The Institute for Natural Medicine (INM) was invited to Washington, D.C., for Nutrition in Pregnancy 2024.
The Nutrition in Pregnancy conference was a two-day multi-organizational conference on May 22-23, addressing nutrition as the critical factor influencing maternal health and fetal development. Adequate intake of essential nutrients can significantly affect the long-term health of both mother and child. Leading experts in this field, including Kent Thornburg, PhD, founder of the Moore Center for Nutrition and Wellness at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), have illuminated the profound impacts of maternal nutrition on fetal development and lifelong health. Integrating these insights with the concept of whole person, natural medicine, as advocated by the INM, further enriches our understanding of holistic prenatal care.
INM joined more than 15 organizations participating in the conference, including:
• Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs
• CDC Foundation
• Office of Nutrition Research, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law
• Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Health and Human Services (HHS)
• Healthy Start Program
• Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources & Resources Administration (HRSA) • March of Dimes
• Center for Nutrition Policy and Health Promotion, Food and Nutrition Services, USDA
• Partnership for a Healthier America
• Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, National Association of County and City Health Officials
The two-day session was a fruitful platform for information sharing. It provided insights into the current engagements of various organizations, fostered discussions on potential collaborations, and allowed us to envision national policy objectives in the field of maternal and child health.
Kent Thornburg’s Contributions
Kent Thornburg, PhD, a professor at OHSU, has been at the forefront of research in the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD). He founded the Moore Institute at OHSU and was the lead sponsor of this third annual two-day conference. His work has significantly advanced our understanding of how maternal nutrition impacts fetal development and long-term health outcomes.
1. Placental Function: The placenta’s efficiency in transferring nutrients is influenced by the mother’s nutritional status, which can affect fetal growth and development.
2. Epigenetic Changes: maternal nutrition can cause epigenetic changes in the fetus. These changes can alter gene expression patterns, affecting the child’s risk of developing diseases later in life.
3. Nutrient-Sensitive Periods: There are critical periods during pregnancy when the fetus is particularly sensitive to nutritional influences. Research suggests that interventions during these windows can have significant positive impacts on fetal development and long-term health.
4. Lifelong Impacts: Dr. Thornburg’s work underscores the concept that prenatal nutrition has a “programming” effect, meaning that the nutritional environment in the womb can shape the trajectory of the child’s health well into adulthood.
Whole Person Medicine and the INM
The concept of whole-person medicine aligns closely with the insights from Dr. Thornburg’s research. Whole-person medicine, as promoted by INM, advocates for a comprehensive approach to health that considers physical, emotional, social and environmental factors. This holistic approach is particularly relevant in prenatal care, where the well-being of both mother and fetus is interconnected.
Whole-person medicine emphasizes the importance of individualized nutritional care, considering the mother’s overall health, lifestyle, and environmental factors. Integrative health practices, such as naturopathic medicine, doulas, nutrition specialists and acupuncture work together to complement conventional prenatal care and address the unique needs of each expectant mother. Whole-person medicine promotes preventive health measures, encouraging healthy lifestyle choices and nutritional habits that benefit both mother and child in the long term.
INM’s Naturally Well childhood nutritional program augments education about healthy diets and lifestyles in the critical early adolescent age group. Exposing kids to these ideas can make them lifelong adherents to healthy practices, laying the groundwork for healthier pregnancies in later life.
Practical Implications
The insights from Dr. Thornburg’s research, coupled with the principles of whole-person medicine, have practical implications for health care providers and expectant mothers. They highlight the importance of early and adequate nutritional intake for women before and during pregnancy, individualized care to address all aspects of a mother’s health targeted nutritional interventions at critical stages of pregnancy, and developing public health policies that support maternal nutrition, especially in underserved populations.
The work of the OHSU Moore Institute and the holistic approach advocated by the INM underscores the critical role of nutrition in pregnancy. Together, they emphasize that the journey to lifelong health begins in the womb with a comprehensive approach to maternal care, integrating physical, emotional and environmental factors to ensure the well-being of both mother and child and continues into adolescence and beyond.
Michelle Simon, PhD, ND President & CEO, Institute for Natural Medicine
In 1992, the leadership core of naturopathic doctors established the Institute for Natural Medicine (INM) as a not for profit organization dedicated to advancing natural medicine. The purpose of the INM is to increase awareness of, broaden public access to, and encourage research about natural medicine and therapies. Among its milestones the INM counts the launch of the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC) as an independent organization, leading California’s efforts to obtain licensure, developing an interactive childhood education program focused on healthy eating and lifestyles called Naturally Well in 2017, and expanding residency access by establishing and funding a residency program in 2018. INM has joined forces with the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), serving as the charitable arm, to deepen access to naturopathic care, public education and research. Dr. Michelle Simon serves as president and CEO of INM, is a licensed naturopathic physician, clinician, educator and leader in many organizations dedicated to improving the quality and delivery of health care. In addition to holding a naturopathic doctorate from Bastyr University, she also holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Simon has served on the boards for the Integrative Healthcare Policy Consortium (IHPC), the AANP and the Naturopathic Physicians Research Institute (NPRI). Dr. Simon also served nine years on the Washington State Health Technology Clinical Committee which is part of the Health Technology Assessment program that examines the scientific evidentiary basis for efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness of health care technologies. She was also an invited participant for health care economics at “Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public” at the Institute for Medicine (IOM) in 2009. Dr. Simon was recognized as the 2018 Physician of the Year by the AANP. Twitter: #inaturemed Facebook: @INMWeAreNaturalMedicine
