Sweet Potato Fries

photo by: Jody @allrecipes.com

Ingredients

· 4 sweet potatoes, cut into large french fries

· 1 TB water

· 2 tsp Italian seasoning

· ½ tsp lemon pepper

· 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
· 2 TB grape seed oil

(or Olive oil as substitute)

 

[recipe cont. below] 

Roasted Beet, Peach and Goat Cheese Salad

Infertility describes a couple that has not been able to conceive after having unprotected sex for at least one year. The cause of this emotionally draining problem can be one of many physical or chemical factors. In our office we've found that fertility is negatively affected by extreme stress which can wreak havoc with sex hormones, adrenal hormones and blood sugar levels.  Modern society values hard work and long hours without any consideration to how they affect a human being!  

Pregnancy Test

While a man's reproductive issues can be easily determined, a woman's system is more complicated and often less easily diagnosed.  However this rarely means that there aren't problems associated with both parties that with some herbal intervention, can be fixed.    

• Endometriosis
• Estrogen/progesterone imbalances
• Improper processing of hormones through the liver
• A hostile uterine environment
• Timing of sexual intercourse
• Irregular cycles
• Low sperm count
• Adrenal fatigue causing a hostile environment within the body
• Blood sugar dis-regulation disorders
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome
• Sexually transmitted infections
• Delayed childbearing
• Immune system dysregulated (immune system must accept a pregnancy)
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Nutritional deficiencies

The average time that it takes to get pregnant is 3-6 months. However, a history of some of the above risk factors may make conceiving more difficult.  Our recommendation is to get your body healthy first, to achieve conception more easily. Then, if you haven't gotten pregnant and you are wondering what to do next, we suggest being seen in our office.  

When you come in we will spend 90 minutes going over every detail of your health history.  What surprises people is that we won't just talk about your reproductive function but other areas of your health as well.  As you can see from the above list, problems like adrenal fatigue, blood sugar issues, and stress can easily be the answer to your infertility as often as a true reproductive system issue.

One common approach to infertility is intrauterine insemination that doctors will usually attempt 3-4 times before recommending moving on to invitro-fertilization.  While these two procedures sound relatively simple, the hormones that a woman is placed on to stimulate an increased egg release, as well as the strong hormones needed to maintain the pregnancy can leave a woman that has a body that is already stressed or under pressure even further away from conceiving.  In our office we work with our patients to make sure the body is optimally prepared to carry a child.  Even if natural solutions don't work we can modify and work with you so that you will be able to sustain and conceive while doing IUI or IVF.  

A typical treatment program for infertility will look something like this:

• Optimal nutrition 
• Chiropractic adjustments to increase nervous system health to the reproductive system 
• Education on menstrual/fertility cycles 
• Stress reduction activities
• Normalizing stress hormones both before infertility and those that occur with it
• Acupuncture to improve pelvic blood flow or for improving sperm quality and quantity
• Supplements for any vitamin deficiencies such as B12 or amino acids
• Lab evaluation of hormone levels
• Botanicals for balancing hormones or bringing levels back into place
• Bio-identical hormone management

The above is just a sample as each treatment plan is developed specifically for the individual's body and reasons for infertility. We are proud to have a history of success in our office and would like to help you on the road to parenthood. We offer a complimentary ten minute phone consult where we can determine if we can help you or if you would be better served with another professional. 

Yoga

The age-old practice of yoga is very much alive in our communities today.  From gentle yoga to Bikram yoga, there is a style for just about any issue, including fertility.

Restorative yoga classes are those most recommended to aid fertility and conception.  These classes aid the body, mind, and soul in learning the art of relaxation.  A woman's desire to conceive can be overpowering, adding significant stress to her life and creating less than favorable conditions for conception. Yoga offers a healthy way to positively channel and relieve stress.

Many studios offer yoga classes designed specifically for enhancing fertility.  What makes fertility yoga different from other yoga practices is that it focuses specifically on reproductive health.  It places the emphasis on the benefits of integrating breath with movement and helps you gain balance, strength, and vitality to the reproductive and hormonal areas of your body.

When you practice yoga, you learn specific yoga postures that should be executed with the appropriate yoga breathing. The quality of your breathing is key because it allows you to tune into your body's breathing rhythm in order to induce a deep sense of peace and relaxation. When you stretch and breathe, you also release tension by lowering the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. When cortisol is high, it interferes with many metabolic and physiological functions within the body that interfere with your reproductive hormones.

Men are also subject to infertility problems like low sperm count, which is quite often related to high stress levels. When men suffer from continuous stress, cortisol is released into the blood stream causing low sperm count and low sperm motility leading to low fertility. Regular yoga practice helps release stress and can help regain sexual stamina.

If fertility issues challenge you and your partner, we can help you develop a complete plan to help you along the road to conception!