Nexus - 0105 - New Times Magazine-pages

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_ Every Baby Needs Some Body The age-old practice of sleeping with newborn babies has found fresh support. “In all known‘human societies other than our own Western industrialised culture, the mother and infant sleep in the same bed,” says Dr MelvinJ. Konner, psy- chiatrist and anthropologist at Atlanta’s Emory University in the US. “The same is true of our closest non- human relatives, monkeys and chimps. So from an evolutionary and anthropo- logical perspective, it would appear that isolated sleeping is not natural for the human infant.” Dr Konner and others point out that human infants - the most physically immature of all primates - are the only ones expected to sleep alone. This is a recent phenomenon. Throughout most of hirman hietary and ecultiiroc hahioc havo Needs Some Body wry Fay The age-old practice of sleeping with ( ; sy newborn babies has found fresh support. “In all known‘human societies other G oii than our own Western industrialised A 7 culture, the mother and infant sleep in the ead , a. wn same bed,” says Dr MelvinJ. Konner, psy- chiatrist and anthropologist at Atlanta’s Co Emory University in the US. oS SND: “The same is true of our closest non- co Lf } human relatives, monkeys and chimps. e Se } So from an evolutionary and anthropo- Cc logical perspective, it would appear that N15 © isolated sleeping is not natural for the uo z human infant.” S Ly Dr Konner and others point out that v7. human infants - the most physically e ie ones expected to sleep alone. This is a e recent phenomenon. Throughout most of £ Pood 4 human history and cultures, babies have slept with their mothers. To Tan or Not Homeopathic Some xesearchers believe that putting newborais in a separate room - common < ° ° only ia tadaisieteaciallll -may contrib- to Tan? Radi ati oO n ute to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), or cot death. But evidence for this | Ten minutes of sunshine a day can help Over 1,000 scientific reports have now remains largely circumstantial. fortify the body against certain cancers, | been published which indicate small ‘ according to US research. doses of radiation can have a hormetic Contact Evolution To robb from sunshine you haveto | effect,” according to Mr Keith Brown of “For three to four million years, the | be exposed to the right type -and benefi- | the Australian Alomic Energy Commission. human infant, evolved to expect direct | cial wavelengths of ultraviolet (U.V.) Hormesis is the stimulation of an or- parental contact during the night,” says | light in sunlight can be filtered out by | ganism by non-toxic amounts of a known James J. McKenna, anthropologist and | pollutants like sulphur dioxide, which | toxin. This is the basis of homceopathy. immature of all primates - are the only ‘ ¢ oF @ psychologist at Pomona College in Cali- | enshroud most industrial cities. “The best known example is the fornia, who links separate sleeping quar- “What we are showing is that cancers | stinwulatory effect of low levels of radia- ters with SIDS. of the colon and breast may be vitamin D | tion on the germination of seeds and the “That means the breathing and sleep | deficiency diseases in adults,” one of the | growth of plants. systems of the very immature human | University of California scientists said. “Other beneficial effects reported in infant evolved in the context of a rich Dr Robin Marks, the Victorian Anti- | both plants and animals include im- variety of sensory cues from the parent.” | Cancer Council's education director, | proved fertility, increased lifespan, pre- Infants deprived of physical contact | reports that the effect of UV light in help- | vention of tumours and increased resis- but otherwise well cared for are often | ing the skin produce vitamin D is well | tance to infection.” psychologically or physically stunted. | known - but Australian sunlight is so Mr Brown said réSearch indicates that Recent studies show that frequent paren- | strong it can penetrate the veil of pollu- | people who live at high altitudes die of tal touch stimulates infant growth. tion which hangs over big cities, so Aus- | cancer less often than those who live at Some medical authorities dismiss all | tralians should treat the US study cau- | sea level. This has been attributed by this as speculation. But one dramatic | tiously. Australiahasa higher levelof UV | some researchers to ‘cosmic rays’, from study by researchers at the University of | light than Europe or the United States. the surrounding universe and from natu- Miami Medical School found that light Increases in damaging formsofultra- | rally occurring radioactive minerals in massage of premature babies three times | violet light from ozone depletion are | the planet’s crust and biosphere. a day caused them to gain weight 47% | another danger here during spring. But if ‘Hormetic’ - or relatively low-inten- faster than those left alone in incubators. | you can’t get enough vitamin D from | sity radiation - may be essential for or- ~ Knight Ridder Newspapers | sunlight it’s also available in dairy and | ganic functioning; but there is no safe other foods. level for all organisms. NEXUS New es Five - Winter 1988 7 To Tan or Not to Tan? Radiation remains largely circumstantial. Contact Evolution ia eee