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Naturopathy and Fertility
Unfortunately, couples are having more and more trouble conceiving in this modern age. Once upon a time most of the blame lay with the woman, however it is currently believed that 40% rest with the male, 40% rests with the female, 10% is with both and 10% is unknown.
Common causes for infertility;
- Medication
- Subnormal semen analysis results
- Infection
- Hormonal imbalances
- Stress
- Cigarettes, alcohol and recreational drugs
- Toxicity
- Aging
- Thyroid abnormalities
- PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids
- Obesity and low BMI
How can Naturopathy help with fertility?
Your naturopath will take a very thorough case history as well as review any medical tests that you have, so please bring these all with you. We will then suggest dietary and lifestyle changes, as well as necessary medicinal herbs and nutritional supplements. Ideally, it is beneficial to be on a 3 month pre conception plan, as this will give your bodies the best chance for conception and prevention of miscarriage.
Can I use natural therapies in conjunction with IVF?
Yes naturopathy can be very complementary to IVF and works well with couples who are taking this route due to medical reasons.
Can a Naturopath help with both male and female infertility?
Yes we can help both male and female infertility. It is very important that the male’s health is considered and addressed, as 50% DNA will come from the male.
Interesting facts about fertility.
A woman ovulates only 12-24 hours of her monthly cycle, the window of opportunity is small, however luckily the sperm are persistent and can survive 4-5 days
A woman’s basal temperature will rise the day after ovulation due to a spike in progesterone levels, this will stay high until menstruation where progesterone levels drop off, or stay high if implantation is successful and progesterone levels continue to rise
Approximately 200-500 million sperm cells are released during ejaculation, most of these die immediately, and the remainder make their difficult journey to the newly released egg. At this point there are roughly 200 sperm remaining
Naturopathic approach to alleviating morning sickness in pregnancy
Morning sickness is the acute, transient nausea associated with pregnancy. ‘Morning sickness’ is a misnomer – it may occur at any time of the day, though it most commonly occurs soon after waking. It is thought to be caused by increased levels of oestrogen being produced by the placenta and/or by increased levels of human chorionic gonadotropin. Morning sickness usually starts in the first month of the pregnancy, peaking in the 6th week, and continuing until the 16th week. For 50% of all sufferers, it ends by the 16th week of pregnancy. For the other half, it may take up to another month to get relief but some women will have morning sickness off and on for their entire pregnancy.
Risk factors
Some women suffer terribly from morning sickness, while others sail through with minimum nausea. The following factors are thought to play a part in morning sickness:
- An increase in the circulating level of the hormone oestrogen. Oestrogen levels may increase by up to a hundredfold during pregnancy.
- An increase in human chorionic gonadotropin.
- Low blood sugar during pregnancy.
- An increase in progesterone relaxes the muscles in the uterus, which prevents early childbirth, but may also relax the stomach and intestines, leading to nausea.
- Intake of alcohol, sugar, oils and meat, which have been postulated to cause a natural trigger of morning sickness in the body as a way of discouraging ingestion of less healthy foods.
Signs and Symptoms
Common signs and symptoms of morning sickness include
- Nausea, vomiting
- Retching, belching, vomiting of sour fluid
- Poor digestion with abdominal distension exacerbated by eating
- Poor appetite
- Fatigue—especially after meals
Diet and Lifestyle tips to help alleviate morning sickness
- Pregnant women are making the greatest nutritional investment of their lives. It is important to ensure adequate nutritional intake by eating a diet based on fresh, organic wholefoods, incorporating protein, fruit, vegetables, good fats and high fibre foods.
- Avoid an empty stomach. Eating small regular meals helps to maintain energy levels and may prevent morning sickness.
- Don’t overeat – large meals can drain energy. Instead of eating three big meals per day, try six mini-meals to spread your kilojoule intake more evenly. This will result in more constant blood sugar and insulin levels.
- Ginger, in capsules, tea, ginger ale or ginger beer.
- Peppermint leaf tea, can help relieve nausea and morning sickness or gas.
- Raspberry leaf tea, also relieves nausea, however is recommended after the first trimester only.
- Fulfil food cravings.
- Drink plenty of water – a dehydrated body functions less efficiently.
- Eat iron rich foods – make sure diet includes iron rich foods such as lean red meat.
- Ensure adequate, regular, and consistent amounts of sleep each night.
- Effective relaxation is essential – try techniques such as yoga or meditation.
- Maintaining a reasonable work and personal schedule is important.
- Address chronic pain and/or depression.
- Cut down caffeine.
- Some women find that aromatherapy can help – with essential oils of lemon, lime, orange and peppermint (a few drops in a vaporiser) can ease nausea.
Chiropractics role in fertility.
Most people think of seeing a Chiropractor for body pains and headaches, but Chiropractic care does have an impact on the whole body, including organ systems. In that way it does have a small role in helping with infertility, but is best used as an adjunct to other treatments such as Acupuncture or Naturopathy.
The principle of Chiropractic is to balance the physical body and allow it to function as it is designed to. This will in turn reduce any tension in the muscles, and pressure on the joints and spinal discs, and hence reduce pain. It also has the effect of reducing any pressure on the nerves. If the nervous system is free of pressure it is also able to function as normally as possible, hence the body’s organ systems will receive the optimal nerve supply and hence function optimally also. In this way Chiropractic can have an impact on systems including digestion, circulation and fertility.
The nerves that originate from the lumbar and sacral spine, ie the lower back and pelvis, supply the reproductive system, so if there is some imbalance to these structures there may be interference to how well the reproductive system works and hence possibly affect fertility.
Another way a Chiropractor may help when it comes to fertility, is with the Neuro Emotional Technique (NET), described in our June newsletter. Sometimes we can have fears that hold us back in life, and these fears and emotions can be strong enough to affect our body and how well it functions. When it comes to fertility, pregnancy and parenthood, there are many emotions that can come up, and potentially impact on our fertility (either by increasing stress levels or by affecting hormone levels). These can include fear of being pregnant or the birth, or self esteem issues around being a good parent. Commonly it can also bring up concerns of how a baby will impact your career, social life, relationship with your partner to name just a few. NET can be a great tool to allow you to be free those emotional blocks and hence function more optimally.
Once you fall pregnant, then Chiropractic can be of a great benefit in reducing any discomfort that can come about due to all the changes your body will be going through. See next month newsletter article, Chiropractic and Pregnancy.
The Low-Down On Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a type of fat that is carried around in the blood. It performs useful functions in the body and is a major building block for cells and many of your hormones, including oestrogen, testosterone and cortisol. Cholesterol is also important for the synthesis of vitamin D, as well as bile acids which aid in the digestion of fats. Our bodies manufacture cholesterol but it can also be found in foods containing saturated fats. It is important to check your cholesterol levels regularly. Even though our bodies need some cholesterol, having high cholesterol can be bad for your health and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The Good vs. The Bad Cholesterol
HDL and LDL are letters that you may have seen before on a blood test, and your Practitioner will be interested in reviewing these to monitor your health. But what do they mean? Your total cholesterol is made up of two types of cholesterol, often referred to as “good” and “bad” cholesterol.
- High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) is essentially the “good” form of cholesterol. It carries cholesterol from the tissues to the liver to be broken down and excreted. HDL helps to decrease cardiovascular risk.
- Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) is often referred to as the “bad” form of cholesterol. High levels of LDL cholesterol can leave cholesterol deposits in the arteries, increasing the risk of the coronary artery disease known as atherosclerosis.
- It is important to keep your HDL:LDL ratio in balance; aim towards having higher levels of the “good” and lower levels of the “bad” cholesterol.
High cholesterol is a complex issue and genetics definitely play a key role in many cases but for a wide variety of people the following suggestions can make an enormous difference, and for those who are genetically predisposed to high cholesterol it is important to make lifestyle and dietary changes that benefit your heart and cardiovascular system even if they don’t necessarily make a huge difference to your actual cholesterol levels.
Natural Support For Cholesterol
Liver Tonics : Making sure the liver is working optimally is extremely important when trying to lower cholesterol. An initial liver detox would be an excellent start, but a general liver tonic that includes the herbs Cynara, dandelion root, milk thistle and fringe-tree would be of great benefit.
- Polymethoxyflavones: Also known as PMFs, these natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds found in citrus peel assist in maintaining healthy cholesterol levels. Research has shown that nobiletin and tangeretin, the phytochemicals found in PMFs, may assist in lowering LDL levels by reducing synthesis and increasing the clearance of LDL cholesterol.
- Tocotrienols: Tocotrienols are members of the vitamin E family. These antioxidants also increase the clearance of LDL cholesterol and reduce the body’s production of LDL.
- Krill oil: The oil from the crustacean, krill, has been shown to be beneficial for cholesterol balance, particularly by supporting HDL levels.
- Fish oil: 2 g to 4 g of combined EPA/DHA has been shown to decrease triglyceride levels and is beneficial for heart health.
Six Tips For Optimal Cardiovascular Performance
Take on these tips for eating and living to support healthy cholesterol and cardiovascular health:
- Follow the Mediterranean diet. People eating this diet rich in essential nutrients and antioxidants have the lowest rates of cardiovascular disease in the world.
- Reduce saturated fats by choosing lean meats. Eating too much saturated fat may increase your weight and cholesterol levels.
- Eliminate detrimental trans fats found in many fast foods, fried foods and packaged baked goods.
- Cut down on sugary refined carbohydrates and processed food. These foods often contain ‘hidden sugars’ that can be converted to fat when supply is high.
- Weight loss. If you are overweight, losing extra weight will help to lose the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. Your Practitioner can recommend a clinically-proven weight loss program and targeted supplements to assist healthy weight management.
Naturopath’s Top 7 Tips to Increase Energy and Fatigue.
When was the last time you felt really good? And I mean REALLY good!
Remember when as a kid you would have days where you bounced out of bed in the mornings, excited and energised? Do you now struggle to get out of bed, with energy slumps during the day, propping yourself up with caffeine and sugar, and when you get home you only have the energy to watch a little TV and fall into bed?
Can you pinpoint the day that you lost your energy? For many, loss of energy is something that sneaks up on us. The reduction in our energy most often happens so gradually that we don’t notice the change from one day to the next. The sad thing is that we actually get used to feeling low in energy and this becomes our new “normal”.
There is often a biological reason for why we feel so tired. In our cells are very small things called mitochondria. Mitochondria are a little like batteries that produce energy for the whole body. These mitochondria require several specific nutrients in order to produce energy at an efficient rate. If any of these nutrients are not available, or if the mitochondria are damaged, the energy we have available goes down.
So how can you increase your energy?
Ultimately, there is no quick fix that will work in the long term. The solution is to get back to basic good living to take the load off your mitochondria and really improve your energy. When I feel that my energy is low, these are the seven things that I do:
- Get adequate, regular and consistent amounts of sleep each night – if you are having trouble sleeping, my best tip is to switch of all technological devices about 90 minutes before bedtime. This includes the tv, computers, smart phones, tablets etc as the blue light emitting from these devices can disrupt the production of your sleep hormone – melatonin.
- Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and drink plenty of water throughout the day. Some people find that reducing the consumption of wheat, dairy and red meat improves overall energy.
- Exercise regularly – a gentle walk in the morning sunshine can be helpful for those suffering fatigue and insomnia.
- Avoid too many stimulants such as caffeine, foods high in sugar and alcohol.
- For some people, just making the above 4 changes is enough to put the bounce back into their step. Many people, however, need more intensive support than this. Certain nutrients can really assist here.
- CoQ10 – is vital for healthy energy production in our cells and protects our mitochondria from day to day damage. Many of my clients notice a real difference when they take this nutrient regularly.
- Omega 3, found in fish oils – also protects our mitochondria from damage.
- N-acetyl carnitine and lipoic acid – shovels nutrients into the mitochondria and stabilises blood sugar levels.
- B Vitamins – essential for energy production for the mitochondria.
- Herbal medicines can also noticeably improve energy levels. These include ginseng – there are a few different types of ginseng available, with slightly different effects. I like Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) for men and Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosis) for women. Rhodiola is also a good herb to try as it supports the adrenals and balances blood sugar.
- Taking care of your emotional and mental health can also enormously improve overall energy levels. This can include:
- Surrounding yourself with positive and uplifting people, and avoid people who you find draining and toxic.
- Listen to beautiful music – whatever you find that to be.
- Search for health, fitness and motivational podcasts.
- Watching positive television shows and movies – avoid violence, gossip and dark dramas.
- Reading literature with a positive message and avoiding content that overstimulates or depresses.