Preparing for Conception & Pregnancy

When I was a young woman considering a family 30+ years ago the concept of preparing for conception was not even an issue. You just got pregnant and never really thought about things that could sabotage the development of your baby. We knew to avoid alcohol, and we also knew to eat well, but it was a simpler time with fewer environmental concerns.

It Starts With You!

Today future parents must look at their own bodies to see what they may be carrying around that could result in a child with predispositions to allergies, neurological problems, and even illnesses like autism. The human race is experiencing a rapid declining health. Generation after generation, our political, economic, medical and environmental systems is recklessly creating conditions working against optimal health. We must be aggressive and work harder to create children that will thrive and not be victims to the system.

There are many things you, as prospective parents must be concerned about if you desire healthy, vibrant children with strong constitutions. There are some things out of your control, but many more things are based on the choices you make, either consciously or unconsciously, knowingly, or out of ignorance, that will determine the health of your children. Important considerations are: knowing what foods to eat, nutritional considerations, vitamins and mineral supplementation, detoxification, and body cleanses, and things you should avoid that could affect the future pregnancy.

As you may already know, we are living in a toxic world full of food and environmental (air, ground, and water pollution) chemicals, overly used medications and radioactive exposure unlike any other period in history. This world has become a toxic cesspool that can and will affect your unborn child.

Your Top Priority

Would you ever consider building a home without an architectural floor plan, without doing extensive research into the style of home that meets your goals, construction methodology options, the type of roof and exterior design that would be best, the color of brick you prefer, the best type of flooring, the appliances in the kitchen, home furnishings, and how about the yard and landscaping? If you were going to build a home, you would spend hundreds of hours going over and over the plans to be sure it is what you always hope for. Having a baby is much like building a home, only much more important because you can always move into a new home. You have only one chance to assist in the construction of each healthy, happy baby you bring into your life!

My goal is to help you develop strong, emotionally secure, safe and healthy babies that thrive in spite of the toxic world around us. Your jobs as parents are to protect and nurture your babies so they will have the best opportunity for health and happiness.

Consider the following statistical facts that tell us how well we, as a nation, are doing in the healthcare arena:
The United States spends more on healthcare per person than any other country in the world by far. If the United States’ healthcare system was a country it would have the 6th largest economy on the globe. What we spent on healthcare in 2009 was greater than the entire GDP (gross domestic product) of Great Britain.
Nearly half of all Americans now use prescription drugs on a regular basis. More than 10% use more than 5 drugs. According to the American CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), approximately three quarters of a million people per year are rushed to emergency rooms because of adverse reactions to pharmaceuticals. Medication-related deaths in the United States are estimated at over 200,000 a year, making medications the 3rd or 4th leading cause of death.

The Food and Drug Administration reported 1,742 prescription drug recalls in 2009, which was a gigantic increase from 426 drug recalls in 2008. Imagine all those doctors giving out those drugs to thousands of people telling them that they are safe! Doctors trust drug companies. Think about it, if you take conventional medical doctors’ drugs away, what would they do for you? They are really not into healthcare; they are into prescription care!
Children in the United States are 3 times more likely to be prescribed antidepressants than European children. The percentage of women taking antidepressants is higher in the United States than in any other country in the world.

Healthcare bills are the #1 cause of bankruptcy for families, so be careful where you invest your funds. I say invest in your health daily and save yourself suffering, time, and money in the long run. Medical insurance does not pay for health care, it pays for sickness care, and does a bad job at that if you are really sick. • The infant mortality rate in the United States is nearly 3 times higher than in Singapore, Cuba, and every other developed nation in the world. We rank #34.
Rates of American cancer, heart disease, and diabetes continue to climb. American citizens are 3 times more likely to have diabetes than those living in the United Kingdom. Americans are twice as obese as Canadians.

According to the State of the World’s Mothers report: “The United States has the second worst newborn mortality rate in the developed world. An estimated 2 million babies die within their first 24 hours each year worldwide. American babies are 3 times more likely to die in their first month than children born in Japan. Newborn mortality is 2.5 times higher in the United States than in Finland, Iceland or Norway. Only Latvia, with six deaths per 1,000 live births, has a higher death rate for newborns than the United States, which is tied near the bottom of industrialized nations with Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovakia with five deaths per 1,000 births. How can this be happening? Considering that the United States has more neonatal specialists and neonatal intensive care beds per person than Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, its death rate is still higher than any of those countries.”
54.1% of our children are obese, developmental delayed, or have 1 of 20 chronic illnesses: Autism – 1 in 91 children, AD(H)D – more than 11% of boys, Asthma – 10% of children or 7 million, Eczema – 20% of children, Allergies – 50 million Americans, 8% of children under age 3 already have food allergies, and now children are being diagnosed with depression. The big picture now is 20 million children (approximately 1 in 3) are affected.

In 1961 the Food and Drug Administration approved Ritalin for use by children with behavior problems. By the year 2000, 6 million American children were prescribed it, roughly one child out of every eight. American children are less than 5% of the world’s population yet they consume more than 85% of the Ritalin sold worldwide.
Gene Haislip, retired assistant administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration said, “We have become the only country in the world where children are prescribed such a vast quantity of stimulants that share virtually the same properties as cocaine.”
This is NOT the picture of health! I am not trying to depress you but we must be willing to see things as they are, even if it is uncomfortable and ugly.

I believe it is possible to have healthy children, I have 3 grand children now (1 on the way) and they are healthy, unvaccinated, bright, happy children. If we do not understand our role in producing healthy offspring, we are doomed to have unhealthy children. You can cross your fingers; take the gamble and hope for the best but that may open the door for disappointment and despair.

Do you know someone who has a sick child, running to the doctor’s office, the drug store and the hospital all the time? Have you noticed that so much of their time is spent trying to help the child, often feeling like life is unfair, they are depressed and feel helpless? They wonder, “why me?” They feel like life isn’t fair and many are drowning in despair. Every minute of every day is focused on trying to cope? I have seen thousands of parents in this position and believe me, the challenges facing these parent’s strips away at the joy of raising children.

Children are to be a blessing; they complete the circle of love and marriage. I share what I know because I was blessed with some knowledge before having my 5 children on certain things NOT to do and as a result, my children, now young adults, are very healthy. Since then, I have continued my independent education on how to raise healthy families and believe it must start before conception.

My goal is support, empower and encourage parents to take health in their own hands and create healthy, happy homes! I believe your offspring and the future generations of this world deserve this!

“The significant problem we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created the problem.” ~Albert Einstein

You have one chance to make a healthy baby! Ideally, if you have the time to plan and prepare, it is possible to make changes in your life a year or two before conception that will promote a healthy child at birth. You must be willing to carefully examine your lives in the past for that will hold the keys of change in your future. Not everyone will be able to implement all of these recommendations but I felt the need to be thorough and leave nothing out! If you do not have time for these steps, please refer to other articles on how to eat while pregnant and toxins to avoid while pregnant.

Before Conception

There are several areas that both Mom and Dad need to look at personally. Start by doing an inventory of your own health. These 9 areas are to be considered. You can then adapt your plan of action to your circumstances.

Begin with a history of all operations you have had. Identify your physically weak areas and record information regarding any organs that have been removed surgically via a tonsillectomy, appendectomy, etc. This will give you an idea of how your health was, or is.
Do an inventory of the number of prescription medications and the over-the-counter drugs (OTC) you have been on over the course of your lifetime. If there is a long history of prescription medications, do some research on the side effects. If you find that you are taking medications that cause you to be concerned, I would recommend you research your health problem on the Internet and urge you to look for natural, healthier alternatives. Consult with the physician who has prescribed your medication and discuss other options. Long-term medications can cause result in health problems such as liver failure, toxic organs, digestive (gut) problems, genetic problems all leading to your immune system malfunctioning.

Metal Exposures

There are heavy metals in medications and other metals such as aluminum. Your bodies are not just chemical, they are electrical, and modern drug chemistry does not consider drugs’ effects on electrical charges that are altered by metals that can be found in some medications. Aluminum is the most widely used adjuvant in medications world-wide and can accumulate in organs and tissue, causing health problems. Aluminum has been considered a toxic metal for decades, and it is advised to avoid ingesting it and to eliminate all exposure if possible. In addition to medications, aluminum exposure may be due to eating food cooked with aluminum cookware or eating potatoes and other food baked in aluminum foil. Aluminum exposure is known to cause osteoporosis, extreme nervousness, anemia, headache, decreased liver and kidney function, memory loss, and speech problems. Aluminum has also been directly linked to Alzheimer’s disease. People who have died from Alzheimer’s disease have been found to have up to four times the average amount of aluminum accumulated in their brain’s nerve cells. Much of the exposure to aluminum is in the medications people take over their life-time, like many antacids, anti-diarrheal, pain, and inflammation drugs. Other Sources of Aluminum are antiperspirants, deodorants, and drinking water. You cannot turn back the hands of time but you can improve the future of your life if you have the knowledge and fortitude to live in a more natural manner. You may need to do a liver clean for several months before conceiving.

Pull your own vaccine records if possible. Look at the number of vaccines you had and realize that your parents may also have received multiple vaccines. Many of the toxins in vaccines get absorbed into fatty tissues of the body and may get passed down into your offspring, setting them up for health issues. We now have 3 generations of vaccinated individuals, and I believe the consequences are beginning to surface. Go to the website: www.novaccine.com and look at the ingredients you received in your vaccines. If you served in the military or are in the medical profession, you have gotten many, many vaccines that are full of heavy metals and other toxic ingredients. You can request these records from your medical doctor but know many doctors do not cooperate with those requests so you must be persistent. I had one mother threaten to picket the doctor’s office if they didn’t give her a copy of her records and it worked! Because the vaccine controversy is so political and heated right now, doctors, who are under pressure by the pharmaceutical industry to vaccinate all people, don’t appreciate people who go against the flow and start asking questions about their vaccine records. It is the law that your record should have the date, vaccine lot number, and manufacturer recorded. If you can’t find records, talk to your parents and other relatives who may know.

Be sure to look at alcohol abuse, marijuana, and other recreational drugs used as well. Note: if you were on birth control medications, they can lead to hormonal imbalances, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and other health issues. Ideally, Mom should be off birth control for as long as possible before conceiving.
If you have been on antibiotics several times throughout your life, you may have as a result, a real problem with yeast or Candida, and this can be something that can set your baby up for problems from birth forward. Abuse of antibiotics is documented in medical journals. For years doctors have been warned to not prescribe antibiotics for chronic illnesses like colds, flu, and ear infections but because of public demand, they continue to be given out like candy. The consequences of this have been overlooked and are devastating on our society. Antibiotics kill more than bacteria. They wipe out the entire good flora in the whole intestinal track, causing a breeding ground for bad bacteria and yeast to set up base. In 1949 Americans consumed 80 tons of antibiotics. By 1954 the numbers went up to 250 tons of antibiotics. In 1990 we consumed 20,000 tons of antibiotics.

I feel it is very imperative that you have an understanding of the role the gut plays in one’s health! When I use the term, “gut”, I am referring to the digestive track, including the small and large intestines. Digestion begins in the mouth with chewing, where digestive enzymes are secreted. The intestines are where more digestion and absorption take place, along with many other functions that affect health and immunity. Intestines are also the sewer of the body and must be running well or they will get clogged, as in constipation, and cause health problems. The gastrointestinal tract of a normal baby when born is STERILE. During birth and rapidly thereafter, maternal bacteria and the surrounding environment colonize the infant’s gut. Immediately after vaginal delivery, babies have bacterial strains in the upper GI tract from the mothers’ vaginal lining that get picked up in the mouth and nose during vaginal delivery. This is very important! Vaginally born infants will take up to 1 month for their intestinal flora to be well established. In cesarean-section delivered babies initial bacterial exposure is most likely from environmental microbes such as from the air, other infants, and the nursing staff. Gut flora may be disturbed for up to 6 months in babies born by C-section. This is one reason why I believe a natural vaginal birth is so important! Normal gut flora aids in digestion, trains the immune system to only respond to pathogens, produces vitamins for the host (ex-biotin and vitamin K), produces hormones to direct the host to store fats, aids detoxification, protects against some diseases, and helps the body absorb nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, and iron. The gut is very, very important so anything that upsets that balance should be avoided at all costs. Antibiotics kill the entire normal gut flora. The condition of having microbial imbalances on or within the body is called Dysbiosis and is most prominent in the digestive tract or on the skin. Also the growth of yeast and bad bacteria (Clostridia) as a result of antibiotics give off toxins and waste, causing many neurological problems resulting in irritability, agitation, aggression, biting, kicking, screaming, head banging, decreased eye contact, loose stools, and other problems now seen in children on the autism spectrum. Other effects of yeast overgrowth include nutritional deficiencies, leaky gut, allergies, autoimmunity, and other immune problems. Understanding of the role of the gut and immunity will help you raise a healthy child in the future. This will also help you make birthing choices. Nature knows so much more than we do and the more natural your choices; the better it will be for you and your baby.

Look at the number of amalgam (mercury) fillings in your mouth, root canals or dental bridges that may contain this heavy metal. This is a source of toxic mercury vapors and should be addressed at some point. Silver fillings have been used in dentistry for the last 100 years. Over decades millions of Americans have received silver dental fillings. What your dentist probably did not mention is that mercury comprises about 50 percent of every amalgam dental filling. Vapors from amalgams are released on a continuous basis when foods are eaten and even more when a person chews gum, drinks hot liquids, and brushes his/her teeth. Studies show that silver fillings lead to mercury vapor concentrations 10 times higher than normal exposure. Then the mercury enters the bloodstream and is delivered to all parts of the body, including the brain. It is alarming that 95 percent of people with disorders of the central nervous system such as multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, paralysis, and migraines also have silver dental fillings. Why would you want mercury, one of the most powerful neurotoxins on the planet, embedded in your mouth only inches from your brain? The answer is obvious. For years and years the American Dental Association has been defending its support of mercury-based fillings. In 2009 the American Dental Association recommendations changed, and they now finally discourage the use of amalgam fillings for children under the age of 5 and for pregnant woman. It is never recommended that you get amalgams removed while pregnant. It is best done the year before conception, and it must be done safely. (I cover the protocol for safe removal in other articles) But do take note of your current dental health as it can be a reflection of your health in many ways. Your dentist can tell you what materials were used to fill cavities or were used for other procedures like root canals. It is well documented that the infants’ developing brains are very susceptible to mercury toxicity. Therefore, you may consider having your amalgam fillings safely removed at least a year before getting pregnant. It is very important that you go to a dentist who is certified in amalgam removal, and that you do it gradually, with precaution. There are still dentists who will argue that amalgams are safe! I would respond by saying that according to OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, there are very strict guidelines in place for disposing of amalgams that are removed; they must be placed in approved toxic waste containers and disposed of properly! I think that says it all! In the last 20 years, heavy metal poisoning has become epidemic, between medications, vaccines, and over-the-counter drugs, environmental pollution, and unknown sources. We now know that even parts per million are toxic and can lead to neurological problems in the developing fetus. . The complete protocol for safely removing amalgam fillings is on my website, written by Dr. Phillip DeMio, who is the president of the American Medical Autism Board.
Look at your family history. We all bring genetics to the table, but most of the time it is not genetics that gets us in trouble. It is the daily eating and life-style habits that have been passed down through the family that will cause us all to have similar health problems. Look for auto-immune problems such as food allergies, diabetes, asthma, autism, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome, multiple sclerosis, Gillian barre syndrome, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, hashimoto’s, depression, and even learning problems. If a parent, sibling, or any of their children suffer with these types of problems, it is a red flag that there may be a family sensitivity to auto-immune problems. This should strengthen your commitment to doing all you can to insure a healthy pregnancy and birth of your baby.

Do an inventory of the way you eat. Take note of processed foods, fast foods, sodas and junk foods you eat on a regular basis. Be sure to look for artificial sugars, diet products, low fat foods, MSG, and other very toxic chemicals that you may be ingesting daily or weekly. If you are eating like most Americans and shopping at the local grocery store, you are getting thousand of chemicals in your food. It is very well documented that the number of chemicals in the foods are toxins in the body, causing obesity and neurological problems. This is very important for pregnant Moms because the foods eaten will become the building blocks of the baby! (See articles: Foods to avoid when pregnant).

Let me just elaborate on the 3 worst food chemicals that I call the “3 bad boys” that are widely used today. The first is artificial sweeteners found in foods and sodas, anything marketed as low-in-sugar. There are several different artificial sweeteners on the market, but the most common are: Aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet, Spoonful and Equal-Measure) Sucralose (Splenda) and Saccharin (Sweet’N Low). Aspartame is the most dangerous of all artificial sweeteners and may possibly rein as the most harmful food additive in general. It is an excitotoxin and is known to breakdown into formaldehyde, a known cancer-causing agent. Over 75% of food additive adverse reactions reported to the FDA are for aspartame consumption. Seizure and death account for many of the reactions noted. There are 90 different symptoms of aspartame that have documented. Some symptoms include: headaches, migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, and loss of taste, vertigo, and memory loss, just to name the most common. Researchers and doctors who studied the side effects of aspartame concluded that consumption can trigger or aggravate many different conditions and illnesses such as: brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia and diabetes. You can see by just eliminating the artificial sweeteners from your diet as much as possible, you can avoid many health problems. Second: MSG, Monosodium glutamate is a very common food chemical also now also used in vaccines because it too is an excitotoxin! MSG is a poisonous food additive that is hidden in literally thousands of foods. Conscientious label-readers will see it listed hundreds of times on their local grocer’s shelves. In addition, a large percentage of fast-food chains and restaurants serve food laced with MSG. Most school-aged children are getting more than a daily dose at their school cafeteria. Why is it so popular? Simply because it makes food taste delicious and it is among the cheapest of food additives. You would think more stringent restrictions would be put in place for the most sensitive of society. But shockingly, even infant formulas and baby food contain MSG. Infants are definitely most at risk and are up to four times more sensitive than adults to the toxic effects of this poison. MSG is one of the worst food additives in the American diet for several reasons. As an excitotoxin, it is so stimulating to the taste buds is that it excites and stimulates your cells. However, it does this so well that it actually overexcites your cells to the point of damage, acting as a poison and often leading to cell death. Since the 1960s science has documented that MSG is directly related to weight gain and obesity. It leads to the production of visceral fat, the most dangerous type that surrounds your organs. This type of fat storage increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, insomnia, type II diabetes and more. Thirdly: Soy and soy products are being promoted as a great alternative protein. What most Americans don’t understand is that soy comes in two main variations: fermented and unfermented. The soy primarily consumed in Asia is fermented. Sadly, to cut costs, the type sold to most Americans in the name of “health” is both unfermented and processed. There are literally thousands of research papers on soy and the known dangers of unfermented soy are well documented by the scientific community, but these dangers are not known by unsuspecting parents! When it comes to soy-consumption, this makes a huge difference. At this time, 91% of soy in the US is genetically modified (GM). Why would we want to genetically modify something that has showed such benefits in its original form? The ugly truth is that it’s cheaper to produce GM soy. Indeed the savings are passed on to the consumer, but there is something else passed on to the consumer, the toxic herbicide called Roundup. Soy has one of the highest percentages of pesticide contamination of any food. Soy is high in phytic acid, which is present in the bran or hulls of all seeds. This substance can block the uptake of essential minerals – calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc. Soy also contains goi-trogens – substances that depress thyroid function which can lead to thyroid disorder and upset the balance in hormones. Chemicals in soy increase breast cancer in woman, cause brain damage in both men and woman, and cause abnormalities in infants. There are almost 30 different studies concluding unfermented soy is toxic and has adverse effects in humans. Knowing this, would you ever want to give your baby a soy formula?

Just considering the 3 bad boys I described here, can you imagine all the thousands of food chemicals that I do not have time to go over in this article? Can you imagine how these food chemicals are altering human kind? This should be proof to you that our wonderful governmental agency, the FDA, has been bought and paid for by special interest groups that are more concerned with profits and monopoly over industry than they are the health and welfare of our country. In fact, as you read this, think of your own health, where you may be having problems and even taking medication for what may be related to the food you are eating!

You Can Do It!

This is why you, Mom and Dad, must take matters into your own hands and do all you can to protect yourself and your children from the powers that profit off sickness. Be a continuous student. Purchase books on natural eating, organic farming, starting your own garden, join support groups that will help you as you learn, support your local health food stores and organic growers, join your local natural advocate group, and if you don’t have one, start one! There are others out there just like you who are concerned and are activists. If you do not have a local group of like-minded people, form one!

After both of you future parents do your inventories, you will see that there may be much to do to get your physical body ready to produce a healthy child. By now, you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of this bad news. You may be asking, “Is it possible to have a healthy child in this toxic world?” The human body has innate wisdom and is directed by universal knowledge. That is why it has survived this long. I do admit that it is much more intimidating today when thinking about raising a family, and yet I also believe that we can protect our children and still give them a happy, stable healthy life. Unfortunately, as I said before, we must be willing to go the extra mile on their behalf. We are not striving for perfection! It is not possible for us to be completely toxic free, but having knowledge about all these different areas will help you ferret out any potential problems you could possibly avoid. When looking at your own health and health history, realize that we can do nothing about the past. It is – what it is, as the saying goes now. If you have lost organs, been on medications, had a terrible diet and currently have health problems and now realize that you need to make some life-style changes, there is no better time than now, hopefully a year or so before conception!

Bless you in your commitment to your health and that of your family!

When looking at your own health and health history, realize that we can do nothing about the past. It is – what it is, as the saying goes now. If you have lost organs, been on medications, had a terrible diet and currently have health problems and now realize that you need to make some life-style changes, there is no better time than now, hopefully a year or two before conception!

Now that you have done your health inventory, preconception preparation depends on where you stand in your own health and what you are able to do. Ideally, you can do some very specific laboratory tests that will give you numbers and a place to start if you are really serious and have the financial ability. I believe there is no better reason or investment in your body than to see where you stand health-wise. This is not only an investment for your child; it is an investment that will pay you dividends for years to come. I refer to it as your personal healthcare investment that will save you years of suffering and pain in the future.

Mom is #1

These laboratory tests are especially important for Mom because the baby is developed in your body. I love the saying, “If you don’t know where you’ve been, how can you possibly know where you are going?” Think of these tests as a roadmap that will give you a place to start from and some personal health goals. I have done several of these tests throughout my life as a way to monitor my own health expression. You do not have to be ill or even have symptoms to do these tests, but I believe they will help you see what you have to do to get your body ready to develop a baby. You must find a holistic physician to work with you and to order the testing.

My daughter, Dr. Renee Tocco-Hunter and I have hosted training conferences where we have trained chiropractors and other physicians in what we refer to as BioNutritional care. This care is specifically for a variety of chronic illnesses utilizing natural, non-invasive methods that assist the body in healing. We have a referral directory of our trained doctors available at her website www.BioNutritionalCare.com We refer to these specially trained doctors as BNC physicians.

Testing

These tests are either blood chemistry, stool or urine tests:

The Organic Acid Test (OAT): If you suspect that you have a gut problem or have signs of yeast overgrowth, you may want to have your yeast, fungal metabolites checked. This test goes by different names but the one I am familiar with is from Great Plains Laboratory called the Organic Acid Test (OAT). Because we are seeing a huge problem now with infants born with yeast and bacteria imbalances, this test may be beneficial. Depending on the results, your physician will recommend a yeast free diet and perhaps some anti-fungal medications. There are many different natural fungal killers but some people may need a prescription as well. I personally do not like prescription medications but in some cases, it may be necessary to address the problem. Your test results will help to determine how serious your problems are and what plan-of-action is needed. Usually, a person needs to be on the anti-fungal diet for a year in order to address the problem and start the healing gut process. Beyond that, they must then make the anti-fungal diet a big part of their lifestyle or be fighting this battle forever! This is a very difficult problem to get under control and for most people; they will always have the propensity for yeast imbalance.

Allergy or Immune Deficiency & Metals Test: If you are prone to food allergies or sick often, it may be a good idea to see what foods and allergens you are allergic to. Reoccurring infections could be a sign of immune imbalance or deficiency contributing to your infections. If you have some gut problems, most likely you have a toxic liver and will need to address this. Our BNC doctors recommend that you first heal the gut before doing a liver detox so that when you free up the toxins, you can eliminate them properly.
Nutritional Deficiency: In order to make a healthy infant, you must have the right minerals and vitamins or they will be taken from your body and bones. Getting these tested will help you know what supplements you may need. (Consult with your physician) Be sure to get good quality vitamins and minerals to take before and during pregnancy. (Caution: Iron in supplements may be toxic as it is not eliminated from the body. Most pre-natal vitamins contain iron and there are no studies showing that large amounts of iron are good) Most Americans cooked their foods and therefore, the mineral and vitamin content of the food is greatly reduced. Eating a variety of raw vegetables and fruits is very important. I always recommend eating organically grown veggies, grass fed beef free of growth hormones, free ranged organic chicken and eggs, cook from scratch as much as possible, avoiding anything in a package that is prepared, avoid microwaving foods, and avoid toxic cookware. See articles: Healthy Pregnancy Diet and Foods Not to Eat When Pregnant

Because of the huge gluten intolerance problem in this country, you may also want to see if that is a problem with you. Food allergies such as gluten intolerance create inflammation in the body, as well as immune activation. Neither of these are good for a developing fetus. If there is a history of auto-immune disease or blood sugar problems, you definitely want to look at the allergies and gluten intolerance. My suggestion is for everyone to be tested for IgG delayed reaction food allergies because most people are allergic to food like milk (including whey and casein milk proteins) and are not aware of it because reactions are delayed. See www.greatplainslaboratory.com for detailed information. They will also mail out a packet of info regarding this and other testing they do. Plus, if you wish, read Dr. Bibb’s The Deadly Dairy Deception that explains scientifically why milk causes cancer. Another great book is called, Milk, The Deadly Poison by Robert Cohen.

Most people are toxic in metals like mercury, lead, aluminum or cadmium. If you have a mouth full of amalgams or received many vaccines, a metal test is probably something you should consider after your amalgams are removed. If you served in the military, you may have gotten multiple vaccines that are considered experimental and are full of metals and toxins. Anyone who served in the military should have this done not only for conception, but for future health. The most useful test for heavy metals is a provoked urine test. Metals only stay in the blood stream for 6-8 weeks after exposure – after that they are taken up into the fatty tissues, including the brain. Giving a chelating agent such as EDTA, DMPS or DMSA will push the metals back into the blood where they can be excreted through the kidneys and bowels (levels measured in the urine/feces). There are also some natural antioxidants that will help eliminate the metals.
Infertility, Difficulty Conceiving: If you are having a hard time conceiving, there are many reasons this could be happening. As a Mom-to-be, if you were on birth control for many years, your body has been in a state of artificial pregnancy and you may have some hormone imbalances. There are specific things that will also interfere with conception such as Thyroid imbalances associated with adrenal dysfunction. If you are over 35 and have a deficiency in progesterone, this can make it difficult to get pregnant. Most BNC physicians will recommend a 7-14 day hormone saliva test that will help check hormone levels. This is the best way to determine if you have a hormone imbalance or deficiency. The common hormone blood test is only a picture of what is going on when they draw the blood and will not give an accurate picture of the way the hormones are flowing throughout the month. A saliva test done over several days ought to show what is happening thru the month.

I am a fan of a company called Standard Process, which has products that contain “protomorphogens”. They are powerful extracts that contain “cell determinants” that will help your body produce your own hormones. I personally prefer to use these because ideally, we want our bodies to produce the hormones needed. Bio-Identical hormones or hormone replacement should be the last resort and if possible, short-term. You can find a doctor, chiropractor or a naturopath in your area that is trained in the use of these products by going on the Standard Process website and getting a referral. The Standard Process representatives are very knowledgeable as well. The doctor will do a specific analysis to determine what product is best for you. There are also some herbs that can assist your body in hormone support.

Nerve Problems = Conception Problems: Both women and men can have nervous system problems that will lead to organ malfunction resulting in infertility and impotency problems. I highly recommend a chiropractic evaluation for anyone having conception problems. I have see dozens of people conceive after being under chiropractic care, my sister being one who lost a few babies to miscarriages prior to chiropractic. I personally witnessed dozens of women who were unable to conceive before chiropractic, only to get pregnant within a few weeks after their first spinal adjustment! The nerve supply must be good going to the uterus, ovaries, thyroid glands and other parts of the body to conceive and carry a child. I have seen men who were totally impotent have complete reversal and success after chiropractic care. When in doubt, get adjusted! Getting adjust before and during pregnancy will make you a better functioning person, make you more comfortable while pregnant, help the baby develop better and improve all health in the process.