by Dr. Michael Court
For a woman, there’s nothing more natural than wanting a baby. Seeing the glow of a pregnant woman reminds us about the joy of living and the ongoing cycle of life. What is sweeter than seeing a baby being nurtured and cherished? Pregnancy and babies symbolize hope and all that is pure and completely natural. When everything is working out fine, all is well. What happens, however, if you are one in seven women who are having difficulty getting pregnant? You are not alone AND there are safe and healthy answers for you.
Because women from Eau Claire and the surrounding Chippewa Valley region are our main clientele, we see women every day who want to get pregnant, are pregnant, are breast-feeding, or have young children. Why is it our goal to help these women to strengthen their bodies to remove internal stressors and balance their hormones using organic, whole-food nutrition? When a woman’s body is weak or out of balance, sometimes it will not allow a pregnancy to begin or continue to completion. Many natural options are available that get results. We are always joyful to get the phone call or quiet whisper that she is finally pregnant after months or years of trying. When the babies arrive, it is such a privilege to rejoice about the new blessing. As wellness practitioners, we sit in amazement at the intelligence contained in the human body and the power of clinically designed nutrition.
There are many common reasons for the increase in infertility or the amount of time it takes to become pregnant. Women are waiting until they are older (and less fertile) to begin having children. Dr. Lou Granirer writes, “The average childbearing age is now 29 years old, as opposed to 23 in 1968.” This requires women’s bodies to be strong and healthy at an older age. Due to the use of prescriptions, improper diet, or high stress levels, women’s hormones may be out of whack and need to be brought back into balance. Toxicity can be caused by chemicals, yeast, Candida, pesticides, and heavy metals. Heavy metals alone can result in female reproductive problems such as menstrual difficulties, infertility, miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, and pre-mature birth (www.greenandhealthy.info/heavymetalpoisoning.html). Mercury and lead can unfortunately be transferred to an unborn child via cord blood and breastfeeding (www.greenhealthspot.com).
As a naturopath, I am interested in the whole body’s health and in using products that are safe and natural. This allows each woman’s body to correctly regulate its hormones over time and purify itself of toxicities (including chemicals and heavy metals). This allows there to be a supportive environment for conception and carrying a baby to full term. Women need the best possible nutritional support to achieve this goal at a later age. If you or someone you know would like to have optimum health for conceiving using natural means, please contact my office for details on our monthly health workshops or schedule a free personal health consultation.
Helping babies is so fun! When parents bring in their baby, it is such an act of trust and quite an honor for us. Some babies go through traumatic births or have something that is weak or out of balance that is causing them problems. We look to nutrition to aid that little body in healing itself. The miraculous intelligence that guided its formation can usually heal and repair itself given the right nutrients. We also use safe, organic whole-food supplements (mostly from Standard Process) with babies. When working with little treasures, you can never be too careful.
Dr. Michael Court, Naturopath and Health Educator, with locations in Chippewa Falls and Altoona. If there is any way we can be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to call 715-723-2713.