The Fertile Kitchen (R)

Can Desserts Mix with a Fertility Diet?

2011-08-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

Sugar can cause a lot of issues for fertility, and our general health. (For more on sugar and why it's bad for fertility, see a previous blog: http://fertilekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/06/no-sugar-you-say-try-stevia.html.) But it is really hard for many to give up, and understandably so. The following are some questions I've gotten about desserts, and what's "allowed" on a fertility diet, along with my answers.

Before diving into them, I wanted to suggest a great resource for healthy desserts that was sent in by a reader. Check it out: Sweetie Cakes Co. provides organic, vegan products and recipes that use natural sugar (such as juice concentrate) to help out those with a sweet tooth. Still, choose carefully.

QUESTION 1: What kind of frozen desserts can I have? Can I do frozen fruit bars, frozen rice milk product called Dream Rice or frozen coconut milk?

ANSWER 1: Frozen desserts are out, as you need to eat and drink foods at least at room temperature. Foods (and drinks) that are too cold or too spicy hot overly tax digestion, which is to be avoided when trying to conceive. You want to be as easy on digestion as possible. Also, most desserts have sugar or too much natural sugar, and sugar really needs to go when trying to conceive This is very important. Whole fruits are great substitutes!

QUESTION 2: Are gluten free desserts OK, or should I avoid them since they have sugar?

ANSWER 2: That’s fine as long as the sugar used is a natural sugar, such as pure, all-natural honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, agave nectar, for example, and the natural sugar is used in moderate amounts. You also want to make sure the other ingredients are fine too. I recommend no dairy, so look for a substitute (such as soy or rice milk) in the recipe. This would mean no butter or cream, either. FYI, in our house we substitute butter with olive oil. If you personally choose to keep dairy in your diet, or if you make exceptions for butter here and there, just make sure it’s organic because non-organic versions of dairy have growth hormones, which affect our own hormones negatively, as well as antibiotics in them. Some dairy is better than others in terms of impact on digestion. If you must, a little organic butter here and there is probably OK (unless of course you have an allergy or sensitivity to dairy). But do stay away from milk and cheese.

QUESTION 3: Is unrefined, unbleached Rapunzel sugar ok to eat in recipes? Also, what about molasses?

ANSWER 3: It’s important to cut out or at least avoid sugar as much as possible while trying to conceive. Rapunzel can be a good source of unrefined sugar and it’s okay to have every once in a great while in very small quantities--if you must. Keep in mind, though, that although it’s definitely better than white table sugar, it is still sugar. For molasses, black-strap molasses is a good choice; it’s a very good source of iron. Just use in moderation.
Wishing you all the best!

photo by: http://deardessert.blogspot.com/2010/10/healthy.html

Fertility Diet and FSH Levels

2011-08-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

For today's blog post, I answer questions about FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) levels, which is one measure of our fertility from a medical standpoint, how dietary changes impact FSH, and how optimizing fertility is about more than just dietary changes.

QUESTION 1: I thought I read somewhere that you had a high FSH level before getting pregnant. I wondered after you changed your diet and did the yoga, meditation and so on, and then were able to get pregnant, did you retest your FSH level to see if it had dropped?

ANSWER 1: My FSH was elevated at the time (above 10), but not yet super-high. It was still indicative of “diminished ovarian reserve,” though, and combined with my age, I was given a 2% chance of being able to conceive on my own. A healthy, clean, fertility diet can definitely help to balance hormones and improve the quality of your eggs, as well as the quality of men’s reproductive health. (See my blog on the subject here: http://fertilekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/12/fertility-diet-and-healthy-eggs.html )

Acupuncture has also been known to improve reproductive health, and bring down FSH numbers too (although not always dramatically). (See: http://fertilekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/10/fertility-acupuncture-and-ivf.html for some general information on this.)

I did not have my FSH measured after I started my fertility diet and other modalities. I just felt great and obviously it had a positive impact, as I conceived our son four months later. I suspect my FSH numbers did not move too much; but keep in mind that FSH is only one measure of egg quality. As Julia Indichova details in her book, Inconceivable, at the age of 42 she had an FSH of 42. She completely changed her diet and other factors and became pregnant eight months later. Her FSH the month of her pregnancy was still very high, 30; yet, she went on to deliver a healthy baby. Something to keep in mind.

QUESTION 2: Was there anything else you did in addition to the yoga and diet changes that you feel helped you conceive? My story is similar to yours. I am almost 41 and was told that I have a 2% chance of conceiving naturally. I am not prepared to accept this and am doing everything I can. However I do feel that my stress level is an issue and I also have an FSH level that the doctor says is indicative of peri-menopause. I would love to hear if you have any further suggestions or recommendations for me.

ANSWER 2: I’m so glad to hear that you are choosing to do what you do have power over to optimize your health and fertility. There is a lot you can do. I talk about this in our book, under “Lifestyle Factors,” but in addition to strictly following the fertility diet, I did Yoga 4 Fertility three or so times a week, meditated 20 minutes every day, visualized the end result (holding my baby, breastfeeding, doing a playful activity w/baby) every morning and evening, and did Julia Indichova’s guided visualization from her CD (at www.fertileheart.com). I also cut my workload to help keep stress at minimum.

I believe strongly in the mind-body connection, and it’s very important to find healthy ways to manage stress (such as with mediation, yoga, etc.). Although I didn’t do these while I was TTC, I also recommend Circle+Bloom’s mind-body programs for deep relaxation (they have a free demo on their site) and definitely acupuncture, although I know that’s an added expense. For the acupuncture, find a practitioner who specializes in women’s health and fertility. Acupuncture has been proven to aid fertility, helping to lower FSH levels and improve egg quality.

Last recommendation, have patience (which I know is challenging!). It takes our bodies about 3 months to fully adjust to dietary changes (and acupuncture treatments).
All the best to you on your fertility journey!

photo by: http://www.worldwidehippies.com/2010/10/25/yoga-yoga-yoga/

Fertility and the Sugar in Fruits

2011-07-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

In this blog post, I answer more of your questions, this time, on fruits and fertility.

QUESTION: I love orange juice. Is it OK to drink on a fertility diet?

ANSWER: Not really. The issue with fruit juice is that even when it’s pure and has no additives or preservatrives, the concentration of sugar in it is too high to consume (for our blood sugar levels). In general, sugar negatively affects blood sugar levels, leading to hormonal imbalance, which we don't want while TTC. It’s also known to compromise our immune systems. Natural sugar, like that found in fruits, is OK, but in moderation. The issue with fruit juices, is, of course, that the amount of sugar found in juice is concentrated and too much.

If you want to drink pure, organic fruit juice, I recommend watering it way down (at least 50% water) and drinking only small amounts at a time. You’ll likely find it isn’t worth it. Much, much better to skip the juice and eat whole fruits instead.

QUESTION: What about dried fruit?

ANSWER: Dried fruit is a natural form of sugar (if processed simply, without preservatives or additives), which is great. However, the sugar in dried fruit is also very concentrated, so you really need to watch how much you’re eating and moderate. I would not eat more than 3 or 4 dried fruits a day, which is not much (meaning, 3 or 4 dried apricots, apples, peaches…). A handful of raisins is OK. Better to eat fresh fruit, though, whenever you have the choice.

QUESTION: Are sweet potatoes on the fertility diet?

ANSWER: Yes, absolutely. They tend to have a lot of sugar, so just be careful not to eat too many of them in one sitting (most people don’t). Avoid fried versions of these when eating out, though, as they are often prepared in oil heavy with trans fat (which is very bad for the health). Baked, pure and simple, is best.

All the best to you!

photo by: http://plantsforhumanhealth.ncsu.edu/extension/programs-resources/the-produce-lady/videos/sweet-potatoes/

Fertility Diet and Eliminating Coffee, Even Decaf

2011-07-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

As our baby is due in just a few weeks, and I anticipate that we will be pretty busy in our house, I thought I would return to answering some of your questions on fertility and food.

QUESTION: You mentioned in your talk that there were a lot of other properties in coffee apart from caffeine that were detrimental to fertility. I'm interested in knowing a little more about that. Also, what about Swiss filtered decaf coffee?

ANSWER: We say no to coffee, even decaf coffee, because, caffeine aside, roasted coffee contains hundreds of chemicals, of which about half of those tested to be carcinogenic on rodents (Ames, Bruce N; Gold, Lois Swirsky [1998]. "The causes and prevention of cancer: the role of environment". Biotherapy 11 [2–3]: 205–20). Also, many of the chemicals in coffee and decaf coffee irritate the stomach lining causing an increase of stomach acid, leading to digestive disorders, something you don’t want when trying to conceive. You want to be as easy on digestion as possible and maintain a slightly alkaline pH in your body. Coffee can also hamper the absorption of essential minerals and vitamins, such as magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium, and B’s, and it is also one of most heavily pesticide sprayed crops.

Harsh chemicals are used in the decaf process. With organic, Swiss water-filtered decaf, you are getting a much better product (the decaf process is not nearly as harsh), but for what I’ve listed above, coffee and decaf still have to go while trying to conceive and while pregnant. My theory is that if something has a chance of getting in the way of conception, it comes off the list, at least temporarily until after the baby is born.

All the best to you!

photo by: http://www.jacksonscoffeeandgelato.com/

Fertility Diet and the Journey to Our Second Child

2011-06-05T17:40:00.000-07:00

Now that I am in my mid-forties and eight months pregnant with our dream second child, I thought it was important to share the story of our journey toward baby number two--which was different (and even more challenging) than the one toward our first baby.

If you’ve been following our blog or have a copy of our book, you probably already know the story of how we conceived our first child, our son, Julien, but I’ll summarize here. My husband and I had been trying for over a year to get pregnant when finally we went to see a reproductive endocrinologist (a fertility specialist). I had just turned 40. After all tests were done, this doctor explained that we had a 2% chance of conceiving on our own. This, even after polyps discovered in my uterus were removed.

Although devastated, I decided it was simply not acceptable that I don’t get to have a child, so I began to research all that I could do to help myself, to increase the odds. I ended up putting myself on a fertility friendly diet (the one outlined in our book), along with doing yoga, meditation and visualizations. My husband also followed the diet, and just four months later we conceived our son.

I believe deeply and whole-heartedly that we can make a difference in our fertility and our health—by the choices we make in what we eat and how we live.

Every day, we are utterly grateful for the miracle of our son—who is a complete delight, filling us with unexplained joy. Nevertheless, when we decided to have a family, in my mind that meant at least two kids. My husband and I both had siblings and were grateful for them. How could Julien not have a sibling?

When Julien was almost a year old, we tried (in earnest) again to conceive. By then I was 42 years old and my FSH had risen even more (to 16; the normal is below 10), telling me, from a western medicine standpoint, that the quantity and/or quality of my eggs was even further diminished than two years prior.

I did not let that deter me, as I thought of Julia Indichova, author of Inconceivable, who at 42 had an FSH of 42, and yet still conceived her daughter naturally after changing her diet and lifestyle.

But I did find it much harder to get into a Zen-like state with a toddler running around, and I feel that managing one’s stress is critical to fertility. As my 43rd birthday approached, I decided to step up the game. I got more strict with my fertility diet—which in any case had become mostly a habit for me—and started acupuncture.

A few months later, I felt my body was ready for one last shot at baby #2: we would do an IVF. The reproductive endocrinologist we saw remarked on my superb health; the perfect state of my uterine lining; and the strong, vigorous circulation of my blood. I knew this was the result of the work I had been doing and felt optimistic in spite of the dismal statistics (5% chance of IVF success due primarily to age).

But that cycle failed and left me thoroughly devastated.

It was our last chance. We had burned through our finances and beyond (our debt was huge!). There would be no repeat IVF. I wouldn’t want another IVF anyway. I believe when age is the primary factor, for most, one stands a better chance with nature. So, either I would get pregnant naturally, or I would have to find another path toward my second child.

But first I needed to heal. I needed to completely let go, and allow my husband to let go too. I didn’t realize until then, exactly how much pressure we had put on ourselves during this process.

Four months later, just two months shy of my 44th birthday, we got a happy surprise and conceived naturally. Our excitement turned to sadness, though, as I miscarried at 10 weeks.

After that, I did not give up on conceiving naturally, but I didn’t count on it either. I just “surrendered” to whatever was, and whatever will be. Finally, I had found some peace.

It’s at that time when I first allowed the idea of donor eggs to enter my mind.

It’s amazing that before, I wouldn’t even hear the words, donor eggs, but now that it might be, along with adoption, the only way I could be a mom again, my perspective completely changed. I not only opened up to the idea, but embraced it, and felt grateful the option was there.

Aiding my decision was this: my son, who was naturally conceived and has all my genetic material looks absolutely NOTHING like me. He is instead a carbon-copy of his Dad. And it doesn’t bother me in the least, because I know he’s mine and that’s all that matters. I have also had the privilege to meet all kinds of families and know that the good, strong ones are not defined by genetics, but instead by love, care, and a deep sense of security.

A donor egg baby, I knew, would be mine, too, just like my son.

One of the benefits of donor eggs (besides the 50 to 80 percent IVF success rates), is that the time pressure is relieved. As long as you and your uterus are healthy (for the most part), your age is not a factor. Not that we wanted to wait too long! But if we went through another baby-attempt, we were determined to do it from a calm, peaceful place—with our finances intact and minimal pressure.

We waited another year and a half or so, while we caught up on finances, passionately wrote and published our fertility book, and thoroughly enjoyed our son and our lives.

When I started to research donor egg programs, we found we couldn’t afford most of them. (Costs average between $40K and $50K.) Luckily, we found an affordable alternative in Reproductive Biology Associates (RBA)’s highly successful frozen donor egg program in Atlanta. For $16,500 (current price), we were guaranteed two high-quality embryos. We also selected RBA for their professional, caring staff and stellar referrals from many (pregnant) others.

Six months before our planned cycle, I got myself ready: I got more strict on our fertility diet again, as did my husband. I also practiced yoga when I had time, meditated daily, did visualizations and got weekly acupuncture treatments—but this time, in a calm “whatever will be” state. Although my eggs would not be in the picture, my uterus and body, which would be nourishing an embryo, helping it “take” and grow, most definitely would be a part of the picture, and I wanted that body, and its driver (my mind), to be in perfect health for the job.

As it turned out, I had polyps in my uterus again, but they were successfully removed. After that, our cycle could not have gone smoother. Not only did I get pregnant, but we had two high-quality embryos to freeze for possible future use.

Our daughter is due the end of July, 2011, and I cannot wait. My husband and five-year-old son are also very excited. I found, in being pregnant and feeling her kick and move inside me the last few months – she is already so much a part of me and our family, I feel so close to her, that I often forget that we used donor eggs to conceive her. I know this happens for other parents of donor egg babies too.

I share this journey with you to show that there are many routes to parenthood, although I know it’s important to be ready and open for the route you choose. I also share this story to demonstrate the importance of maintaining one’s health (physical, mental and emotional) through this process.

As always, I wish all the best to you on your journeys. For next week’s blog, I’ll get back to answering questions about food and fertility.

photo: me at 31 weeks of pregnancy.

Fertility and Wheat Germ - And Can You Have Too Many Supplements?

2011-05-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

Just back from vacation, ahhh. We all deserve to give ourselves a little time-out, especially if we're struggling with fertility issues. Even if you can't go on vacation right now, make arrangements to take a day, or even a half-day, to completely unwind and rest.

For today's blog post, I thought I would answer a couple of questions. One on wheat germ and one on nutritional supplements.

WHEAT GERM
The fertility diet I followed to help us conceive, and the one that is outlined in our book, The Fertile Kitchen Cookbook, recommends giving up wheat. This is primarily because it is hard to digest and tends to be highly allergenic, making it very challenging for your digestive system, whose burden you really want to ease during the process of trying to conceive. I've written more about wheat here.

But I often get asked: What about wheat germ? Isn't it highly nutritious and great for fertility? So here's my answer to that question:

Wheat germ is high in vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant, which has been shown to improve fertility in men and women. It also has vitamin B6, another important nutrient.

Wheat germ is wheat, however. So if you’re eliminating wheat, as I suggest, it would mean cutting out wheat germ. You can get vitamin E from many other sources, such as nuts, seeds, olives, spinach and other green leafy vegetables, asparagus and vegetable oils, such as sunflower oil. But I also believe this a personal choice, whether to keep it in for its nutritional benefit, or take it out because as wheat it can be hard to digest, tends to be allergenic to many, and you can find the nutrients in wheat germ elsewhere.

NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
Another question I've gotten: Is it possible to take too many supplements?

Our nutritionist, Virginia Watkins, contributed to this answer. Yes, it is possible to take too many supplements, so it's a good idea to get tested for your nutrtional intake to ensure you're not overdosing. Virginia says, "The best source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and so on is food. Food is so complex that extracting just one part of it, for instance vitamin C, is not nearly as valuable as eating a food with a high content of vitamin C."

Keep that in mind, especially if you're thinking of using supplements to make up for a less than healthy diet. You still need the clean, healthy, well-balanced diet!

Photo by: http://www.service-1.org/product,236928,wheat-germ-essential-oil.html

Fertility Diet: Stevia and Fertility

2011-05-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have written about how wonderful Stevia is as an alternative to sugar. It's a natural herb said to be 10 to 15 times sweeter than table sugar and it won't negatively impact blood sugar levels. For those with a sweet tooth especially, I think it's great.

I recently received this question, though: I have heard various things about staying away from stevia while trying to conceive. Have you? What do you think?

Here's my answer: Yes, I have caught wind of some controversy over stevia and fertility and have looked into it before. The study that some refer to regarding negative fertility is one in which extremely large amounts of stevia (something like 5 or 6% of their body weight) was given to both male and female rodents, which subsequently affected their fertility and led to fewer and smaller offspring. A couple of things to say about this: no one would consume such a huge amount, esp. given that it is 10 to 15 times sweeter than table sugar. (For a 120-pound person, that’s about 7 pounds of stevia/day). If we consumed that amount of regular table sugar per day it too would negatively affect our fertility, and health – dramatically. So the study can be taken out of context. Also, numerous other studies followed (inc. another one on hamsters also with high doses of stevia) and found this not to be true at all, and found stevia to be safe. Not only that, but it’s a natural herb that amazingly does not affect blood sugar levels, which makes it esp. great for those suffering from diabetes—and a great alternative to regular sugar.

I think where stevia can have potential problems is when it gets packaged as a sweetener. I advise in our book (on pg. 12) that when you purchase stevia, be sure to read the label and make sure it’s pure. Some packaged forms add maltodextrin (sugar) and silica (you can google that) – and although it’s in small amounts, it’s better not to have those forms with additives. Get it pure and use in small amounts, as it was intended.
I speculate that part of the reason the FDA in the US resisted approving stevia for a long time, and perhaps why the EU has banned its use for now, is that if allowed to be used in products as a sweetener, such as to sweeten soft drinks and a wide array of food products, in-take across a population would increase a lot, and they may feel they need more information before allowing that. There is also the political side (sadly). Artificial sweeteners have a lot of money and lobbying power (in US) and although these chemical sweeteners have been proven time and again to have ill effects on our health, the FDA has approved them.

I feel stevia is completely safe and a great alternative to sugar in the normal amounts with which we would consume them. Finally, something I found on the Internet from the Laboratory of Functional Biology, KULeuven:

“In 2004 researchers of the KULeuven (Belgium) organized an international symposium on “The Safety of stevioside”. Scientists from all over the world concluded that stevioside is safe, and that stevioside has not any effect on male or female fertility, nor on development and state of fetuses.” More info: http://bio.kuleuven.be/biofys/Plantfys_e.htm

Hope this answers your question!

Fertility Diet: Fruits and Popcorn and Other Diet Questions

2011-04-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

SOME NEWS FIRST
Next week is National Infertility Awareness Week. Keep a look out on our Facebook page for events and specials.

I thought for today's blog post I would continue to anonymously answer questions I receive on food/fertility for the benefit of others.

QUESTION: In your talk on eating to optimize fertility, you don't mention fruits. Why not? Are fruits OK?

ANSWER: I didn’t mention fruits because they are not essential on a fertility diet (because of their sugar content) the way that vegetables are. But fruits are a great source of nutrients! And the more variety of them you eat the better. Go for all colors. You do have to watch eating too many/too much in one sitting, though, again, because of the high sugar content. I’d suggest that three fruits a day is about right. Eliminate fruit juices entirely, however. The concentration of sugar is too great and will cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels. Same goes for jam (even if it's just fruit with nothing else added.) Stick with whole fruits. (It's springtime and a great season for all kinds of fruits!_

QUESTION: Can I eat popcorn on the fertility diet?

ANSWER: Popcorn is fine, as long as you don’t have an allergy or sensitivity to corn. However, either air-pop it or pop it the old-fashioned way (in healthy oil, such as canola, in a deep pan.) The microwavable version uses chemicals in its bag lining that are not good for us. Also, try to buy the corn kernels organic if you can, as most corn is genetically-modified, and you want to avoid that. (See my blog about GM foods and fertility.)

QUESTION: I know wheat is not allowed. Can I still eat corn tortillas?

ANSWER: Absolutely, as long as you don’t have an allergy or sensitivity to corn. Like the popcorn, try to buy it organic. And read the label to make sure the ingredients are all healthy and that nothing artificial has been added. No trans fat (hyrdogenated oil) and no sugar!

Happy, healthy eating.

Fertility Diet: Why No Chamomile Tea

2011-04-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

FIRST, SOME NEWS
First, I want to thank Sarah Holland of The Fertility Focus Telesummit for making such an amazing, week-long event possible (in March, 2011). She hosted an impressive range of fertility experts who spoke on a variety of info-packed topics, attracting over 4,000 sign-ups from a variety of countries around the globe. I was honored to be among them, speaking on eating to optimize fertility. Look out for it next year!

Infertility Awareness Week is coming, Apr. 25 - 30. In honor, we will be sharing any event info and special deals on our Facebook page.

THE WORD ON CHAMOMILE TEA AND FERTILITY
I receive a lot of questions on a variety of food/fertility topics, and I thought I would anonymously share some of my answers here for the benefit of others. A few have written in and asked why chamomile tea is "off" our fertility diet list, and what if they have it just sometimes. Here's my answer:

When you’re not trying to conceive or are pregnant, chamomile has a lot of wonderful, positive qualities, such as aiding digestion, easing inflammation, alleviating menstrual cramps, and easing nerves. However, the reason it is on our “no” list is that it can potentially stimulate the uterus and cause miscarriage, and my rule is that if something can potentially get in the way of conceiving or carrying a baby to term, it should be eliminated (temporarily, at least).

That being said, however, with chamomile in tea form, you generally need to be drinking a LOT of it—every day, all day long—to inspire possible negative effect. A cup of chamomile tea here and there is probably just fine. Use your judgment. Do avoid any stronger medicinal version of chamomile, however, such as concentrated chamomile oil.

Something else to keep in mind: Every person reacts differently to various foods and substances. It’s hard to know how you, specifically, might react to a particular item, such as chamomile. Your uterus may be very sensitive or not at all. Unfortunately they rarely conduct medical studies on herbs because it’s not worth the cost (herbs are not regulated by FDA the way drugs are in the US). This is why we err on the side of caution with food choices while TTC and pregnant.

photo by: http://www.ifood.tv/blog/learn-to-speak-the-language-of-tea

Fertility Specialists - Nutritionists, Acupuncturists and Hypno-therapists

2011-03-16T22:31:00.000-07:00

FIRST, A SPECIAL EVENT...
I wanted to let you know about a very special FREE fertility event that starts on Monday, March 21st and runs through March 28: The Fertility Focus Tele-Summit!

The telesummit is a “virtual event” that features fertility experts from around the world sharing knowledge and insights on a wide range of fertility subjects. You can listen in to all the information-packed presentations either live over the phone each day or online. I will be speaking at this event on the topic of food to optimize fertility on March 26, 3pm Pacific, 6pm Eastern, and 10pm London. I hope you can join in!!

Even though this event is free, you need to sign up to reserve your spot. You can learn more and sign up through our website HERE. It's a fantastic line-up of experts, so hope you can join in!

For those who sign up, we are offering a 40% discount off our book: The Fertile Kitchen Cookbook: Simple Recipes for Optimizing Your Fertility. You can claim the discount when you sign up HERE.

FERTILITY SPECIALTIES
I recently attended the Fertility Workshop in Oakland, CA, hosted by the Bay Area Wellness Group, and I met some fantastic people who are dedicated to helping women increase chances of conception through natural, holistic methods. I wanted to share a little about the event because even if these folks are located too far for you to visit, I think it's interesting to learn about what they do--and how what they do can benefit your fertility and health.

The first speaker was Virginia Watkins, a nutritionist who also happens to be on my advisory board. She gave some great tips for healthy eating to improve fertility and included an info-packed hand-out. What's great about hiring a nutritionist is that she works with your specific, individual needs. She collects your food history, finds out the foods you like/don't like, how your body responds to your diet, educates on reading labels, takes you grocery shopping to help you locate and better shop for healthy foods, and more, as needed. She is both coach and educator and can not only help you get pregnant by cleaning up your diet, but can also help you change the way you think about food, or eat, for life.

Jessica Parker, L.Ac., is an acupuncturist and herbalist. Already, there is so much written, including medical studies, about how acupuncture benefits fertility, increasing chances of pregnancy (sometimes dramatically), both naturally and in conjunction with IVF. What I liked about Jessica's talk is the example she gave of Western vs. Eastern medicine's approach. She said, let's say you lose an earing in the rug. The Western medicine approach would be to get on the rug and piece by piece start looking for the earing up close. The Eastern approach would be to stand up on the couch and get a bird's eye view of the rug, to look at patterns and to see where a pattern might be off. I really like this analogy for taking a holistic look at our bodies and our health. Jessica feels it's important to also treat the partner going through fertility, or in the case of a single woman trying to get pregnant with her mom supporting her, to treat her mom too. To keep everyone in the patient's circle stress free and balanced--as much as possible. Like all the women who in this group, they really "get" what a fertility patient is going through.

Kathy Woo, MS, CHT, gave a fascinating talk on the role of meditation and hypno-therapy (a particular branch of it) in fertility--dealing with our emotional side, reaching for balance, calm. Although I have not been one to embrace hypno-therapy in the past, her talk not only fascinated me, but made perfect sense. She left me hungry to learn more, and, if she is willing, I may interview her for a future blog, to share that knowledge with you. She left everyone with a beautiful meditation to practice to increase reproductive energy.

Finally, Rebecca Plum, LM, CPM, spoke. She is a midwife who also aids at home inseminations. Another fascinating discussion from an understanding and compassionate voice.

Loved all the speakers and all that they do, compassionately, helping to make a difference for others. Thanks to Kenda Burke, DC, for sharing her chiropractic offices for the event.

Infertility Awareness Week is coming up in April. There's usually a big conference in Seattle and Atlanta... and many smaller events across the country. I'll let you know more about these events soon.

Wishing you all the best on this (sometimes tough!) journey.

photo by: http://www.reflectionsyoga.com/blog/?p=4 Holistic Healing Kitchen

Fertility Diet and Success Stories

2011-02-14T09:52:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a while, as I've been truly swamped. I've still got a few more weeks of this ultra-busy schedule, but I wanted to pop in and share a couple of items for blog readers.

EVENT: One is an upcoming event on March 6 from 2 to 4 p.m. in Oakland, CA. It's a FREE Fertility Workshop!! Get all kinds of valuable tips, from acupuncture to nutrition, to increase chances of conception naturally--all from experienced professionals in the Bay Area. I will also be on hand, signing books (our book is The Fertile Kitchen Cookbook: Simple Recipes for Optimizing Your Fertility). You can learn more and register for this free event by clicking here.

SUCCESS STORIES: The second item I wanted to share is one of our beautiful success stories!! (We will be posting these on our website or Facebook fan page soon.) I get so excited when I receive one of these emails, I literally jump out of my chair with joy. This is the whole reason my husband and I wrote our book: to help others get the results we got.

Here is Nicole McKay's story, from November, 2010:

"I found your book a few months ago and could not wait for it to arrive. In conjunction with my naturopath we decided to eliminate sugar, wheat and dairy from my diet. I had two ectopic pregnancies, having lost one tube and was not ready to lose the other. I began this new way of eating in May/June of 2010. Your book gave us a few ideas to get started and myself and my husband are avid foodies so it was easy for us to come up with ideas to eat and change recipes. I was also doing weekly acupuncture, and trying to meditate as often as possible. I am now 6 weeks pregnant and we had an early ultrasound yesterday that showed the baby in the uterus and we even detected fetal heart tones - wonderful news! Thank you for having done that research and sharing it with us!"

What makes her good news even more rewarding is that Nicole is a doula. She works with pregnant mom's all the time. So how wonderful for her to become a mom herself.

If you have started the fertility diet, along with other healing modalities, and have become pregnant too, we want to hear from you! Please let us know! Others who continue to struggle with fertility will find your success inspirational. I know during my journey I was deeply inspired by others who used natural means of optimizing their fertility and succeeded--others like Julia Indichova, author of Inconceivable.

I too am deeply inspired, every time I hear a story like this.

I'll be back soon, with some fertility diet tips or a recipe.

photo: http://blogs.dordt.edu/ddeboer/category/uncategorized/

The Fertility Diet: Homocysteine Levels and Miscarriage

2011-01-17T21:26:00.000-08:00

We are grateful to have our advisory board member, Karen Reynolds, an acupuncturist and RN at Balance Restored Center for Integrative Medicine write a guest blog for us today on the topic of homocysteine levels, which, if elevated, may cause miscarriage. Here is her post:

There are various factors that could lead to miscarriage in early pregnancy—something you’ll want to be aware of while trying to conceive. One of these factors is having elevated homocysteine levels.

Homocysteine (also referred to as Total Homocysteine, or abbreviated as tHcy on lab forms) is a toxic amino acid produced by your liver and usually counterbalanced by healthy cleansing processes in your liver. High levels of tHcy are associated with risk for stroke, heart attack, and clot formation in your cardiovascular system. And in early pregnancy, elevated tHcy is associated with miscarriage.

Your body needs B vitamins, specifically folate, B12 and B6, for the conversion of tHcy into a non-toxic substance.

In 2004, The Journal of Clinical Chemistry published an interesting piece of research entitled: “Maternal Homocysteine before Conception and throughout Pregnancy Predicts Fetal Homocysteine and Birth Weight.”

As you may know, birth weight is a big indicator of neonatal health. This study found that women supplemented with B vitamins had lower tHcy than unsupplemented moms. The babies of supplemented moms also had lower tHcy noted at birth. Neonates born to moms with higher tHcy levels weighed less.

Studies have shown that folic acid supplementation before conception and in pregnancy is associated with increased birth weight and longer gestational length. Folic acid also has an immensely important role in the development of your baby’s spinal cord and brain and helps prevent spinal cord problems, also known as neural tube defects.

Some things that can drive up your Homocysteine (tHcy) levels:

Vitamin B deficiency (Folate, B12, and B6)
Smoking
Excessive alcohol intake
Lack of exercise
Excessive coffee intake

What helps if your Homocysteine (tHcy) is high?

Supplement with B-Vitamins (Folate, B12, and B6)
Incorporate foods which are high in B-Vitamins into your daily diet
Address the lifestyle activities noted above

Foods high in B-Vitamins

Folate - Leafy greens such as spinach, turnip greens, fresh fruits and vegetables.
Vitamin B6 - Poultry, seafood, bananas, leafy green vegetables, potatoes.
Vitamin B12 - Animal foods are the only natural source of vitamin B12; but many products are fortified with vitamin B12. Shellfish, such as clams, mussels, crab. Fin fish, beef.

Facts about having Homocysteine (tHcy) blood levels drawn:

Ideally check tHcy levels before you get pregnant. However it’s never too late to supplement with B Vitamins. They are safe, inexpensive and easy to digest.
Draw blood first thing in morning after having fasted from food and fluids for at least 8 hours.
For menstruating women: tHcy levels are most accurately assessed prior to ovulation and not in the luteal part of your menstrual cycle (The luteal phase of your cycle is the second half which is from ovulation through menses). Ideally draw sometime on Days #1-#7 of your cycle.

Reference: Clinical Chemistry 50:8 1406 –1412 (2004) Maternal Homocysteine before Conception and throughout Pregnancy Predicts Fetal Homocysteine and Birth Weight by: Michelle M. Murphy,1* John M. Scott,2 Victoria Arija,1 Anne M. Molloy,3 and Joan D. Fernandez-Ballart1

This year I am offering a special “Lab Corner” in my newsletters and blog posts. Here you’ll learn about various blood tests, which are useful in your journey to fall pregnant and begin your family. To sign up for my newsletter, visit http://karen-reynolds.com/.

In my acupuncture clinic, I specialize in the treatment of fertility of both men and women, women’s health, and functional endocrinology. Drawing from my 22 years of experience as an ICU RN, I make extensive use of lab testing. I also utilize acupuncture, antioxidants, dietary changes and nutritional supplementation to optimize health, wellness and vitality for the amazing women and men who I have the great honor treat.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact her at: kreynolds@balancerestored.com

Phone: 415.381.8500 Ext. 4
Also see my blog for additional information: http://karen-reynolds.com/

Photo by: http://www.medicinenet.com/heart_disease_pictures_slideshow_visual_guide/article.htm

Fertility Diet and a Fresh Start

2011-01-06T10:34:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! The beginning of a new year often brings with it a clean slate, a fresh start and new hope. It is the perfect time to prepare your body and mind for a baby. A fertility diet will help to put your body in the best possible position for conception, and daily meditations and visualizations will help your mind and spirit get in sync with your body as you work toward the goal of parenthood.

If you are starting your fertility diet, I recommend you ease yourself into it, eliminating one or two “stressful” food items, such as caffeine and alcohol, at a time. After about two weeks, eliminate another one or two additional items, such as sugar and overly processed foods. It can take up to two or three weeks of strictly abstaining from a food item to begin to lose the craving for that item. So give yourself and your body time to adjust.

A list of other tips for starting a fertility diet can be found in these two previous blogs: Fertility Diet Tips and Top 5 Fertility Diet Tips.

To support your mind and your emotions as you make this journey, and also to help relieve the inevitable stress, I recommend daily meditations and visualizations. For these I recommend the following:

Circle + Bloom™ has a fantastic set of mind-body meditation products tailored to your cycle (natural or IVF) to help you achieve pregnancy. I’ve even reviewed one of their products in this blog. It takes only about 15 minutes a day. Check it out.

I also highly recommend the CD of visualizations by Julia Indichova, the author of Inconceivable, which can be found at her Fertile Heart Community. I recommend all her work, including her workshops at her home in Woodstock, NY. She’s amazing at helping women and men tap into the mind-body link to bust through emotional blocks and clear paths toward parenthood. Her visualizations will take you 10 minutes a day at the most. Very doable.

Changing how you eat and incorporating daily meditations and visualizations is already a lot of positive change. I would also recommend working in one additional modality: Yoga 4 Fertility, and for this I recommend Brenda Strong’s DVD. If you can squeeze in two sessions a week, I believe this helps too.

Congratulations on making a fresh start. Let me know how it goes! I love to hear from you.

OTHER NEWS

On December 16, 2010 I was on the Surrogacy Lawyer Radio Program along with Carolyn Gundell, a nutritionist at RMACT to chat all about nutrition and fertility. To listen in, click here http://www.voiceamerica.com/voiceamerica/vepisode.aspx?aid=50734.

We have two events coming up in March. The first is a book-signing on Sunday, March 6, 2011 with the fantastic group: http://bayareafamilywellness.com/. They will be doing an all-day fertility event. More details coming soon on our Events page.

The second will be an amazing Fertility Focus Tele-Summit conference you can attend by telephone that will be taking place the entire week of March 21, 2011. I will be one among many, many fertility experts talking about ways to optimize fertility and achieve pregnancy. More details coming soon on our Events page.

We hope you can attend one of these events, and get support and inspiration on your journey. Above all else, remember to be kind to yourself.

photo by: http://blog.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/2011/01/01/have-a-happy-healthy-new-year/

Fertility Recipe: Creamy Spinach

2010-12-20T13:55:00.000-08:00

The holidays are upon us and I know from experience this can be a very difficult time for those coping with fertility issues. It's also a time that makes sticking to a fertility diet sometimes challenging, with all the parties and festivities and goodies spread about. I have a couple of recommendations to make to help you stay on track with healthy eating: first, try to eat before attending an event, so you're not too hungry and can be more selective about what you eat once there. Second, make a couple of your own healthy dishes and bring them to the event. You can mostly eat those.

One dish that makes a great, healthy side-dish is my husband's, Pierre's, Creamy Spinach recipe. It's actually a combination of two recipes from our book (The Fertile Kitchen(r) Cookbook): the Sauteed Spinach and the Healthy Béchamel Sauce. You basically make the sauteed spinach and add a half-cup of the bechamel sauce to it. It makes spinach taste great, and of course, it's good for you too.

BEFORE WE JUMP INTO THE RECIPE...
I was recently on VoiceAmerca radio with Theresa Erickson of The Surrogacy Radio Show. The topic was food and fertility and my co-interviewee was Carolyn Gundell, a nutritionist with Reproductive Medical Associates of Connecticut (RMACT). We packed a lot of information into the hour. You can listen to it here: http://www.voiceamerica.com/voiceamerica/vepisode.aspx?aid=50734.

Now for the Creamy Spinach recipe. First, make the Sauteed Spinach.

SAUTEED SPINACH
Ingredients:

1 lb fresh spinach*
½ large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp of vegetable broth
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp of nutmeg
2 Tbsp of olive oil

*TIP: You can also use packaged organic spinach leaves, which shortens preparation time by 5 minutes.

Recipe:

Cut spinach about 1 inch away from where the stems join.
Clean spinach several times, until the water is clear and free of dirt.
Dice onion, mince the garlic.
Put oil into a deep non-stick pot and place on medium heat, add diced onion, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add in as much spinach as will fit in the pot (pict. 3), and cover. Let stand for about 30 seconds and then mix and add more spinach. Repeat this step until all the spinach is in the pot.
Add minced garlic, vegetable broth, salt, pepper
Mix well, cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly throughout.
When finished, drain liquid and place in a dish to add the sauce.

Now make the Healthy Béchamel Sauce.

HEALTHY BECHAMEL SAUCE
This version of the sauce has no butter or cream; it's light and healthy.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp of rice flour (or corn flour)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 Tbsp of vegetable broth powder
½ cup of soy milk or rice milk
½ cup of water

Recipe:

Boil 1 cup of water (you will use only ½ cup of water) and let it sit.
Separately, pour olive oil in a small non-stick pot on medium heat.
Add rice flour and stir well.
Add vegetable broth powder and stir well.
Add ½ cup of hot water (which you boiled earlier), stir well, cook for 2 minutes and lower heat to medium.
Add soy milk and stir well. When it starts to bubble, remove from heat.

CREAMY SPINACH
Now, just add a half-cup of the healthy bechamel sauce to the spinach. Ta-da. Done! What do you do with the rest of the sauce? Use it on meat, fish and other dishes.

Happy holidays to all!

Chiropractic Care for Fertility

2010-12-06T06:09:00.000-08:00

FIRST, SOME NEWS
We have a very exciting event coming up! I will be talking about Eating for Fertility, sharing some great food and signing books at Book Passage in Corte Madera on Saturday, Dec. 11, at 1 p.m. I hope you will join us there that day! Here's the info: http://www.bookpassage.com/event/cindy-bailey-fertile-kitchen-cookbook.

On to today's topic... Most people don't usually consider chiropractory as a way to aid fertility, but by optimizing your health through chiropractic methods, it can indeed help one get pregnant! I am honored to have Dr. Jennifer Rozenhart, DC, of Rozenhart Family Chiropractic in San Jose, CA, share how chiropractory can help you conceive. Here is her guest blog:

MY CHIROPRACTOR GOT ME PREGNANT
Infertility affects more than 6 million women and their partners in the United States, and many resort to fertility drugs and therapy. Fortunately, drugs and medical treatments to increase fertility are not the only option. Recent research suggests that chiropractic care can help those struggling to conceive because spinal misalignments may be causing nerve problems that trigger the hormonal imbalance. Chiropractors are the only ones who can analyze, find and correct subluxations in the spine.

Women come into our office looking for relief from back pain, neck pain or headaches. While chiropractic care does help relieve pain, its biggest benefit is to restore the proper function of the nervous system . If we discover that there are subluxations in the spine leading to the reproductive organs, an appropriate care plan would be to adjust the spine to correct the subluxation pattern. Care plans vary in length depending on many factors including, condition of the spine and how long the subluxation has been present. You can think of a subluxation like a stain in your carpet. Depending on how deep the stain goes and how long it has been there will help determine how quickly we can get the stain up.

Because chiropractors work with the central nervous system, we can affect many different systems including reproduction. If a woman has a subluxation, or communication problem, in her nervous system it can radically affect how the organs function. By clearing out any interference to the body’s optimal function it allows the body to do what it is designed to do- whether that’s healing, breathing properly, blood pressure normalizing, or making a baby!

One study revealed that 14 out of 15 infertile women got pregnant with chiropractic care. Is this a cure for infertility? Certainly not, but for those struggling, it is certainly a safe, non-invasive and gentle option that should be explored.

Please call us today at 408-979-9999 or http://www.rozenhartchiro.com/ if we can help you or someone you know.

Can I Cheat on My Fertility Diet?

2010-11-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

We are honored once again for acupuncturist and RN, Karen Reynolds, to provide a guest blog for us on this topic. And I love this post! Like Karen, I often get this question: Is it OK for me to cheat just a little on my fertility diet? Her response will help you make an informed decision on whether it's OK for you to deviate from the diet. Here is her post:

As an acupuncture fertility specialist, I hear this question every day from my patients. There is a complex answer to what seems like a simple question. Cheating has varying impacts depending upon your unique body. A pivotal question for you is do you have any autoimmune conditions? Are there active sources of inflammation in your system?

If not: that is great, yet it remains important to weigh what happens in your system when you do cheat. If so: here is some more information for you.

There are many conventional medicine diagnoses, which are considered autoimmune in nature. Autoimmune means that the body attacks its own tissues in one way or another. Here is a short, but not all-inclusive, list of typical autoimmune issues.

Addision disease
Alopecia areata
Hashimoto’s Disease
Chron’s disease
Celiac disease
Juvenile onset diabetes, aka Diabetes Type I
Endometriosis
Glomerulonephritis
Pernicious anemia
Polymyositis
Pulmonary fibroisis
Rhemuatoid Arthritis
Scleroderma
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Vitiligo

Why the question of autoimmunity related to a fertility diet? Much of what can happen potentially or currently in our bodies has to do with our genetic make up. We know that many people navigate this world with the genetic predisposition for certain disease entities. What is interesting is that some people can carry the genetic predisposition to rheumatoid arthritis, for example, but their gene for it is simply never “switched on”. For others the switch is flipped and the full set of symptoms happens.

Science is finding that many factors of daily life contribute to “flipping the switch." The beauty is that we can control some of the stressors, which inch that switch toward the “on”. Controlling stress factors includes: diet, emotional, and work triggers, as well as environmental exposures and habits. There are lab tests also which can evaluate your genetic predisposition to various conditions. These are tests, which I routinely order for my patients in my Mill Valley acupuncture practice.

Here is where nutrition is a factor.

Human bodies are sort of like lines of dominoes. The lines stay tidy and upright as long as they are not disturbed or bumped and pushing over one line will invariably impact many other lines. Some of us have Hollywood super star, body guarded lines of dominoes and some of us must contend with what seems like the bratty play ground bully just to keep the dominoes looking good. If you are a woman with thyroid issues like Hashimoto’s disease as one example, some of those dominoes are tipped already. The switch is “on” so the best option is to control for the various fires, which might be set in your system.

Gluten in the diet is the most typical dietary “cheat” and it is like gasoline thrown onto the autoimmune fire. This is the reason why. If you have an autoimmune condition your lymphocytes (white blood cells) are primed. They are highly activated and become more so when exposed to inflammatory substances like gluten. This is so even if you are not technically allergic to gluten.

One single exposure to gluten will rev up your lymphocytes for up to 8 months. In that time autoimmune flare-ups are more highly likely. A great deal of tissue destruction can happen when the body attacks itself during a given autoimmune flare up. When your body is handling this situation, falling pregnant will take a back seat to simple survival.

If you don’t have an autoimmune condition or predisposition to one, that is great. However it is best to determine if there are any other sources of inflammation in your body. Do you have old or lingering injuries, which seem not to resolve? Do you have digestive irregularities? Do you have joints that pop or click? Do you have skin, which easily breaks out or reacts? Do you have asthma? These are just a few examples of inflammation percolating in the body. Inflammation is worsened by gluten in the diet and if your body is busy about trying to clean up inflammation, it will not be focused on making a baby. Acupuncture has been found to reduce inflammation in the body, which is one reason it is so advantageous when trying to fall pregnant.

Sometimes women will say to me, “Can’t I have a piece of birthday cake on my birthday once per year?” The reality is that piece of birthday cake has the capacity to impact you for 8 months and most women seeing me for fertility support really want to be pregnant within 8 months. I sincerely hope this post is helpful to you on your journey to motherhood. You are a wise, capable woman in a wise, capable body and I wish for you the best in this world!

About Karen: Karen Reynolds specializes in the treatment of both male and female fertility, women’s health, and functional endocrinology. Drawing from her 22 years of experience as an ICU RN, she makes extensive use of lab testing, acupuncture, Chinese herbs, antioxidants, dietary changes and nutritional supplementation to optimize health, wellness and vitality for the amazing women and men who she has the great honor to treat.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact her at: kreynolds@balancerestored.com

Balance Restored Center for Integrative Medicine

Phone: 415.381.8500 Ext. 4

See her blog for additional information: http://karen-reynolds.com/

photo by http://apahealthyminds.blogspot.com/2010/09/mental-health-checkup-avoidance-eating.html

Fertility Diet and the Need for Body Fat

2010-11-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

There is a weight range that is considered to be ideal for fertility. It's based on your Body Mass Index (BMI), which is calculated by putting your height and weight into a formula and getting a number, which is your BMI. There are many BMI calculators on the Internet, such as this one at the Department of Health and Human Services. For fertility, ideally, your BMI, should be between 20 and 24.

If your number is above that range, don't panic! And definitely don't go on a crash diet. That is too stressful for the body, and when trying to conceive we want to limit stress in all its forms. Work to take off the weight in a healthy manner over time. Consult with your doctor about it. The fertility diet in our book can definitely help you lose weight in a healthy way. Once you eliminate alochol, caffeine and coffee, processed sugar, trans fat and overly processed foods -- not to mention dairy and wheat, the "bad" or "overly taxing" calories will be gone. Instead you'll be eating a balanced variety of all-organic veggies, lean protein, good carbs and healthy fats, and all of this will ease your body toward a more balanced, natural, healthy weight without your being hungry at all! You'll have a ton more energy too.

But what about those who are all ready at a healthy weight? You may have to be careful not to lose weight on a fertility diet by being sure to eat enough quantities and have sufficient levels of healthy fats (in balance with the rest of your diet.) You may want to eat heavier dishes that still nevertheless have all-healthy ingredients, such as a healthy version of Chili Con Carne (like the one in our book) and lamb stew.

But your BMI alone is not the only thing to watch out for... your body fat percentage is also important. You need fat to conceive!

I recently got a question from a new reader who said she was athletic, lifted weights and on a low-fat diet. She was also lean with a body mass index of 18.5. Great fitness level, great health. But to help her conceive, she would need to gain weight. She also would also need to increase her body fat, because likely with her vigorous activity and lifting weights her body fat percentage is probably well below average. When you're trying to conceive, you want your body fat to be closer to the average woman's, which is about 22 to 25%. In Toni Weschler's book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility, she recommends a minimum body fat percentage of 18 while trying to conceive. Female athletes can have body fat as low as 8 or 10. Here is an informative article on the topic.

For this reader, and those in her postion, I recommend exercising moderately (instead of vigorously) and totally backing off on the intensity of weight lifting and even better, eliminating it, knowing that it’s temporary. Along with that, stop the low-fat diet; the body absolutely needs fat while trying to conceive, just make it the healthy kind. And put on some weight. In other words, slow down and get soft.

This is not easy! Especially in our society, which pressures women to be thin!

I myself am a former athlete who exercises 6 days a week and lifts weights, and backing off (I slowed way down with exercise and stopped lifting weights) and allowing my body to get soft and putting on eight pounds so my Body Mass Index (BMI) was within the ideal range for fertility/conception was by far the most difficult change I had to make.

Of course, know that once you have your baby, you can go right back to your previous fitness level! And the baby does make it all worth it.

Photo by http://howtodecreasebodyfat.com/

Fertility: Acupuncture and IVF

2010-10-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Karen Reynolds, an acupuncturist at Balance Restored Center for Integrative Medicine in Mill Valley, CA and also a member of our advisory board writes our guest blog today on the topic of acupuncture with IVF. Thank you, Karen! Here it is:

As an acupuncturist and herbalist in Mill Valley, CA specializing in fertility, I often receive questions about how acupuncture helps women struggling with infertility. Recent research shows that women undergoing fertility treatment who receive acupuncture have improved reproductive outcomes. In the last 14 years, there have been many publications and studies on acupuncture in scientific, peer-reviewed journals. Two of the best-known studies were done in 1996 by Stener-Victorin and then by Paulus, et al in 2002.
The Stener-Victorin study showed that the resistance of uterine artery blood flow reduced following electro-acupuncture. This mechanism is of great value in allowing for an egg to implant more easily. The Paulus study showed that In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) patients treated before and after embryo transfer demonstrated improved pregnancy outcomes.

Since 2003 the acupuncturist, Diane K. Cridennda, and reproductive endocrinologist, Dr. Paul C. Magarelli, MD, PhD have conducted 5 studies combining acupuncture and ART (Assisted Reproductive Techniques). Their amazing research shows that with acupuncture, poor prognosis patients are more likely to fall pregnant, have lower miscarriage rates, fewer ectopic pregnancies, fewer multiple pregnancies, and more take-home babies than without acupuncture.

The research also shows that women have a greater sense of active control and involvement by adding acupuncture to their ART. Acupuncture will add an estimated 15% more pregnancies to an IVF series, which can make the difference in couple creating a family. Reducing miscarriages, ectopics and multiples is precious to a woman’s health and reduces health care costs and risks.

We know that acupuncture improves how the brain communicates with the reproductive organs and we also know it helps regulate stress hormones and induces relaxation. Acupuncture also increases nutrients and blood flow to the uterus and helps to balance hormones. All these elements are important to conception.

I do hope that providing some insight into the research and science behind using acupuncture in conjunction with ART has been helpful. In my practice women consistently share with me that acupuncture helps them weather the side effects of IVF medications more easily, calms their mind and spirit, and gives them a sense of well-being amid what is a storm in life when falling pregnant is a challenge.

Karen Reynolds specializes in the treatment of both male and female fertility, women’s health, and functional endocrinology. Drawing from her 22 years of experience as an ICU RN, she makes extensive use of lab testing, acupuncture, Chinese herbs, antioxidants, dietary changes and nutritional supplementation to optimize health, wellness and vitality for the amazing women and men who she has the great honor to treat.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact her at: kreynolds@balancerestored.com or at 415.381.8500 Ext. 4. Also see her blog for additional information: http://karen-reynolds.com/

photo by: tcmcentral.com

Fertility Diet: What Cereal Can I Eat?

2010-10-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

FIRST SOME NEWS
My schedule's been crazy lately, and in the middle of it I remind myself to take deep breaths and keep up my 15 minutes a day of meditation and get enough sleep--I try, because our health has to come first! We've got a couple of great events coming up. We hope you can make it to one of them if you 're in the area. And if you can't, please help us by spreading the word:

Cooking demo + info-packed talk at DOMUS, a cooking store in Willow Glen, San Jose, CA on Oct. 23 at 1 p.m.
Info-packed talk and book signing at Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA on Dec. 11 at 1 p.m.

See our events page for further details!

WHAT CEREAL CAN I EAT?
I thought this week I would answer one or two questions we've gotten, in case it might be useful to others.

QUESTION: I am trying to find a cereal to go with my rice milk that has no wheat, no processed sugar, no artificial ingredients and is all organic, and I can't find any! Do you have any suggestions?

ANSWER: I feel for you! It is very difficult to find an American breakfast cereal that satisfies all the requirements for a fertility-friendly diet. Even if it screams "Organic" on the package, you still have to check labels, because organic processed sugar is still processed sugar. Plus, added sugar goes by many names: high fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, brown sugar, dextrose and a few others. You want to check for this. You also want to make sure there’s no trans fat (it would say hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil), or any other chemical, artificial additive or preservative. (If it’s organic, it should not have chemicals or unnatural preservatives.)
I have only found one cereal that fits the diet. It’s called Organic Swiss Muesli and the version of it that I get comes from the bulk foods section of Whole Foods Market and contains no added sugar (some versions add cane sugar or brown sugar, so read the label!). The sweetness it has comes from the raisins and dried dates that are in it. It contains many grains, including barley (so doesn't work if you're going gluten-free), but it has no wheat. If you can’t find something like this in a store near you, try the Internet! Here’s one I found online: http://www.wildtime.com/?page=products&product_id=103. They appear to have some additional options that look healthy!

Other options for breakfast include oatmeal with raisins and honey (pure, all-natural sugar in moderation is just fine to consume!); egg dishes (cooked in olive oil); non-wheat, whole grain pancakes such as Kamut pancakes. Asian dishes such as rice noodles with chicken and vegetables are also great for breakfast.

I know it can be difficult to go without our cereals, but we do have many healthy alternatives! Next week I'll answer the question about how low-fat diets do NOT mix with TTC.

photo by: http://blogs.glam.com/glamspirit/2010/03/04/crank-up-your-cereal/

Conceiving in Your Forties, Naturally

2010-10-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

FIRST, SOME NEWS
We led a great cooking workshop for acupuncturists with NorCal Fertility Group yesterday. They really know their stuff and have been helping many women get pregnant through acupuncture and by having them change their diets! "Changing their diet works; I've seen it over and over again," one acupuncturist said to me. Pierre and I really enjoyed spending an afternoon with them. If you need a referral to an acupuncturist in No. California, I would highly recommend contacting this association.

We have many events coming up, please see our events page for more!

CONCEIVING IN YOUR 40'S NATURALLY
For today's blog, I am honored to have Angel La Liberte write a guest blog for us. Angel La Liberte gave birth to her two children at nearly 42 and 44, after conceiving naturally. She is the founder of the website Flower Power Mom—The Truth About Motherhood After 40, where she blogs regularly about later life motherhood. She also writes a column for Bay Area Parent magazine and has published a book. For her full bio, visit: http://www.flowerpowermom.com/#pages/bio.html. You can also email her at editor@flowerpowermom.com. Here is her story:

If staving off unwanted pregnancy feels like Russian roulette, then trying to get pregnant in your forties is too much like playing the lottery.
Remember the marketing hack’s slogan “You can’t win if you don’t play!”?

You could almost imagine them leaning over you, wagging an insistent parental finger like a raw breakfast sausage.

In fact, attempting pregnancy after forty was worse than the lottery—not only are your chances weaker than younger women all aglow with the first peachy freshness of budding fertility—but you’re at higher risk for genetic misfires.

And somehow, there is a quantum leap between trying to conceive naturally and going for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART).

I remember my first step into the fertility clinic—it was uncharted territory and crossing the line felt like admitting weakness, failure and ineptitude.*

It had to be a kissing cousin to the sinking ship of inferiority men feel when they can’t “get it up”.

It begged the question: Wasn’t there something we could do before throwing our reproductive gear into overdrive by downing Clomid like a used car salesman chugging Pepto-Bismol?

Is there a more natural Love Potion Number 9?

According to naturopathic doctor Ted Butchart, based in Virginia, while ovulation becomes more irregular and there’s a slight increase in genetic risk to our eggs as we age, there is much we can do to optimize our chances—naturally.

“If hormone levels are not well balanced it can become difficult for a fertilized egg to implant, and if Ph levels are well outside normal it becomes difficult for sperm to survive” says Dr. Butchart.

Interestingly, however, he’s quick to point out the tainted ingredients for baby production are not all produced by our aging bodies.

“Often more relevant are changes to the man’s sperm, which can adversely impact the chances of pregnancy” he warns.

“Other problems range from incorrect balances of essential fatty acids, to more complex psychological and spiritual issues as we age.”

But there’s hope and a path forward for those who wish to prepare their baby-making factories for production.

“Clearly there are [natural] therapies that can increase pregnancy rates,” he says.

“Probably the best modality for this is homeopathic treatment. Second in effectiveness would be Naturopathic treatment to improve liver function and the general health of both the mother and her mate.”

Dr Butchart also makes a clear distinction between natural products touted to increase fertility that are often sold online, versus seeking out a trained professional.

“Certainly there are plenty of ‘therapies’ you can find on-line that are perfectly useless, but if a couple consults with a well-experienced homeopath or naturopathic physician they can find well researched and very effective treatments.”

He adds: “Be very wary of any claims for treatments that are supposed to work across the board for everyone. They won’t.”

Yet, many find it hard to take homeopathy seriously, with rumors that success stories are simply the results of a placebo-effect.

“The ill-educated repeat the old saw that homeopathics are a ‘placebo’, but numbers of placebo-controlled, double-blind trials have shown homeopathic treatments to be significantly effective.”

According to Dr. Butchart, part of the need for seeking trained professional help is based on the idiosyncratic nature of our bodies.

“There are no one-size-fits-all homeopathic therapies—they must be specific to the woman,” he stresses.

“Some need hormone balancing, some need adrenal support, some need physical medicine, some need herbs, most need very specific homeopathic treatments.

“Then, Naturopathically, we work with the liver to make sure it is operating in top form. This leads to better hormone control.

On the subject of older mothers in his practice, however, Dr. Butchart cites the looming problem that we all face after a successful pregnancy—it’s critical that every over-40 mom is forewarned.

“The main issues I deal with in the older mother are adrenal exhaustion problems.”

“The older mother often has problems getting the support of her peers, who really don’t want to relive their parenting years, and they often find it hard to relate closely to mothers who are significantly younger than themselves.”

“For these mothers it is crucial that they find and use support and that they avoid becoming too isolated”, he advises.

Wouldn’t it be a tonic if they sold potions in a twin pack? Love potion no. 9 with Sleep no. 10. Oh, yes please!

Notes for this blog:
*Unbeknownst to me at the time, I was already loaded for the delivery room, with Lizzie, but one visit had left a bitter taste behind. I have so much empathy for those who have to go again and again.

Dr. B Butchart, ND, Virginia Natural Health clinics, Charlottesville and Staunton Virginia. Also senior medical adviser to SelfOptima.com, San Jose, CA.

photo: The author, Angel La Liberte, and her two children.

Fertility and Genetically-Modified Foods

2010-09-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

I’ve been hearing a lot about genetically-modified foods lately. Are they OK for us to consume? Will they affect our fertility? Do we even know when we’re eating them?

And what is genetically-modified food, or organisms, anyway? GMO (genetically-modified organisms), as the name implies, are organisms (such as plants and animal) have had their genetic characteristics modified for a purpose: either to make crops resistant to herbicides and pesticides, enabling farmers to spray crops to destroy pests without killing their crops in the process (corn, soy and sugar cane have been modified for this purpose); or to kill harmful insects so that insecticides are no longer needed (sweet corn), or to remain fresh on the shelves longer (tomatoes, strawberries, pineapples, sweet peppers and bananas have all been modified).

Animals, including cows, fish, and chicken, can also be genetically modified; although they have not hit the market just yet.

Here’s how modifying these genes can and has backfired. In the case of creating a crop that is more resistant to pesticide, such as soy, the pests can become resistant to the crop spray and then it’s useless. The crop can also pollinate weeds making weeds resistant to pesticides (called “superweeds” which are now becoming a problem with GM soy crops). A variety of insects like the butterfly are at risk of being killed. The first GM tomatoes were made resistant to antibiotics, and these transferred to the people and animals that ate them, making them more ressistant. To learn more, here's a straightforward, educational European website I found on GM foods.

In the Biology of Belief, Dr. Bruce Lipton writes:

“Now that we are aware of this inter- and intra-species gene transfer mechanism, the dangers of genetic engineering become apparent. For example, tinkering with the genes of a tomato may not stop at that tomato, but could alter the entire biosphere in ways that we cannot foresee. Already there is a study that shows that when humans digest genetically modified foods, the artificially created genes transfer into and alter the character of the beneficial bacteria in the intestine. Similarly, gene transfer among genetically engineered agricultural crops and surrounding native species has given rise to highly resistant species deemed super weeds. Genetic engineers have never taken the reality of gene transfer into consideration when they have introduced gen4etically modified organisms into the environment. We are now beginning to experience the dire consequences of this oversight as their engineered genes are spreading among, and altering other organisms in the environment.”

Then of course there’s the whole political side of the controversy on the potential of just a few industries owning (through patents) all the food producing power in the world, which I see as a dangerous thing.

Already, in the US many of our plant-based products have been genetically modified: soy (93%), corn (86%), tomatoes and much more. See this table in Wikpedia.

So, then, how does it affect fertility? There was a study in Austria that showed that GM corn had a damaging effect on the reproductive system. Quoting from this article: “…it became apparent over a period of 20 weeks that the fertility of GM corn fed mice was seriously impaired, with fewer offspring than mice fed on non-GM equivalent material. In a multi-generational trial, mice fed with GM maize had fewer offspring in the third and fourth generations, and this difference was statistically significant.”

More reading on GM foods and fertility here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1085060/Why-eating-GM-food-lower-fertility.html and http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/06/04/can-gm-foods-modify-your-fertility/

So how do you avoid GM foods? Now that’s the problem. We consumers usually have no idea we’re eating them! GM food is not required to be labeled as such in the US. And many processed foods contain some GMOs. Purely GM foods have to be labeled in Europe (corn, for example), but not always if it’s an ingredient (corn oil, for example). Europe in general has much stricter requirements over GM foods and labelling. So, what can you do?

In the US and Canada, foods labeled 100% organic are not allowed to contain any genetically modified organisms or been fed genetically modified feed. So buy organic as much as possible, esp. produce! You may also want to avoid processed foods, esp. those containing soy or corn. For more great tips see this article.

This article also has some interesting info on GM foods and labeling: http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/genetically-engineered-foods.htm

Bottom line: eat 100% organic as much as possible and just do the best you can. It's all we can do.
photo by: http://thetidbit.com/

Fertility, Diet, and Your Thoughts

2010-09-20T15:17:00.000-07:00

We’re back from our fantastic vacation in Costa Rica, a great place to relax and be active at the same time. I brought three books with me to read, which Pierre thought was very funny, considering how active we planned to be, plus we have our 4-yr.-old with us. However, I did manage to get through one of them, a book I had been given by my fertility acupuncturist years ago and still had not read.

The book is The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton, PhD, and I found it absolutely fascinating. He explains, from a scientific perspective, how, basically, our thoughts (and beliefs) affect our physical bodies/ our biology, and the many implications of that. For those who are interested in the science behind the mind-body connection and want further evidence on how our thoughts and our environment can profoundly impact our health—and fertility—this is a highly readable, inspiring book.

The book jacket copy describes Dr. Lipton’s research as showing “that genes and DNA do not control our biology; that instead DNA is controlled by signals from outside the cell, including the energetic messages emanating from our positive and negative thoughts.”

What I found most interesting was his discussion on placebos (showing the power of positive beliefs) and nocebos (power of negative thoughts). For placebos he refers to a 2002 article written by professor Irving Kirsch, who had to invoke the Freedom of Information Act in order to get information on the clinical trials of the top antidepressents, as this data was not forthcoming from the FDA. Lipton writes, “The data [in Kirsch’s article] show that in more than half of the clinical trials for the six leading antidepressants, the drugs did not outperform the placebo, sugar pills.”

For nocebos, Lipton remarks, “By their words and their demeanor, physicians can convey hope-deflating messages to their patients…. [An example] is the potential power of the statement, ‘You have six months to live.’ If you choose to believe your doctor’s message, you are not likely to have much more time on this Earth.”

Lipton offers plenty of examples and science to back up what he says. “Troublesome nocebo cases suggest that physicians, parents and teachers can remove hope by programming you to believe you are powerless.”

He says, further, “Your beliefs act like filters on a camera, changing how you see the world. And our biology adapts to those beliefs. When we truly recognize that our beliefs are that powerful, we hold the key to freedom. While we cannot change the codes of our genetic blueprints, we can change our minds.”

His book reinforces my belief that we have a lot more power than we even think we do to make a difference in our health – and in our fertility.

What he says about epigenetics is fascinating, and perhaps particularly interesting for those who are considering donor eggs. He writes, “In the last decade, epigenetic research has established that DNA blueprints passed down through genes are not set in concrete at birth… Environmental influences, including nutrition, stress and emotions can modify those genes, without changing their basic blueprint.”

Epigentic mechanics have been found to be a factor in a variety of diseases. “In fact, only 5% of cancer and cardiovascular patients can attribute their disease to heredity,” he writes.

It’s just a fascinating read, and proves that we have a lot of power through the thoughts and beliefs we choose and the environmental factors we expose ourselves to, particularly nutritional factors. Practicing mind-body therapies such as meditation and visualizations can do a lot for our health and well-being.

photo: from Amazon.com

Fertility Recipe: Barbequed Marinated Asparagus

2010-08-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

We head out on vacation soon, and I admit that mentally I'm halfway there. My brain is moving in slow motion and resistent to anything vaguely related to work. So, I thought, perfect week for a recipe!

You're probably wondering why I picked a lone vegetable dish. I mean, it's not very sexy, right? Well, first, we could all stand to get more vegetables. We should eat at least five servings a day! And we should eat less starch in order to have more room for the veggies. Vegetables play such an important role in our health, yet people often consider them, well, boring.

Plain, steamed asparagus might be boring, but preparing it in the way we describe below with the added spices and marinating makes them much more flavorful and interesting! Even our four-year-old craves and eats this, which says a lot. Plus, it's EASY to make.

The other reason I chose asparagus: it's high in folate, an important B vitamin that boosts fertility in both men and women and helps prevent birth defects. It has almost as much folate as garbanzo beans.

Note: A barbeque is not required. You can also cook these in the oven as described. Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb green asparagus
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp dry basil
1 Tbsp dry Italian herbs (mixture of different herbs you can find at the store)
2 garlic cloves, minced

RECIPE

Cut off bottom ends of asparagus (yellow or hard portion).
Put asparagus in a glass or Tupperware container (see above photo).
Add olive oil, herbs and minced garlic to container, mixing well and spreading all over asparagus.
Let stand for 2 or more hours (overnight is okay).
Light barbeque and let it warm up. NOTE: You can also cook in the oven at 400°F for 10 minutes in a Pyrex dish (pre-heat first).
Put asparagus away from the fire and close the lid of barbeque.
Cook for 3 minutes and then turn over.
Cook another 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve. It should be flavorful and crunchy. Enjoy!

NOW FOR SOME IMPORTANT NEWS!
We are honored that Dr. Danielle Lane, MD and Medical Director of Lane Fertility Institute, has joined our Advisory Board. She will be able to answer any medical questions you have re: fertility treatments, and also how nutrition, acupuncture and other healing modalities can enhance success. Dr. Lane is a huge patient educator and big supporter of complimentary medicine to optimize fertility and enhance ART and IVF success. We are grateful to have her on our board!

Upcoming Event - We have an info-packed cooking workhop coming up at the Whole Foods Market in Sacramento, CA on Sept. 26 at 3pm. Visit our events page for details!

photo: from our cookbook (c) 2009

Diet and the Thyroid-Fertility Connection

2010-08-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

FIRST SOME NEWS
We have another 90-minute cooking workshop with Whole Foods in Sacramento on Sept. 26 at 3 p.m. Hope you can come, and if you can't, please spread the word to others. We want to affect change in our collective health and fertility! For information, please see our Events page!
If you missed our TCM/TV webinar on Eating for Fertility, you can still watch it here (it will open in a new window and start to play): http://prodseminars.na4.acrobat.com/p60758263/

Finally, we'll be going on vacation to Costa Rica soon. Can't wait! We definitely could use a nice, relaxing break. Look to catching up with you when we get back (although I'll still be posting here).

THE THYROID FERTILITY CONNECTION AND NATURAL SOLUTIONS
We are honored today to have our advisory board member, Karen Reynolds, L.Ac., M.S., R.N., of Balanced Restored Center, write a guest blog for us on the topic of thyroid function, how it impacts fertility, and the dietary solutions that can make the difference. This is part 3 of a 3-part series.

Part 1: Hashimoto's Disease
Part 2: Hypothyroidism

Part 3: Dietary changes and supplements to support women's thyroids (posted here!)

PART 3: Here is Karen's blog post.

In Parts I & II, I discussed the typical signs and symptoms of Hashimoto’s disease, hypothyroidism, the biophysiology of these instances, and some helpful lab tests used to evaluate your thyroid function.

This section will give you some practical nutritional and supplemental tips to support your thyroid function and in turn your fertility.

As I’ve noted in Parts I and II, one of the biggest, life long practices, which benefits your fertility health, your immune system and your thyroid health, is to cut gluten out of your diet. The amazing and wonderful thing about our modern world is there are so many quality, gluten-free alternatives easily available. One of my patients recently traveled to Nigeria and she even found gluten-free bakeries and alternatives there! Next time you are in a restaurant, ask if they have a gluten-free menu. You may be surprised to find that more and more establishments are providing gluten-free options. One local pizzeria in my town even has a gluten-free pie and gluten-free beer.

I love Tinkyada brown rice pastas. These products are readily available online and in most health food stores. The consistency and flavor is practically seamless compared with traditional wheat based pasta.

Next I want to discuss some basic and inexpensive supplements that benefit everyone not just women seeking to fall pregnant. However, if pregnancy is your goal, this is important.

A majority of today’s population is Vitamin D deficient. We tend to think of Vitamin D as necessary in the body for strong bones. This is true. However Vitamin D is vital for immune health, reducing inflammation, and helping to regulate how certain genes are activated or inactivated in the body. How does this affect you and your fertility?

As I discussed in Part I, Hashimoto’s disease of thyroid is an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune issues of all types are greatly influenced by challenges to the immune system and levels of inflammation in the body. Having adequate Vitamin D in your body will temper autoimmune flares, support your immune system and help to lower inflammation. In essence it will allow your system to go about the business of baby making as opposed to putting out fires. Acupuncture, which is my specialty, is also known to reduce inflammation and improve immune status. Combining acupuncture with diet and life style changes greatly enhances your fertility.

In my acupuncture fertility practice, I routinely check and monitor Vitamin D levels. This is easy, inexpensive and vital for your health. The Vitamin D council recommends maintaining a serum Vitamin D level of 50-80ng/L and supplementing each day with 4,000-5,000 IU/day of cholecalciferol. Avoid ergocalciferol as studies show that it is not effective in raising Vitamin D levels. For more information, see www.vitamindcouncil.org.

Listed below are some foods naturally highest in Vitamin D. You can incorporate these selections into your daily diet to improve your Vitamin D intake.

Mushrooms, potatoes, spinach
Vitamin D fortified orange juice
Soymilk
Herring catfish, mollusks oysters, salmon, halibut
Col liver oil, sardine oil.

My recommendations for my patients diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease include daily:

Vitamin D supplementation
Fish oils
Glutathione (topical cream)
Superoxide dismutase (topical cream)
Gluten-free diet

Note: You can also get vitamin D from sunshine. Twenty minutes in bright sunshine (without sunscreen) yields about 10,000 IU. However, if you are at high risk for skin cancer or have fair skin, this is not a good option. Check with your dermatologist for concerns about the sun’s harmful effects on the skin. I have found that most people don’t get enough sun exposure and require supplementation.

I have greatly enjoyed sharing this information and I look forward to providing you with future posts. In my acupuncture clinic, I specialize in the treatment of fertility of both men and women, women’s health, and functional endocrinology. More of my fertility patients have thyroid issues than those who do not; so this is a treatment passion of mine. Drawing from my 20 years of experience as an ICU RN, I make extensive use of lab testing. I also utilize acupuncture, antioxidants, dietary changes and nutritional supplementation to optimize health, wellness and vitality for the amazing women and men who I have the great honor to treat.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at: kreynolds@balancerestored.com

Balance Restored Center for Integrative Medicine

600 Miller Avenue

Mill Valley, CA 94941

Ring: 415.381.8500 Ext. 4

See my blog for additional information.

photo by: http://singularityhub.com/2009/06/29/vitamin-d-and-fish-oil-time-to-put-up-or-shut-up/

Your Fertility: 10 Ways to Improve Your Egg and Sperm Quality Naturally

2010-08-11T21:25:00.000-07:00

This week I'm honored and thrilled to have Iva Keene write a guest blog for us. Iva Keene is a qualified, accredited and internationally recognized naturopathic physician and natural fertility specialist, author and speaker who has helped thousands of couples with fertility problems on their path to pregnancy. Based in Switzerland, Iva is a compassionate and highly ethical practitioner and a strong advocate of natural fertility education. Iva has taught her safe, effective Natural Fertility Prescription (NFP) method to couples in more than a dozen countries. For more information on her work, visit her website at: http://www.natural-fertility-prescription.com/.

10 STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE YOUR EGG AND SPERM HEALTH
The natural approach to treating infertility aims to address its root causes, by addressing all of the body systems, rather than just focusing solely on the reproductive system. Many couples who can’t fall pregnant suffer from a combination of sub-clinicalconditions. These conditions can’t cause infertility on their own but – in combination – they can substantially reduce a couple’s probability of conceiving naturally and with IVF.

The rate of success of IVF is (on average) 25% per single attempt. Studies show that by following a natural preconception program prior to attempting IVF the success rate is increased to 47.1% per single attempt. I always advise couples to undertake a preconception program as a first step to improve their egg and sperm health. By following this approach if IVF is still needed the success rate of each attempt is nearly doubled by combining it with a natural preconception program.

Here are 10 strategies you can immediately implement to; improve your egg and sperm health, boost fertility naturally and increase your IVF success.

1. Minimize your exposure to toxic chemicals. Exposure to environmental toxins (in the form of industrial chemicals) both in utero and neonatally may dramatically affect adult fertility. Most chemicals used in everyday life do not go through the same checks medicines do. Consequently; poisonous chemicals end up circulating in our environment, food supply, air and water.

Occasional exposure to one of these chemical is not of concern. What is of concern is accumulation of these chemicals over a long period.

2. Try to drink filtered water whenever possible. Unfortunately, our waterways are constantly being polluted by industrial waste and byproducts, pharmaceutical drugs, pesticides and herbicides and commercial cleaning products. Heavy metals are the most common of the reprotoxins reaching our water supply through industrial waste, jet fuel exhaust residue and a variety of other sources. And increasingly pharmaceutical drugs are increasingly being detected in tap water.

3. Aim to eat an optimal fertility diet. An optimal fertility diet is about what to avoid as much as it is about what to include. A fertility diet should be as fresh and organic wherever possible. Key elements include: (i) good quality protein sources (favor vegetable sources of protein) and; (ii) good fats. Here is a suggested list of types of foods to consider:

Organic meat in small quantities, game, small deep sea fish like sardines and red snapper, organic legumes home cooked (not canned).
Whole grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruit in season, organic where possible.
Increase your consumption of good fats and avoid dangerous fats. Good fats include; monounsaturated fats in olive oil, polyunsaturated fats in oily fish and nuts and mid-chain fatty acids found in coconut oil.
For cooking use clarified butter (ghee) or coconut butter (without flavor) as they do not become unstable when heated.
For non heated oil requirements (salads etc) use cold pressed olive oil, flaxseed oil and nut oils.

4. Avoid trans fats. Did you know that consuming trans fats hidden in foods, such as doughnuts, biscuits, lollies, candy, chocolate, chips, pies, fries, and thousands of other foods may increase your risk of infertility by as much as 70%? Scientists from the Harvard University School of Public Health advise women wanting to get pregnant to avoid all trans fats. Trans fats are mostly listed as ‘hydrogenated fat’ or ‘hardened vegetable fat’ or simply ‘vegetable fat’.

5. Minimize animal derived estrogens. Dairy products account on average for 60-70% of estrogens consumed. Humans consume milk from cows in the second half of pregnancy when cows estrogen levels are high. We usually associate dairy and drinking milk with calcium, and never think about what else we may be consuming along with it (and dairy, by the way is not the best source of calcium). Hormones that have been found in cows milk include prolactin, somatostatin, melatonin, oxytocin, growth hormone, lutenizing releasing hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone, estrogens, progesterone, insulin, corticosteroids and many more. Do you think an excess consumption of all these hormones could disrupt your own hormonal balance? You bet! Consumption of milk has been linked to certain cases of male infertility.

6. Avoid the two most common allergens. The link between food intolerances and anti-sperm antibodies is now well established. Studies have found that women with multiple allergies and food intolerances were more likely to miscarry. An overactive immune system is more likely to attack its own body cells. From an immunological point of view an embryo and sperm cell are foreign bodies. But Mother Nature was clever; she programmed our immune systems to distinguish between an everyday invader and a sperm cell or embryo.

The two most widely spread food intolerances are gluten and dairy. I recommend all my patients have an IgG immunoglobulin test done to check if you are dairy and gluten intolerant. But since most people have some level of allergy to gluten and/or dairy, it’s advisable to avoid gluten and dairy altogether during the preconception and pregnancy period.

7. Have an STD check. Most people believe both they and their partner are STD free. However there are some STDs which can be asymptomatic, meaning that you may not be aware you have them, as there are no obvious symptoms. One such STD is a Chlamydia infection. In men, a Chlamydia infection can lead to sperm abnormalities including sperm antibodies. In women, it can lead to scarring,blocked tubes and miscarriage. Most STD’s are easy to treat, so it pays for both partners to have an STD check.

8. Implement stress reduction exercises into your daily wellness routine. It is has been confirmed that stress has an enormous negative influence on our reproductive health. In addition, difficulties with trying to conceive produce as much stress as someone facing a life-threatening health problem or situation. It’s imperative to implement strategies to reduce stress on a daily basis. There are plenty of ways to do this, and include such things as regular exercise, deep breathing techniques, yoga or other slow-stretching exercises, and meditation. The folks at Circle +Bloom specialize in daily relaxation and mind-body exercises to implement to help reduce stress and unlock the powers of the mind’s healing power. They have a free MP3 fertility relaxation program to begin immediately.

9. Minimize intake of coffee and alcohol. Stop smoking immediately. The studies and research findings of the effects of coffee on your fertility are mixed. But one study showed an alarming result. It found as little as 1 cup of coffee per day increases the risk of not conceiving by 55%. Try switching your daily caffeine with a healthy alternative like green tea. Alcohol has also been shown to be harmful to women’s eggs and men’s sperm. And although it’s been known for a long time that drinking while pregnant is a no-no, drinking before pregnancy has been largely ignored.

Smoking and recreational drugs can also reduce your odds of conception. A study tested the effects of cigarette smoking on semen quality in men and found that sperm motility (ability to propel forward) decreased in light smokers while heavy smoking produced abnormal sperm shape. Scientists have discovered that quitting smoking may increase sperm count in men who quit smoking for 5-15 months by 50% – 800% respectively.

10. Take a good quality preconception and pregnancy supplement. Regardless of whether you are eating organic produce and a healthy diet, you are unlikely to be getting all the nutrients your body needs for optimal fertility from your diet. This is why supplementation is important. Getting pregnant and growing a new
human being with your own reserves, requires a surplus of nutrients and energy. In your body’s accounting terms, pregnancy is a luxury, a splurge of energy and nutrients.

For more detailed information on treating infertility naturally including specific information on all fertility nutrients, the right dosages, fertility diet, what to avoid, and the influence of stress and sleep on fertility, please refer to my fertility program The Natural Fertility Prescription which goes into much more detail on this topic. If you want to undertake a preconception program or address a specific fertility condition naturally, I highly suggest you buy the actual NFP program – see my website Natural-Fertility-Prescription.com for more info.

Fertility Diet: Some Helpful Resources

2010-08-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

FIRST, SOME NEWS I had a great time teaching my webinar on Eating for Fertility with TCM TV today. As soon as I get the link to it I'll post it on our website and on our Fertile Kitchen Fan page, so you can watch in case you missed it.

Also wanted to mention that there are still spots left in Dr. Danielle Lane's Facing Fertility event at Greens Restaurant in San Francisco on Aug. 12 next week. I'll be giving a talk on Eating for Fertility (and building healthy eating into your life), plus there will be great food and goody bags (which will include our book). The event is free, but you must RSVP. Send me an email if you'd like to attend (cindy@fertilekitchen.com).

RESOURCES
Today I thought I would provide a few helpful resources to support you on a fertility diet and on the fertility journey in general. Some of these resources are listed on our website already, and others will be added there soon. So also check out our Resources page, esp. in weeks to come.

Organic Restaurants, Groceries, and Other
It can be hard to eat in and cook ALL the time while on a fertility friendly diet. Here are a couple of resources for finding all things organic in your area:

Eat Well Guide - In KEYWORDS type in Organic and in ZIP CODE type in your zip code (in the US), and then click the FIND button next to the zip code. You’ll be given a list of organic restaurants, farms and much more that offer organic foods.

Organic Consumers - Type in your zip code and select organic foods. It will then display organizations in your area that offer organic foods.

Nutritional Info
Whole Foods Market Nutritional Guide - learn the nutritional value and health benefits of all kinds of whole foods, from fruits and veggies to nuts and grains.

Information
Here are just a handful of sites out there with loads of wonderful, supportive information:
Fertility Authority - loads of useful and interesting information. They're "Daily Shot" (email) of fertility information and tips is great! I also write for this site.
Fertility Wire - put out by Pacific Fertility Center, this site captures the latest fertility-related news.
Fertility Plus - articles and other info here.

Blogging and Message Boards
There are many fantastic fertility blogs out there. Too many to name here. I just wanted to share these two top resources.

The Fertility Blogs - Here you can create your own fertility blog! And build groups, and share information. With contributors ranging from Reproductive Endocrinologists (fertility doctors) to the founder of the innovative mind-body programs Circle+Bloom to those going through infertility, you'll also find a wealth of useful and supportive information. I also write for this site.

Fertility Community - This site provides a huge wealth of information on everything you can think of related to infertility. But what I like best about it is it's huge array of lively and supportive message boards. You can really get the support you're looking for here.

Check these resources out. And if you come upon a great resource yourself, please let us know about it! We'd love to share it with others. Just email to me: cindy@fertilekitchen.com.

All the best to you!
photo: tomatoes from our garden picked yesterday!

Fertility and Mind-Body: How Your Thoughts and Emotions Affect Your Health

2010-07-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

FIRST SOME NEWS
We are honored to welcome certified nutritionist, Virginia Watkins, to our advisory board. Virginia works with women to help them optimize fertility and overall health through good nutrition and great-tasting food. She counsels women from pre-conception through their pregnancies and into post-partum. She'll be helping us to answer some of your nutritional questions.

Also, our next event is our information-packed Eating for Fertility Webinar on Friday, Aug. 6 at 2:00 p.m. We'll be including a free downloadable PDF preview of our book. This is a FREE event; so sign up!

Finally, we are grateful to have Joanne Verkuilen, founder of Circle+Bloom, write a guest blog for us today. Her well-researched, innovative mind-body fertility programs are amazing, so please check them out. We've even reviewed their program, and what visualizations are all about, in a previous blog.

PSYCHONEUROIMMUNOLOGY... YOUR SUPERPOWER!
We all have a superpower and it is called the internal communication between mind and body.
The fancy and scientific name for it is Psychoneuroimmunology, which means your thoughts and feelings (psycho) affect the chemicals in your brain (neuro), which affects the hormones that fight disease or replicate viruses (immunology). Research centers have sprung up at Harvard, Ohio State, the University of Rochester, the University of Miami, and UCLA to continue to expand the understanding around the mind-body connection.

The revolution of the acceptance of the mind-body connection can be partly traced back to Norman Cousins, according to Anne Harrington, a professor of the history of science at Harvard University. In the 1970s, Cousins, the editor in chief of Saturday Review, was hospitalized with a mysterious, crippling disease. Doctors diagnosed degenerative bone disease that would eventually kill him. Cousins, facing a death sentence, decided to take matters in his own hands. Checking himself out of the hospital and into a hotel room, and he decided to wage war against his disease by flooding his body and cells with laughter and good cheer.

Knowing that research at the time proved that negative effects and emotion were bad for you, he decided to do an experiment and see whether or not good emotions could have a positive effect on your health. He felt he had nothing to lose and began his treatment regimen by constantly watching funny and uplifting shows and movies. Non-stop. He found that 10 minutes of belly laugh gave him 20 minutes of pain-free sleep. Slowly but surely, he laughed himself back to health. His experience was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and thus began the movement towards scientists and researchers under the field of Psychoneuroimmunology.

It’s my understanding, however, that even though Psyconeuroimmunology is as widely accepted today by scientists, it’s still not taught in medical school. Thinking back on my own experience with infertility, it was a “neck-down” problem treated with fertility drugs and procedures.

We know the tools we can employ to unlock this connection, so for us, it is very exciting to share this treatment approach where YOU take control and YOU can wage your own war with laughter, good cheer – and other tools such as relaxation and guided visualizations.

Our goal is educate and promote the concept of using simple and easy-to-use mind-body programs that are effective and allow women to feel in greater control over their health, fertility, mind and bodies.

This is an edited post that was first published on our special blog on Fertility Authority. If you haven’t done so already, you should really explore the wonderful resources that website has to offer.

photo by: trcs.wikispaces.com

Fertility Diet: Foods You MUST Eat Organic

2010-07-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

FIRST SOME NEWS
We have two upcoming events this weekend: a cooking demo at DOMUS in Willow Glen, San Jose, and a talk + food tasting at read.booksellers in Danville. For times and details, please visit http://www.fertilekitchen.com/workshopandevents.html.

CBS in Kentucky aired a story about us and our book for their special report on food and fertility. To watch one of the two reports, click here. It's the 3rd and 4th video on the page. Thanks Reporter/anchor, Ann Bowdan!

WHAT YOU MUST EAT ORGANIC
When trying to conceive it's important to eat an all-organic diet. I believe it's especially important to eat meat organic due to the added growth hormones and antibiotics that get added. The same goes for dairy, should you choose to consume that (we recommend eliminating dairy).

But what about all those fruits and veggies out there? Must we eat all of them in organic form? Well, if you must skimp on organic produce here and there to save money, or you simply can’t find the organic versions in your local market, just know that some produce is better than others. The following produce is the least likely to test positive for pesticides, according to the Environmental Working Group, so if you have to skimp on organic someplace, these are your better bets.

onions
sweet corn (although a lot of corn tends to be genetically modified)
sweet peas (note, though: these include a natural contraceptive)
asparagus
cabbage
eggplant
sweet potatoes
avocados
pineapples
mangoes
kiwi
cantaloupe
watermelon
grapefruit
honeydew

On the other end of the spectrum, these are produce you definitely want to buy organic, as they tested with the highest levels of pesticides:

peaches
strawberries
apples
blueberries
nectarines
cherries
grapes
celery
sweet bell peppers
spinach
kale
collard greens
potatoes
cucumber

Additional sources of information like this: http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods and http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-top-10-foods-to-eat-organically.html#

To help save money eating organic, buy produce in season (when it's cheaper) in bulk and freeze for when it's out of season. For many other tips on how to save money while eating organic, see my recent blog at FertilityAuthority.

Also check out these two great sources on how to eat organic on a budget: http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/cheap/20040901a1.asp and http://www.greenfeet.net/newsletter/eatorganic.shtml

Summer is a great time for fresh produce. Enjoy it now!

Photo by http://www.evap.co.uk/index-2.html

Fertility Diet Makes a Difference When Conceiving in Your Forties

2010-07-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

FIRST SOME NEWS AND EVENTS
CBS spent two and a half hours at our house filming us yesterday, all for a special report on fertility and food. It was exciting and fun. Thank you Chris Mistrot and Gretchen White of CBS 5 in San Francisco, and Ann Bowdan of CBS in Louisville, Kentucky, who originated this story.

We also have a couple of major events coming up. Please email me if you can attend!! We'd love to see you there.

EVENT 1
When: Saturday, July 24, 1:00 to 2:00 pm
Where: Domus, a cooking store, 1395 Lincoln Ave., San Jose, CA (downtown Willow Glen)
Description: During downtown Willow Glen’s annual sidewalk sale, authors Cindy Bailey and Pierre Giauque, Ph.D., will demonstrate how to create one of the simple-to-make, flavorful recipes from their cookbook while also sharing the secrets to changing your diet to optimize good health and increase chances of getting pregnant. They’ll also share time-saving tips to make shopping for healthy ingredients and cooking the recipes much easier! Come enjoy the healthy cooking--and food tasting!
RSVP: Call Domus owner, Kathy Haren at 408-279-4787 or email us at info@fertilekitchen.com. Drop ins are also welcome!

EVENT 2
When: Sunday, July 25, 2:00 pm
Where: read. booksellers, 3630 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Danville, CA
Description: Food Tasting and Book Signing at Read Booksellers in the Blackhawk Mall
Join co-author Cindy Bailey as she discusses her book, The Fertile Kitchen Cookbook: Simple Recipes for Optimizing Your Fertility, and talks about eating for fertility and good health. Food samples will also be available for tasting, and books available for signing!
More info: Please see readbooksellers.com or call Vicky at (925) 736-9090.

CONCEIVING IN YOUR MID-FORTIES? - ABSOLUTELY
I recently heard the rumor that Celine Dion finally did succeed in becoming pregnant, and is now carrying twin boys. Hooray! She did not give up. She is in her early 40's, so yes, it can be done, especially when we take care of our bodies, minds and spirits.

How about conceiving naturally when you're 45 or older? Possible? Yes, it is. Today I'd like to share with you the inspiring story of a woman who defeated the odds to naturally conceive at 45 and give birth -- an all-natural water birth at home, no less -- at the age of 46. Her amazing story just re-enforces my belief in the power we all have to make a difference in our own well-being and health.

Maha al Musa is a Lebanese mother residing in Byron Bay, Australia. She had PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) and was told at age 32 that she would never be able to conceive naturally. She gave up smoking, drinking and worked to improve her health to give birth to her first son, who is today 13. She felt a vacation--being completely relaxed--contributed to the conception, in her late 30's, of her second son, who is today 10.

But conceiving her third child naturally at 45 seems especially amazing. Close to age 41 Maha al Musa began a low GI (Glycemic Index) diet; that is, a diet of foods that do not adversely affect blood sugar levels. We know that spikes in our blood sugar are NOT good for fertility and conception (or our health for that matter). She said she was very strict. "In the first year I ate no bread, pasta or rice and only green apples for fruits. [I ate] mainly protein and veggies, nuts and seeds, low-fat dairy...."

Along with her cleaner diet, she also took herbs and had acupuncture. She also had her partner eliminate wheat and sugar and reduce dairy, plus also take Chinese herbs, vitamins and minerals. Maha al Musa also adds, "I think this helped greatly, along with regular sex." For her daughter, she was with a new partner and was in love. "I also believe the love vibration was very strong," she says. I also believe that feeling the love for your partner aids conception.

Almost five years later, at 45, she conceived her daughter, who is today 21 months old. She has this to say: "I always, always sprout on about a healthy diet being for me the number one BEST thing a woman (and man) can do for her (and his) fertility. I am a very strong advocate of healthy diet with strong will power! For the guys, too. Plus herbs, acupuncture and clarity of mind and spirit."

She also counts herself as an ex-PCOS woman, verified by her having a regular cycle, feeling great, and an ultrasound that showed it gone after the birth of her second son.

Maha al Musa also felt the change in her diet made her feel "lighter in mind, body and spirit." She felt very inspired, healthy and "alive" with life. Today she is a doula and founder of Belly Dance For Birth. Check it out! To learn more about her story, read these:

http://flowerpowermom.com/wordpress/?p=1098
http://hakimamidwifery.blogspot.com/2010/03/interview-maha-al-musa-creator-of-belly.html

I want to thank Maha al Musa for sharing her beautiful story with us. I also want to thank Angel La Liberte, also a mom of two, having conceived naturally at 42 and 44!! as she runs a wonderful, inspiring blog for women who conceive naturally in their 40's. Please check it out! http://www.flowerpowermom.com/index.html

Our story was recently featured in Angel's blog here: http://flowerpowermom.com/wordpress/?p=1937

Diet and the Thyroid - Fertility Connection, Hypothyroidism

2010-07-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

For today's blog, we are honored to have our advisory board member, Karen Reynolds, L.Ac., M.S., R.N., of Balanced Restored Center, write a guest blog for us on the topic of thyroid function, how it impacts fertility, and the healthy, dietary solutions that can make the difference. This is part 2 of a 3-part series. Part 3 will be posted next month:

Part 1: Hashimoto's Disease
Part 2: Hypothyroidism (posted here)
Part 3: Dietary changes and supplements to support women's thyroids

HYPOTHYROIDISM AND FERTILITY
Thyroid hormones literally impact every cell of your body. It is no surprise that then your thyroid gland is stymied, getting pregnant can be more difficult. Unfortunately, thyroid dysfunction is a poorly understood health issue which directly impacts both male and female fertility. This article will give you some basics on the biology of hypothyroidism--the condition in which your thyroid gland doesn't produce enough of certain important hormones--and why it impacts your ability to fall pregnant.

Many women have an understanding that sluggish thyroid function can manifest as extreme fatigue, feeling cold all of the time, and loss of scalp or eyebrow hair. However here are some additional significant signs and symptoms, which are less commonly discussed but are vital to your reproductive health.

Do you have any of these?

Heartburn
Bloating
Gas
Fatigue combined with cravings for starchy goods
Mood swings
Chronic constipation
Slow digestion
Diminished libido
Difficulty losing weight
Cholesterol elevations

Male specific signs and symptoms:

Impotence
Sperm production issues of unknown origin

Female specific signs and symptoms:

Headaches, migraines, and/or depression occurring at mid-cycle
Heavy or irregular menstrual bleeding
Hot flashes/night sweats even though your FSH and Estradiol are within normal limits
Uterine fibroids
Uterine cysts

Heartburn, bloating, and gas: why do you have these and why does it make a difference in your fertility? The hormone gastrin is necessary to make Hydrochloric acid (HCl) in your stomach. You need HCl in order to kill parasites, prevent food poisoning and prime your lower gastrointestinal tract to complete the digestion of foods. Sometimes women think of stomach acid as a bad thing; but in reality an acidic environment is needed in the stomach for healthy digestion.

If you have hypothyroidism, the amount of gastrin your stomach makes is decreased. This leads to less efficient digestion and can show up as bloating, heartburn and gas.

Without adequate HCl the lower organs of digestion, such as the pancreas and gall bladder, are not adequately signaled to do their jobs. Evacuation of your bowels can slow down and this can lead to overgrowth of yeast and bacteria in your intestinal tract. All of these wrenches in the gears of digestion drastically impair the amount of nutrients absorbed by your body. Mal-absorption can lead to inflammation and infection. Low-grade intestinal infections are typically and easily overlooked. If this sequence of digestive patterns occurs, your body will focus its energies upon survival as opposed to baby making.

At the risk of sounding like biophysiology class topic, let’s talk about how your thyroid and liver function impacts your fertility. The liver is the largest organ of your thorax and is the powerhouse of processing and eliminating hormones, medications, environmental chemicals and food matter. You may be familiar with some laboratory levels drawn for assessing your thyroid. These can include, but are not limited to, the following: Triiodothyronine (T3) and Thyroxine (T4).

Your thyroid makes both T3 and T4. Roughly 93% of the hormones produced by your thyroid are T4. Roughly 7% of the hormones produced by your thyroid are T3.
The clincher is that your optimal cell functioning requires the T3 form. The conversion of T4 into T3 happens primarily in your liver and some conversion occurs in your intestinal tract too.

It makes great sense that if you liver is overwhelmed with other jobs of detoxification, or if your liver is not receiving enough T4 from your thyroid, or if there is an infectious process in your gut, your cells may not be getting the basic levels of thyroid hormones they need for optimal functioning. Remember your body’s rule of thumb is that it is most fertile when all other nutrient and energy producing processes are humming along in perfect order. It’s all connected.

So now that we’ve talked about mechanisms of action in your body, let’s talk about mechanisms of action for you to take to improve your fertility.

Get evaluated.
It is necessary to get a full metabolic blood chemistry panel work up and have it analyzed by a qualified MD, Endocrinologist or an Acupuncturist specializing in endocrine issues. I do such assessments daily in my clinical practice in Mill Valley, CA. Benefits an Acupuncturist can bring to you are multifaceted. For example, I can order lab work at significant discounts compared to unspecialized labs, community hospitals, large corporation labs, or HMO’s. Additionally, acupuncture has the ability to reduce stress hormones, detoxify, improve circulation and reduce inflammation.

Maintain stable blood sugar levels by eating breakfast, eliminating inflammatory foods, and eating every 2-3 hours. This is not just a message for diabetics. Erratic blood sugars cause a cascade of biophysiological events, which ultimately impact your fertility.

Eat breakfast. Your brain needs nutrition even if you do not feel hungry in the morning. If it’s difficult for you to eat in the mornings, begin by taking only several bites at time. It doesn’t matter if you nibble for an hour to get a breakfast portion consumed. An optimal breakfast has a high quality protein, a low-glycemic grain and a small amount of fat. Two fried eggs over quinoa with several slices of avocado is an ideal combination to stabilize blood sugar for hours. Cold, gluten-containing cereal is not your friend in fertility. Cold beverages, juices, and dairy are all items which dampen and challenge digestion.

Eliminate inflammatory food items from your diet-the main one being gluten. Even if you are not gluten sensitive, gluten is a highly inflammatory substance. It is like throwing gasoline on a fire. If you have inflammation in your system, there is already a fire burning. Help quench it by choosing gluten free selections such as rice, quinoa and potatoes.

Eat every 2-3 hours and make sure you have some protein with your snack. Always eat carbohydrates with some protein otherwise you’ll experience a spike in your blood sugar followed by a crash. If you after eating a portion of carbohydrates, you feel drowsy, fatigued, or you crave sweets immediately, you have gone over your personal carbohydrate tolerance. That is a crash. Experiment with smaller portions of carbohydrate and larger portions of protein.

Remember you have a glorious, wise human body and you have the power to educate yourself about your fertility and life choices!

Stay tuned for Part III of the Thyroid Fertility Connection!
Thank you, be well, and Namaste.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at:
kreynolds@balancerestored.com
Balance Restored Center for Integrative Medicine
600 Miller Avenue
Mill Valley, CA 94941
Ring: 415.381.8500 Ext. 4
See my blog for additional information: http://karen-reynolds.com

Fertility Diet: Surrendering, the Hardest Part

2010-07-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

FIRST SOME NEWS
We had a great time at our Sacramento book launch party. Thanks again to the sponsors! We also had fun with Stefanie Cruz and Lisa Gonzales on Good Day, Sacramento TV. We'll have a link up on our site soon.

Upcoming events: Please come!

July 25, 2 pm - Bookstore reading and food tasting at read booksellers in the Blackhawk Mall in Danville, CA.
Aug. 6, 1 pm - Free live Webinar on Eating for Fertility, worldwide.You'll be able to register starting next week: click here or email me at info@fertilekitchen.com to get you on the list.
Aug. 12, 5 pm - Special, classy event hosted by Dr. Danielle Lane at Green's restaurant in San Francisco. I'll be talking about Eating for Fertility while you enjoy healthy, organic food and walk away with goody bags. To RSVP, call Jodi of Golden Gate Fertility at 415-893-0391.

SURRENDER
I believe one of the most important steps in your fertility journey--and one of the hardest--is to surrender. Do everything you can to optimize fertility: change your diet, do mind-body programs, practice yoga, research answers, consult doctors. And then, let go, surrender, and allow the mystery to unfold.

Surrendering is NOT giving up, it's accepting what is, and letting go of resistance. Once you do that, amazing things can happen. By now many of you have probably heard stories of those who got pregnant while "taking a break" from fertility or after adopting a child or after giving up. The pressure is "off," your body opens up and is more ready to receive.

I won't write too much more on this topic because I just realized I've written about it before in more detail here: The Power of Surrender. I will say this, though, it can be hard to get to a place of surrender - before it is imposed upon you by your finally giving up. A practice of daily meditation, wherein you remind yourself you're doing the best you can and then let go to allow the universe to bring you answers, can help. Mind-body techniques, support groups, and just plain talking and journaling can all help you reach a more serene place in your journey. I recommend Randine Lewis' book: The Way of the Fertile Soul and Dr. Alice Domar's book: Conquering Infertility to help.

Wishing the best of health.
photo (c) by Peter Bowers

Your Fertility Diet: One Aspect You Can Control

2010-06-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

FIRST SOME NEWS...
We are very excited about our upcoming events:

Tonight's webinar on Eating for Fertility, in association with IABPP.
Our TV spot on Good Day, Sacramento (CBS/CW31) tomorrow morning at the 8a.m. hour (June 24), in which we'll be doing a short cooking segment.
Our fabulous, exciting Sacramento book launch party (also June 24th at 6:30 pm), where there will be great food, wine, music, and free prizes, including FREE FERTILITY MEDS!, compliments of our host, Sher Institutes for Reproductive Medicine (SIRM). For details, please visit our events page, and to see a list of our sponsors, please visit here.

Second, we are honored to have Dr. Robert Greene, Medical Director of SIRM, our gracious host, and the author of several books, write today's guest blog for us on an important topic: food, fertility and empowerment. His own blog, The Greene Guide to Pregnancy and Fertility, is filled with resourceful information. Check it out!

YOUR FOOD CHOICES ARE ONE ASPECT OF YOUR FERTILITY ONLY YOU CAN CONTROL
by Robert Greene, M.D.

I have long understood that the one of the most frustrating aspects of trying to conceive is the loss of the sense of control. My insights were only deepened when my wife and I went from being fertility treatment specialists to just another couple that deeply wanted a child. I’ve long tried to advise my patients on what steps that they can take to empower themselves by correcting their diet and lifestyle. Here’s an excerpt from my book PERFECT HORMONE BALANCE FOR FERTILITY (p. 61) on the relationship between dietary choices and fertility:

"Food has always been intimately linked to our ability to reproduce. A quick look back to primitive times provides evidence of how our bodies function and reproduce most naturally. The fertility rates of our hunter-gatherer ancestors ebbed and flowed with the availability of food. A bountiful fall harvest would result in a springtime boon in deliveries. During times of drought and famine, fertility rates would drop—a natural protection against malnourished pregnancies. In these extreme circumstances, the brain’s nutritional sensor would literally turn off the hormonal signals to ovulate, a response that still lingers in our society today as witnessed in people with anorexia, who starve themselves. But history doesn’t provide us with any insight on the opposite condition—the impact of an over-abundance of food on fertility. In today’s world of sustained food production, we are learning that calorie excess can be just as, if not more, harmful to fertility as food deprivation. It causes its own set of hormone imbalances that shut off the brain’s fertility signals. So, too, does the type of food we eat—processed high sugar, high-fat foods—and the food we don’t eat enough of—fruits, vegetables, and fiber. Fortunately, the artificial and unhealthy diet we have created can easily be corrected."

In my book, I go on to explain the latest scientific evidence supporting the link between nutrition and pregnancy. Even though I have gone through efforts to translate the latest science into helpful tips for people to incorporate into their own diet and lifestyle, Cindy Bailey has gone one step further. She’s actually created a wealth of tasty recipes to guide individuals and couples through the steps toward to producing a healthier and more fertile future. Having achieved her own successful pregnancy, I applaud the efforts she’s now putting forth to help others.

Fertility and the Infamous Semen Analysis

2010-06-17T11:17:00.000-07:00

After last week's blog on male infertility, I thought this topic would make for a great follow-up. We are honored to have our advisory board member, Karen Reynolds, L.Ac., M.S., R.N., of Balanced Restored Center, write a guest blog on this topic for us. Thank you, Karen!

FIRST, SOME NEWS
We will be on TV doing a cooking demo at 8 a.m. on June 24: Tune in to Good Day, Sacramento, CW 31 to watch.

Also, our Sacramento book launch party is next week! There will be great food, wine, music and a free raffle drawing for prizes. Pierre and I will also do a cooking demo be on hand to answer questions, along with our host, Dr. Robert Greene of Sher Institute of Reproductive Medicine (SIRM). Other sponsors include: MDR Pharmaceutical Care, Vinoce and Elevensance Cellars. Our publisher: 3L Publishing.

When: Thursday, June 24, 2010, 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Where: SIRM, 2288 Auburn Blvd., Suite 204, Sacramento, CA 95821
RSVP: 916-568-2125 (Sher Institute) or email us at info@fertilekitchen.com

WHAT'S BEHIND THE SEMEN ANALYSIS by Karen Reynolds
A semen analysis, often colloquially called a “sperm count”, is not used only to count sperm.
It also evaluates sperm production (quantity) by the testis, assesses how the sperm are moving (quality), and examines secretions of the genital tract. A semen analysis does not singularly determine a man’s fertility. Many additional factors must be reviewed and considered. From the standpoint of processing of semen samples: not all labs are the same. In my fertility acupuncture practice, I have stopped sending my patients to larger, unspecialized laboratories, such as those in community hospitals or large corporate labs. This article reviews pros and cons about the types of options available and important considerations for collection for the most accurate results. At the end of this post, I have additionally listed some definitions and terminology.

Semen samples are best processed in an “andrology” lab. Such labs are generally associated with Urology or Reproductive Endocrinology offices. This is important as a semen analysis is a time-sensitive procedure that requires a certain level of technical expertise to perform accurately. Processing by an andrologist is inherently superior for multiple reasons. Firstly, an andrologist has advanced training and skills in assessing semen samples and extensive experience in proper handling. Secondly, dedicated andrology labs typically have state of the art equipment with more accurate counting chambers and more formal analytical methodologies. In unspecialized lab settings, semen specimens frequently are relegated to the least senior technician on site, or to the technician available at that moment. For that reason the specimen may be handled and processed by less experienced individuals.

A study published in The Journal of Human Reproduction in 2000 showed marked variability in the same semen samples analyzed at different facilities. Results for the same semen specimen ranged from a count of 3 million sperm/ml to 492 million sperm/ml. Erroneous results can be emotionally devastating, can cause unnecessary stress, can change the course of medical care, and are wasteful.

In other words: your semen analysis results from an unspecialized lab might tell you that
Elvis is in the building but it won’t go into detail about how many cheeseburgers he’s eaten or how well his hips are swiveling. Yes, this is a campy analogy, but I’m sure you understand my point. If you are going to the trouble of spending time and money to produce a sample, you want it to accurately reflect what is going on with your sperm production.

Additionally I strongly encourage men to schedule the semen analysis in conjunction with a
complete medical history and examination by an experienced Urologist. Beyond the natural drive to father a child, each man needs to be evaluated for a disease processes that may cause an abnormal semen analysis, or for mechanical issues or genetic pre-disposition which might affect not only semen quality but his health in the future. Currently it is accepted that infertile men can have higher rates of testis and prostate cancer after the diagnosis of infertility is made. Unfortunately, the male infertility evaluation is sadly lacking in current conventional practice as the focus has tended toward the women and Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). Please remember: a semen analysis alone is insufficient to inform a couple whether male infertility is a) curable, b) caused by an important health condition, or c) a risk factor for late disease development. .

Another vital consideration is your comfort level and how you are treated. At a Urology office such as The Turek Clinic in San Francisco, CA. you will find professional staff, a quiet, private setting and a seamless process for appointments. You can literally show up at 8AM and be completely done well before noon. In those few short hours the semen analysis is collected and processed. The results are interpreted for you the same day by Dr. Paul Turek, and a comprehensive history and physical exam is completed during a consultation hour. It is commonplace to need to meet on-site with Dr. Turek only once and follow ups can be scheduled per telephone, in the comfort of your home or office. Your time will not be wasted and you’ll come away having had a hassle-free, thorough, reliable exam and testing process.

I hope this article is helpful for your journey to fatherhood and having a family.
In my acupuncture clinic, I specialize in male and female fertility, women’s health, and functional endocrinology. Drawing from my 20 years of experience as an ICU nurse, I make extensive use of lab testing. I also utilize acupuncture, dietary changes and nutritional supplementation to optimize health, wellness and vitality for the amazing men and women who I have the great honor treat.

Below are important considerations for obtaining your semen sample as well as some additional information regarding terms you may see on your results.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at kreynolds@balancerestored.com or at Balanced Restored Center for Integrative Medicine, 415.381.8500 Ext. 4. Also see my blog for additional information: http://karen-reynolds.com.

Semen samples require specific steps in collection and transport. Here are some important directions to assure accurate results.

•Due to religious or personal beliefs, masturbation for sample collection may not be an option for all men. In this case, inquire with your MD regarding use of a Milex sheath or a Silastic Sperm Collection device. These specialized condoms are non-toxic to sperm, yet allow for effective collection.

•Abstain from ejaculation for 2-4 days prior to semen collection. Longer or shorter periods of abstinence will impact your results.

•Consult with your MD regarding appropriate lubricants for use during collection.
Most lubricants are toxic to sperm or otherwise impact the specimen.

•Collect in a sterile container-obtain this from your MD.

•Make sure the entire ejaculate volume is collected. All is necessary for an accurate test.

•Samples must be kept at body temperature. Place the sample in a shirt pocket to maintain the temperature.

•Deliver the sample within 1 hour to your testing lab.

•Always check with your lab facility to be certain other requirements are not necessary.

World Health Organization Limits of Adequacy for Semen Samples (1999)
Volume             >1.5 ml
Concentration         >20 million/ml
Motility             >50%
Morphology         >30%
Forward progression     2 on a scale of 0-4

Semen Analysis Terms and Definitions
Density=            how many million sperm per milliliter of semen fluid.
Motility=            the percentage of sperm with any movement
Morphology=            pertains to sperm shape and physical characteristics
Forward progression=    quality of sperm movement rated on a 0-4 scale

Photo by: http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/090709-sperm-competition.html

The Turek Clinic and a Fascinating Look into the Male’s Experience with Infertility

2010-06-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago I spoke at the annual dinner of a Bay Area REI (Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility) Nurses organization sponsored by Flora Koch of MDR Pharmaceuticals. One of the other speakers was nurse Paula Chavez, LVN, of the Turek Clinic and her talk gave us a fascinating glimpse into the male’s experience and emotions with infertility.

She talked about how the woman drives the process and men try to support and go along (no surprise there), how the men feel helpless in the process, like failures. Unlike women, men don’t share what they’re going through with their buddies; for them infertility is a very isolating experience. Men want to have babies too, they want their DNA to live on.

After her talk, I was hungry to hear more. I felt that if we women better understood what our male partners go through and how they handle and cope with fertility issues—which is very different than how we ladies cope—then we could find ways to lessen the tension that exists between couples struggling with fertility issues. We could create new pathways of communication, and we could learn ways to better support our male partners who, yes!, need our support too.

So, I made arrangements with Paula to speak to her and Paul Turek, MD and Medical Director of The Turek Clinic in San Francisco, which specializes exclusively in men's reproductive health care. As a distinguished and internationally recognized urologist and reproductive microsurgeon, Dr. Turek is very familiar with the unique needs of his male patients and how best to treat them.

Just walking into his clinic you can see even visually that Dr. Turek gets it. The lobby has a high-end, clean modern look, with a surfboard and a stunning, modern painting of a racing car which stretches throughout the room, giving the illusion of speed. It’s a place men can come and feel safe.

WHY A MALE ONLY FERTILITY CENTER?
“Because there’s a sore need for it,” Dr. Turek responded. “Young men with reproductive health issues is the largest underserved population in America today.”

Dr. Turek and Paula explain that the natural path for an infertile couple is to go to a gynecologist and then to an IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization) center, and from there, straight to IVF, without an evaluation.

“When a couple is infertile each partner should be evaluated, and that’s not what’s happening. …In Massachusetts IVF is covered [by insurance]. They get six cycles: bam-bam-bam-bam, and after six cycles have failed the guy is finally evaluated,” Dr. Turek said.

Dr. Turek is concerned. “I’m publishing papers…that say these [infertile] men are getting higher rates of prostate cancer, testicular cancer… something is going on to show that infertility is a marker of a later disease.”

“I had a guy come in with low sperm count. They had gone for an IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) and it failed. It turns out he had prolactinoma, a benign brain tumor… and now his testosterone is low, and he’s feeling crappy. You don’t know what direction he’ll go in; he could go blind, get suicidal, depressed. So we scooped him up and got him going again. Happens regularly.

“My worry is that infertile men get terrible care because of IVF… Because [the clinics] just go right by them, ‘oh you have sperm, go to IVF’ and the guy never gets the exam.”

WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THE MALE'S PERSPECTIVE?
“There is none,” Dr. Turek said. “They don’t know how to deal with it. So that’s the secret to this practice. [We say] that it’s OK, you’re still a guy, nothing’s changed. Because this is something they assumed they’d have no trouble with, and a lot of it is genetics so this it isn’t something they’ve done. There’s a lot of guilt.”

What is the male’s experience and attitude as he goes through the infertility process?

“Here it is," Dr. Turek said. “Men are encouraged to work hard, shut up, be culturally invisible, get the work done, not complain and deal with it.

"So in the man’s world you see several reactions to infertility: deep depression, self blame and guilt – lots of guilt. Or you see men brush it under the rug with no idea of how to deal with it, and it comes back in a destructive way such as divorce.”

Paula added, “The wife is driving [the process] and [the men] just go along with the program to get things done… It’s kind of a denial issue, but they go through the emotions.”

“And then there’s the guy who takes the reins: I’ll go on a diet, lose 30 pounds, and we enable that,” Dr. Turek said.

“But there’s nothing in society that helps these guys. There’s no place to go. Paula is best friends with these guys, because she’s private, outside the house, one person they can confide in. She learns a lot about these guys that no one else knows. When they call, they want a person. They ask for Paula. …She’s better than anesthesia.”

WHY IS THIS CLINIC DIFFERENT?
“They get a serious amount of care here. They’re #1 and they know it. You get an hour with me, a super specialist and have total access to me.”

Dr. Turek also makes a point of treating men the way they’re built.

“Men are not women, they don’t follow up. This is a little of an insult to their manhood, so it’s something they want to go away. …I see them once and teach them everything on that one visit… how to examine themselves.”

“Men are supposed to be busy and working. Treat men in the environment in which they live. Don’t pull them out of their environment and expectant them to do miracles.”

WHAT KIND OF CONFLICTS DO YOU SEE?
“There are always conflicts! How about the patient who doesn’t tell his wife for a year that he’s had a vasectomy and she’s going through IVF?” Dr. Turek said.

Paula told a story of a guy who was doing a semen analysis and then heating it up, so the sample was bad. “He finally said that he really didn’t want to go through this process but didn’t have the balls to tell her.”

There are a lot of secrets, they explain to me. “Men aren’t as in touch. It’s hard for them to express themselves. We handle it by being open and forward about it.”

Paula shares the story of a guy going through IVF who can’t produce ejaculate at the critical moment. His wife was freaked out, screaming at him, which of course didn’t help.

Paula said, “I took him in the room, took his cell phone away… and said she can’t talk to him until he’s done. After talking to him for 20 minutes and letting him vent and catch up on gossip, I said OK I’m going to leave you alone.” Five minutes later, he emerged with cup in hand.

“This is a typical story,” Dr. Turek said.

There have been so many dramatic stories that a well-received play, Sperm Warfare, written by a former patient of Dr. Turek’s, was based on this clinic’s collection room.

Dr. Turek uses his experience and knowledge to solve problems. “A good urologist understands getting the kid is not the same as fixing the man.” He gave an example of a guy with low sperm count. “We could increase his sperm count, but with the time it takes to do that, her eggs get old, so we have to look at other solutions.”

Dr. Turek admits that in the end what he wants is the Christmas Card. The one with the baby in it.

HOW DO MEN HANDLE FERTILITY ISSUES? ...AND CULTURAL, RELIGIOUS CONSIDERATIONS...
"Quietly, secretly."

You also have to look at cultural and religious differences, Paula said. “There are some cultures in which it’s so intense that they have a baby that they don’t even tell their families they’re going through this because they’re afraid of the response. And some cultures don’t believe in IVF or any assisted reproduction, so they keep the secret between them because they don’t want the families to find out or else they’ll be disowned.”

Dr. Turek added, “There’s a measurable suicide rate among infertile Hispanic men. Divorce rates are definitely appreciable and suicide rates are measurable. …Same thing with the Middle-Eastern community.”

Dr. Turek relayed this story: “I’m treating this guy from the Middle East, and for 10 years he could not accept no. People took advantage of him and did a lot of IVF procedures.” When he came to Dr. Turek, he had to tell him he simply had no sperm.

“[Infertile men represent] a very quiet 15% of the population, much quieter than diabetics, which is about the same,” said Dr. Turek.

SUPPORT FOR HOLISTIC APPROACHES
In his practice, Dr. Turek supports natural methods of optimizing fertility and health, recommending acupuncturists and others. His handout on a holistic approach includes maintaining a well-balanced diet low in fat and sugar, emphasizing whole grains, fruits and vegetables; antioxidants (vitamins A, C, E); stress reduction (massage, yoga, acupuncture, with biking being OK), and more.

Visit his website, and library of resources, to learn more! http://www.theturekclinic.com/ and his blog http://turekonmenshealth.com/

Fertility and the Mind-Body: a Review of Circle+Bloom™’s Innovative Fertility Program

2010-05-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

FIRST, A QUICK NOTE...
I'll be on vacation next week, exploring the canyons in Utah, so I will skip next week's blog... but will be back the week after with a fascinating report on Dr. Turek and the male's perspective on coping with fertility issues. Stay tuned!

CIRCLE+BLOOM and MIND-BODY
When I was trying to conceive, not only did I put myself on a strict fertility friendly diet, I also employed a number of mind-body techniques to reduce stress, promote healing and encourage success. Specifically, I did yoga for fertility three times a week, meditation or guided relaxation for 20 minutes every day, and ten-minute visualizations twice a day.

Within four months, against the odds, I got pregnant and later delivered a healthy baby.

It is well-understood, and scientifically proven, that the state of our minds and emotions affects our physical health, sometimes dramatically, and that mind-body techniques—therapies such as mediation and guided imagery, which focus on the interaction between mind and body—can make a huge difference.

Here’s just one example: Dr. Alice Domar conducted a Harvard study which demonstrated that 55% of the infertile women who participated in her ten-week mind-body program conceived within 6 months afterwards—and these women had been trying for years!

So I feel it’s important to participate in some form of mind-body work or healthy relaxation while trying to conceive, and Circle+Bloom™’s innovative fertility program could provide the perfect solution.

Their program wasn’t around while I was trying to get pregnant, otherwise I would have snatched it right up! Their convenient, 6-CD set (or downloadable equivalent) contains twenty-eight 15-minute audio sessions to be listened to daily over the course of one monthly cycle, averaged to 28 days. Each daily session uses a combination of soft, calming music, words and guided imagery that, according to their website, is “designed to help your body manage stress and understand what it needs to do to get ready for conception.”

Each 15-minute session is organized roughly into three parts: (1) full-body relaxation, (2) physical visualizations, or guided imagery, of what your body should be accomplishing on that day of your cycle; and (3) visualization exercises to strengthen your emotional state or optimistic feelings.

WHY I LOVE IT!
So here is why I just love this program, think it’s brilliant.

First, Circle+Bloom™ spends the entire first half of that 15 minute session putting you into a deeply relaxed state, and I mean DEEP. I’ve used guided relaxation CD’s before, and have not felt as deeply relaxed. You’re listening and you think you’re totally relaxed, and then the soothe, calming voice guides you even deeper.

To accomplish this, Circle+Bloom™ uses progressive body scan techniques, along with having you imagine, for example, a relaxing, vibrating energy field, or a heavy blanket securing you, or your sinking into a warm bath.

For this benefit alone, I’d buy the CD set. Eliciting what Dr. Alice Domar, author of Conquering Infertility, calls the relaxation response significantly helps us manage overall stress, something critical while trying to conceive. Once you come out of the session, you tend to stay calm for a while. Getting deeply relaxed in the first half of the session has another benefit: it makes you more open and “suggestible” to the guided imagery portion that follows, making the effect of visualization even stronger for you.

Second, Circle+Bloom™ uses physical visualizations that follow your monthly cycle, meaning on certain days you’ll be visualizing what your hypothalamus and pituitary glands are doing, and how they’re communicating with your ovaries, and later in your cycle, you’ll be imagining your “ball of new life energy” burrowing into the cushy lining of your uterus. Beautifully, softly.

I know of no other mind-body program that follows your cycle like that! According to their website, they “harness the incredible power of the mind to help ovulation, fertilization and ultimately implantation and pregnancy.”

POWER OF VISUALIZATIONS
At this point you may be thinking, how can this be? How does it work? Well, let me diverge a moment to explain.

Images in our minds have a powerful effect over our thoughts and emotions which in turn can have a physiological effect on our bodies. On his website, Dr. Andrew Weil describes it like this: “[Guided imagery] takes advantage of the connection between the visual brain and the involuntary nervous system. When this portion of the brain (the visual cortex at the back of the head) is activated, without receiving direct input from the eyes, it can influence physical and emotional states. This, in turn, can help elicit physiologic changes in the body, including therapeutic goals.”

In their brochure, Circle+Bloom™ says, “Scientific research has proven [visualization techniques] can lead to physical changes in the body and heal life-threatening diseases such as cancer or heart disease.”

In the audio introduction, Circle+Bloom™ founder Joanne Verkuilen tells the story of a small boy who imagined “shooting” his cancer away, and after a period of time (months?) he felt it was gone, and turns out, it really was! This story comes from Love, Medicine and Miracles, by Bernie Siegel, MD, who has also endorsed Circle+Bloom™’s program.

As I always say, we have more power than we think we do to make a difference in our health!

I really enjoyed some of the other visualizations too, such as the one around ovulation time in which I looked into my partner’s eyes. This gave me such a rush of love and attraction for my husband—who was nowhere in the room, by the way—because in our day to day lives, honestly, we never look into each other’s eyes.

I also like the image, around Day 5 or 6, of writing negative thoughts on a paper and tossing them into the fire.

ONLY 15 MINUTES A DAY
Finally, the third reason I really liked this program is that it only took 15 minutes a day! This is a very small commitment considering the lasting effects you get back.

Founder and co-CEO of Circle+Bloom™, Joanne Verkuilen, originally created this program to help a friend who was struggling to conceive. She herself had been diagnosed with PCOS and had difficulty conceiving. Her sister, Susan Cooke, co-CEO, later joined Circle+Bloom™ on their mission to help others and make a difference.

Not only is their program endorsed by Bernie Siegel, MD, but their website is filled with numerous success stories! In addition to a natural cycle plan, Circle+Bloom™ also has a program specifically designed for those going through IVF. To learn more, visit the following links:

Free trial (to get a taste): http://www.circlebloom.com/download-free-trial/
Programs they have: http://www.circlebloom.com/get-started/
Program Benefits and Features: http://www.circlebloom.com/product-overview/

Additional Resources:
Dr. Weil's Guided Imagery
Healing Visualizations (a book I used)

Diet and the Thyroid - Fertility Connection, Hashimoto's Disease

2010-05-20T13:13:00.000-07:00

FIRST THINGS FIRST...
Briefly, I wanted to share that Elevensance Cellars and Vinoce Winery will be sponsoring their fantastic wines at our book launch party in Sacramento on June 24th. More news on this exciting event coming soon.

For today's blog, we are honored to have our advisory board member, Karen Reynolds, L.Ac., M.S., R.N., of Balanced Restored Center, write a guest blog for us on the topic of thyroid function, how it impacts fertility, and the healthy, dietary solutions that can make the difference. Thyroid problems are on the rise, impacting fertility, so it's important to pay attention to the health of our thyroid.

This is part 1, of a 3-part series, which will appear monthly:

Part 1: Hashimoto's Disease
Part 2: Hypothyroidism
Part 3: Dietary changes and supplements to support women's thyroids

HASHIMOTO'S DISEASE AND FERTILITY
Elizabeth is a hardy, healthy small business owner known for her creativity, drive and sense of humor. In the last 2 years she has fallen pregnant easily; but has had 3 miscarriages, each early within the first trimester. Her medical doctor had attributed her pregnancy losses to advance maternal age. Following the last miscarriage, she began noticing that her energy level seemed inordinately high, even after 12 hours of hard work. She also began spontaneously losing weight. This pleased her; but it was peculiar that neither her diet nor activity level had changed.

Next she started experiencing heart palpitations and feeling as though her insides were quaking. Friends and family dismissed it as anxiety, overwork and stress, though Elizabeth is not an anxiety prone woman. These symptoms culminated in awakening one morning with double and blurred vision and a headache so severe that she could not drive or function.

It turns out that Elizabeth has Hashimoto’s disease-an autoimmune disease of the thyroid. Autoimmune means that the body attacks itself or identifies its own tissue as foreign. It is important to realize that with Hashimoto’s disease, women can have fluctuating bouts of BOTH Hyperthyroid (fast/overdrive) and Hypothyroid (slow/sluggish) symptoms. For some women, the symptoms change rapidly from week to week.

Hashimoto’s disease is complex with regard to how it disrupts fertility and can contribute to recurrent miscarriage. During hypothyroid bouts, the disease impacts progesterone production. During hyperthyroid bouts, the disease imparts extreme inflammatory stress and temperature dysregulation. The matter is further complicated by the fact that some women have the commonly checked TSH blood level (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) registering within “normal” ranges; yet they do have Hashimoto’s disease.

For your review below are listed typical Hyperthyroid and Hypothyroid symptoms.

Hyperthyroid Symptoms:
Heart palpitations, heart racing
Agitation
Anxiety
Nervousness
Feeling like your interior of your body is trembling
Insomnia
Loss of weight without diet or activity change

Hypothyroid Symptoms:
Marked fatigue, despite getting enough sleep
Unable to lose weight, even with a strict nutritional intake
Gaining weight, even with a strict nutritional intake
Poor concentration
Memory loss
Hair loss/thinning: on scalp, body, and genitals
Loss of outer edge of eyebrows
Extremely dry skin
Dandruff
Constipation despite fiber, fluids, and over the counter medications

By the time Elizabeth saw me for acupuncture, she was physically and emotionally drained.
I was stunned to find that nowhere along her course of evaluation were blood levels for antibodies drawn. This is a must. Labs called Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Antibodies (abbreviated TSH Ab), had been drawn to rule out Graves Disease. These were indeed negative for Elizabeth; but she still had Hashimoto’s.

There are two basic and inexpensive antibodies blood tests, which should always be run when there is a question of thyroid disease or Hashimoto’s. In my practice, I routinely order these markers. My patients pay $29 for each test plus a $7 lab draw fee.

Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies abbreviated TPO Ab.
Thyroglobulin Antibodies abbreviated TGB.

Elizabeth had extremely elevated numbers of both Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies and Thyroglobulin Antibodies.

Conventional medicine does not typically recognize these steps, which autoimmune patients can actively take to attempt to quench the inflammation that occurs within their bodies due to autoimmune thyroid issues. This may be one reason why antibody draws are often not completed. The conventional medicine tack that is frequently taken is that the thyroid will eventually be burned out, so to speak, by the body’s repeated autoimmune attacks. Then the woman will simply be on thyroid hormone supplementation for the rest of her life.

What about the woman’s body, mind and spirit weathering the extremes of these overdrive states? What about the physiological impacts to a woman’s overall health during these flares? Any woman who has ever experienced this phenomena will tell you she wants options.

HEALTHY SOLUTIONS
In addition to seeking medical care and acupuncture, here are some things you can do to take care of your own thyroid if you have or suspect you have Hashimoto’s disease.

By following these self-care measures, you can assist your body in more optimal hormone regulation and reduction of inflammation, so as to improve your chances to fall pregnant.

First of all: see your MD and acupuncturist. Have the appropriate labs assessed and interpreted to determine the function of your thyroid.

CUT OUT GLUTEN FROM YOUR DIET - FOREVER
This is a strong statement, I realize. There are voluminous amounts of evidence that gluten is akin to gasoline on the fire of autoimmune issues. Sometimes my patients will say to me “Can’t I just have a slice of birthday cake once a year?” Please note: one exposure to gluten revs up your immune system for up to 8 months. One slice of birthday cake could have long standing impacts to your thyroid, causing a flare.

An autoimmune thyroid flare can in turn cause your body to attack your thyroid.

You have power within your habits to attempt to preserve your thyroid’s function. Avoiding gluten is one power you can exercise.

I will have more information on gluten and how it affects the thyroid in Part III of this series. Complex carbohydrates that are OK to include in your diet are potatoes, rice, quinoa, and wheat-free oats.

AVOID IODINE SUPPLEMENTATION AND IODATED SALT
This may seem counter intuitive. From a biophysiology standpoint, iodine stimulates increased production of Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO). For a woman who has antibodies (Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies TPO Ab) to her own TPO, this surge of TPO can cause flares. Sea salt is fine. Cook your own food as much as you can.

The other iodine warning is to avoid, if possible, scans requiring use of intravenous iodine based dye. Patients generally must sign consent for the iodine contrast dye to be used. Chemically flooding your system with an iodated dye can do exactly the same thing as iodated salt. However a contrast dye injection is in far greater quantities and infused directly into your blood stream. With any testing procedure, you all must weigh the pros and cons. Actively consider these with your MD, should it be necessary for you.

INCREASE ANTIOXIDANTS BOTH IN YOUR DIET AND WITH SUPPLEMENTATION
We often hear about antioxidants associated with warding off cancer or used in anti-aging protocols. If you have Hashiomotos disease or suspect it, your body will use antioxidants to quench that flaming fire of inflammation caused by the autoimmune response. The great thing is that antioxidants are abundant in green leafy vegetables, they are widely available as supplements, and there is plentiful information about them on-line. Cindy Bailey and Pierre Giauque’s fabulous book The Fertile Kitchen(r) Cookbook models a diet naturally high in antioxidant rich foods to nourish your body. Additional information on antioxidants will be provided in Part III of this series.

In my acupuncture clinic, I specialize in the treatment of fertility of both men and women, women’s health, and functional endocrinology. More of my fertility patients have thyroid issues than those who do not; so this is a treatment passion of mine. Drawing from my 20 years of experience as an ICU RN, I make extensive use of lab testing. I also utilize acupuncture, antioxidants, dietary changes and nutritional supplementation to optimize health, wellness and vitality for the amazing women and men who I have the great honor to treat.

Stay tuned for Parts II and III of the Thyroid Fertility Connection! Be well and Namaste.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at: kreynolds@balancerestored.com
Balance Restored Center for Integrative Medicine
600 Miller Avenue
Mill Valley, CA 94941
Ring: 415.381.8500 Ext. 4
See my blog for additional information: http://karen-reynolds.com

Fertility Foes: 6 Things You'll Wish You Didn't Know

2010-05-13T22:41:00.000-07:00

I had a great time teaching a class on healthy eating for conception at Blossom Birth last Saturday. I also had the opportunity to sit in on Elisabeth Manning’s class, called Baby Spirit meditation, which is profound and beautiful. Learn more on her website, www.consciousconceptions.com.

I also wanted to share that we’re having a third and final book launch party in Sacramento on June 24! This exciting event is being hosted by Dr. Robert Greene of Sher Institute of Reproductive Medicine and promises plenty of healthy food, good wine, music, a cooking demo and free raffle prizes! If you’re in the area, I hope you can make it to this exciting event!

THINGS I (ALMOST) WISH I DIDN’T KNOW
I’ve written often about the fact that our environment and what we eat affect our health, profoundly. The more I research, the more I learn about harmful substances in either our food or environment or way of living, and often I’m hit with the sensation, “Oh, geese, I wish I didn’t know that.” But of course, knowledge gives us power to make informed choices; we just need to pay attention and take action when and where we can– for ourselves and our environment.

So here’s a list of things I (almost) wish I didn’t know:

1) That plastic water bottle you're drinking from leaches hormone-disrupting chemicals into the natural, purified water it contains. That’s right, a 2009 study out of Germany raised concerns about the safety of those bottles, which you can read up on here. Not good for reproduction. Choose to drink your water from a stainless steal container instead. Since we're talking about plastics... know that most plastic products show a number on the bottom indicating the type of plastic used. According to Dr. Greene, you're going to want to avoid those with the #3, #6 and #7

2) Dioxins, which are chemical contaminants resulting from industrial processes, find their way into our air, soil and water. They accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals, such as cows, and there isn't a darn thing organic farming methods can do about that. So if you eat meat, eat it organic and lean.

3) As many as 97% of Americans have detectable levels of the flame retardant chemicals, Polyprominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, in their blood. These chemicals can be found in materials such as the foam in seat cushions, plastics that coat kitchen appliances and computers, and television sets. Now that's just crazy! Go here to read more.

4) Trisocan, a chemical added to many personal care products for its antibacterial action, has been found to interfere with hormones crucial for normal brain development and function and reproductive system development in animal studies. More information at WebMD, including how to avoid such products.

5) Nail polish is the worst “hormone disruptor” of all cosmetic products out there. Ladies – avoid while trying to conceive. Nail polish contains phthalates, and, according to Dr. Greene's book, Perfect Hormone Balance for Fertility, can cause an imbalance between testosterone and estrogen that can boost the growth of errant endometrial cells. Sadly, phthalates are used in a large variety of products. Try and go for green or safe cosmetics too. Here's one option: Generation to Generation Pregnancy.

6) The long-term negative impact of pollutants and poor diet (with too many over-processed foods) and stressful, unhealthy lifestyles on the body can cross generations, meaning your child will be less healthy than you, and her child even less healthy. I wrote about this in a previous blog. For more info, also look into the fascinating topic of hormonal imprinting. It's so important to eat right when trying to conceive, and while growing that embryo!

All of this may be scary to hear, I know, but as mentioned, knowledge is power. We can turn things around for ourselves and for future generations, by the choices we make.

Wishing you much health!

Upcoming blogs will include a guest blog from Karen Reynolds, MS, LAc, RN, who is on our advisory board, writing about thyroid and wheat and fertility. I'll also be writing about my visit with Paul Turek, MD, of the Turek Clinic in San Francisco and the whole fascinating male perspective on infertility. I will also be including a long overdue review of a beautiful, effective mind-body product from Circle+Bloom, which I can't wait to share with you.

photo by: http://www.metcegypt.com/Our%20Courses/Chemical.htm

Fertility Question: Is a Short, Light Period Enough To Get You Pregnant?

2010-05-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

FIRST, SOME NEWS
It's official: we have a date for our third and final book launch party. It will be June 24, 2010, 6:30 to 9:00 at Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Sacramento, CA. Thank you, Dr. Robert Greene for hosting us! There will be great food, wine, music, raffle drawing for amazing prizes and a fun cooking demo. More information coming as the plans get lined up.

Tomorrow I'll be visiting the Turek Clinic to talk to Dr. Turek about the male's perspective in coping with infertility--their attitudes, emotions, perspectives -- and what males can do specifically to enhance fertility naturally. Looking forward to it!

For today's blog, I'm grateful to Dr. Kate Fox of the Los Gatos Chiropractic and Wellness Center for answering a reader's medical question.

IS A SHORT, LIGHT PERIOD ENOUGH TO GET YOU PREGNANT?
Question: You know how your period becomes shorter when you age? Do you think having a two-day period is still enough blood to be able to get pregnant?

Answer by Dr. Fox: Yes a two day period is enough to conceive. Many women with short and or light periods still conceive. Too light or short of a period can be a sign of hormone imbalance though. A couple examples of hormones involved in fertility, especially involving the ovaries and uterus are estrogen, progesterone and FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone). These are conventionally tested by blood but they can also be tested by saliva or urine. FSH levels tell you how much effort is needed for your ovaries to produce eggs. Estrogen and progesterone need to be present in sufficient but not excessive amounts and also in balance to provide an optimal fertile environment in the uterus.

Eating a healthy diet is a good place to start for fertility. Also, there are botanicals (herbs) that can help to nourish and tone the uterus such as mitchella and raspberry, making for a more fertile environment. Natural medicine is often a great place to start to help get the body optimally healthy for increased fertility and a healthy, comfortable pregnancy.

My addition: For a list of foods that help build blood, you may also want to see my previous blog: Feeding Your Uterine Lining.

Fertility Recipe: Chicken with Portobello Mushrooms

2010-04-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

FIRST, SOME NEWS
Pierre and I just got back from the RESOLVE conference in Seattle and had a great time. We met some fantastic people, all of whom have been (or still are) on the fertility journey themselves. Emily Newman did a great job of organizing and running the conference. Her opening statement included inspirational words from Dr. Alice Domar: "If you want to be a parent, you will." This is what motivated Emily through her journey, and today she has two-year-old twins.

We also meet Renee Bornfreund, author of Persevering Through Infertility and a fantastic advocate of using natural means to support and enhance fertility. She also changed her diet and conceived 5 months later in her early 40's. What kept her motivated? She would ask: do I want this cup of coffee or a baby? Made the choice easy!

We also met mind-body professional, Carol Knopf, Yoga for Fertility expert, Lynn Jensen, and others from wonderful, supportive organizations, including sponsors Acupuncture Northwest, Northwest Center for Reproductive Sciences, Pacific NW Fertility, SRM and too many others to list here.They had lots of giveaways including a FREE IVF! Finally, it was really great to connect with the attendees and talk to them about their journeys. We did our lunchtime cooking demo and talk, and served up our Garbanzo Beans.

While there, I also visited a couple of fertility clinics and was interviewed by The Pregnancy Place in Portland on Eating for Conception. It was all a good time, even for our 4-yr.-old, who stayed with friends while we ran around.

FERTILITY RECIPE...
Because I promised another recipe... here is one which we often do at workshops. Easy and yummy - rich tasting without the dairy, wheat or sugar. Also, mushrooms provide an excellent source of selenium, an important nutrient in fertility.

Ingredients:
6 pieces of chicken breast tenderloins (or 2 chicken breasts), about 12 to 16 oz
1/2 large onion, diced (1/2 cup)
1 tsp rice flour
8 oz of Portobello mushrooms
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp basil
1/2 cup of water (for the broth)
1 Tbsp vegetable broth

Recipe:

Remove stems off mushrooms and chop into 1/4-inch cubes.
Cut chicken into small pieces (about 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch x 1 inch).
Pour olive oil onto a non-stick skillet.
Stir in diced onion and cook on low heat for 5 to 10 minutes until onions are transparent. Stir constantly to ensure onions don’t burn (they are translucent but not brown).
Add rice flour, vegetable broth and water. Mix well.
Add mushrooms, cover with lid and cook for 3 minutes.
Pull mushroom sauce to sides of cooking pan in order to leave a hole in the middle, and then add chicken to center.
Add spices on top of chicken (salt, pepper and basil).
Cook uncovered for 5 minutes. (If using full chicken breasts instead of breast tenderloins, cook for 7 minutes.)
Stir chicken into mix and cook another 3 minutes.
Mix well and cook another 2 minutes, and then serve.

Fertility Diet: Is Vinegar Allowed? Doesn't It Contain Sugar? Also: Conversations with Heartfelt Healthcare Providers

2010-04-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

FIRST, SOME FLASH NEWS - Meeting Heartfelt Healthcare Practitioners...
Infertility Awareness Week starts on Saturday, Apr. 24! Search for RESOLVE Events in your area - or on the Internet. We will be at the RESOLVE conference in Seattle giving a cooking demo + brief talk. Please stop by!

We also want to welcome another distinguished member to our Advisory Board: Karen Reynolds, MS, LAc, RN, a registered nurse and fertility acupuncturist at Balance Restored in Mill Valley, California. For the past nine years, Karen has practiced acupuncture and oriental medicine with a specialty in women’s health, fertility issues, functional endocrinology, and management of perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms. She's very knowledgeable and is a great asset to Fertile Kitchen(R)! You'll hear more (and learn more) from Karen soon as she will be answering reader questions on our soon to come community pages, as well as periodically in this blog.

While there, I also met Karen's colleague, Susan Fox, MS, LAc, FABORM, CEFP, another amazing, warm, knowledgeable fertility acupuncturist. We talked about the need to surrender, which can be so difficult when trying to conceive (we are so attached to having that baby). It's important, though, to acknowledge that you're doing the best you can, and then let go and allow the mystery to unfold.

I also had a wonderful conversation with Karen Wells, a doula and co-producer of The Pregnancy Place, an informative site and radio show on pregnancy and mothering based in Portland, OR. She hears from many potential clients who tell her they can't wait to be pregnant, and she is all about giving hope where there is little or none. I'm honored to be interviewed for her show about preparing the body for conception to air on Apr. 27. Tune in!

FOOD QUESTION ABOUT THE SWEET IN VINEGAR
A reader asked an excellent question: Is vinegar allowed? Doesn't it contain sugar (which is not allowed)? Can I marinade with it?

The answer is YES, vinegar is allowed BUT check the list of ingredients on the label to make sure no additional sugar or flavorings or anything else has been added in (which happens with some varieties). Here is the low-down on vinegar:

If it’s fully distilled (as in white distilled vinegar) the vinegar contains NO sugar. The sugar from the apples or grapes is converted to acid via a fermentation process.

The makers of other varieties of vinegar, such as Organic Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar (from Trader Joe's), will stop the fermentation process short so that some of the natural sugar from the apples or grapes remain. These varieties are still OK because the sugar is natural and it is assumed that you will consume them ONLY in small amounts. (In other words, you’re not going to pour yourself a glass of vinegar and drink it up in one shot.) So, using as a marinade or salad, for example, is OK.

Then there’s the third variety of fancy vinegars that add sugar (and other "goodies") to the pure vinegar to create new flavors – such as the Tuscan Balsamic Fruit Marinade that someone gave us as a gift. These are NOT allowed because of the added sugar (and possible other additives). So check labels!

Here’s a fun article on the topic from the Vinegar Institute
And another fun article here.

Next week: It's been a LONG time since I've posted a recipe. I will post one next week for sure: Chicken with Portobello Mushrooms - another favorite at our cooking demos and tastings!

Photo by: http://palscience.com/health-medicine/natural-body-fat-weapon-revealed/ which has this to say about vinegar, by the way: "According to a study conducted in Japan, ordinary household vinegar used to make oil-and-vinegar salad dressings appears to turn on genes that help fight fat." Interesting...

Fertility Diet and Hormonal Health

2010-04-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

FIRST, SOME NEWS
Pierre and I will be at the RESOLVE Family Building Conference in Seattle on Apr. 24, doing a cooking demo and brief talk. This is an amazing conference! And affordable too. Hope to see you there!

Also, we would like to welcome two members to our Advisory Board. Dr. Kate Fox, DC, and her associate Dr. Jennifer Walker, DC, both chiropractic doctors at the Los Gatos Wellness Center, where they work alongside two naturopathic doctors. Because their main focus is on women's hormonal health (seeing many women trying to conceive in their clinic) and they've received rigorous training in clinical nutrition, they are perfectly suited to our Advisory Board. They graciously offer their knowledge, expertise and time to help us better accommodate readers' questions.

In today's blog, Dr. Kate Fox, DC, answers a reader's question on diet and hormonal health--and the amazing effects of a good diet. Thank you, Dr. Fox!

QUESTION on DIET AND HORMONAL HEALTH
How does the fertility diet impact overall hormonal health. Do individuals who maintain this diet after giving birth experience less PMS? Do they have fewer thyroid issues? Does it affect cortisol levels? As my daughter eats this diet along with us, I also wonder what effect it may have on her long-term hormonal health.

ANSWER by Dr. Fox
You asked some thoughtful questions and I definitely agree with Cindy that the answers are yes, yes and yes. The diet Cindy outlines in her book [which involves cutting out processed sugar, trans fat, overly processed foods, wheat and dairy, and keeping or adding in all organic foods with plenty of vegetables, lean protein, “good” carbs, healthy fats, and so on ] is a great way to positively impact your hormonal health. It is a diet that is not only great for fertility but provides a great basis for eating for the entire family.

Your daughter will benefit from less processed foods and less foods that negatively impact her female hormones. This may lead to better focus and engagement in school, less illnesses, generally a better mood/behavior at all ages, less PMS/acne and a smoother puberty. This type of diet is also often used in prevention and treatment of female health disorders such as endometriosis, ovarian cysts and fibroids, so your daughter is also ahead of so many women who wait until they have a dysfunction in their hormonal health to eat healthy.

Your entire family will have less burden on their liver, immune system and digestive tract as well. This should in turn allow your body to spend more time defending itself against disease, rejuvenating and keeping energy up as well as just being able to do daily processes more efficiently. This puts less stress on the thyroid and adrenal glands so they will be able to better make and regulate thyroid hormone and cortisol. Some of the things this affects are your sleep wake cycle, ability to adapt to stress, immune system, allergies and weight. Diet is a daily medicine that can play a huge role in hormonal health. It is important to note that not all hormonal dysfunction can be treated by diet alone. Sometimes testing and/or further treatment is needed to get to optimal health. Diet is then needed to maintain that health.

I am always happy to see people taking such an active role in their health.

photo by: http://www.tranquillitytherapies.co.uk/phdi/p1.nsf/supppages/2663?opendocument&part=2

Pollution and Increasing Infertility

2010-04-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

FIRST, SOME FLASH NEWS
Just wanted to report on the talk I gave at the Northern California Reproductive Nurses Journal Club’s annual dinner last week. Graciously hosted by Flora Koch of MDR Pharmaceutical Care, the theme was REI Holistic Approach-East Meets West, with a panel discussion that included acupuncturist, Karen Reynolds, MS, LAc, RN, Allison Chamberlaine, RN, and Peggy Orlin, MFT, who lead the Mind-Body Workshop at Pacific Fertility Center, and Paula Chavez, LVN of the Turek Clinic.

I learned a lot from the other speakers: from Paula, about the male's perspective going through fertility issues; from Karen, the fascinating workings of acupuncture and food choices to bring about optimal health; and from Peggy and Allison, what they witness and what is accomplished in their wonderful mind-body workshop.

POLLUTION AND INCREASING INFERTILITY
I periodically get asked why the number of people coping with fertility issues, estimated in 2002 to be at 7.3 million in the U.S., is increasing. Of course it’s true that more women than ever are waiting until they’re older to bear children and it’s harder to do so after age 35, and especially after 40. But the reason I point to is: pollution.

By pollution, I mean the myriad of environmental contaminants in our air, water, soil, food and consumer products. According to the report of the Summit on Environmental Challenges to Reproductive Health and Fertility, which took place in 2007, “Exposures [to environmental contaminants] during critical windows of susceptibility may result in adverse effects with lifelong and even intergenerational health impacts. Effects can include impaired development and function of the reproductive tract and permanently altered gene expression, leading to metabolic and hormonal disorders, reduced fertility and fecundity, and illnesses such as testicular, prostate, uterine, and cervical cancers later in life.”

Wowa! That is really scary stuff! It’s interesting to note this report also comments on the increasing trouble wildlife is having in reproducing as well. Not just us humans! It seems to me, we have a serious and building crisis on our hands!

(See this recent article about pollution’s negative effect on IVF outcomes, by the way.)

I have written about pollution before, and the need to do the best you can to keep your body clean by watching what you consume, and eating an all-organic diet. But as a group/society, there is obviously much more to be done. According to the same report, approximately 87,000 chemical substances are registered for commercial use in the U.S., and we just can’t get away from all of them. At least, not so easily.

Take the flame-retardant chemicals, Polyprominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, which can be found in materials such as the foam in seat cushions, plastics that coat kitchen appliances and computers, and television set. In her article on PBDE’s and infertility, Dr. Jennifer Gunter explains that, “So pervasive are these chemicals in everyday life that 97% of Americans have detectable levels in their blood.”

Isn’t that just crazy?

Yet, even more frightening is that the long-term negative impact of pollutants and poor diet (with too many over-processed foods) and stressful, unhealthy lifestyles on the body has the potential to cross generations, meaning: your child may be less healthy than you, and her child even less healthy.

This idea was first introduced to me by way of a study on cats called the Pottinger’s cat study, in which Francis Pottinger, Jr., worked with 900 cats, putting them on various controlled diets and observing results over three generations. I won’t go into details; you can read up on it yourself, but basically, the ones eating the “worst” diet (for cats) grew progressively unhealthy (in all kinds of ways) with each generation and never reproduced to a fourth generation. They all died off.

I know this is scary, depressing information!

But the good news is that we CAN turn things around, we CAN make a difference in our own personal health and well-being! A huge difference, just by doing the relative equivalent of turning off our lights and changing to less-energy light bulbs. That equivalent is watching over our diets and our exposure to chemicals.

Our bodies have a truly AMAZING capacity to heal – we just need to give it the right ingredients and environment to do so. I can’t think of better motivation for changing the way we eat: to avoid or eliminate high-mercury seafood, over-processed foods, disgusting trans fat and other unhealthy choices. Choosing to eat all-organic as much as possible, especially for produce and meat, and eating more whole foods, too. It all makes a difference!

If we all ate this way, and decreased our stress, and limited our exposure to chemical-laden products, and worked to reduce pollution in our environments… who knows, maybe we can turn around those increasing rates of obesity and diabetes, cancers appearing and at younger ages, and those with fertility issues.

photo by: http://www.sciencewithmrmilstid.com/category/earth-science/

Healthy Cooking: With Grape Seed Oil?

2010-03-31T22:13:00.000-07:00

FIRST, SOME NEWS…
A lot of exciting events happened in the last couple of weeks. We got back from L.A. where we had a fabulous book launch party and lead two workshops – all went great.

Also, our story on NBC news ended up airing in additional cities in the U.S., including Colorado Springs, CO and Charleston, SC and New York, NY (on Spanish television there). This really helped spread our message that diet makes a difference in fertility!

The ranking for our book on Amazon in the Fertility category went down to #3 (!!) and stayed under #5 for those couple of weeks. Pierre and I also spoke about health and fertility on Bassil’s Saturday afternoon radio program which airs in the Sacramento/Chico area (we’ll add a link to our website soon for this).

We also got a fantastic book review from Circle+Bloom - who themselves have an amazing product. Please do check it out.

OK – enough about us… let’s move on to something for you…

GRAPE SEED OIL FOR COOKING?
While in L.A. a number of people talked about using grape seed oil for their sautéing and other cooking, making it sound like the latest hot (and healthy) trend. So I thought to investigate a little further. Here's what I learned.

Grape seed oil is indeed a healthy choice! - as long as it's the pure stuff without additives or chemicals (from the extraction process). But it's not as stable (doesn't have as much shelf life) as some other oils, unless stabalizers have been added, but you don't want those in your oil! So you'll just need to be careful how you store it - in a cool, dark place as with most oils, or even in the fridge if you're not going to use it for a while.

I want to share more with you about what grape seed oil is, what's in it, it's health benefits and how it compares with other oils, particularly olive oil (which is still one of the healthiest choices in oils). But I have to run - too much going on this week! I will try to come back to this blog in a couple of days to fill it out - and get you the rest of the skinny on grape seed oil. In the meantime, here are some links for you to investigate it on your own:

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/grape-seed-000254.htm
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/cookingfaqs/f/stirfryoil.htm
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-grapeseed-oil.htm
http://cooking-basics.suite101.com/article.cfm/alternatives_to_olive_oil
http://www.aromaweb.com/vegetableoils/grapeseedoil.asp
photo by http://www.bonappetit.com/tipstools/ingredients/2008/10/grapeseed_oil (also with good info on grape seed oil)

Our Los Angeles Launch Party + Celebrity Infertility

2010-03-25T14:38:00.000-07:00

FIRST, SOME NEWS...
We just got back from an exhausting, but fabulous trip to Los Angeles where we celebrated the launch of our book there, plus gave a couple of private workshops. Huntington Reproductive Center (HRC) Fertility, a group with seven clinics in the greater Los Angeles area, hosted our party at their new, chic and stylish Encino office. Dr. Robert Boostanfar gave us a pre-party tour of their modern facilities and I was thrilled to see that they had acupuncture offices set up right next to their egg transfer rooms (the same is true at Pacific Fertility Center where we celebrated our first book launch party.) Dr. Boostanfar has recently been featured in People magazine for helping Bill Klein and Jennifer Arnold of TLC's "The Little Couple" conceive a child (in a recent episode of their TLC show). We also chatted with Dr. Michael Feinman, who is also a proponent of eating right for fertility.

At the party, we celebrated the launch of The Fertile Kitchen(tm) Cookbook with great food sponsored by Whole Foods Market, Sherman Oaks East, and the fab vegetarian restaurant, Real Food Daily (almost nothing was left!), fantastic wine from Elevensance Cellars and Vinoce Winery (not much left of these either!), music and a free raffle drawing for wine and a book.

We had the opportunity to talk about the importance of diet and good nutrition for fertility, and Pierre gave a demo on how to prepare his spicy garbanzo beans recipe while offering tips for making the process of cooking much easier. The audience was more than receptive! We learned they already provide patients with nutritional support for fertility, which is great news! (Wendy Shubin is responsible for that!) We ate well and had a great time! Because we had lived in L.A. for many years in a "previous" life, it was also great to re-connect with so many old friends.

Thank you to all our sponsors for making this happen! Special thanks to Ginger Adams (Marketing Manager at HRC Fertility) and Courtney Layne (Marketing Coordinator at HRC Fertility in Encino) for being the tremendous power and support behind this event. Thank you to all the physicians at HRC Fertility, Encino, for their open support. Thank you to all the patients and others who came - to help us spread the message that you CAN make a difference in your fertility through diet/nutrition!!

We also ran two private workshops/cooking demos and had a ball doing that. We wish our workshop attendees all the best on their fertility journeys!!

CELEBRITY FERTILITY ISSUES...
Because we were in Los Angeles, the apparent home of this nation's entertainment industry, I thought I would share a little about celebrity infertility. I am personally grateful to celebrities such as Celine Dion who have come out publicly with their very personal struggles on trying to conceive. As I mentioned in a previous blog, because of their voice, the rest of us can better understand how incredibly grueling and sensitive it is to go through such an ordeal.

Here are a few other celebrities who have been open about their difficulties trying to conceive and their use of high-tech treatment options. We celebrate them for speaking up!!

Brooke Shields opened up about the difficulties trying to conceive her first daughter, Rowan, after many IVF treatments.
Marcia Cross of Desperate Housewives has spoken out about the medical help she got to conceive her twins and she has also spoken out about the realities and challenges of getting pregnant when you're older (40's).
Angela Bassett and husband Courtney B. Vance struggled for many, many years (seven!!) trying to conceive and finally delivered biological twins via surrogacy in 2006. (so never give up!)
Dixie Chick sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison both used IVF to conceive their two sets of fraternal twins, as well as Emily’s son. They have also been open about their use of IVF.

We celebrate them and all other celebrities who open up about their fertility issues, helping others to understand how very difficult this journey is and also how relatively common it is too! One in eight suffer in the U.S. alone!

Now, if only more celebrities who use donor eggs would open up about that, a veil of secrecy (as it used to exist for adoption) would be lifted and we can go on to more fully accept that families are made in all kinds of ways - and that it's OK. Also, they wouldn't be misleading younger generations into believing they can wait to have their own, biological children at a much older age.

Thank you to all the celebrities who have chosen to speak up about the difficulties of conceiving. Here are more full lists of them.
http://www.nobabyonboard.com/moviestv.html

http://celebritybabies.people.com/2007/02/11/celebrities_tha/
http://www.docshop.com/2008/04/21/older-celebrities-and-fertility-treatment/

Be an Advocate for Your Own Fertility

2010-03-17T22:18:00.000-07:00

This should be interesting. We are at this very moment in the car on our way to L.A. for our book launch party there, and I am attempting to write this week’s blog during the six hour drive. That’ll be a first for me. But the work needs to get done… so let’s give it a try…

Speaking of the book launch party, if you’re in the L.A. area it’s not too late to drop by and enjoy the festivities with us. Location is 15503 Ventura Blvd., Suite 200, Encino, CA. Date and Time: tomorrow, March 18, 6:30 to 8:30. See www.fertilekitchen.com/workshopandevents.html for details.

Be an Advocate for Your Own Fertility
On the topic of being an advocate for your own health, I wanted to share a story I recently heard. Last week, I spoke to Camie Gontier who created My Cycle Diary. She was found to have endometriosis that was so bad she lost one of her tubes and an ovary. For someone who wants a child that is tragic!

What hurts worse, is that this didn’t have to be. If she had been diagnosed earlier, it would not have had to result in such a dramatic loss. She knew something was not right. She had mid-cycle bleeding, but her doctor at the time said all was fine, not to worry. She accepted that, but feels that if she had listened to her instinct instead and investigated the causes of her mid-cycle bleeding more thoroughly or gotten a second opinion back then, she would have had her diagnosis much sooner and been able to prevent losing major parts of her reproductive system. You can read more about her story here.

Message here: Follow your instincts. If something a doctor says – or something you read or hear – doesn’t sound right to you, trust your gut and investigate further. Do your own research, talk to others, get a second opinion. And when it comes to your fertility, although a lot of family practice and OB-GYN doctors are good, find someone that specializes in fertility, a reproductive endocrinologist. And even then, keep researching, keep investigating, keep following your gut until you get the answers that ring true for you.

My friend’s story reminds me of the pre-cycle spotting I used to have – and another example of the need to investigate something further. I think I was in my early thirties when it started. From what I remember, I told my family doctor about it, that I spotted for two or three days before I got my period, and she said (if I remember correctly) that wasn’t really anything to worry about. So I didn’t. I attributed it to aging; my cycle changing with age. I don’t remember if I even mentioned it to my OB-GYN or what she said if I did. Still thought it was really weird, though.

Fast forward to the month I turned 40 after trying for over a year to get pregnant. I had a whole new OB-GYN and also a fertility specialist. I ended up having an HSG test – in which dye is injected into your uterus to see if there are any abnormalities, such as fibroids or polyps. Well, turned out I had three big old polyps in there. Who knew how much those were getting in the way of implantation for the pregnancy I so desperately wanted. My OB-GYN confirmed that the polyps may have been causing the spotting before periods.

I had the polyps removed and I’ve never had pre-cycle spotting again since. So there. The polyps must have been causing this abnormal bleeding and I didn’t know better to investigate further and have those polyps removed sooner. They sat in my uterus for eight or so years.

Moral of both of our stories? When it comes to your health, you have to be your own advocate. Again, you have to listen to your gut and research and investigate until you get answers that ring true to you.

Now, most doctors are well intentioned. Generally, they do what they do because they want to make a difference in people’s lives. They want to help people. But they don’t have all the answers, they don’t know you as well as you do, and besides, everyone is different. One treatment might work great for one and lousy for another. There are so many variables. Keep in mind too that medicine is a practice, not a science; there is room for interpretation.

So, I always advise when going through challenging health issue to use your well-educated, experienced doctors as tools to provide information, help you wade through treatment options, provide educated diagnoses for you to seriously consider, but don’t blindly rely on them to make you all better. Don’t give away all your power like that.

In the end, you are in charge of your own health and well-being. It’s up to you to be an advocate not only of your own health, but of your own fertility too. Especially given how much mystery there is in conception.

Oh, and look: we’re almost to L.A. I actually finished a blog with all the bumps on the road and my 4-yr. old in the back watching Ratatouille on the portable DVD.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to all. Be healthy.

photo by: http://www.dfas.mil/careers/benefits/healthbenefits.html

Fertility Diet: Why Limiting Seafood Is So Important!

2010-03-11T16:15:00.000-08:00

FLASH NEWS
First, some quick news. Our Los Angeles launch party is only ONE week away. There will be food, wine, music and more, and we'll be selling our books there at a discount! For details and to RSVP, click here.

LIMIT SEAFOOD!
You have probably heard by now that you need to avoid seafood, particularly certain types, due to its mercury levels. This is such a shame—and where I get really mad about how we pollute this planet—because fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, an important and healthy fat, protein, B vitamins and essential minerals, such as iron, zinc, iodine and selenium.

But if you’re even thinking of having a baby, you will have to give up seafood that’s high in mercury and limit the rest to one or two servings a week.

In the water, mercury takes the form of methylmercury and that’s the kind found in our seafood. Once in the human body, mercury acts as a neurotoxin, interfering with the brain and nervous system—not good for the health! But worse, once mercury (or methylmercury) gets into our bodies, it stays a while, accumulating in our blood. Our body naturally gets rid of it, but it can take time—up to six months or more.

In the meantime, if we get pregnant, methylmercury passes through our blood to the developing fetus , causing impaired neurological development. An article on the EPA’s website states: “Methylmercury exposure in the womb, which can result from a mother's consumption of fish and shellfish that contain methylmercury, can adversely affect a baby's growing brain and nervous system. Impacts on cognitive thinking, memory, attention, language, and fine motor and visual spatial skills have been seen in children exposed to methylmercury in the womb.”

According to a July 2005 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found in this article, one in 17 (that’s 6%) women of childbearing age have 5.8 micrograms per liter or more of mercury in their blood, which is a level that could pose risk to a developing fetus. According to this same article, some new science indicates that even levels as low as 3.4 micrograms per liter of a blood are a concern.

OK – so don’t panic! In line with the above statistics, most of us do not have those levels of mercury in our blood. However, if you are someone who eats a lot fish, shellfish or sushi on a regular basis, you might want to check with your doctor or naturopath to get your levels checked.

Either way, it’s time to eliminate fish and shellfish that’s high in mercury – usually the bigger fish, which tend to eat the smaller, contaminated fish. According to the FDA, these include swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel, and shark.

For other seafood, choose options with the lowest levels of mercury in them and don’t consume more than twice per week. For a guide on which seafood has the lowest mercury levels, see this FDA chart.

Do eat your fish—it’s so good for you—but be sure to watch what you eat and limit!

Handy Mercury Calculator
List of Mercury Levels in Fish

Excellent information on this topic can be found at this links:

Includes list of high, med and low mercury levels in seafood: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/fishmercury.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/HealthEducators/ucm081877.htm
http://www.epa.gov/hg/effects.htm
http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/effects.asp
http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/oehas/fish/fishfaq.htm#What_is_the_difference_between_mercury_and_methylmercury

photo by: http://www.yachtandboat.com.au/page/cooking_seafood_safely.html

Supporting Your Spouse on the Fertility Journey

2010-03-04T22:40:00.000-08:00

I recently came across a blog post in which a woman who is enduring fertility issues was infuriated at her husband because he wanted to buy an expensive gadget for his car, not getting that they needed to save for infertility treatment. “He just doesn’t get it!” she repeated throughout.

I hear her pain and frustration, and I understand her husband’s woes too. Fertility issues have the potential to squash the life right out of a relationship. Dealing with infertility can be so challenging on many levels—emotional, financial, physical—and as Dr. Alice Domar points out in her book, Conquering Infertility, what makes matters worse is that women and men handle it differently. She writes, “…even though our sensibilities and roles are far different than those of our ancestors, women are still biologically and neurochemically hardwired to want babies in ways that men simply are not.” That says a lot right there! And can explain why we can get so obsessed on the baby trail, so emotional, while our male partners don’t fully understanding the depth of our obsession or emotion.

Although men may seem not to take the whole thing as seriously as their wives do, Domar’s research shows they do feel the pain and they do care; they just react differently than women. Which is why it’s so important to TALK and stay open during this process! Support groups and counseling can also help!

It’s also good to keep in mind that men can feel totally frustrated and completely helpless in their ability to make us feel better. They want so much to help, to do something, but feel there's not much they can do.

With that in mind, I wanted to share something personal my husband wrote: his tips for supporting your wife on a fertility diet, and on the journey in general. Things men can actually do to make a difference. So, from Pierre’s male perspective:

I changed both my diet and lifestyle to support whatever fertility decision was made. It’s too hard for her to do all this if the partner is not doing the same things. I feel it is OK, though, to cheat a little on the fertility diet when eating out, if it is necessary to keep your sanity.
Try not to complain too much when you are tired of the fertility diet and all the overhead it brings. Just pretend that it’s OK, not a big deal, which is true considering all that she has to go through in order to become pregnant. The guy’s job is pretty easy!
Don’t think about the price of the all-organic groceries. Keep in mind that it’s nothing compared to what a kid will cost over the next 20 years. Even the treatments, herbs, acupuncture and other expenses do not add up to the price of raising and educating a child. Anyway, do you really need that new car or a bigger TV ?
Do the grocery shopping and prepare the food. It’s something you can do.
Avoid creating added stress or arguments. Not only is the fear of not succeeding always present, but also all the dietary and lifestyle restrictions, plus time-consuming fertility activities, can make life very difficult emotionally. All the hard work you are doing can be spoiled by stupid arguments and unnecessarily stress.
When you can’t stand it anymore, when you’d really like a cold beer or a particular cheese-laden dish at your favorite restaurant, or you’re simply tired of the whole journey, just push a little harder and know that once the child gets here (or shows up in your wife’s belly), you will be able to have anything you want again. This is just temporary. Your wife will be so grateful for all the support you provided, and that is a priceless reward. You did it together, and it will make your relationship much stronger.
All the sex is great. However make sure you don’t let it become an obligation. She is always looking at the calendar and when it’s time, you better be ready, because she’ll be asking for it. She’ll probably tell you about the date a few days in advance, just to make sure you’re aware of it. It may be annoying, and even lower your desire to have sex, but hey, sex is always good, and even if you are not in the mood, try not to show it.
Tell her that she is pretty (because she is) and be nice (bring flowers, give her kisses). All these things contribute toward making her happy, which in turn can encourage success. She has to be in an environment (and emotional state) that will help us reach our goal: becoming pregnant. And for me, the faster the better. Of course never let her feel pressured by time. But the more you help, the faster it will happen, and the faster you’ll be able to go back to your previous diet and enjoy some of the foods you couldn’t have while on the “fertility diet”.

Can Gluten Cause Fertility Issues?

2010-02-25T21:04:00.000-08:00

FLASH NEWS...
We're all set for a fabulous book launch party in Los Angeles on March 18, 2010. Please visit www.fertilekitchen.com to learn more. Also, Pierre and I will be giving a cooking demo at the RESOLVE conference in Seattle on Apr. 24, a conference I highly recommend if you're in the Northwest.

GLUTEN AND FERTILITY
I have already written about wheat (which contains gluten) and why it needs to come out of your fertility diet in a previous blog. To recap: wheat is, first of all, hard to digest. “It’s like Velcro on your gut,” a chiropractic doctor at a naturopathic clinic told me yesterday. In addition, if you’re sensitive to it—and a large percentage of people are, many without knowing it—wheat can cause all kinds of problems and affect thyroid function. All of this is not good for fertility.

But what about gluten? Gluten is a type of protein found in rye, barley, all types of wheat (including the more easily digested spelt and kamut), and sometimes oats. Gluten-free diets are all the rage lately. For fertility, do we need to give up those grains too?

If it turns out you have celiac disease, the answer is absolutely yes! Celiac disease is a digestive disorder in which gluten, when consumed, causes damage to the small intestines so that food is not properly absorbed—meaning you don’t get the important nutrients your body needs to function. And if you’re not getting important nutrients, your fertility (and your health) is definitely, negatively affected.

In an online article on the topic, the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center is quoted as saying, “Any individual who has experienced persistent miscarriage or infertility where a medical cause could not be found needs to be tested for celiac disease.”

Symptoms are varied. If you are suffering from ongoing digestive issues or just want to rule out celiac disease, talk to your doctor, nutritionist, or naturopathic doctor about getting tested for it. I would not recommend self-diagnosing on this, as symptoms might also be caused by something else.

Celiac disease, however, is not that common. Less than 1% (1 in 133) are affected.

Gluten sensitivity, however, is another story. I’ve read that as many as 1 out of 2 people may have a sensitivity to gluten and not even know it. This “hidden sensitivity” may cause anemia, abdominal pain, bloating and gas, depression, diarrhea and constipation, fatigue—symptoms that may also be the result of something else, by the way. While celiac symptoms tend to be pronounced, sensitivity symptoms tend not to be as apparent.

Melissa Diane Smith, a nutritionist and author of "Going Against the Grain," spoke about the link between gluten sensitivity and infertility at a conference on polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), asserting that gluten sensitivity is the leading cause of recurrent miscarriage.

Now, before you go and strip your cupboards of anything gluten-like, keep the following in mind. If you are concerned you may have a sensitivity to gluten, or you just want to rule it out: get tested! And talk to your doctor or naturopath about it. If it turns out you do – then it’s important to avoid gluten (I would eliminate it!). But if you don’t have a sensitivity to gluten, I (personally) wouldn’t just cut out gluten. My feeling is that you don’t want to lose out on the valuable nutrients that comes with certain grains. Plus, giving up wheat is hard enough; going gluten-free is even tougher.

Also, keep in mind that by eliminating wheat, you’ll be cutting out a lot of gluten already because wheat, wheat flour and it’s other derivatives are found in seemingly everything!

Finally, when I was given a 2% chance of conceiving and put myself on a fertility diet, I did not eliminate gluten, although I did of course cut out wheat. But I also never had any of the symptoms listed earlier (not consistently) and had no reason to suspect I had any problem with gluten.

The choice of course is up to you. Here are some good links to learn more about the topic and help you make informed decisions (the first two are specific to fertility):

http://www.pregnancy-info.net/dont-touch-that-bagel.html
http://ow.ly/1bhAh
http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C341265.html
http://www.celiac.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=34
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-gluten.htm

(Keep in mind I’m not a medical doctor; I provide information on this blog for educational purposes. We’re all responsible for our own health and well being!)

Fertility and Conceiving in Your Forties - Absolutely!

2010-02-18T22:38:00.000-08:00

Celine Dion has come out with her story on trying to conceive child number two at 41. She's had four IVF's and is gearing up for a fifth. Some wonder whether that's too much, whether she should just stop, considering the statistics about women being able to conceive (and furthermore give birth to a healthy baby) in their forties. The odds are against her!

OK, first, I want to congratulate Celine on sharing her very private story publicly because by doing so she's helping those that don't have fertility issues better understand how incredibly grueling and sensitive it is to go through such an ordeal. I often refer to Dr. Alice Domar's findings in a Harvard study: Women who want children and are told they can't have them react with the same level of stress and depression as those who are told they have cancer or AIDS. Yes, it's that devastating.

Second, here's what I think about women attempting to conceive in their forties: go for it! Yes, the statistics and odds are against you, but I believe we are not statistics. We are people, individuals, and we do have the power to make a difference in our own health - reproductive and otherwise. We can use mind-body techniques to reduce stress and create calm, we can use visualizations to empower us, and we can eat the right foods to optimize our health. We can do acupuncture, meditate, take herbs and supplements and do yoga. And we can do IVF too if we choose. There is a lot we can do to make a difference for ourselves and set us apart from the average statistic. As a group we even have the power to change the statistics to something more positive over time!

But know up front that trying to conceive in your 40's might not be easy. If it's not, you have to decide for yourself how much you can take, and when enough is truly enough. Unfortunately, there is no formula that says for example if you eat perfectly and have acupuncture, you will get pregnant within 3 IVFs. (I know of a woman who finally got pregnant with her 9th IVF, another with her 11th. They reached their dreams, but I'm sure it cost them a lot. How far do you feel you can go? I believe that decision is up to you and you alone.)

When I was given a 2% chance of conceiving, I made a conscious decision not to listen to that number. It was unacceptable to me that I don't get to have a child, so I set out to do everything in my power to fight the odds. I researched and went on a fertility diet, practiced yoga, meditated, did visualizations and took supplements. I simply flat-out believed I would have a child at some point, and four months later I conceived the old fashion way, at 40. I believed in myself and in my body to make a difference.

Looking back, I did know some of my limits ahead of time. I knew that I would not do more than 2 IVFs. (We couldn't afford them, anyway.) But outside of that I wanted to be able to say I did everything I could, I tried it all. That way, when the time came, I could move forward without regret. Sometimes we don't know our limits, until they're tested. In any case, I feel only you can decide when you've reached them.

So if Celine Dion wants to do yet another IVF (and her husband agrees to it), that's her choice. She's aware of the battle she's facing and she's choosing to fight it. It's a risk, but it's hers to take.

I also wanted to add this reminder: Not all women in their forties have trouble conceiving. I can think of two friends who both got pregnant in their early forties within a few months of trying, and without issue. I know of many more. My grandmother had her 12th child at 45. (In the case of my friends, no one ever told them it might be difficult to conceive. Which reminds me of something I read in one of Dr. Christine Northrup's wonderful books. She said something to the effect of: women in certain villages were getting pregnant into their early 50's. Apparently, she said, no one had told them their eggs were too old. If I remember correctly, she was making a point that if we believe something, such as "our eggs are too old," our minds help to make it true for us, which doesn't help our fertility. The mind is very powerful!)

The other thing I want to mention is to be wary of statistics. Who are the people that make up the statistic? How are they determined? Be careful when interpreting them, too. One statistic says that a woman who is 40 has a dramatically increased chance of having a genetically abnormal pregnancy, 1 in 38, or almost 3%. Well that means she has a 97% chance of having a healthy, normal pregnancy!! So keep the positive perspective in mind.

Here are a couple of good, inspiring links to check out if you're trying to conceive in your 40's: (there are many!)

Quote from an article by Susun S. Week (famed herbalist and author)

"But more and more women are waiting until their late thirties, early forties, even late forties, to have children. Is this too late? Are these destined to have high-risk pregnancies? Will these children have more birth defects?

The answer to these questions - and others like them - is "no!" for wise women who enlist the help of green allies to increase fertility, ensure conception, prevent birth defects, and promote a healthy pregnancy and an easy delivery."

Infertility in Your 40's Blog - Sandy Robertson's wonderful, inspiring blog

49-yr-old gets pregnant with own eggs - should we celebrate? - Julia Indichova's infinitely wise, thoughtful take on the topic

FLASH NEWS...
Just a couple of short calendar items. Last Thursday (2/11/2010) we attended the TweetUp event at Pacific Fertility Center to celebrate the launch of FertilityWire and had a blast! We were there with food samples from our book. The theme was "Do You Love Your Genes?" and Counsyl was on hand to talk about their easy-to-use product for self-testing on a large number of genetic diseases. (No more blood draw!) Really neat!

Second quick item: We are in the middle of planning our Los Angeles book launch party, and if you're in that area please join us! Like the first one in San Francisco, it will include music, cooking demo, free raffle drawing, healthy food and wine. Pierre and I will be on hand to answer questions and sign books. This free event is open to all. Details: Thurs., March 18, 6:30 to 8:30 in the courtyard of Huntington Reproductive Center (HRC) Fertility in Encino. Address: 15503 Ventura Blvd #200, Encino, CA 91403

Photo by http://ca.askmen.com/galleries/celine-dion/picture-6.html

pH Balance and Fertility

2010-02-10T16:38:00.000-08:00

FLASH NEWS...
First, I wanted to share an upcoming event. If you are in the SF Bay Area, I hope you will attend! In addition to providing leading info on genes and pregnancy, this event will provide chocolate, wine, a 50% discount on jeans, and FREE genetics testing. Pierre and I will also be serving appetizers from our cookbook at this exciting "Tweetup" event this Thursday, 5:30 to 8:30 at Pacific Fertility Center. For more info and to RSVP, see: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/5279731/CA/San-Francisco/Do-You-Love-Your-Genes-TweetupMeetup-a-Valentines-Day-event/Pacific-Fertility-Center39s-Education-Center/

In other news, Dr. Jennifer Gunter (a nationally recognized expert and OB-GYN) has written a thorough, well-written review of our book. Please read about it here: http://www.examiner.com/x-4079-SF-Sexual-Health-Examiner~y2010m2d9-Can-diet-improve-fertility-A-Bay-Area-couple-says-yes .

Finally, those preparing their bodies for babies can review our article in Petite Village's newsletter here: http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=52599d29757c123b74f1c8be7&id=dbf8b73077

TOPIC: pH Balance and Fertility

Our bodies work best in a slightly alkaline environment. Unfortunately dairy (which is not allowed), meat and nuts, along with stressful living habits, can have an acidic effect on our body's pH balance. Here are some suggestions to help:

Drink warm water (purified water, of course) with lemon into it first thing in the morning.
Drink lots of purified water all day (six to eight 8-oz. glasses are good!).
Eat plenty of veggies, which are good alkalizers.

More info:
http://www.babyzone.com/preconception/article/ph-diet-and-fertility

Fertility Breakfast and NBC News

2010-02-05T00:32:00.000-08:00

FLASH NEWS...
Life has been crazy busy this week, so I will need to keep this week's blog short! Promise to offer more next week. First I wanted to share the exciting news that NBC 11 Bay Area News ran a segment on our fertility story and our book this past Wednesday night. You can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0TbB0rUQ6Y.

Apparently the story was popular enough to have been re-broadcasted Thursday morning and might show up on NBC in other regions - which is really great in terms of getting our message out that diet can make a difference in your fertility.

BREAKFAST OPTIONS
Topic I wanted to write about briefly today: breakfast. First, to be good to your blood sugar levels, it's important to have it, not to skip it. Second, the best kind of breakfast includes protein and fiber, and NOT processed sugar, so please don't even think about croissants, muffins or even bagels. Unfortuneately, sugar gets added to almost every cereal product too, in case that's what you're used to eating in the morning.

So what can you eat? And still be on a fertility diet? Here are some ideas:

Whole grain oatmeal with raisins, walnuts or fruits and a dabbling of honey
Eggs in all forms: scrambled with veggies, fried in healthy olive oil, and served with non-wheat, no sugar toast (for the toast, check out the Resources page of our website).
Pancakes - gluten-free and sugar-free pancakes. I love Kamut pancakes made by Arrowhead Mills.
Crepes made with rice flour and filled with fruit or, for salty, a mushroom sauce.

That's for starters. Let's get a little more creative, though and add in Asian dishes, such as:

Fried rice with veggies and/or lean meat
Noodles with veggies and/or chicken pieces

Yes! For breakfast! It's great to get your day off to a healthy, wholesome start!

Fertiltiy Diet: What, No Wheat? No Dairy?

2010-01-27T20:50:00.000-08:00

FLASH NEWS…
On Tuesday morning, January 26, 2010, we were honored by the attention of award-winning health reporter Marianne Favro of NBC-11 Bay Area News, who came to film us at our home about our story and our book. The footage will air on TUES., FEB. 2 on the 11 pm SF Bay Area news next week. Hope you can watch!

We had fun! Pierre had prepared five different dishes and demo’d one of our favorites: Chicken with Bell Peppers and Mushrooms. Marianne Favro asked solid, smart questions, and I was ready with answers—although I have to admit that I got a surprise attack of nerves and wasn’t as eloquent as I would have liked (something to do with the bright camera light and the microphone being attached to me), but that’s OK. Live and learn. But I think our message got through… that you CAN make a difference in your fertility through diet and nutrition.

I will post a link to this coverage if it’s available and hope you can all watch—and comment! (Photo: Garlic Shrimp - one of the dishes Pierre prepared for the News.)

WHY NO DAIRY? WHY NO WHEAT?
Because the reporter questioned it, I thought I would address it. Why is wheat and dairy prohibited on our diet when trying to conceive?

The arguments I have for taking either out of the diet are similar for both. Let’s start with wheat. There are a few reasons it’s off the list.

It’s hard to digest. When trying to conceive, we want to ease the work of our digestion—which is the most labor-intensive function in the body—so as to have more energy available to nourish and heal other parts of the body, particularly our reproductive system.
A high percentage of people have a sensitivity to wheat and don’t even know it. This can lead to a host of problems, such as bloating, inflammation, fatigue. It can also affect thyroid function, which is important for fertility. It also means your body is working even harder to digest this food, and again, we want to ease the work of our digestion when trying to conceive.
Wheat can have a more acidic effect on the body when we need to maintain a more alkaline pH balance for health and fertility.

I offer similar reasons to stay off dairy:

Dairy unquestionably is hard to digest. (http://fertilekitchen.blogspot.com/search/label/dairy)
Many adults are unable to process lactose, the sugar in milk, making it even harder on our bodies. Others still have a sensitivity to lactose.
Finally, there are a number of studies that link dairy to fertility issues, and for me that’s enough. Why take a chance?

Everyone is different and reacts differently to various types of foods. The guidelines we offer in our book are just that: guidelines. Our guidelines are backed by research and are what worked for us; but nevertheless I believe it’s important to choose for yourself what makes sense to you to follow.

I also feel that if there is any chance a food item will cause an issue with fertility, just take it off the list, no questions. Why take any chances? Our time is so limited. Why not do all you can to optimize your fertility. Why not be able to say you did everything you could? That was important to me.

Here are some links:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/whats-wrong-with-wheat-643137.html)
http://shrinkingfibroids.blogspot.com/2008/05/why-avoid-wheat.html
http://www.endometriosiszone.org/content/congress_ASRM2003-mills.htm

Fertility with a Positive Attitude!

2010-01-21T19:01:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful conversation the other week with a marketing manager for a group of fertility clinics about attitude in the face of fertility issues. Bottom line: it’s important to have one.

I’ve told my story here before. After trying for a year, I sought the advice of a popular reproductive endocrinologist who gave me a 2% chance of conceiving. Of course I was devastated! Shocked! Panicked!

But underneath this burst of sadness and despair, rose another emotion, captured in attitude. It was simply unacceptable to me that I don’t get to have a child. No way. I wanted a child more than anything else in the world. So instead of taking this news as good reason to give up and grieve – which I could have done—I accepted it as just another obstacle on my road to parenthood. Another issue to overcome.

I could not give up until I had tried everything in my power to do so. I wanted no regrets. I wanted to be able to say, at the very least, that I did all I could.

So I decided to squeeze as much of that 2% out of me as I could. I would become a parent, damn it! Whatever it took that I could control…

An article written for a British website says: “studies have found that positive thinking decreases levels of stress and the risk of depression, which in turn led to increased odds of getting pregnant.”

This article talks about using visualizations and affirmations to help keep you thinking positive – and I believe strongly in both. “By visualizing success in getting pregnant, you will actually bring yourself closer to your … goal. Visualize yourself experiencing pregnancy symptoms or receiving a positive pregnancy test result,” this article suggests.

One of the affirmations that I said daily for months (with attitude!) is “I am loving being pregnant with a healthy, viable pregnancy.” I would close my eyes and imagine at least two scenarios with my future babies (I just imagined I’d have boy-girl twins). I imagined breast feeding the babies and I’d imagined having a pillow fight with them (as two-year-olds) with my husband in a tent while camping. These images were vivid for me, alive.

I also agree with the article in not dwelling on the negative. They use this example: “If you get your period this month, don’t look at it as a sign of a getting pregnant failure, but rather as a positive sign that your reproduction is healthy and on-track.”

I couldn’t agree more, and this is what I did every time. When faced with a new challenge, such as: “Hmmm… it looks like you have polyps in your uterus.” I let myself feel the blow, the pain, and then backed up and said, OK, another challenge, another obstacle, let’s see how I can get around that, or through that to get to my goal. (In the case of the polyps, it was simple: I had surgery to remove them. Good choice, too! Since there were three of them and two quite large.)

In the end, after the “devastating” news, I put myself on a fertility friendly diet, among other healing regimens, such as yoga, meditation, and visualizations, and four months later I conceived our son. We have had that gentle pillow fight in the tent while camping, which I visualized, and I know every moment of positive thought had helped to keep him alive, so to speak.

Having a positive attitude, by the way, doesn’t mean you don’t allow yourself to feel the sadness, stress or depression. But it allows you to find an open window to escape to a healthier, happier place. To have and maintain hope, which we all need in trying times.

Photo: Me, very pregnant (at last!).

HOW to Eat a Fertility Diet + Launch Party News

2010-01-14T16:15:00.000-08:00

Photo: Pierre signing books....

FIRST: SOME NEWS!
We celebrated the launch of our Fertile Kitchen(tm) Cookbook last night with a swanky party at Pacific Fertility Center (PFC) in San Francisco! Great food, wine, champagne, music (guitarists), decor and company all around! We had the opportunity to talk about the importance of diet and good nutrition for fertility, and Pierre gave a demo on how to prepare his spicy garbanzo beans recipe while offering tips for making the process easier. Philip E. Chenette, M.D. and Medical Director at PFC, was also on hand to give a brief, inspiring talk on his support of and commitment to good nutrition for fertility and pregnancy, reminding us that just down the hall "there are about 120 embryos growing" -- and thus reminding us all why we were there.

We had a free raffle drawing for a book, a couple of bottles of wine, and a T-shirt (the latter items, courtesy of Elevensance Cellars). The whole evening was a blast! I have to thank some people: Thank you first and foremost to Pacific Fertility Center for going all out in hosting our party. The decor, the flowers, the champagne, the stunning views of Fisherman's Wharf -- oh, my! Thank you to Robb Mayberry (Director of Business Development at PFC) for all your work in making this party happen. Thank you to Dr. Philip E. Chenette for your inspiring support. Thank you to Bob Strickland, CEO at PFC, also for your support. Thank you to Tim Nuss of Elevensance Cellars for donating the wine and coming to pour. Thank you to Whole Foods Market, SoMa, and Ariel Norwood, Marketing Team Leader, for donating the tasty dishes from their awesome catering menu. Thank you to the wonderful guitarists, Jon and Jordan. And finally, thank you to Michelle Gamble-Risley and Michele Smith of 3L Publishing for helping us with book selling at the party and with getting our book (and message) out there!

It was a stunning, fabulous night of spreading the word that you CAN make a difference in your fertility through diet/nutrition.

HOW TO EAT ON A FERTILITY DIET
Since I've gabbed on about our party, I'll just get right to the point on our topic of the week... How you eat on a fertility diet is almost as important as what you eat. Here are a few tips:

Eat slowly and chew food well, allowing for better, fuller digestion.
Drink plenty of purified water all day, but drink 1 or 2 full glasses of water about an hour or so before you plan to eat a meal. First, it’s better for digestion to eat separately from drinking, and second, it ensures you’re staying hydrated throughout the day.
When you snack, choose healthy ones, and eat meals in smaller portions. I’m all for responding to hunger cravings with food, just keep it bite sized and healthy.
Don’t eat late at night, preferably nothing after 6 p.m. aside from hot tea and water. Digestion at night is sluggish at best, making it harder on your body. You want to keep everything easier for your body/digestion.
Eat more foods closer to your body temperature, or at room temperature. It takes more energy to digest cold foods (your body has to heat it up), and we want to ease the burden on our digestion when we can. I feel that periodic salads are OK though because they provide healthy fiber along with other nutrients and are so good at “cleaning your system.”
Similarly, no cold or iced beverages. Drink everything at least at room temperature. If you like veggie juices, have them made from veggies that have been sitting out of the fridge a little, or let your juice sit out at room temperature for a few minutes. Fruit juices are not allowed unless watered down because of the concentration of sugar,
To maximize nutrition and benefit, get as much variety as possible, especially of vegetables and fruits. Focus on different colors and textures.
Balance foods, and eat them in healthy combinations: a protein with grains and vegetables. (Eat plenty of vegetables, by the way. Shoot for five servings/day.)

Let me know how eating this way is going for you! Leave a comment or shoot me an email!

Defining a fertility diet

2010-01-07T12:36:00.000-08:00

FLASH NEWS: LAUNCH PARTY!
Just want to remind readers that our book launch party will be in San Francisco next week! To learn more, please visit http://www.fertilekitchen.com/workshopandevents.html. RSVP to info@fertilekitchen.com. If you're in the Bay Area, please join us!

Our first hands-on cooking workshop will be at Whole Foods in Los Altos on Jan. 24. Please join us for this too! To learn more, visit http://www.fertilekitchen.com/workshopandevents.html. RSVP to info@fertilekitchen.com with "WF Los Altos" in the subject line.

TODAY'S BLOG: Defining Fertility
Happy New Year! As mentioned previously, January is a great month for fresh starts, and last week I gave some top tips for a fertility diet. This week I want to talk a little about what diet means, and then next week: HOW to eat on a fertility diet (almost as important as what to eat).

How would you define a fertility diet, exactly? I think of it as a regimen for eating healthier, for maximizing your body’s health and reproduction, but not at all for losing weight—although a general, healthy diet can be applied for the purpose of weight loss too.

Last week I was reading the current issue (Jan., 2010) of Outside magazine (I’m a big fan), and saw an interesting article by John Bradley. He picked 6 different dietary plans and for one year, went on each one for a period of 8 weeks. He checked his vitals (blood, cholesterol) after each one and reported back his impressions. Interesting, huh? After all that, the general conclusion on what he learned was this:
“Lean protein, good fats, healthy carbs. More specifically: modestly sized meals consisting of lots of produce, a bit of lean meat now and then, and grains that haven’t been bleached and pulverized into submission. Also, olive oil is good, and snack on nuts and dates.”

Well, in broad terms, this defines a healthy, fertility diet too!

So, I encourage you NOT to think of dieting for fertility as traditional “dieting.” You’re not trying to starve yourself to lose weight or deny yourself pleasure, here! You are simply shifting to making healthier food choices, and you can create and cook some really tasty, pleasurable dishes with those food choices (see recipes to start).

As Bradley reported in his article, the first couple of weeks on a new nutritional regimen requires an adjustment, but after that it gets much easier, and the results are fantastic. A fertility diet will ease your cravings over time and optimize your health, reproductive system and energy levels. You’ll experience far fewer dips and peeks in energy, and it might even bring you a baby, as it did for me. I can't think of better motivation. So stock up on healthy foods and enjoy!

Next week: HOW to eat on a fertility diet and why you want to eat most foods warm. Have a good week, and take care of yourself.

Image: Polenta Pizza from our cookbook.

Top Five Fertility Diet Tips to Start the New Year!

2009-12-31T10:28:00.000-08:00

Incredibly, the end of the year has come. Tomorrow begins not only a new year, but a new decade! For many, this is the blank slate we’ve all been waiting for—a time for change and fresh starts.

If you’ve waited until now to start a fertility diet in earnest, that’s great! There is no better time to start than right now! Clear the fridge and cupboards of food items that don’t help and stock up on plenty of organic, whole foods, such as vegetables, fruits and grains. For more information on preparing to go on a fertility diet, see this blog entry. Also review the more general fertility diet tips I wrote about back in May.

TOP FIVE FERTILITY DIET TIPS
Because the first job in a fertility diet is to get rid of the “bad” (before you add in all the wonderful “good”), the top five tips all involve eliminating items from your diet:

Cut out over-processed foods – at once!
Your body definitely doesn’t need the preservatives, additives, chemicals, trans fats, sugars (in forms such as high fructose corn syrup – blah!) and similar other nasty items found in most processed foods. My general guideline (not a rule) is if the product has more than five ingredients listed on its label, it’s too processed. Also, if I don’t recognize a listed ingredient, I don’t eat the item unless I’ve looked up the ingredient on the Internet and deemed it to be OK. “Dextrose,” for example, turns out to be basically processed sugar, so that product becomes a "no" (see tip #5).
Cut out trans fats.
If you cut out processed foods, you’ll be cutting out trans fats, too, as that’s where they mostly reside, but you could also get them from deep-fried foods at restaurants and in margarine (which is processed!), so watch out! Trans fats also appear on package labels as “hydrogenated oil” or “partially hydrogenated oil.” They are not natural, your body doesn’t need them, and they pose serious health concerns, so check labels and don’t consume them. There are healthy fats to eat instead.
Cut out alcohol, completely.
See this blog entry to learn more.
Cut out caffeine, as well as coffee (even decaffeinated).
See this blog entry to learn more.
Cut out processed sugar
...and all its friends: high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrose, cane sugar, brown sugar. Sugar has a negative effect on blood sugar and insulin levels, leading to hormonal imbalance – something you don’t want when trying to conceive. Natural sugars, such as honey and brown rice syrup, in moderate amounts are OK. Here’s more info on sugar and fertility.

These tips will get you off to a really strong start in cleansing your body and preparing it to receive a beautiful baby. You may not need further motivation than that, but if you do, think about this: Before putting anything into your mouth, ask yourself if this is something good for your baby. Will eating this bring him/her closer to you?

Remember, too, to give yourself time to transition, try not to eat “emotionally,” and get whatever support you need to help you through (a friend, fellow fertility friend, Resolve, the web).

From my heart: Here’s to a beautiful, harmonious and successful new year! I hope this is the one in which you find your path to parenthood, one way or another.

Photo by http://lipna.wordpress.com/2008/12/24/i-hope-hope-is-not-far/

Fertility Diet and Healthy Eggs

2009-12-24T09:02:00.000-08:00

FIRST, SOME NEWS
First, some news on two upcoming events that will take place right after the holidays. ...And then a brief chat about improving egg quality nutritionally.

EVENT 1: Our book launch party is all set to go! It's being hosted by Pacific Fertility Center (PFC) in San Francisco from 6:30 to 9:00 on Wed., Jan. 13, 2010 -- with tasty, healthy food provided by Whole Foods, South of Market (in San Francisco), and wine by Elevensance Cellars and Vinoce. There will be music and a free raffle drawing, and we will do a fun, cooking demo/tasting during the event. Come learn about optimizing your fertility nutritionally, taste one of our delicious, healthy recipes, and get your questions answered. This promises to be a knock-out, classy event, so if you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, we hope you can come. Please RSVP with us at info@fertilekitchen.com or with PFC at RSVP@pacificfertility.com (or by phone with PFC at 415-834-3095).

EVENT 2: Get your hands into the healthy cooking that optimizes fertility while you learn about the fertility diet, how to shop for wholesome, healthy ingredients, tips for reading labels, and other cooking and nutrition tips as you create one of the dishes from our book. This is a FREE Workshop and book signing event to be held at Whole Foods in Los Altos, CA from 2:30 to 4:00 on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010. To RSVP, please send an email to us at info@fertilekitchen.com with "Whole Foods Workshop" in the subject line.

HEALTHY EGGS
A friend wondered if the fertility diet is just to keep your body healthy (which houses the developing embryo) or whether it could also have an effect on the eggs themselves. The answer: good nutrition (along with other lifestyle factors, such as keeping stress low, and getting moderate exercise which aids with circulation to the reproductive area) certainly does impact the health of your eggs.

From an article in BellaOnline on healthy egg and sperm:
"While women are born with all the eggs they’ll ever have, those eggs are dormant until they begin the process of maturing for release, which is about 3 months in advance."

...And when they begin that process, having access to healthy nutrients, and the overall health of your body (keeping stress at minimum, etc.) does make a difference in the health of your eggs.

It's interesting to note that three months is about how long it takes for a body to fully adjust and respond to consistent changes in diet. Acupuncturists who specialize in aiding fertility also ask patients to give it at least three months to begin "working."

Another important factor in healthy eggs is getting sufficient blood circulation to the reproductive area. I've touched on this before in another blog entry (see Feeding Your Lining). Moderate exercise can help; so can acupuncture. You can also check out this article on increasing the health of your eggs.

Bottom line once again: diet makes a difference! Here's an excerpt from Philip E. Chenette, M.D., who wrote the Foreword to our book (The Fertile Kitchen (tm) Cookbook: Simple Recipes for Optimizing Your Fertility): "...there is no doubt that every human is a product of a unique recipe in the form of DNA from the sperm and egg in combination with nutritional building blocks needed to interpret that recipe." Those nutritional building blocks come from what we eat, and they are so important to embryonic development.

Also check out this science article.

Happy holidays, and get ready to make a difference in your own fertility in the new year!

Photo by http://falloutofline.wordpress.com/2008/12/26/041-eggs/.

Healthy Snacking, Plus Flash Fertility Recipes for Hummus and Guacamole

2009-12-16T10:36:00.000-08:00

A friend reported she was having such strong sugar cravings, she almost ate a packet of ketchup. I feel for her. During the first couple of weeks or so, until the cravings subside and eating habits change, it can be hard. Having alternative healthy snacks around the house at all times helps.

Here’s a short list of quick and handy snacks (all organic, please!):

Celery sticks – already cut up and ready to grab and munch
Baby carrots
Lightly steamed (3 minutes) veggies, such as green beans or broccoli - great to munch on
Apples and other handy, easy to eat fruit
A mix of raw almonds and raisins (refrain from eating a bucketful, though; stick to a quarter cup or less for the day)
Non-wheat crackers or rice cakes – here are some brands I like: Mary’s Gone Crackers, brown rice crackers (many varieties; make sure all ingredients are healthy), Lundberg Rice Cakes
Hummus – dip crackers or celery in this! I also spread it on non-wheat toast, which makes for a great, protein-rich snack. Make sure all ingredients are organic, pure and healthy, though. See below for the Flash Recipe. Keep in mind the beans used in hummus are not only highly nutritious, but contain a high percentage of folate which boosts fertility in both men and women.
Guacamole – or dip crackers in this! You can also spread it over an omelet or on toast (well, I do that). The avocados in guacamole are a great source of monounsaturated fats (one of the “good” fats).
Baked apple with honey – for your sweet tooth, make this dessert with just these two ingredients

FLASH RECIPE FOR HUMMUS:
All organic ingredients, always. Throw in the blender two 15 oz. cans of garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas),the liquid content of one of those cans, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of tahini paste, 2 garlic cloves, a dash of salt and juice of a lemon. Blend up to desired consistency. Voila! Yummy hummus.

FLASH RECIPE FOR GUACAMOLE:
Smash a ripe avocado or two in with some lemon juice, sliced tomatoes and diced onions. Add salt and pepper, and if you like, a dash of cayenne pepper. Voila! Fresh and healthy guacamole!

One last item. For sugar, Stevia makes a wonderful, easy substitute. Small amounts of natural, minimally processed honey will also do the trick. For the salty, crunchy munchers like me, the above listed non-wheat crackers dipped in hummus or guacamole are the best.

Happy snacking and happy holidays.

Prepping for a Fertility Diet

2009-12-10T10:30:00.001-08:00

Care to know how I did at being strict on the fertility diet this week? I did well the first four days; not a single misstep. Then on day 5, I started to slip: a few too many from the starch group here, and then a comforting cup of hot chocolate late at night there (although made with organic rice milk, cocoa and honey). Day 6 was my birthday, and my husband took me out to breakfast, and then to lunch. I made healthy choices, but still, those meals weren’t organic!

My experience this week reminds me how hard it can be to be strict on a fertility diet in the face of social settings that may pull you in other directions, especially when you’re starting out. So, you may want to give yourself time away from social pressures for the first two or three weeks on the diet, and you really want to plan ahead. What to do to plan ahead? Here’s what I do:

Stock the refrigerator with plenty of fresh, and recently prepared, vegetables.
Make sure you have plenty of healthy, munchy snack foods on hand, like celery and carrots, and non-wheat crackers. If these snacks require preparation, like guacamole for dipping, make sure they’re prepared ahead of time. Otherwise, you might want to go for the fistful of Cheeze-Its rather than make something healthy to dip your non-wheat crackers into. Next week, I'll post a list of healthy snacks with a fast recipe!
Stock up on every kind of herb tea you think you’d enjoy (except for chamomile and any other herb that is contraindicated in fertility or pregnancy). Try to stick to those that are herbal over those that are “decaffeinated,” which has gone through usually a chemical process to remove the caffeine. Caffeinated versions are definitely out.
As long as the rest of your household won’t mind, get rid of dietary items that are not allowed and may tempt you. You won’t find sugar in our house, although we have plenty of honey and Stevia. I have to leave the milk and cheese alone out of respect for my son and husband, though.
Plan your meals at least three days in advance – at least have an idea of what you’ll make – and shop for those ingredients. (Note: we’ll soon be adding meal plans to the Resources section of our website at www.fertilekitchen.com. Check back soon!)
If you have a busy lifestyle (who doesn’t these days?), cook some healthy meals up over the weekend to last for two or three days. That way, if the urge to eat is more than a passing appetite, you can pull out the entire turkey and vegetable stew and eat that. I’ve had many lunches at 10:00 a.m. because I just couldn’t wait any longer. Much better to have chicken in vegetables or a bowl of broccoli than a donut, which will spike your blood sugar and just leave you hungry for more. If you end up having a second lunch later, it’s still OK, as long as you’re sticking to healthy food.

A fertility diet is going to ease your cravings over time, optimize your health and energy levels. You’ll experience far fewer dips and peeks in energy, too. So stock up on healthy foods, ease into the adventure and enjoy!

Tune in next week for a list of healthy snacks and a fast recipe.

Photo by www.sportyscatering.com/snacks.html

Conscious and Healthy Eating for Fertility

2009-12-03T13:55:00.000-08:00

The holidays are upon us, and so it may not be the best time to start back on a fertility diet, but that’s exactly what I’m doing, myself. When you really think about it, there is never a better time to start (anything) than right now. The sooner you start, the sooner you move closer to your goal (a baby!).

I was already mostly following a fertility diet anyway, out of sheer habit. I rarely eat sugar, wheat or dairy. We buy all our food organic and mostly eat at home. I do have a weakness for decaf coffee and white wine, however, and when I go out to eat, which I also like to do, my food is typically not organic, although it’s usually a healthy choice.

So what did going on a fertility diet mean for me? Cutting out that trip to Peet’s Coffee in the morning and adjusting back to herbal tea; skipping the occasional glass of wine after a long, stressful day; not popping into my mouth little bites of whatever my husband’s making or my son didn’t finish if it’s not allowed; limiting my eating out to restaurants I know serve something mostly organic; saying no to any dressing or sauce of which the ingredients are unknown; and most of all, simply being more conscious of what and how I’m eating.

I assumed, for example, I was getting plenty of vegetables. I love veggies, eat them all the time. But when I paid attention I realized I was getting three servings, which is not bad, that’s the minimum. But better to cut back on starch-type foods like crackers and bread so there’s room for more veggies. Five servings is better.
To help you stay on track, I advise making a list of food guidelines that might be for you an area of weakness, and at the end of each day, check each item in the list if you were able to stick to that guideline. For example, some of the items on my list include the following:

1 glass of water with fresh lemon juice (helps balance pH)
6 to 8 glasses of purified water
4 servings of starch-type foods max. (better to O.D. on veggies)
Min. 3 servings of veggies
Red Clover Tea (aids fertility)
No eating after 6 p.m. (late night eating is not so great on digestion)
…And so on

“No sugar” or “No diary” is not on my list because I don’t even think to eat these. That’s already a habit for me. But for remembering to get in all those glasses of water each day, or to not go crazy gorging on crunchy non-wheat crackers, box after box, while I worked (another weakness!), I needed a little help, and this list gave it to me.

Using a checklist like this can be useful for you to see exactly how and what you do eat. You might be surprised. I do have a few precautions, though, about using it. First, do not allow it to make you feel bad about yourself!! Very important. If you couldn’t put a check mark next to “No sugar” one day, do NOT let that mean you are a looser who can’t do this and will never have a baby, and then eat a box of chocolates to make you feel better. Keep in mind that you are a beautiful person with a great deal of value to offer this world (and a baby) and this is just one sugar item on this one day. This is especially important for the perfectionists out there (like me). It’s the overall, big picture balance of healthy living and healthy eating that’s important. Give yourself credit for doing the best you can and let it go.

A second precaution is to know you may need a period to adjust to the guidelines you’re commanding of yourself. I was mostly already on a fertility diet, so I didn’t have to travel too far. If you’ve never given up sugar or dairy before, for example, you may want to give yourself a couple of weeks to adjust. Maybe your list will say: No more than 1 dairy item today.

Finally, know that your emotions will challenge you. When I’m stressed, I want to much on salty crackers or (if my day is over) have a glass of wine. Boredom can also drive me to the fridge, or interestingly, over to Peet’s for that decaf coffee. Some who get depressed or sad, reach for the chocolate or ice cream. These are habitual responses to our emotions. Often we don’t even think about it.

What we want to do is replace emotional eating with healthy eating, making the later a habit. Instead of cracker-munching in response to stress, I take deep breaths, meditate for a few minutes, listen to soothing music, which calms and grounds me again. If you’re dealing with depression, talk to someone, go out for a walk, exercise. Teach yourself different responses than eating food that isn’t good for you and won’t fix the problem or emotion.

Keep in mind always, you’re doing the best you can. Focus on success, not failure. Focus on the image of the beautiful baby you’re trying to conceive, his/her face. That desire alone will help keep you on course.
One last tip: before I started, I stalked up on healthy snacks, because I’m a muncher: baby carrots, celery sticks, healthy non-wheat crackers, hummus (for dipping), almonds & raisins (great for sweet tooth), plenty of veggies, herbal teas, and more. Make sure these are all handy! Next week, I’ll see if I can’t come up with more snack foods.

Links: I love these ten tips for conscious eating (click here).

photo by http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/course_overview_9.shtml

Food for Your Uterine Lining

2009-11-26T13:40:00.000-08:00

FLASH NEWS
First, just wanted to let everyone know: our books are here and ready to ship! And also, sadly, Amazon is still trying to fix a technical glitch related to our account. They are not sure when it will be fixed. If you already ordered our book through Amazon, you may want to cancel your order and instead order it on our website through our secured merchant account http://www.fertilekitchen.com/purchase.html. We have no delays in shipping, and are offering FREE shipping for a limited time. Thank you for your patience!

If you're on the west coast, we also want to let you know that Pacific Fertility Center will be hosting our book launch party on Jan. 13, 2010 at 6:30. Come meet us and enjoy good, healthy food and live music! Send me an email if you would like to attend. OK, now on to the topic for this blog...

FEEDING YOUR LINING
A reader asked me about foods to eat to strengthen and build the uterine lining so that the embryo is ensured a cushy home in which to bury itself during implantation. The short answer is that if you’re following a fertility diet with an emphasis on no sugar, no processed foods, no (or few) refined carbohydrates, plenty of whole foods and grains, veggies and fruits, then you are in great shape for encouraging your lining to reach the thickness needed to support implantation—barring any underlining medical issue.

Still, it’s worth exploring this topic further.

Normally, the uterine lining grows 1 to 2 mm every other day in response to estrogen. After ovulation, a lining of between 8 and 13 mm is considered normal.

If the lining doesn’t develop to this thickness, it is harder for the embryo to implant. A few reasons this may happen include infection, scarring from D&Cs, low estrogen levels, poor uterine blood supply and sometimes endometrial antibodies. The fertility drug, Clomid, can also cause thin lining (endometrian). (See this Q&A for more on that.)

Particularly when the causes are low estrogen levels and poor uterine blood supply, what you eat can make a particular difference.

Estrogen is what causes our lining to grow. As we age, estrogen levels can decrease (esp. in our late 30’s and 40’s), affecting our lining. Our ovaries are just not putting out as much estrogen as they used to.
Sugar, especially, can throw off the delicate balance of our hormones, so that definitely has to get cut from the diet. Outside of cutting out sugar and eating a healthy, mostly whole foods diet, Lyn Vaccaro, a holistic health practioner, recommends eating foods that contain phytoestrogens, adding them in on a gradual basis.
For a list of these foods, see her article. However, don’t eat peas, as they’re a natural contraceptive, and eat soy with caution. You should stick only to the fermented variety, such as tempeh, tamari and miso. See my blog on soy for more information.

Another thing you can do is bring more blood to your uterus, and reproductive system in general. Acupuncture/Chinese Medicine works well to improve circulation and bring blood to the uterus.

Eating blood nourishing and iron rich foods help. For this reason, protein is important. Remember to eat meat lean and organic only. Besides animal protein, other good blood builders include: rice and oats, lentils and other types of beans and legumes, green leafy vegetables, cabbage, celery, mushrooms and nuts and seeds.
For a more complete list of foods and to learn a little more, see this article.

Other link: more from Lyn; this one from Randine Lewis.

... And Happy Thanksgiving!

photo by: http://www.allaboutyou.com/diet-wellbeing/Health-advice-red-meat/v1

Fertility Eating and Holidays

2009-11-20T07:59:00.000-08:00

It's crazy. One moment we're having barbeques late into a hot sticky evening, and the next it's dark at 5 p.m., cold and threatening to rain. Halloween barely finished when our local drugstores started filling their shelves with stockings, Santas and lights. Zip, just like that the holidays are here.

For those of us on a restricted fertility diet, this can cause anxiety. Starting with the big turkey, the holidays are also about eating, and celebrating, and eating some more. There are holiday parties to attend and dinners to give, and there will be so much temptation to eat the mashed potatos swimming in brown mushroom gravy or the delicate chocolates sitting on table tops or that glass or two of champagne, and so on. What do you do? How do you handle them?

I have been on fertility diets through two holiday seasons and I know it can be challenging. But my recommendation is two-fold. One: keep the goal in mind. You want a baby, you are doing all you can--and the best you can--to encourage his/her arrival. The holidays--although a beautiful time to celebrate--will pass as fast as summer, but a baby, once arrived, is with you for life.

Second: When eating out, at parties and dinners, do the best you can. This is what I did and what I recommend. For dinners at the homes of friends and family: choose to eat only the healthiest options, and only small portions of those: the green beans, the rice, any side dish of raw nuts. If you've been on the diet for a while, your body can handle a little inorganic vegetables and rice here and there (once a week or so)--just to get you through the holidays. But meat has to be lean and organic or you don't get to eat it.You just don't want to risk having those growth hormones in your body, for one thing. Also stay away from any sauces and dressings: you just don't know what's in them. And pretty much stay away from everything else. If you get strange looks, tell them you're on a special diet for health reasons (they don't need to know more), or you're sorry, but you already ate, just before coming.

What about the chocolates, cakes, puddings, cookies, hot chocolates, wine, champagne and spiked egg nog, you ask. Of course, sugar and alcohol are the worst things for a fertility diet. On the other hand, it is the holidays and there's a lot of pressure. Again, if you've been on the diet a while (couple of months), your body can handle a little chocolate or wine here and there. How much? Not much! I would allow up to two glasses of wine over the entire holiday period, and about the same for sugar items (sorry). Even better: just take a few sips of wine at each party, or only a tiny bite of something sweet for taste if you must, and leave it at that. I would also choose ahead at which events I would let myself have a small "cheat," which is helpful.

The best idea, though, is to avoid all those holiday get-togethers where food is the center focus. Instead, invite others to your place for any main meals. That way you can control all the food that gets on the table... making a healthy, fertility-supported meal for you and all those you love.You can create sweet items with honey or Stevia, for example, and buy organic for everything.

Here are a few organic items to get you started:
For Thanksgiving, Williams-Sonoma sells organic turkeys.
Can also find organic turkeys at Local Harvest.
Local Harvest also sells organic cranberry sauce! Don't eat too much at one time though. It's sweet.

Photo from bookcellarinc.com/calendar/

Supplements and Fertility

2009-11-13T11:31:00.000-08:00

FIRST, SOME QUICK THOUGHTS
The Fertile Kitchen (tm) website went live this week! You can check it out at www.fertilekitchen.com. There, you'll find a sample chapter, sample recipes, resources for where to find specialty products and more. You can also order our book there through our secured merchant account.

Second, the books have come off press! And they will be available to ship on Nov. 20, which is next Friday! You can order it now from our website or from Amazon; however, please note that Amazon is currently having technical difficulties with our account, and the book may be unavailable for purchase there until they fix the issue. Amazon is not sure how long this will take; but it looks like less than a week. Sorry for any inconvenience. If you have pre-ordered our book from Amazon, you will received it without any problem, although you may be asked to reconfirm your order.

FERTILITY AND SUPPLEMENTS
There is a lot of information out there about supplements to boost fertility. I for one believe supplementation makes a big difference. I'll share with you the supplements I took, but please keep in mind that everyone is different and has unique needs. I encourage you to do some of your own research.

Pre-natal vitamin - for women, to ensure sufficient levels of folic acid and other key nutrients to support a developing fetus. Ideally, this should be started months before you plan to be pregnant. (I was on them for years, waiting for that pregnancy to arrive.)

Vitamin C (1,000 mg./day) - said to improve hormonal levels; its antioxidant properties helps protect cells and strengthen the immune system; and for men, this vitamin improves sperm count, motility and viability.

B-100 complex (1 capsule/day)- includes B12, B6 and folic acid, all of which improve reproductive health and fertility

Royal Jelly (500 mg/day) - nutrient-rich bee products that help stimulate fertility

L-Arginine (2,000 mg 2x/day) - an amino acid essential for sperm production; shown to increase fertility in women. (Other benefits.)

Coenzyme Q10 (100mg./day ) increases sperm count; may increase egg quality.

Vit.E (400 i.u./day) - another pwerful antioxidant that increases fertility for men and women; may increase egg quality; studies show that this vitamin can increase sperm potency by 2 ½ times.

Selenium (200 mcg./day) - This mineral is an antioxidant that helps protect against free radicals as well as help increase sperm counts in men that have low counts.

Zinc (about 15 mg./day) is also helpful to fertility, but it gives me a bad reaction (as a supplement), so I didn't take it. Zinc is important for maintaining the production of testosterone in men, and in women, it helps the body use estrogen and progesterone more efficiently. Too much zinc can be toxic, so I would stick with the zinc that may already be in your pre-natal vitamin, and look for zinc sources in food: red meat (eat only organic, lean portions!) and seafood.

Here's some information on herbs, too, in this recent LA Times article.

An wonderful additional source on supplements here at BellaOnline.

Other links: Natural Treatments with Vitamins and the fertility shop.

photo by www.sia-hq.com/articles/20090805_2

Fertility: Mind Over Matter

2009-11-06T10:41:00.000-08:00

FIRST, SOME QUICK THOUGHTS
If you are trying to purchase our book off Amazon, please know they are currently having technical difficulties with our account. It should be resolved by Nov. 15 (we hope!). In the meantime, our website has launched! And you can purchase our book there (www.fertilekitchen.com). Thank you for your patience!

Coffee: If you need more motivation to get off the coffee, even decaf, water-processed, organic coffee, here’s one (click here). This comment reminds us that there are hundreds of chemicals in coffee, and many are just not good for us.

Also, Julia Indichova, author of Inconceivable and founder of Fertile Heart™, has started a blog. It provides a nice introduction to the kind of work she does in helping women with fertility issues. Check it out! Her first entry fits well with the theme for today’s blog, about the mind, and our beliefs and attitudes.

BRING YOUR MIND INTO THE PICTURE
I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating. Nutrition is extremely important for fertility. Your body is the foundation upon which new life can be built, and that foundation needs to be strong. But in helping you conceive, diet doesn’t work alone. You must also work to bring mind and emotions into balance too.

Dr. Angela Wu, acupuncturist and author of Fertility Wisdom, gave me a book on my last visit with her. (I did not get pregnant with her, but very healthy and balanced.) It’s called The Biology of Belief by Dr. Bruce Lipton. Now I admit that I have not finished reading it, but it’s premise is fascinating. From the book jacket:

“[The research] shows that genes and DNA do not control our biology; that instead DNA is controlled by signals from outside the cell, including the energetic messages emanating from our positive and negative thoughts.”

Wow! This has astounding implications. It basically means we can change our bodies by retraining our thinking! Incredible! But to me it’s another underscore on the message that our thoughts and our feelings count. Big time.

When we’re dealing with fertility issues, however, it’s very difficult to turn our thoughts around and feel the glory of sunshine or anything else. Consider what this Harvard study found (from Conquering Infertility by Alice Domar, Ph.D.): Women who want a child and are told they can’t have one react with the same level of depression and stress as those who are told they have cancer or AIDS.

The sense of loss is that profound. What can help? Here are some tools to try:

Yoga and meditation help by forcing your mind into the now, grounding you in your body and/or your breath. These also help you relax and free your mind of clutter. Here’s one resource for fertility CD’s.

Visualizations that deal with your frustration, anger, worry, stress, or those that help you see, feel and experience the positive end result you want (a healed uterus, a baby) can be extremely powerful tools. My favorite visualizations come from Julia Indichova (Imagery CD).

Cognitively restructure your thoughts. This means as soon as you hear a negative thought show up, such as “I’ll never get pregnant,” stop to question where the thought comes from, if it’s logical or true, and then create a new “truth” thought for yourself, such as: “It is possible to get pregnant.” For more info, see the wonderful book mentioned earlier, Conquering Infertility, by Alice Domar, Ph.D.

Attend support groups. They are not for everyone, but research shows they make a huge difference for some. Sharing with others, seeing that you’re not alone, being able to talk with others who “get” it is very helpful. Call RESOLVE for more info. Or search the web to chat online.

Personally, I did not attend support groups because I felt I needed to shield myself from any negative thoughts that might arise. I only wanted to hear success stories to reinforce my belief that pregnancy was possible for me.

Check your attitude and beliefs. As you know, I was told I had a 2% chance of getting pregnant. I heard it, but chose to believe in possibility instead. I then went out and did all I could to encourage a healthy, viable conception. I just found it unacceptable that I could not have a baby. This attitude and belief pushed me through yoga, meditation, diet and more until my baby indeed appeared.

Finally: Nurture yourself!! Remember to take breaks on this long, grueling journey. Let yourself cry, get angry, and fully feel what you feel. Release it all, nurture yourself and then, when you’re ready, focus back in on bringing home the baby you know is yours.

Photo by http://lisucr.com/category/business

Diet for Fibroids, Endometriosis and PCOS

2009-10-29T22:28:00.000-07:00

FIRST SOME NEWS
I wanted to share some exciting news about our upcoming book: The Fertile Kitchen™ Cookbook: Simple Recipes for Optimizing Your Fertility. At last we have an official release date from the publisher: November 18, 2009, which means you can have the book in hand right after.

We also have secured a location for the book’s launch party: It will be held in mid-January, 2010, at the prestigious Pacific Fertility Center in San Francisco. More on a date, time and other details to come. In the meantime, if you live in Northern California (or the Bay Area) and would like to attend, please send me an email so that I can include you on our invite. There will be food and beverages, and we’ll be signing our books and answering questions. It is likely that Philip E. Chenette, M.D., who wrote the beautiful Foreword to our book, will also be there. Come out and meet us!

In our book, you’ll find the details of the well-researched fertility diet that helped my husband and I succeed in bringing home our baby (against the odds!), and the flavorful, easy-to-make recipes that made following the diet so much easier—plus lots of other tips. To learn more, please visit our book here on Amazon.

EATING TO HELP FIBROIDS, ENDOMETRIOSIS AND PCOS
I wanted to talk a little this week about particular fertility conditions and diet.

FYI: Even if you’re on a fertility diet, it’s always a good idea to check in with a reproductive endocrinologist (fertility doctor). Knowing your particular medical diagnosis or circumstances gives you greater power in making treatment options for yourself.

The Fertile Kitchen™ diet, which is all organic and basically no sugar, wheat, dairy, alcohol, caffeine, trans fats, processed foods – to list a few features – benefits your health in general and optimizes your fertility regardless of fertility diagnosis. Even if you have blocked tubes and can thereby only get pregnant via IVF, such a diet will still give your body the best chance for success. As long as you can produce eggs or carry them, nutrition will make a difference! With this in mind, here are some particular dietary recommendations for the following conditions:

Fibroids –
It is relevant to note that fibroid growth is stimulated by estrogen. Dr. Christine Northrup has some great information on holistically treating fibroids on her website, which I recommend you check out. Here is an excerpt related to diet:

“Since the uterus is estrogen–sensitive, any dietary or alternative approach that counteracts estrogen dominance often works for fibroids. …Eating a diet high in protein and healthy fats and low in high-glycemic carbohydrates such as sugar and starch can help. "White" foods like sugar and starch increase insulin, which changes the way estrogen is metabolized, creating compounds that are more likely to cause cellular inflammation and fibroid symptoms, including enhanced growth of existing fibroids.”

Endometriosis –

Again, here is an excerpt from Dr. Northrup’s wonderful website:

“Anything that improves immune system functioning and increases the flow of energy in the body is apt to help [with endometriosis]. ...A whole foods, eicosanoid–balancing diet high in fiber that avoids trans fats can provide dramatic relief from symptoms of endometriosis. Many women have had remarkable pain relief from simply stopping consumption of dairy foods, eggs and red meats. Also avoid caffeine. Be sure to eat one to two servings daily of cruciferous vegetables, such as kale, collard greens, mustard greens, broccoli, cabbage, and turnips (or take a supplement containing Indole-3-Carbinol, the active ingredient in these vegetables). Additionally, a diet rich in phytohormones, such as those found in soy foods, helps endometriosis by blocking estrogen receptors from excess stimulation.

PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome) –
This is basically a metabolic disorder, or, as this website put it: “a condition in which the ovaries secrete abnormally high amounts of androgens (male hormones) that often cause problems with ovulation.”

A balanced diet is important. You also want to avoid foods that cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels, and esp. doing so on a regular basis, which can lead to insulin resistance. The foods to avoid are processed sugar and refined carbs. An excerpt from OBGYN.net:

“High intakes of carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates (i.e., sweets, white bread, white rice, etc.) will quickly turn to sugar and cause elevated levels of insulin. Since high levels of insulin can cause a multitude of problems for women with PCOS, a better diet would be a low glycemic index diet. This is a diet that includes foods or combinations of foods that do not cause a rapid rise in blood sugar.”

So eat carbohydrates in combination with protein or healthy fats as opposed to by themselves.

(photo by http://nutrition.myjoyonline.com/carbohydrates-and-vision-loss-2)

Eating Whole Foods and Whole Grains

2009-10-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

One of my readers was told to eat more whole foods and wanted to know, what are those, exactly? Thought that would be a good topic to explore because on a fertility diet, eating whole foods (as opposed to the over-processed variety) is a very good thing. An article on the Willy Street Co-op’s website, I thought, had a good definition: whole foods are those that are “as close as possible to their natural state. These are foods that have had little to no processing and retain their original nutrients, fiber and flavor.” The article includes examples: fresh apples instead of apple juice, brown rice instead of white. It also includes baked goods made with whole grain flour and natural sweeteners (such as honey) rather than baked goods made with refined flour (in which the grains have been stripped of their nutritious outer parts) and processed sugar, which we know is bad for us.

On the other end of the spectrum – what are NOT whole foods? Basically the processed variety, and especially the over-processed. This article (click here) lists great examples of what are NOT whole foods by listing whole foods along with their processed “equivalents,” including: boneless, skinless chicken (instead of chicken nuggets), fresh fish (instead of fish sticks), potatoes (instead of potato chips), whole grain bread, such as rye bread (instead of white bread), whole grain oatmeal (instead of almost any breakfast cereal).

Whole grains, by the way, are those which contain all of their parts: the outer shell (the bran), inner portion (endosperm) and the kernel (the germ). They include oatmeal, brown rice, whole-grain barley, wild rice, buckwheat, Kamut® and others. Whole grains can also be used as an ingredient in food, such as flour, cereal or crackers.

Whole grains provide more fiber and essential nutrients than refined grains, which are often stripped of their outer shell.

So why is eating more whole foods so good for you and your fertility? Because of what you’re getting and what you’re not getting when you eat them.

What you’re getting with whole foods is a lot more of the essential vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and fiber, for example, than you would with non-whole foods. What you’re NOT getting is a lot of the ugly, unhealthy ingredients you often get in packaged or processed foods, such as sugar, hydrogenated oil (trans fat, very bad for you!), high fructose corn syrup (more sugar), mono sodium glutamate (MSG), flavors, preservatives, fillers and artificial sweeteners, to name a few. Many of these ingredients impact fertility negatively. Sugar can mess with your hormones, for example.

So eat more whole foods! And cut out the processed stuff.

You can read more about processed foods vs. whole foods in this article.
For more on the nutritional value of eating whole foods, check out this website.
For examples of whole food meals, check out this website.
(photo by http://healthhabits.wordpress.com/)

Fertility Eating On the Road

2009-10-15T21:46:00.000-07:00

Just back from two weeks of a heavenly and much needed vacation visiting friends and family in Europe, I am slammed hard with jet lag and may need to keep this entry short. Speaking of traveling, it can be especially rough trying to stick to a fertility diet (or any diet, for that matter) away from home. You may not have access to a kitchen, and depending on where you go, you may not be able to find your usual healthy foods or know where to go to get them. A few tips are in order for this:

Do the best you can with what you got. If you go out to a restaurant, try to make it one that serves salads or vegetables. Even if these items are not organic, you'll still get the nutritional value, and they're a whole lot healthier than eating pizza, sandwiches or cream- (and wheat-) laden pasta. Plus, you can eat as much of it as you want.
Don't order meat dishes unless you know the meat is organic; you can't risk the growth hormones they might contain.Same goes for dairy. Skip it.
Seafood is great! Order smaller fish and nothing raw, though, and don't eat it every day (due to mercury levels).
It can be hard to find non-wheat breads or crackers in some places. Again, do the best you can. If you must eat wheat, at least make sure the bread and cracker products are minimally processed and don't have forbidden ingredients, like trans fat. (Do your best to read the label.)
If you can find a grocery store, see if you can't get your hands on some good, portable fruits, like apples, and also some carrot or celery sticks and rice cakes or minimally processed crackers to snack on. If you also have access to a kitchen, see what you can do with what you got.
Some countries have their own form of "organic." In Switzerland, for example, food labeled "bio" counts more or less as organic. Ask the grocer about whether they carry pesticide- and chemical-free foods, and what they're called.
It's best to give you and your body at least two or three months to adjust to a strict fertility diet before traveling to foreign locales. Once you've built that "base," your body is better equipped to "absorb" your being less strict for a short period of time. Also, you will have built some healthy eating habits that will carry over.
Which leads to an important point: it's the overall healthy effect of the fertility diet that's important. So don't worry if you're not able to be as strict for a short period of time (say a week or two). As long as you've been following the diet for a while and you make the healthiest choices you can in your circumstances, your body will be in good shape. You might be feeling the need to take a little vacation from the usual, regimented diet anyway, and if it helps you keep going, that's a good thing.
Of course, you can also make it easier on yourself by choosing to travel someplace (or eat out someplace) where healthy foods are more available.

So go forth, enjoy your vacation, try not to worry, let it all go. You never know what might happen, once your guard is down and you let yourself truly relax. As it turns out, our son was conceived on vacation, four months into our fertility diet. Vacations are good!

Try the Eat Well guide to help locate healthy, sustainable, organic food in the U.S.

Fertility Recipe: Chicken with Bell Peppers and Mushrooms

2009-10-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

I'm posting earlier than usual this week, because I'm heading to southern Italy and decided not to bring my laptop with me. Thought it better to eat fabulous seafood and enjoy.

Speaking of food... It's been a while since I posted a fertility recipe, so I thought I would do so now. This easy, colorful and tasty dish provides a light, fresh meal appropriate for any occasion. Serve with rice. Serves 2.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
1 onion, sliced
1/2 lb of mushrooms
3 bell peppers of mixed color, such as red and yellow
2 Tbsp of olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp dry basil or 5 or 6 leaves of fresh basil, chopped

Recipe:
1.    Cut chicken breast into strips about a 1/2-inch thick by about 2-inches long.
2.    Remove top of bell peppers and seeds from the center.
3.    Cut bell peppers into strips about a 1/4-inch thick by 1-inch long.
4.    Cut onion into thin strips.
5.    Cut mushrooms into 4 pieces.
6.    Put olive oil in a non-stick sauce pan and heat on high for 1 minute.
7.    Add onion and chicken, and sprinkle paprika and pepper on top.
8.    Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
9.    Lower heat to medium-high.
10.    Add bell peppers, then stir and cook for 5 minutes.
11.    Add mushrooms and basil, stir, and if desired, adjust seasoning to taste.
12.    Cook for another 2 minutes and serve.