stress on our body while trying to conceive a child. This includes physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual stressors. Excessive exercise could be considered a physical stressor, while depression or anxiety can be placed in the emotional/mental category. Our stress hormone, cortisol, has actually been shown to have an inhibitory effect on the reproductive system.
Women struggling with infertility almost
always experience a significant level of stress. Having a spiritual foundation to fall back on can help a woman to release some of this tension in her body. Other forms of stress reduction may include therapy, acupuncture, meditation, and yoga. Detoxi- fications programs are also highly effective for the body to repair, purify, and regener- ate. Even simple tasks such as taking a bath before bed, or reading a book, can help de- crease the toll stress demands. Little changes add up.
Nutritional Deficiencies and Supplementation The final step to increase fertility is supplementation. Unfortunately, much of the food we eat today is nutritionally deficient and synthetically made or genetically modi- fied. We do not get all the essential vitamins and minerals from diet alone anymore. Supplementation is needed and cannot be overlooked. Women trying to conceive should be on a prenatal multivitamin. Carrying a child is taxing on the body and requires a mother’s nutrients so the child can undergo a healthy development. A prenatal multiple vitamin/mineral supplement gives the body those extra nutrients to provide for both the child and the mother.
Other nutritional deficiencies and medi- cal conditions have been shown to have a negative impact on fertility and pregnancy. Comprehensive blood work should be done
to check for these anomalies. Nutritional deficiencies related to infertility include vitamin D, B12, magnesium, and selenium. Hormones, including estrogen, progester- one, testosterone, FSH/LH, and prolactin, must be examined because a discrepancy will impact a woman’s ovulation cycle. Medical conditions associated with infer- tility include thyroid disorders, adrenal dysfunction, celiac disease, and disorders at the pelvic level including PCOS and endometriosis. If a woman is struggling with becoming pregnant, all of these conditions must be properly worked up and addressed. Whatever the problem may be, there are many different supplements and herbs that can work to improve uterine blood flow, re- store hormonal levels, and increase fertility.
A naturopathic physician who special-
izes in women’s health and fertility is a great resource to begin making changes to support your chances of becoming preg- nant. Naturopaths work to increase this chance by prevention where possible, and further, by getting to the root cause, and then supporting the healing power of the body using a multitude of therapies. We work at the deepest level and make sure to treat the whole person, physical, mental, and emotional. One of my goals is to help anyone struggling with infertility experience the joy of having a child of their own.
Dr. Shannon Homkovics received her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from Southwest College of Naturo- pathic Medicine in Tempe, Ari- zona. As a naturopathic physi-
cian, she is a holistic general practitioner who treats the whole family with a focus on women's health care. Her tools include diet and nutrition, nutritional supplements, botanical medicine, acupuncture, counsel- ing, hydrotherapy, homeopathy and lifestyle changes. See ad on page 22 and below.
Eclectic Naturopathic Medical Center, LLC
Kathleen Riley, ND
Susan Yarett, ND
• Providing gentle, effective treatments for acute and chronic illnesses for infants through geriatrics.
• Nutritional and lifestyle counseling
• Botanical medicine
• Bowenwork and Frequency Specific Microcurrent treatments
40 Christian Lane
Newington, CT 06111 860-665-1254
www.kathleenrileynd.com
www.NaturalNutmeg.com 25
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