When there are Fertility Problems there is Underlying Health Issues that Need to be Addressed
By Improving Fertility Naturally is the Best Way to Have a Healthy Pregnancy and a Healthy Baby
It Takes two to Make a Baby – A Man and a Woman
So it would only seem common sense when it comes to Boosting or Improving Fertility an Important Step is to Support Male Health
Supporting Fertility Naturally
“Within our modern medical system there have been its own technical solutions formulated for assisting infertile couples regarding becoming pregnant.
Complimentary or Naturopathic medicine also has a great deal to offer in assisting with fertility for couples wanting to become pregnant”
The number of couples that are unable to conceive is on the increase in alarming numbers, compared to a couple of decades ago. There is about 15 percent of couples who experience conception problems, and this percentage is growing. Infertility is defined as the absence of conception after one year of regular intercourse without the use of any contraceptive.
The problem doesn’t just lie with the female, it has been found that men are responsible 40 % of the time for fertility not occurring. As modern medicine has developed at set of technical solutions for assisting infertile couples in getting pregnant, complementary medicine can also offer its own assistance in increasing male fertility and sperm count.
It is important to have a complete health check prior to visiting a Naturopath to rule out any underlying health issues, this will help immensely with your Naturopathic Treatments.
So now we will take a look at what you can do naturally everyday to improve your chances of becoming a father.
How to Improve your Sperm Count
The average sperm count is between 120 and 350 million per cubic centimeter. A low sperm count is below 40 million per cubic centimeter. Low sperm counts or poor sperm motility may be due to environmental toxins such as chemicals, radiation, drugs, heavy metal exposure, cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol use, street drug use and pollution.
Heat can also reduce sperm production. Hot baths, sitting for long periods of time and tight-fitting underwear that constricts the testes can all elevate temperatures long enough to suppress sperm production.
The anti-ulcer drugs cimetidine and ranitidine have both been reported to decrease sperm count and produce impotence
Importance of Reducing Chemical Exposure
The semen of the average man today has half the sperm, and of poorer quality, than 50 years ago.
This is WHY: It is believed to be caused by exposure to xenoestrogens (PCBs, DDT, dioxin, other pesticides, plastics and industrial pollutants) that mimic the effects of estrogen?
Prevention & Elimination of the Effect of Xenoestrogens
As their role with infertility and their role in underlying cause factor of other disease especially Cancer.
- Avoid plastic containers for food storage, plastic bottles, wraps and utensils.
- Use office paper products whitened without chlorine.
- Use only non-bleached coffee filters, paper, napkins and toilet tissue to reduce dioxin exposure.
- Avoid chlorinated tap water, chlorine bleach and other chlorinated products; use hydrogen peroxide as an alternative.
- Eat organic food as much as possible to avoid pesticides and herbicides.
- Avoid synthetic deodorants and cosmetics; use only organic products whenever possible.
- Avoid animal products with a high fat content that contain hormones, especially conventional milk and dairy products, chicken, beef and pork.
- Avoid alcohol and caffeine.
- Avoid fried, charcoal-broiled or barbecued forms of cooking.
- Eat lots of foods high in antioxidants (carotenes, vitamins A, C, E and selenium) such as green leafy vegetables, kale, carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower and yams.
- Fruits such as pineapple, kiwi, red apples, lemon, grapefruit, bananas and rock melon
Improving Your Diet
Your daily eating habits is your front line defence when it comes to any kind of health issues. If you do not change your diet then you can look forward to a life of ill health and possible disease.So by implementing these changes not only will you improve your chances of fertility you will also improve your energy levels and prevention of arthritis, heart disease, diabetes just to name a few. Also you can look forward to a healthy sex life right into your latter years.
The inclusion of 4 – 5 different vegetables a day from vegetables mentioned in previous paragraph for example at least 2 green vegetables such as Kale and Broccoli is vital for healthy detoxification and nutrient uptake to help your hormone and body function optimally, at least 3 pieces of fruit a day such as a red apple, kiwi fruit and say a banana: legumes are also a great way to help boost fertility.
Choose 3 portions of healthy protein per day, portion size to be that of the palm of your hand. Examples are lean red meat (2 – 3 x week), organic chicken breast (2 x week) Fish (2 – 3 x week). If you don’t like or can’t eat fish then include organic tofu or beans such as chickpeas, lentils, lima beans etc. (if the beans are tinned, ensure that you rinse them well before adding them to your meal)
To maintain your ideal weight, it is important not to skip meals as food deprivation in men especially leads to a loss of sex drive and structural changes to reproductive tissue: hence leading to infertility.
Obesity, on the other hand, can be associated with a low sperm count and impotence, possibly because of higher temperatures caused by excess fat near the testes.
Elimination or Minimization
It is important to avoid anything that is going to be harmful to your health such as tobacco, refined carbohydrates, such as cakes, biscuits, pastry foods, white breads:
Decrease or eliminate your consumption of processed and packaged foods: Also takeaway foods such as McDonalds, Hungry Jacks, KFC and other deep fried foods.
Stop – Adding salt or sugar to food, dairy products these days can be a problem as cows are injected with a hormone called Bovine which is a growth hormone; this in turn has an adverse effect for us for the acceleration of certain cancers and for its toxic effects
If possible eliminate coffee if you can’t altogether then opt for just one cup per day preferably black and ground coffee use either a percolator or plunger:
Either eliminate your consumption of alcohol or reduce it to just once a week with maybe a couple of glasses of wine or beer.
An Easy to Follow Eating Plan
Drink 2 – 2 ½ litres of filtered water per day – Water acts as a main messenger for vitamins, minerals and nutrients; secondly it cleanses the toxins that you taking in and these affect the quality of your cells. You lose 1.5 litres of water each day through perspiration and breathing so this also needs to be replaced otherwise dehydration takes place and major organ damage is commencing.
As a fresh start to the day -1 lemon squeezed into a glass of warm water first thing in the morning. Then it is important to clean your teeth, as the lemon will damage the enamel coating on your teeth.
Breakfast: It is necessary to have 4 – 5 pieces of fruit per day, so what better time to have it than breakfast. These can include mango, 4 –5 strawberries, kiwi fruit, banana, rock melon, honey dew pineapple, apple and apricots. Add to this a tablespoon of L.S.A. mix, organic muesli or cereal, then a small tub of Vaallia yogurt.
Another way to have this is to put it all in a blender and you can drink it on the way to work.
A cup of herbal tea such as green, white tea or dandelion tea
Other suggestions for some variation can be:
Bacon without the fat and rind with two poached, scrambled or boiled eggs. You may like to include some cooked tomato, asparagus, mushrooms and bake beans.
Mid – morning snacks can include:
A piece of fruit, tub of yogurt, a handful of almonds or some humus with water crackers or vegetables sticks such as carrot, celery cucumber, broccoli and so on
Lunch:
This can include a variety of foods such as:
Tuna, chicken breast, turkey breast, salmon, smoked salmon occasionally, prawns, incorporated with a salad of for example – Lettuce, tomato, mushrooms, celery, grated carrot, onion, alfalfa, chickpeas or soya beans, avocado and may be some cottage cheese or feta cheese.
If it is cold weather you can include a cup of homemade vegetable soup.
For some variety and not wanting to lose weight include – Pitta bread, a grain roll, or bread that is fortified with Soya and linseed.
Note: It is better if wanting a spread to use a small amount of butter in preference to margarine and butter is a natural product which is metabolized by the body whereas margarine is man-made and is not easily metabolized or utilized by the body. Coconut oil is also a great substitute as well.
Dinner:
Fish – this can be eaten two to three times per week, preferably at least one fish meal per day as this reduces the risk of cardio vascular disease and cancer. You then may include one red meat meal per week preferably lamb as this is still the least contaminated meat. Chicken and turkey can be included once or twice per week preferably organic. You may say WHY? Organic it is the hormones given to the chickens and cows that then in turn will bring about hormone disturbances in YOU.
This is why suggestions are becoming very strong to move away from Dairy products because of these issues.
Go for non-genetically modified, organic Soya milk and products.
Vegetables to include: Sweet potato, cabbage, carrots, parsnips, swede, spinach, beans, peas, pumpkin, broccoli, Brussel sprouts and zucchini.
Or you could have a Salad such as at lunchtime.
Pasta or Brown rice, hokkein noodles can be included once again if you are not trying to lose weight.
Note: When storing fatty foods such as butter, peanut butter store in a glass container as when stored in plastic containers the fat content in these products leaches an estrogenic like substances from the plastic into the food. Therefore causes hormonal disturbances within our bodies.
Go for organic meats where possible and if not keep your meat intake down to a minimum and mainly eat fish, chicken and lamb.
Get Active
According to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, regular exercise (five times a week for at least 45 minutes) and a healthy diet enhance fertility by keeping body weight at normal levels and relieving stress and anxiety.
Excessive amounts of exercise (marathon running and associated training) can be a cause of infertility because it can lead to amenorrhea (absence of menstruation) in women and a lowered sperm count in men.
If you are not sure what type of exercise is best for you, get yourself a personal trainer. He or she can give you an exercise program to bring your weight and fitness levels into the ideal range.
Otherwise walking, bike riding, hiking and swimming can be a great start, if you have an active job whereby you are involved in a lot of walking, lifting, bending etc., then you may just need to stretch your limbs at regular intervals of the day. Regular massage treatments assist with keeping your muscles agile and your bones in alignment.
Nutritional Supplements
The inclusion of nutritional supplements can be effective such as:
Maca powder, BQ10, vitamin C and a Green powder formula such as Vital Greens
The Maca and Green can be added to a morning smoothie. Vitamin C can be one lemon squeezed added to warm water and drunk in morning, plus one to two kiwi fruit per day.
Herbs I utilize in a Formula to Boost Male Fertility
Herbs that can be included in a specifically made herbal formula for you when attending a Naturopathic consult you Herbal Formula would go something like this:
- Tribulus
- Saw Palmetto
- Ginkgo Biloba
- Rhodiola or Gotu Kola
- Damianna
The herbs listed above may be effective for improving erections, sexual desire, blood flow to the sexual organs and general sexual health whilst having virtually no side-effects:
Since sperm formation takes almost three months, it will take at least this amount of time before experiencing the benefits of your Natural Fertility Program – Herbs take time to be effective. Remember to be patient and consistent when taking herbs for health. Never exceed the suggested dosage on the product label.
What the Causes of Male Fertility Can BE!
- inadequate sperm production by the testes
- poor sperm motility
- varicocele (dilated veins in the scrotum)
- undescended testis/testes
- excessive xenoestrogen (environmental estrogen) exposure
- infectious disease of the epidydimis (storage tube for sperm), testes, seminal vesicles, urethra, prostate or vas; benign prostatic hypertrophy (enlargement)
- endocrine (glandular) diseases affecting the hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, adrenals and the testes (e.g. low DHEA and low testosterone levels)
- congenital abnormalities
- urethral stricture
- malnutrition, especially protein deficiency
Infertility Statistics
- Ten to 20 percent of all men have low sperm counts.
- Two to three percent of all men are completely infertile, producing no sperm at all.
- Infertility affects at least 15 percent of the reproductive age population, with roughly 40 percent of the cases attributable to men.
- Eighty-five percent are treated with conventional medications (synthetic hormones) or surgery to repair diseased reproductive organs.
- Less than five percent of infertile couples attempt in vitro fertilization, which has a 10 to 20 percent success rate at a cost of $10,000 plus per attempt. The in vitro fertilization program is highly toxic and it is still unsure of what the side effects may be to the mother and developing foetus.
Support for YOU: Men’s Health: Men’s Minds – 7 Steps to Optimal Health Taking Charge of Your Life
“Empowering You to Optimal Health” Julie Doherty N.D
