Is Cord Blood Banking Worth It?

HOW COULD YOU NOT LOVE THESE FACES?

There is hope that cord blood stem cell banking and stem cell research will one day restore sight to those that are blind. However, today’s blog is a reminder to all parents to have your children’s vision checked to make certain your children have adequate vision. I’m not referring to issues of going blind, for which cord blood may one day be of benefit, but rather to refraction errors, for which a simple pair of glasses can make a world of difference.

Today I have decided to talk about vegetables and cord blood banking. I suspect you find this to be a strange coupling. However, after reading National Public Radio’s analysis of a report that coaches parents on how to get their children to eat their vegetables, I thought the same approach should be used with encouraging expectant parents to bank their newborn’s cord blood.

As parents, it is our fervent wish for our children "to be all they can be." So why is it that so many children fail to fulfill their great potential? There are few geniuses in this world, so I'm not suggesting every child becoming a rocket scientist. By definition, most of us are of average intelligence. This being the case, most occupations are fully staffed by average people. Thus, most children can truly enter into almost any occupation they

As a strong advocate for umbilical cord blood storage, I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage you store your newborn’s cord blood. I think that most expectant parents would store their newborn’s cord blood if they better understood cord blood facts.While money is always tight, I don’t think storing cord blood is any different than buying a car seat. Once an expectant parent fully understands the importance of cord blood, the cord blood banking cost simply becomes something to overcome with lifestyle choices and “gadget purchase management”.

Many of my blogs discuss the importance of prenatal planning, illness related to pregnancy, and the importance of cord blood banking. Recently, I was reminded of the importance of protecting our young adults and older children from every day risks that might be overlooked. The article that I have copied below should serve as a wakeup call to parents about the dangers of high dose caffeine. This is especially true when mixed with other drugs.

Fruits and vegetables…fruits and vegetables…fruits and vegetables…the mantra to eat these wholesome foods is spoken by moms, healthcare providers, and even a few dads. Well, today I want to put a small dent into this axiom as there is reason to have a small fear when it comes to grapefruit.

 I give to charity often and encourage you to do so as well. However, I increasingly find that I am asked to donate a dollar or donate my change at various restaurants to charities, of which I know little. I think it is very important to know where your money is going. It is not at all unusual for charities to have very large overhead costs. In other words, your money is essentially going into the pockets of the charities administrators or is being used to buy more advertising to solicit more money, instead of helping the proposed cause.

I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Phineas Gage. In 1848 Mr. Gage was the foreman of a crew building a railroad track in Cavendish, Vermont. Mr. Gage was known as a hard-working, honest and reliable man; a man who got along well with others and was respected by those who knew him.

With my recent blogs regarding personality, I thought I might share two memorable comments from an eight year-old boy I met with severe Obsessive-Compulsive disorder. This child had a combination of genius level verbal IQ and a very low level of function because of his illness.