Healthy Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a joyous time in a woman’s life, but it can also be confusing because there’s a lot of advice out there.  Many women want recommendations that support not only their own health and their baby’s, but also the environment.  Most people are prompted to start making healthy changes in their lives when they find out a baby is on the way.  However, it is best to begin before conception.

Here are the top healthy changes to make that will benefit themselves, their baby, and the environment:

• Eating fresh organic, seasonal foods can make a difference to women wanting to get pregnant, to the health of their babies and the environment.
• Investing in a Kangen water filter and cutting out buying plastic water bottles will make a difference too. (www.carolinakangenwater.com)
• Cutting out things like alcohol, caffeine, sugar and recreational drug use can make it easier to get pregnant.
• Taking a high quality prenatal multivitamin
• Supplementing with DHA.  Fish oils are great options but there are vegetarian options as well.
• DHA has been shown to help with the baby’s brain development.
• Doing a cleanse before pregnancy is a great way start this journey.
• Yoga and rest can help you have a healthy pregnancy and post-partum.

By Tiffany Jackson, ND (www.ecohealthwellness.com

The wisdom that what you eat is a direct reflection of your health is now widely accepted as science continues to prove that certain foods do in fact improve reproductive function. For years, clients have requested more delicious tasting fertility friendly recipes. From this desire emerged the idea for my cookbook: Cooking for Fertility: Foods to Nourish Your Fertile Soul and an instructional Cooking for Fertility DVD for those wanting to learn how to cook to conceive. Cooking for Fertility is a simple approach to nourishing reproductive function that combines modern science with the ancient wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

While enhancing your chances of conceiving, the bigger picture of living a fertile life is important including learning lifestyle, exercise and food choices that are fertility promoting. For those experiencing infertility, specific meal plans address common Western and Chinese Medicine imbalances with healing foods. By optimizing your digestion, you naturally absorb more nutrients and prepare yourself for a healthy pregnancy. Above all else, the key to eating for fertility is pleasure: over 100 delicious recipes included for your enjoyment including a healthy chocolate mousse, smoothies, salads and more!

We are endowed with a primordial pool of follicles during fetal development. At birth they measure near one million; by the time we enter menarche, they number about 500,000, and by the time we approach the perimenopausal years we have around ten thousand. These primordial follicles do not undergo any change or deterioration until they begin to circulate within the ovaries’ response to its internal environment, which is an inner result of how we relate to our external environment.

The hypothalamus interprets our emotional response to our environment (via neurochemicals), and translates it into hormonal messages in the form of GnRH or Gonadotropin Inhibitory Hormone. These chemicals then trigger the appropriate response from the pituitary gland, whose hormones signal the gonads to release their germ cells and hormones. The resulting blood laboratory values are a manifestation, not a cause. These circulating hormone levels feed back to the hypothalamus, along with our emotional response, to regulate its ongoing release of brain hormones. Because of this adaptive feedback system, supplying external hormones will not improve the function of the ovaries; only suppress their release. In order to improve the functioning of any part of this system, the entire system must be addressed.

Tiny follicles leave their primordial pool (again, not changed since before birth), and enter into the growing pool of follicles, where the dominant follicles are activated by FSH fire from the pituitary gland. The number of circulating follicles depends upon many factors – blood flow to the ovaries (which can be enhanced), nutritional and hormonal fuel to the ovaries (which can be enhanced), our emotional response to our environment (which can be enhanced), our ability to restore and access the follicles to allow them to enter into a healthy internal environment (which can be enhanced.) The number of follicles in the growing pool determines the levels of AMH. Only the chosen dominant follicle will mature in response to the pituitary gland’s release of luteinizing hormone during ovulation. LH can be viewed as the energetic trigger, causing the entire cascade to produce the potential for release, fertilization, implantation and continued growth.

An early antral follicle releases estradiol in the form of yin. If the endocrine system provides messages that this system is conducive to new life, the ovaries perceive a great internal potential to produce more follicles. They will respond with more yin, access more essence, and the entire cascade will dance into full expression. AMH values will rise. FSH values will tend to lower, as very little flame is necessary to keep the fire going. More follicles will produce greater levels of inhibin B. The body will select a dominant follicle; LH will mature its residing egg, and allow the release of a healthy potential.

The Fertile Soul Method ® is proven to maximize your reproductive potential. Most of our patients are 40 or over; most have high FSH, low AMH, other hormonal abnormalities, or have been diagnosed with poor ovarian reserve, poor egg quality, endometriosis, or recurrent miscarriages. Most have not found their answers solely within Western reproductive medicine. Most have been able to rectify their internal energetic imbalances through our program, and produce new life.

Dr. Randine Lewis is the founder of The Fertile Soul, the president of the Continuing Excellence in Fertility Professionals, the author of The Infertility Cure, and The Way of the Fertile Soul. Find out more about Dr. Lewis’ retreats at www.thefertilesoul.com.

A simple analogy – FSH is the flame. The uterus is the oven. LH is the opening of the flu. The ovaries are the wood; Estradiol measures the available wood for burning, inhibin B could be seen as the damper that keeps the fire from burning out of control, and AMH could be seen as the lighter fluid. If we are trying to ignite the spark of life and keep it going, we need to ensure all of our provisions are adequate. Assisted reproductive technology gives you one tool – more fire. However, if we need a drier oven, if we need to gather more wood, soak it in more fluid, or reduce the wind that is keeping the spark from igniting, more fire is not the only answer. In fact, sometimes more fire actually keeps the materials from being able to burn on their own. A flame-thrower is not the best way to tender the gently burning fire of life. Some ways you can improve your capacity on your own:

Reduce stress   Perform reproductive and femoral massage

Take anti-oxidants  Eat organic, natural fruits and vegetables

Get adequate rest  Practice internal deep breathing techniques

Energy Balancing  Keep yourself in supportive environments

Acupuncture   Herbal therapy

The Fertile Soul Method ® is proven to maximize your reproductive potential. Most of our patients are 40 or over; most have high FSH, low AMH, other hormonal abnormalities, or have been diagnosed with poor ovarian reserve, poor egg quality, endometriosis, or recurrent miscarriages. Most have not found their answers solely within Western reproductive medicine. Most have been able to rectify their internal energetic imbalances through our program, and produce new life.

Dr. Randine Lewis is the founder of The Fertile Soul, the president of the Continuing Excellence in Fertility Professionals, the author of The Infertility Cure, and The Way of the Fertile Soul. Find out more about Dr. Lewis’ retreats at www.thefertilesoul.com.

Within the last ten to 15 years, reproductive medicine has made quite a fuss made over high FSH levels. Chinese medicine doesn’t focus so much on the unqualified meaning of laboratory values like Western medicine does; we view lab results energetically according to what is behind them, rather than providing meaning to the absolute numerical value.

The body energetically views the ovaries as “essence”, an elemental potential, like the primordial follicles within them. Follicles are only potential until they begin to interact with their internal environment, which is responding to cues coming from our interpretation of our external environment. All of this is subject to change, when we change our internal environment, and our response to our external environment. FSH, on the other hand, is viewed as “heat”, which activates the potential of the ovaries’ essence in the form of eggs, and resulting blood levels of estradiol (or yin). When the essence is adequate, it doesn’t require much heat to ignite the ovaries. When the essence is weak (due to stress, lack of restoration, follicular malnourishment, and the demands of life), it takes more heat to induce the necessary ovarian response, indicative of present ovarian health.

To put it simply and in energetic terms, those who have high FSH and low estradiol levels generally have too much heat, in relation to the underlying essence capable of responding to FSH stimulation. Although optimal FSH values are seen as <10, The Fertile Soul Retreat process has helped women whose FSH values are well over 100 conceive naturally. First, however, we have had to energetically reduce their heat, and maximize their essence, which allows the FSH to activate healthy follicles.

Although Western medicine views the reproductive system as an ever-deteriorating disease process waiting for intervention, Chinese medicine employs a different lens. We view the body/mind/spirit as an ever adaptive system, which, when given appropriate environmental cues, has a miraculous ability to manifest its highest potential.

To hear a personal experience of someone who lowered their FSH naturally please watch the following video.

The Fertile Soul Method ® is proven to maximize your reproductive potential. Most of our patients are 40 or over; most have high FSH, low AMH, other hormonal abnormalities, or have been diagnosed with poor ovarian reserve, poor egg quality, endometriosis, or recurrent miscarriages. Most have not found their answers solely within Western reproductive medicine. Most have been able to rectify their internal energetic imbalances through our program, and produce new life.

Dr. Randine Lewis is the founder of The Fertile Soul, the president of the Continuing Excellence in Fertility Professionals, the author of The Infertility Cure, and The Way of the Fertile Soul. Find out more about Dr. Lewis’ retreats at www.thefertilesoul.com.

As if high FSH values, and low estradiol/inhibin-b levels weren’t enough to convince you of your need for drastic intervention and donor eggs, the newest craze in ovarian reserve testing is a hormone known as Anti-Mullerian Hormone or AMH.

Again, some reproductive physiology will be helpful to make sense of this hormone.

During embryonic development, male testes produce AMH, to inhibit the expression of Mullerian ducts, which become female sexual organs. In the presence of AMH, the primordial urogenital ridge bears Wolfian expressions of prostate, testes and vas deferens, rather than the female Mullerian expressions of fallopian tubes, uterus and vagina. We could look at Anti-Mullerian Hormone as a “holding back” hormone. After birth, AMH becomes expressed by females, within the granulosa cells of the ovary, where it inhibits the responsiveness of growing follicles to FSH. Since human beings aren’t made to raise litters, the body’s internal wisdom does not allow the recruitment of all of the primordial follicles, as only one dominant follicle is chosen for ovulation during each menstrual cycle. If FSH is viewed has heat, and estradiol is viewed as yin, AMH is viewed as the “essence potential”, or the ability to hold back the ovarian essence from interacting with the pituitary gland’s igniting fire. The greater the body’s ability to hold back ovarian essence, the easier it is for the FSH igniting potential to activate a response in the form of a healthy egg and its resulting estradiol levels. Therefore, higher AMH values are indicative of a greater abundance of interactive follicles. The “normal” values of AMH are between 0-6 ug/L. The closer you are to 6, the greater the force behind the dam. Once again, The Fertile Soul Retreat Process has helped women whose AMH values were zero conceive naturally.

The Fertile Soul Method ® is proven to maximize your reproductive potential. Most of our patients are 40 or over; most have high FSH, low AMH, other hormonal abnormalities, or have been diagnosed with poor ovarian reserve, poor egg quality, endometriosis, or recurrent miscarriages. Most have not found their answers solely within Western reproductive medicine. Most have been able to rectify their internal energetic imbalances through our program, and produce new life.

Dr. Randine Lewis is the founder of The Fertile Soul, the president of the Continuing Excellence in Fertility Professionals, the author of The Infertility Cure, and The Way of the Fertile Soul. Find out more about Dr. Lewis’ retreats at www.thefertilesoul.com.

Markers of Ovarian Reserve Viewed Through the Lens of Chinese Medicine

Estradiol   FSH – Follicle Stimulating Hormone

Inhibin B   AMH – Antimullerian Hormone

“Ovarian reserve” testing can be intimidating and daunting. The results often feel like a fertility death sentence. When viewed through the eyes of Chinese medicine, however, these laboratory markers of ovarian potential can actually make diagnostic sense, and help determine the best natural therapeutic course for you.

It will be helpful to understand a little reproductive physiology first.

Brain Hormones:

The pituitary gland, which sits behind your eyebrows, emits FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) in response to messages translated by the hypothalamus, which secretes Gonadotropic releasing hormone (GnRH) in response to the hormone levels in your blood, and your emotional response to your environment. This hormonal command post, like all of the hormones in your body, responds to internal chemical messages conveyed through the blood, and emotional interpretations of your external environment.

These external and internal messages determine how the pituitary hormones interact with and are able to communicate with your ovaries, and how the ovarian output communicates back to the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.

Ovarian Hormones:

Activin and Inhibin B are protein complexes within the ovarian follicule. Activin enhances FSH secretion, cellular proliferation and plays a role in menstrual regulation. Inhibin B, on the other hand, down regulates and inhibits GnRH from the hypothalamus, and FSH secretion from the pituitary gland.

When the system is in sync, the hypothalamus secretes GnRH to trigger the pituitary gland to release small amounts of FSH during the last few days of the previous menstrual cycle, which rise until the beginning of the next follicular phase. FSH recruits Graafian (or antral) follicles, which have been growing within the ovary for the better part of a year.  Around three months before these follicles are ovulated, they enter the tonic growth phase, where protein synthesis occurs.  Follicles that have interacted optimally with the internal environment have the potential to become dominant follicles, primed by FSH. They then secrete estrogen, and express LH receptors, which allow the chosen dominant follicle to mature and become capable of ovulation.

Higher levels of Inhibin B indicate that the ovarian follicle is doing its job of putting out adequate estradiol. Inhibin B provides negative feedback to the hypothalamus and pituitary gland to let them know to turn down the GnRH and FSH, as output is sufficient.

The Fertile Soul Method ® is proven to maximize your reproductive potential. Most of our patients are 40 or over; most have high FSH, low AMH, other hormonal abnormalities, or have been diagnosed with poor ovarian reserve, poor egg quality, endometriosis, or recurrent miscarriages. Most have not found their answers solely within Western reproductive medicine. Most have been able to rectify their internal energetic imbalances through our program, and produce new life.

Dr. Randine Lewis is the founder of The Fertile Soul, the president of the Continuing Excellence in Fertility Professionals, the author of The Infertility Cure, and The Way of the Fertile Soul. Find out more about Dr. Lewis’ retreats at www.thefertilesoul.com.

While having dinner with my friend Tiffany the other night, discussing our Cooking for Fertility DVD, I mentioned I was working on an article about the connection between heartfelt happiness and health. She shared with me that in ancient cultures, before shaman would perform healings they would ask their patient to list ten things that they were grateful for. They believed that this simple act of expressing gratitude was oftenenough intervention to cure what ailed their patients.

Research is confirming this may just be true. A Canadian study revealed that looking for the silver lining throughout life and adopting a positive attitude may lower the risk of heart attacks and Angina. Furthermore, perhaps we can shift our experience of sorrow to joy simply by including pleasurable activities in our lives.

Pleasurable thoughts and experiences change our physiology by flooding the body with feel good chemicals like serotonin and beta-endorphins. Alongside hormones, a chemical called nitric oxide is also released, most commonly in the experience of orgasm. Nitric oxide relaxes the blood vessels inducing the relaxation response, which supports the parasympathetic nervous system and combats stress.

Dr. Deborah Kern, a health scientist who specializes in the impacts of pleasure conducted a study where women were enrolled in a Pleasure Diet and encouraged to seek pleasure on a daily basis through all five senses. Kern looked at 22 areas of life satisfaction and noted significant increases in life happiness in all areas.

Lifestyle and nutrition tips to support heart health and happiness:

Meditate on gratitude: Focus on an image that brings you joy and you will begin to resonate with a higher vibration. The Institude of Heartmath uses technology to measure this shift from dissonance (stress) to resonance (pleasure) using technology.

Keep a gratitude list: as shaman healers have long recognizing what you are grateful for can immediately shift your state of mind. Consider keeping a list beside your bed.

Explore your five senses: pay attention to the sensations of pleasure you experience when you taste, touch, smell, see and hear. Notice how different images and feelings impact your state of happiness.

Heart Healthy Foods: in Chinese medicine red colored foods positively impact the heart: beets, tomatoes, red peppers, raspberries and adzuki beans. The following foods also help to build the blood: apricot, beef, beetroot, blackberries, bone marrow, eggs, cuttlefish, dark leafy greens, date, dandelion, fig, grape, kidney bean, liver, hormone-free meat and liver, microalgae, nettle, octopus, oyster, parsley, sardine, spinach, spirulina, sweet rice, and watercress.

Supplements for Heart (Cardiovascular) Health: OPC, Proflavonol 90, CoQuinone 30, Biomega (fish oil)

Exercise: Daily exercise floods the body with fresh oxygen and blood supply. Find activities you love and incorporate them into your routine. Whether you are exercising for pregnancy or for fertility, pleasure is a key component to keep you on track.

Healthy fats are the cornerstones of a balanced diet.  In fact, your hormones are stored in your fat and there is evidence that shows having either too much or too little may just impact your fertility.  Women who do not eat enough healthy fat sources often lack the necessary body fat to sustain a regular cycle and sometimes lose their periods completely.

It’s also important to recognize that all fats are not created equally.  Avoiding unhealthy fats was shown to protect fertility in the Harvard Medical Nurses Study that concluded the equivalent amount of trans fats “in two tablespoons of stick margarine, one medium order of fast-food French fries, or one doughnut” could negatively impacts one’s reproductive function.  Once you become pregnant, healthy fats are essential to your baby’s development in utero.   To get healthy fats in your diet each day include the following:

Cooking oils:

Organic, unrefined oils for cooking: extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil and high oleic sunflower oil.

Oils for drizzling:

Omega and GLA (Gamma Linolenic Acid) oils have countless health benefits. Drizzle the following oils on breakfast cereals and steamed vegetables: Usana-brand Optomega, flax oil, evening primrose oil, borage oil, black currant oil, pumpkin seed oil and chia seed oil.

Food sources:

Omega 3 fatty acids: salmon, sardines, mackerel, flax seeds, chia seed, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and dark leafy greens.10

Monounsaturated fats: almonds, coconut, olives, walnuts, sunflower seeds and avocadoes.

I recently re-read Walter Makichen’s book Spirit Babies which is offers an insightful metaphysical viewpoint of conception. I first met Walter while working at a Fertile Soul Retreat. At the time, I didn’t know much about him except that he was a clairvoyant and I had not yet read his book. There were twenty or so woman attending from all over the world and I have to admit that I wondered how they would receive the concept of spirit babies, since many of them had never seen a psychic. After seeing Walter speak, each of these woman was so moved by his description of working with spirit babies that almost all of them signed up for an individual consultation with him.

Walter’s belief is that many parents have been with their babies in past lives and that often there are lessons left to work through together. When working with infertility patients, he has noticed that there is often a blockage in physical circumstances or energetic vibration preventing the soul from entering the body. In his individual sessions, Makichen is able to speak to the spirit baby and offer insight to the parents about the needs or fears that are preventing conception. He often sees the spirit baby surrounded by an oval of light that corresponds with the chakra system, revealing which emotions need to be addressed to invite the baby in to what he calls the conception chalice:

“When couples with a conscious or unconscious desire to have a child make love, their kundalini energies flow up their spine and out the top of their heads. Their individual energies intertwine, forming a column. At the top the two energies merge into the shape of a bowl. The whole form resembles a large gold and orange goblet or chalice. This gold and orange bowl, which I call the “conception cradle,” floats above the top of the prospective mother’s head. The conception cradle calls and welcomes the spirit baby, drawing the spirit into the conception contract.” (page 186-187)

Spirit Babies offers practical solutions to teach prospective parents to speak with the spirit of their unborn child through meditation and breathwork. Walter also helps women and men to work through issues of past miscarriage, abortions and trauma through grief and self-forgiveness exercises. The key that he re-iterates throughout the book is to continuously return to nature to re-attune your system with the earth. Walter believes that spirit babies may be with their parents for many years before entering the body, often presenting themselves in the form of butterflies and hummingbirds.