While searching for a kidney donor, Karen Keegan stumbled upon a mystery. After undergoing genetic testing, it turned out that some of her cells had a completely different set of genes from the others. And this second set of genes belonged to her twin sister— who had never been born. How did this happen? Chimerism expert, Kayla Mandel Sheets, explores the condition in this video short.
Lesson by Kayla Mandel Sheets, directed by Luísa M H Copetti, Hype CG.
*For those who are too sleep deprived to read, skip to the Summary! We won’t hold it against you!*
This is a bit of a personal story that will help explain why our blog went radio silent in 2018. People say parenting is the hardest job you will ever face. Maybe it was my ego that was protecting me, saying: ah, but you’ve been through so much in life already. This can’t be any harder than moving to Japan without speaking the language. Or surviving years in academia where I burned the midnight oil for months on end. That’s the perfect preparation for having a baby. Well, it has been a busy year, as evidenced by not having posted a single blogpost! Sorry folks, the challenges of becoming a new parent really caught me off guard. :-))
So I return to share a personal story about how my husband and I managed to hack sleep-training. How is this related to genetic counseling? Easy. Your DNA functions differently when you are well rested. If you are sleep deprived (as most new parents are), that affects how your body turns genes on and off (for more information, look up “epigenetics of sleep” or click here). If you can manage to teach your child to sleep in an uninterrupted fashion, then you’re ahead of the game because you will both have better-regulated genes. This, in turn, will keep you in better health, helping your immune system fight the good fight. This will also help your body reduce stress, and can even help prevent cancer.
My husband and I had every intention of sleep training our baby, and getting him to sleep through the night in a traditional crib. We bought a natural mattress sans retardant chemicals and found a beautiful, unfinished crib at IKEA (it’s now used as a playpen, and still looks brand new). We were loaned a sidecar (bassinet that attached to the bed) from a friend (thank you Anna!) and used it for the first few weeks. But as time went on, it was easier to keep our son in bed with us, which allowed me to roll over to feed him. We were aware that it was risky, and it made us nervous at first (especially when he was swaddled), but we were desperate to get a few consecutive hours of sleep. If you’re a parent, I’m sure you can commiserate.
Co-sleeping (or bed sharing, or family bed) clearly has its perks. Not having to leave your comfy bed in order to feed a crying baby tops the list. There are studies showing that, contrary to popular belief, it might actually help reduce the risk of SIDS if you have a safe set-up. Co-sleeping is the norm in many countries around the world and is becoming increasingly popular in the US. This assumes a “safe setting”. In our case, we were not drinking alcohol, doing drugs, nor smoking tobacco, and we sleep on a firm memory foam mattress. We also moved out our fluffy comforters, replacing them with a few layers of cotton and wool blankets that we could arrange as needed. Lastly, we set up an audiovisual baby monitor so we could give ourselves warning when our son woke up. This became crucial when he learned to crawl at an early age (4.5 mo – sigh!) and we needed to monitor his positioning.
Our co-sleeping arrangement was working decently, but then our son hit his 4-month sleep regression, and we were dragging and desperate to hash out a new plan. Our friend Tracy and her husband told us they slept in shifts with their son, which was intriguing. My husband is the early bird (I’m the night owl) so we tried sleeping in shifts that best mimicked our natural sleep cycles. I would get into bed with the baby at around 9pm, allowing my husband to get solid early sleep by catching zzzz’s in our guest bedroom. After the last feeding finished at around 2am, and the baby was sleeping again, I’d shuffle into the guest bedroom and swap places with my husband. This became our new normal and worked well for about 4 months.
What we found remarkable was how well the baby slept when I wasn’t there. When the milk bar was shut down (ie, I wasn’t in the room), he had no reason to wake up. Was I a cause of his interrupted sleep? We thought about sleep-training him, but I couldn’t find a method that was appropriate for a family bed/co-sleeping situation. We either needed to quit co-sleeping, and get him adjusted to sleeping by himself in his crib and sleep-trained, or we needed to get creative.
When our son was 8 months old, we all caught colds, one after the other, at different times. I was the last to catch the bug, so I was coughing the hardest when the boys were both back in good health. One night, I suggested my husband sleep the whole night through with our son, so my coughing wouldn’t wake the baby up. He looked as nervous about it as I felt, but it was the only way we could all get decent sleep. What would happen if the baby woke up really upset he couldn’t nurse half the night? How would my poor husband manage to soothe him? (Side note: our son never accepted a bottle, thus feeding him wasn’t an option for my husband.) The plan was that in the morning, my husband would judge when the baby starts crying out of hunger and bring him to me to nurse in the guest bed. That night, the baby slept most of the night, waking up a couple of times, but not in ways my husband could not handle. All my husband needed to do was soothe him by carrying him a bit back and forth. Ironically, I think I slept worse than anyone because sleeping completely alone was a big adjustment and I worried about my boys that night.
Ten months later, we continue to sleep through the night, bedsharing. At the same time, we managed to avoid a cry-it-out method of sleep training. (I have nothing against CIO methods, but I didn’t think I had it in me, and we wanted to maintain our co-sleeping arrangement.) We finetuned our bedtime routine, which also helped all of us get better sleep. From dinner time till the baby goes to bed, we eat by candlelight and dim lights with red lightbulbs. The latter we implemented after we read a study on kids that demonstrated even brief exposure to white lights before bed (as brief as 15 min) can clobber their natural melatonin levels by 90%, and the melatonin level could not recover for hours later. Not only that, but I’ve finally succumbed to wearing rose colored glasses at night and they are AWESOME! Not only are they a great fashion statement (go Bono) but they really help me calm down before sleep. Even my mother now owns a pair and she reports feeling sleepy almost immediately after putting them on.
Our system is still a full commitment to co-sleeping, but our own iteration of it. While the baby (practically) never sleeps alone, each parent gets time to themselves and gets to sleep solo. The result? Our son is a very happy, cuddly little person and we are all benefitting from decent rest.
If you are co-sleeping, too, we want to hear from you. What is working for your family? Shoot us an email kayla@vibrantgene.com or write a comment below.
Expanded Carrier Screening: Why is this DNA test considered one of the most important, valuable tests to do pre-pregnancy? How can we avoid passing on severe conditions to the next generation? Tune in to find out!
Want to explore how to prepare for a healthy pregnancy? Enter our drawing for a one-hour preconception genetic counseling session with a Vibrant Gene genetic counselor. To participate, drop a line to info@vibrantgene.com (include in the subject line, “ECS Drawing.” We will email the lucky winner on February 14, 2018.
Please note that Vibrant Gene Consulting is a private genetic counseling practice, and does not have financial partnerships with Counsyl or other DNA testing laboratories.
Gabriel Lazarin is a board-certified genetic counselor at Counsyl, a genetics laboratory headquartered in San Francisco. He has spoken about carrier screening at national and international conferences and has been published in multiple genetics and online medical journals. He received his Master of Science in Genetic Counseling from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston, and his Bachelor degree in Human Biology from Stanford University. Gabriel lives in N.Cali with his wife and two adorable children.
Kayla M. Sheets is a board-certified, licensed genetic counselor and founder of Vibrant Gene Consulting, a concierge practice located in Cambridge Massachusetts. Kayla is dedicated to taking genetic insights and translating them into greater health and wellbeing for her clients. She also provides expert advice about parental DNA testing to confirm relationships.
Special Thanks To Sam Bruce, editor extraordinaire.
For Private Genetic Counseling, visit our website at www.vibrantgene.com.
Let’s get social! Join us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. We want to hear your thoughts!
The NYT revealed the Ritz-Carlton’s Blueberry Muffin recipe on the same day organic blueberries went on sale at Whole Foods. Whoa! The only problem is that I have a severe gluten intolerance and need to stick to my trusted almond flour. Would it work out? Could I modify the ingredients to fit my family’s pseudo-paleo diet? The answer is a resounding YES! I’m curious to see if they can be made vegan – that might be my next adventure.
Here is the modern paleo version I created. It turned out too good not to be shared…
The Ritz-Carlton’s Blueberry Muffins – Gone Gluten Free and (nearly) Paleo
Yield: 15 large muffins
Time: About 40 min
INGREDIENTS
3 1/2 cups of almond flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 cup coconut sugar
pinch of salt
5 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla cashew milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 tablespoons of organic, grass-fed ghee
5 cups of organic fresh blueberries (frozen supposedly work too)
PREPARATION
Pre-heat oven to 425
“Think about what hasn’t happened in your life that needs to happen.” – Merle Bombardieri
Who joined us on the show? (from left to right):
Photo: Sharona Photography
Merle (Malkoff) Bombardieri, is a clinical social worker/psychotherapist and author of the Baby Decision: How to Make the Most Important Choice of Your Life. Merle is specialized in parenthood decision-making, infertility, adoption, and making the most of a childfree life. This revised second edition of The Baby Decision is based on 35 more years of work guiding decision-makers in educational workshops, psychotherapy and long-distance coaching for people around the world.
Merle’s writing has appeared in Our Bodies Ourselves, Brides, Glamour, Self, the Boston Globe Magazine, Boston Magazine medical journals and psychology blogs. She has lectured at Harvard Medical School, M.I.T., Wellesley College, and the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. She has appeared on national radio and television news shows, talk shows and documentaries, including the Leeza Show. Merle’s work has been quoted in Time, Newsweek, the New York Times, the Boston Globe and the Huffington Post.
Merle is married and the mother of two grown daughters and the grandmother of a two-year-old boy. She enjoys creative writing, yoga, hiking, and travel. She is working on a novel, Don’t Ask, about two sisters and a surrogate pregnancy.
About Our Producer/Host
Kayla M. Sheets is a board-certified, licensed genetic counselor and founder of Vibrant Gene Consulting, a concierge practice located in Cambridge Massachusetts. Kayla is dedicated to taking genetic insights and translating them into greater health and wellbeing for her clients. She also provides expert advice about parental DNA testing to confirm relationships.
Special Thanks To Sam Bruce, editor extraordinaire
For Private Genetic Counseling, visit our website at www.vibrantgene.com. We are also reachable via email (contact@vibrantgene.com) or phone at (617) 433-7874.
“Think about what hasn’t happened in your life that needs to happen.” – Merle Bombardieri
Photo: Sharona Photography
Merle (Malkoff) Bombardieri, is a clinical social worker/psychotherapist who specializes in parenthood decision-making, infertility, adoption, and making the most of a childfree life. Although she enjoyed raising her daughters, now grown, she has also been an advocate for childfree people since 1979. She has been in private practice for 30+ years in Lexington, MA. In 1981, she published the first edition of The Baby Decision based on interviews and reviews of scholarly research. Then in 1982 she became Clinical Director of RESOLVE, the national infertility association. There she wrote guidelines for infertility patients who were making decisions on new techniques such as in vitro fertilization and donor egg, as well as adoption and surrogacy. Around that time, she founded the support group Boston Single Mothers by Choice.
This revised second edition of The Baby Decision, is based on 35 more years of work guiding decision-makers in educational workshops, long-distance coaching for people around the world and psychotherapy. Merle brings a sense of humor and compassion to her work. She helps clients and readers get curious about themselves and about making new discoveries that make life more fun.
Merle’s writing has appeared in Our Bodies Ourselves, Brides, Glamour, Self, the Boston Globe Magazine, Boston Magazine and psychology blogs. She has lectured at Harvard Medical School, M.I.T., Wellesley College, and the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. She has appeared on national radio and television news shows, talk shows and documentaries, including the Leeza Show. Merle has been quoted in Time, Newsweek, the New York Times, the Boston Globe and the Huffington Post. She has also written medical journal articles and a chapter in a medical textbook.
Merle is married and the mother of two grown daughters and the grandmother of a two-year-old boy. She enjoys creative writing, yoga, hiking, and travel. She is working on a novel, Don’t Ask, about two sisters and a surrogate pregnancy.
About Our Producer/Host
Kayla M. Sheets is a board-certified, licensed genetic counselor and founder of Vibrant Gene Consulting, a concierge practice located in Cambridge Massachusetts. Kayla is dedicated to taking genetic insights and translating them into greater health and wellbeing for her clients. She also provides expert advice about parental DNA testing to confirm relationships.
To order your copy of The Baby Decision, click here.
Special Thanks To Sam Bruce, editor extraordinaire
For Private Genetic Counseling, visit our website at www.vibrantgene.com. We are also reachable via email (contact@vibrantgene.com) or phone at (617) 433-7874.
Imagine being 12 years old. You are perfectly healthy, leading a normal life. One morning you wake up temporarily blind. Today we will hear personal accounts what it is like to have Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) and what is being done to combat the rare disease. What is the best treatment? Is genetic testing available? What is being done to combat this devastating autoimmune disease? Find out from our expert guests.
In 2014, Gabriela Romanow’s then 20-year-old son was diagnosed with NMO. She refocused her professional endeavors to helping raise money to find a cure for this potentially crippling disease. Throughout her career, Gabriela has focused on raising awareness of, and money for issues which are important to her. She spent a dozen years at ACCION International, a non-profit organization providing small loans to the self-employed poor throughout the Americas, where Gabriela worked in Communications and Development. Gabriela was the president of the Brookline Library Foundation which raised over $4 million to restore and renovate Brookline’s Public Librar and served for a decade as trustee of Brookline’s library system. After her time with the library, Gabriela worked on environmental issues: as fundraiser for the public radio program ‘Living on Earth’, and as a partner of Double Exposure, Photographing Climate Change, which produced a museum exhibit that traveled the country for four years. In addition to her professional endeavors, Gabriela serves on the boards of the Lenny Zakim Fund, the Cambridge Homes and 1010 Memorial Drive. She currently lives in Cambridge with her husband Bob, and is the proud mother of Jake and Max Romanow.
About Our Producer/Host:
Kayla M. Sheets is a board-certified, licensed genetic counselor and founder of Vibrant Gene Consulting, a concierge practice located in Cambridge Massachusetts. Kayla is specialized in taking genetic insights and translating them into greater health and wellbeing for her clients. She also provides expert advice about parental DNA testing to confirm relationships.
Our Show was Made Possible by:
Hayley Green (assistant producer), Ya Gao (editor) and Sherry Wang (CCTV technical production).
For Private Genetic Counseling, visit our website at www.vibrantgene.com. We are also reachable via email (contact@vibrantgene.com) or phone at (617) 433-7874.
In this upcoming episode of the VIBRANT GENE, we ask pertinent questions of our esteemed guest, Dr. Rudy Tanzi. Tune in to learn about:
What can we do to prevent Alzheimer’s disease? Does the body really require 8 hours of sleep? If so, why? How can we improve our health and live long vibrant lives? Why is it important to do things that you love and to be creative?
Shows air on Wednesdays on Cambridge Channel 9, and are available on our YouTube Channel. Don’t forget to subscribe to catch them early!
About Our Guest:
Dr. Rudolph Tanzi is the Vice-Chair of Neurology and Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, and serves as the Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Tanzi received his B.S. (microbiology) and B.A. (history) at the University of Rochester in 1980 and his Ph.D. (neurobiology) at Harvard Medical School in 1990. In his research achievements, Dr. Tanzi served on the team that was the first to find a disease gene (Huntington’s disease) using human genetic markers, helping to launch the field of neurogenetics. He later co-discovered all three early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease genes and identified several others as leader of the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund Alzheimer’s Genome Project. He also co-discovered the Wilson’s disease gene and several other neurological disease genes. Most recently, he and his team used Alzheimer’s genes and human stem cells to create what the New York Times coined, “Alzheimer’s-in-a-Dish”. This is a three-dimensional human stem cell-derived neural culture system that is considered to be the first true model of Alzheimer’s disease, recapitulating both pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease: plaques and tangles. The model has made drug screening for Alzheimer’s disease 10 times cheaper and 10 times faster. Dr. Tanzi has developed novel therapeutics for AD including gamma secretase modulators and metal chaperones (PBT; Prana) aimed at lowering plaque and tangle pathology. Both have been entered into clinical trials for Alzheimer’s patients. Dr. Tanzi has published over 500 research papers and has received the highest awards in his field, including the Metropolitan Life Foundation Award, Potamkin Prize, Ronald Reagan Award, Silver Innovator Award, and many others. He was named to TIME magazine’s 2015 list of TIME100 Most Influential People in the World, and received the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award, the top national award for invention and innovation. Not only that, but in his spare time, has played keyboards with the band Aerosmith.
About Our Host:
Kayla M. Sheets is a board-certified, licensed genetic counselor and founder of Vibrant Gene Consulting, a concierge practice located in Cambridge Massachusetts. Kayla is specialized in taking genetic insights and translating them into greater health and wellbeing for her clients. She also provides expert advice about DNA testing to confirm relationships when traditional tests fail.
Our Show was Made Possible by these amazing people:
Assistant Producers: Hayley Green (production), Ya Gao (editing), Dheandra Jack (marketing) and Sherry Wang (CCTV production).
For a Private Genetic Consultation, contact us via email (contact@vibrantgene.com) or phone at (617) 433-7874.
In this epsiode of the VIBRANT GENE, we will ask pertinent questions of our esteemed guest, Lauren Lichten, a genetic counselor specialized in Huntington disease care. Tune in to find out:
What is Huntington disease? How can genetic counseling benefit individuals who may have the disease and their family members? What genetic tests are available? To date, which clinical trial shows the most promise of a cure? How are advocacy groups helping?
Join Lauren and other stakeholders at Golf for a Cure, on 9/13/16 at Blackstone National Golf Course in Sutton, MA! This golf tournament will benefit the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA), and help find treatments and a cure. Get a hole-in-one, win a brand new Mercedes Benz!
About Our Guest:
Lauren Lichten, M.S., LCGC, is a faculty member at the Master of Science in Genetic Counseling Program at Boston University School of Medicine. She has experience providing genetic counseling in Pediatrics, Maternal Fetal Medicine, and Neurology. Lauren is involved with the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) and gives talks to families about genetic testing for Huntington disease. She is part of the planning committee for Golf for a Cure, which is a golf tournament on 9/13/16 at Blackstone National Golf Course in Sutton, MA to benefit the HDSA.
About Our Show’s Producer and Host:
Kayla M. Sheets is a board-certified, licensed genetic counselor and founder of Vibrant Gene Consulting, a concierge practice located in Cambridge Massachusetts. Kayla is specialized in taking genetic insights and translating them into greater health and wellbeing for her clients. She also provides expert advice about parental DNA testing to confirm relationships when traditional tests fail.
Our Show was Made Possible by:
Hayley Green (assistant producer), Ya Gao (editor) and Sherry Wang (CCTV technical production).
For Private Genetic Counseling contact us via email (contact@vibrantgene.com) or phone at (617) 433-7874.
In this epsiode of the VIBRANT GENE, we will ask pertinent questions of our esteemed guest, Katie Clapp, the co-founder of FRAXA. Tune in to find out:
What is Fragile X syndrome? Should this condition be screened for in newborns? What research is FRAXA funding? How close are researchers to finding treatments and/or a cure for autism? Can current research help people who have Fragile X or autism?
About Our Guest:
Katie Clapp, MS, is the President and Co-Founder of FRAXA. In 1994, after her son Andy was diagnosed with Fragile X, Katie, her husband Michael Tranfaglia, and a third parent, Kathy May, founded FRAXA. Katie has a BA in History from Harvard and a Masters degree in Computer Science from UNC Chapel Hill. She worked as a software engineer and instructor in computer science before FRAXA. She has won some prizes for her work with FRAXA, including an American Red Cross Community Hero award and a Women of Justice award from Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.
About Our Show’s Producer and Host:
Kayla M. Sheets is a board-certified, licensed genetic counselor and founder of Vibrant Gene Consulting, a concierge practice located in Cambridge Massachusetts. Kayla is specialized in taking genetic insights and translating them into greater health and wellbeing for her clients. She also provides expert advice about parental DNA testing to confirm relationships when traditional tests fail.
This show is dedicated to Leo, Olga and to other families who have children with Fragile X. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for inspiring this show.
Our Show was Made Possible by:
Hayley Green (assistant producer), Ya Gao (editor) and Sherry Wang (CCTV technical production).
For Private Genetic Counseling about autism, contact us via email (contact@vibrantgene.com) or phone at (617) 433-7874.