Fertilty-Does Nutrition Make a Difference?

I have so many friends that have had fertility issues, whether it was themselves, their husbands, or both. Many have tried fertility drugs, and other mainstream methods. There are actually a few main details that can make great strides in the process of desiring to grow your family. This topic has been on my heart for a while, so I am going to discuss them here, and I hope it can be helpful to someone.

First and foremost what needs to be done is prayer, unceasing prayer. Just like any other obstacle we face, we need to make sure we are following the directives our of creator, the Lord Jesus. There are many reasons why couples cannot conceive, and considering He is in the business of allowing that to happen in the first place, we need to seek Him first. Making sure Christ is the center whatever you are attempting to do is paramount. I think sometimes the most difficult thing to do is waiting on the Lord since His time is not our time.

The desire for children is probably unlike any of other desire a person could have, and it goes very deep. Women especially feel an urgency to carry life, and care for them. Due to the woman's role in the hierarchy of life I'd say that is quite natural and God given within. That being said the inability to conceive can be heart breaking, and since I have had several friends deal with this in their own lives I am very sensitive to the subject.

After all things have been given over to the Lord in prayer there are concrete things husbands and wives can do to greater their chances of conception. One prayer I pray now that I would suggest anyone should pray is ask the Lord how He wants you to care for your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" We only get one body, and we need to take care of it because it is a gift. How well you take care of your body can be a huge determining factor in your body even being ready and allowing you to conceive.

Present health conditions, current medications, lifestyle choices, how you handle stress, how you sleep, and what you consume can all be factors in preventing conception. I am not a doctor, I can not a miracle worker (there's only one), and I am not a fortune teller. I, however, am a Certified Holistic Health Counselor, and a mom who had a life changing experience through making healthier choices in my life. I would advise you to first find a holistic, Integrative, or naturopathic doctor or practitioner if possible. If you cannot afford it, or your insurance doesn't include such providers, try to find a doctor who will support you in these more natural efforts. This will make the process much easier.

First take an inventory of what you and your husband are eating, yes hubby too. The shape and health of the prospective daddy makes a huge difference. If you have a lot of boxed and bagged foods in the house and items you microwave those need to go. There are more chemicals in some of those food like items than in a hair supply store...ok, maybe I'm exaggerating. Also consider taking the microwave out of your kitchen altogether. Microwaves destroy the health and quality of the food, and the waves themselves are dangerous to our bodies. We are electrical creatures made up of protons and electrons. The electromagnetic waves frequency from the microwave basically messes with our frequency in our bodies and causes imbalances that stress our systems out severely. In fact wireless connections severely disrupt our bodies. Use hard wired connections whenever possible.

 As far as food goes you want to consume healthy, whole foods. Fresh and local are always better. Look for food that is organic and non-genetically modified. Eat lots of raw leafy greens like spinach, kale, and chard in smoothies, salads, and make wraps with them. Eats lots of veggies with bright colors to like beets, bell peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes, purple onions, and squash. Snack on unsalted, raw nuts and seeds and dried fruit. Cut out white sugar, brown sugar, artificial sweeteners, white rice, white flour, and white potatoes. Elimate or reduce wheat. Switch to spelt or gluten free grains.

Eating lots of berries, apples, tomatoes, and avocados will boost your immune system, so will fresh garlic and ginger. Ladies eat an avocado a day. Use Celtic sea salt instead of regular processed table salt that has been processed and bleached. Celtic sea salt has all of the minerals in tact. Only eat organic, clean meats like grass-fed beef, and free range wheat/barley fed chickens and turkeys. Avoid processed dairy, and consume raw or only pasteurized instead of pastuerized and homoginzed. Processed dairy creates an over abundance of mucus because once the milk gets heated to those high temperatures it turns to puss. It breaks down our immune system and harms our gut health. Switch to goats milk or almond milk, and try goat or sheep cheeses. They are less processed, eat raw cheese when available. It has the nutrients in tact.

Only eat wild fish with fins and scales. Avoid farmed fish. They are pumped with antibiotics and fed corn that makes them sick.Stear clear of seafood, and bottom feeders. Drink plenty of filtered water. Avoid processed soy hidden in foods like soy lecithin, and soybean oil. Don't drink soy milk or eat tofu. Only fermented soy is healthy. Processed soy is a huge hormone disrupters. Do read labels, the stuff is in everything. Eat pasteured, cage free eggs. Get them from a neighbor or local farm. Use coconut oil as your cooking oil. Most other oils have too little fat and the chemical composition of the oil gets changed by the heat. It then causes the oil to be poisonous.

Ease up on caffeine usage, eliminate it if possible. Trade in the coffee drinking habit for Yerba Mate. It is an organically grown plant in South America brewed as a tea with tremendous health benefits. There is caffeine though, so limit this to one cup. Drinking herbal teas can be extremely beneficial. Tulsi tea is a great way to boost immune health, fight stress, combat environmental pollutants, and do it without caffeine or harmful side effects. Don't drink soda, switch to mineral water with lemon and lime. Get out those energy drinks like Gatorade, Monster, and Red Bull. They do horrible things to our body systems. Use herbs like maca and ginseng instead for boosted energy. Ladies once you become pregnant, research safe herbs.

 If you don't already, make exercise a part of your daily or atleasy weekly routine. Walking 30 minutes a day in addition to doing strengthing and stretching exercises 3-4 times a week like Pilates will provide immune support, regulate metabolism, aid in weightless if necessary, and keep the mother's body flexible for the birth. Try to avoid toxins in toiletries like deoderant and make-up. Purchase all natural versions, make your own, or do a trial run and see if you can go without it. Read labels religiously. Look for things like BPA, phthalates, aluminum, phosphates and other words you can't pronounce that scream chemical toxin and purchase alternatives. Avoid drinking things in plastic, or storing cooked or wet foods in plastic, poisons can leach into the foods and beverages. Choose glass or stainless steel. Don't cook with Teflon or nonstick pans. Those chemicals on the pans emit toxic fumes. These toxins can block our bodies' systems from working properly.

 If you are even thinking about the possibility of conceiving take a good, clean prenatal vitamin that is food based. I really like the New Chapter brand. The dad to be can take the men's one a day by New Chapter. Also be sure to be taking a good probiotic. Gut health is very important, and poor gut health can be passed to baby. I would suggest Garden of Life Primal Defense. Moms if you are having problems eating in the morning, try green smoothies or do a good plant based protein shake like one by Vega or Plant Fusion. Take additional vitamin D3. Bluebonnet makes a liquid version of natural D3 from lanolin, very economical and clean. For moms, dads, and babys brain, heart, and joint health Nordic Natural's cod liver oil is a great brand. The Vine Health Shoppe in Fuquay-Varina carries most of these brands.

Remove prescription drugs from your daily regimen if possible. Work with a doctor to ween you off of these medications if your situation allows even before the pregnancy. If needed switch to all natural herbal supplements. Do beware that even some herbal supplements, while wonderful, should be avoided by pregnant women. Go to a good local health food store where the experts are and let them make recommendations. Don't mess around in the isles at Walmart where there are not any experienced individuals, and supplements are not often great quality.

Switch things like acetametaphin and aspirin for all natural pain relievers. These drugs toxify the liver and kidneys. Herbs like Ashwagandha and Tulsi/Holy Basil help with stress. Arnica can help with pain. Turmeric helps with inflammation. Get a good water filter like one from Aquasana. You can buy these on Amazon.com. Get a shower filter as well, yes you read that right, a shower filter. We ingest more chemicals and solvents in our 10 min shower than drinking water all day to our pores being open.

 I am sorry if this seems like a lot. It is a lifestyle change. At the same time these are feasible changes, are guaranteed to make you a healthier you, and could quite possibly allow conception to take place. We live in a world where there is a ton of junk on our plates, in the air, in the soil, and in the water. Our bodies can only take so much. Remember our bodies cry out in different ways, inflammation, indigestion, frequent heart burn, acne, asthma, chronic headaches and migraines, arthritis, nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, fatigue, excess weight, and depression. These are not normal even though our culture has adopted them as such. I only speak as someone who used to have almost all of those symptoms, and now they are gone. Take one step at a time, but do make changes. You and your family are worth it! If you want help with this journey contact me, we can set up a free health history, and go from there.

Vitamin D-What's the deal?

So the buzz word is vitamin D. Let's talk about this amazing vitamin, what it does for our bodies, why it's so important, and the best way to get it. Vitamin D is really more of a hormone that a vitamin in the fact that it tells certain parts and systems of our bodies what to do, like 3000 of our genes.

Vitamin D is attained best by proper sun exposure on the skin. There are 5 types of vitamin D. Animals need vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol)the one we as humans need is Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). That is the one created by the sun. Many mainstream doctors out there are still recommending D2. Vitamin D2 can sometimes block D3, and D2 isn't absorbed properly because it's not the D our bodies al need. Next time you are at your doctor's office ask for D3 only if you are so low that you need a temporary prescription.

Lack of vitamin D3 inhibits minerals by being absorbed like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. If you are short on D3 it lead to fatigue, depression, and mental fog. Research is still being conducted on D3 deficiencies and conditions like ADD and ADHD. Vitamin D3 does control certain enzymes that provide extended attention spans. The best way to attain vitamin D3 through sun exposure is to be out in the sun 15-20 minutes about 3-4 days per week without any sunscreen. Sunscreen prevents vitamin D3 absorption as well as puts toxic chemicals into the bloodstream through the pores on your skin.

According to Joseph Mercola D.O., it takes a little bit more planning than just getting some sun. He talks about the complexity of absorption levels, and the time it takes for adequate amounts of vitamin D to be used properly by our miraculous systems. Check out his link below to see what he has to say.

When we aren't receiving proper sun exposure the best way to take it in daily is by an all natural supplement from lanolin, which is from the oil on the skin of sheep. Remember it will be called cholecalciferol. Dosage is taken in IUs, that stands for international unit.Dosage amount from studies varies. Some say 2000IUs a day is enough and some say up to 10,000IUs. I personally take a minimum of two plus sun exposure in the summer and I take 4000IUs in the cooler months. If you can get blood tests regularly, at least twice a year.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/12/16/my-one-hour-vitamin-d-lecture-to-clear-up-all-your-confusion-on-this-vital-nutrient.aspx