner, friends, family and professionals, as needed.
Liver and kidney function play a very important role in the development of pre-eclampsia. The liver and kidneys are organs that help the body to detoxify. If there are too many toxins in the body, these organs have to work overtime. They already have to work for two during pregnancy anyway. The fewer toxins they are burdened with, the less overtime they have to work and the better they function. If possible, detoxify in a healthy way before pregnancy. However, certain gentle detoxification methods can also be used during pregnancy.
Whether you want to become pregnant, are already pregnant or even have a case of beginning pre-eclampsia, it may be useful to
Toxins can lurk hidden in many things, e.g. in water (so filter it or drink good spring water), in the air (so go for a walk in the forest where there is good air and preferably live in the countryside), in food (e.g. pesticides, so it is better to eat organic food, grow your own veg, gather wild greens, buy from your local organic farmer), in synthetic fragrances (e.g. in washing powder, cosmetics, scented toilet paper - it is better not to use fabric softener or perfume and generally choose things without fragrance or only scented with natural essential oils). e.g. in washing powder, cosmetics, scented toilet paper - it is better not to use fabric softener or perfume and generally choose things without fragrance or only scented with natural essential oils; you can also make your own cosmetics).
There are many different detoxification methods. Before pregnancy you have more options than during pregnancy. You have to be more careful and feel into what's fine for you and what not.
In the following, I will mention some detoxification methods that can in principle also be used during pregnancy, but every pregnant woman should feel carefully into that they are really suitable for her and not too much.
A very gentle way to detoxify is to eat lots of fruit, vegetables and green leaves. Raw detoxifies more than cooked.
Another beneficial, gentle detoxification method is drinking water with lemon juice, cold or warm.
Two detoxification methods according to Anthony William, which he says are suitable for pregnant women, although you always have to feel into it for yourself, are:
What is extremely valuable during pregnancy and what I highly recommend is the support of the liver through dandelion. Everything from this wonderful, powerful plant supports the liver: dandelion leaves, roots and even the yellow plucked petals. I like to take pregnant women on a little herb walk in their neighbourhood, to their garden if they have one or a nearby forest. Dandelion and nettle, two of the best preventative plants against pre-eclampsia, are usually already growing in their own garden.
Nettle strengthens the kidneys wonderfully. However, you have to be careful if someone already has water retention. Then you have to start very slowly with nettle and also with dandelion, because if you consume too much of it, it can happen that you flush out a lot of water, but if the cause of the water retention has not yet been remedied, this can then possibly lead to even more water retention afterwards. So it's best to use nettle and dandelion to strengthen the kidneys and liver already before pregnancy and throughout the pregnancy, if it feels right. I say, as with everything, proceed individually and intuitively as to whether nettle and dandelion feel right for you or not and if so, how much.
Once more very clearly: If you already have signs of beginning pre-eclampsia, then first eliminate the cause of it through your diet. Have more protein, salt, vitamins and minerals before you take dandelion and nettle and other potentially diuretic herbs.
If you want to use nettle and dandelion, how can you incorporate them into your diet? You can make green smoothies from nettle and dandelion leaves and many other edible green leaves together with fruit. You can add dandelion leaves to salads. Be careful, dandelion leaves are bitter, so start with a few and then increase the amount as you get used to it. You can also dry nettle and dandelion leaves and make tea from them. Or pulverise the dried leaves and sprinkle over salads, soups and other dishes as a spice. Powdered dried nettle and dandelion leaves can also be bought in good quality. Dandelion roots make a good tea and you can even make a coffee substitute from them or buy them ready-made. Whole dandelion flowers are traditionally used to make lemonade-like drinks. However, you can also simply pluck the thin yellow petals and decorate drinks and dishes with them or add them to smoothies.
In general, edible green leaves are good for the liver and kidneys, but dandelion (for the liver) and nettle (for the kidneys) are two of the strongest.
Milk thistle seeds and artichokes and generally bitter edible green leaves are also extremely good for the liver. Milk thistle seeds can simply be ground and then chewed and swallowed. They taste quite good, even a little nutty. Milk thistle by the way is called so because it also helps breastfeeding women to produce more milk. In German, it's called ‘Mariendistel’. A "Marien-" in the name of a plant indicates that it is a medicinal plant with a special connection to women. In this case to the female breast, because it makes milk. And it also helps women to have a good liver function during pregnancy. And if a newborn baby has jaundice, the breastfeeding mother can take milk thistle and dandelion and this passes into the breast milk and helps the baby to have better liver function, which in turn helps to overcome the jaundice.
If you would like to know more about Dr Tom Brewer’s perspectives on pre-eclampsia, its prevention and treatment through nutrition, I recommend his old website.
He and his wife Gail Sforza found out about 60 years ago how pregnant women can prevent pre-eclampsia, premature births, intrauterine growth retardation (that the babies are too small) and many other problems through nutrition.
They were working in a poor district in the South of the USA at the time and had to deal with many of these problems. Until they learnt how to avoid these problems through nutrition and brought this knowledge to pregnant women. Then everything changed.
Since then, this type of diet has been called the ‘Brewer Diet’. It is not a restrictive diet. On the contrary. Rather, it is about the minimum amounts of good food a pregnant woman needs to provide for herself and the baby: sufficient fruit, vegetables, green leaves, protein, salt, healthy carbohydrates, calories...
My suggestion would be to eat a diet as good and wholesome and natural as possible, but not to get hung up in details or any doctrines to be slavishly followed. I would rather suggest to look upon it as inspiration. I'm also not completely behind every detail of Brewer's dietary recommendations. But overall I think he had many really good points. And his discovery of how strongly nutrition influences the health of the mother during pregnancy and the developing baby is nothing short of amazing. This knowledge has helped many pregnant women give birth to healthy, full-term babies of normal weight. I can definitely confirm this from my many years of experience with the Brewer Diet.
In the years since his death, Tom Brewer's website has no longer been working. Or, at times it has been online, but in a much reduced version. However, you can access old websites via the WayBack Machine. That would be:
http://web.archive.org/web/20120809060223/http://www.blueribbonbaby.org/
And if you want to know even more and also get more of a historical perspective, you might be interested in reading Dr Brewer's classic:
"Metabolic Toxemia of Late Pregnancy"
Together with my friend, colleague and mentor in energetic work Julia, we have been researching different cases and conditions around pregnancy and birth from an energetic point of view. When looking at the underlying energetic causes of cases of pre-eclampsia, we found out that the common, re-occuring theme with pre-eclampsia is a conflict between mother and child, in which the pregnancy is questioned and the baby is energetically left alone. In a way, it is a poisoned mother-child-connection, usually due to a drama in the woman's life. Interestingly, an old word for pre-eclampsia is pregnancy poisoning.
These findings fit with the common observation that first time moms (who newly found themselves in the role of mother), single mothers, teenage mothers, women in poverty and mothers of twins and multiples (multiple responsibility) and women in difficult living situations in general are more prone to pre-eclampsia. Because there is more potential cause for drama and conflict.
So that's what needs to be healed in pre-eclampsia from an energetic point of view: The mother needs to sort out her problems, drama, "stuff", as I call it. And most importantly, she needs to heal the mother-child connection. The mother has to take responsibility as a mother, for the pregnancy and the baby. This also includes that she has to nourish herself and the baby.
If you are a pregnant woman and you feel you need more help and support, ask for it. That's fine. What's not fine, is giving up your responsibility as a mother, or disconnecting energetically from your child, who would then of course feel alone.
If you are a partner, relative, friend of a pregnant woman struggling, show her empathy and kindness, listen to her, talk with her, support her, help her with practical stuff that needs to be done, buy groceries, cook her a meal, take her some food. But keep in mind not to take away from her responsibility. Rather, support her to work out her conflict and be a responsible mother.
Here are some more hints for solutions:
The body is relieved when the problem comes to consciousness and the person takes responsibility.
A problem does not come without a reason. First there is the reason, then comes the problem. For every problem there is a reason and for any problem that occurs, there already exists a solution. Address and explore the problem sensitively, lovingly, with empathy for yourself (if you are the pregnant woman) or for the pregnant woman and her situation (if you are supporting her).
Look for solutions and find them.
I believe you can do it.