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MEDICAL ANIMATION TRANSCRIPT: If you are pregnant, you can take folic acid to help prevent certain birth defects in your baby. Folic acid and folate are two forms of the same B vitamin. Folate is the form that occurs naturally in foods, while folic acid is the man-made form, added to multivitamins and fortified foods. Your body needs folic acid to help make new cells including, brain cells, blood cells, and DNA, and RNA, the genetic material inside your cells. During pregnancy, you need even more folic acid, because your baby's body needs it too. Folic acid helps your baby's brain and spinal cord develop normally. Taking folic acid can significantly reduce the risk of neural tube defects in your developing baby, called an embryo at this stage. The neural tube begins as a tiny oval-shaped piece of embryonic tissue, which folds into a tube about 28 days after conception. When this tube closes properly, it continues to develop into your baby's brain and spinal cord. If the neural tube does not close, due to the lack of folic acid in your diet, your baby may have a neural tube defect, such as spina bifida, or anencephaly. In spina bifida, the neural tube fails to close at the bottom. As a result, the parts of the spine that enclose and protect the lower spinal cord do not completely form, allowing the cord to protrude. Children with this defect often require surgery, and have permanent disabilities, including leg paralysis, developmental delays, and nervous system problems. In the condition called anencephaly, the neural tube fails to close at the top, preventing large parts of the brain and skull from developing completely. Babies with this defect are unable to live, and usually die before birth or soon after. Folic acid may also protect against other birth defects, such as cleft lip and palate, and atrial septal defect, which is when a hole between the right and left upper chambers of the heart fails to close during development. Because the neural tube develops so early in pregnancy, often before a woman knows she's pregnant, experts recommend all women who are able to become pregnant, take a daily multivitamin containing 400 micrograms of folic acid every day. During pregnancy, the need increases to 600 micrograms of folic acid each day. Experts recommend you take this multivitamin in addition to the food folate in your diet, because your body does not absorb folate found naturally in food as easily as the man-made folic acid. Caregivers will often prescribe even 1,000 micrograms of folic acid daily to assure these minimal levels are covered. Even more may be required in some groups of women, including those with previous miscarriages, and those women deficient in a folic acid metabolic enzyme. Talk with your caregiver about the optimal dose for you.
"Thank you for the splendid medical-legal art work you did for us in the
case of a young girl who was blinded by a bb pellet. As a result of your
graphic illustrations of this tragic injury, we were able to persuade the
insurance company to increase their initial offer of $75,000.00 to
$475,000.00, just short of their policy limits.
We simply wanted you to know how pleased we were with your work which, to
repeat, was of superlative character, and to let you know that we would be
more than willing to serve as a reference in case you ever need one. Many
thanks for an extraordinary and dramatic depiction of a very serious injury
which clearly "catapulted" the insurance company's offer to a "full and
fair" amount to settle this case."
Philip C. Coulter Coulter &Coulter Roanoke, VA
"The illustrations have consistently been well documented, accurate and
timely. Most important though is that the illustrations demonstrate to
juries and claims people the persuasive power of visual communication. Our
firm has achieved multiple eight figure settlements and verdicts over the
past ten years... Medical Legal Art has been there with us on every case."
Thomas C. Jones
Davis, Bethune & Jones, L.L.C.
Kansas City, MO www.dbjlaw.net
"Thanks, and your illustrations were effective in a $3
million dollar verdict last Friday."
Joseph M. Prodor Trial Lawyer White Rock, British Columbia
"[I] have come to rely upon the Doe Report and your great staff of
illustrators for all my medical malpractice cases. … Please know
that I enthusiastically recommend you to all my colleagues.
Medical Legal Art creates medical demonstrative evidence (medical
illustrations, drawings, pictures, graphics, charts, medical animations,
anatomical models, and interactive presentations) for use during legal
proceedings, including research, demand letters, client conferences,
depositions, arbitrations, mediations, settlement conferences, mock jury
trials and for use in the courtroom. We do not provide legal or medical
advice. If you have legal questions, you should find a lawyer with whom you
can discuss your case issues. If you have medical questions, you should seek the advice of a healthcare provider.