Time Magazine had an interesting article this month about fetal origins- a "new science" that is discovering the origins of adult health and disease begin in utero.
I must admit I found the article interesting but had the reaction that "duh- of course we are affected by our experiences in utero!" Now, I don't have any scientific "evidence" for this belief (or didn't, until I read this article) but it seems so common-sense to me. It's like making a soup with "clean food" vs. "dirty food." If you create a soup with tap water, produce grown with pesticides/insecticides in questionable soil, produce that has rotted a little before you use it, your soup will be "dirty;" i.e., your soup quality is affected by the purity of the ingredients.
Yes, I did just compare the making of a baby to the making of soup!
With all due respect to the field of science, how would our in utero experience be any different? Of course we are affected in utero by air pollution, toxic food, toxic medicines, emotional stress, and the health of our mothers (and fathers for that matter!). I realize modern science distills us into fact-backed containers and poo-poohs anything that can't be verified by random samples and double-blind studies created in laboratory-neat conditions, but it just seems like an obvious conclusion.
However, I digress. The article itself is really quite interesting and deserves your attention. There are references to the studies cited in the article. I encourage you to read and consider the article. Let me know what you think in the comments!
How the First Nine Months Shape the Rest of Your Life
