Some Motivation

Due to lack of motivation I searched a few blogs and found this On Hanlie's Blog at Fertile Healthy (if I can just figure out how to link directly to her blog I would put the link in - anyone able to help please leave a comment)


The first step towards preparing our bodies for pregnancy and balance our hormones is to detoxify. Detoxification is the process of reducing toxin buildup in body fluids, cells, tissues and organs.

A toxin is any substance that creates irritating and/or harmful effects in the body, undermining our health or stressing our biochemical or organ functions. The body does have a system in place to remove these harmful toxins. The most important cleansing organ is the liver, followed by the kidneys, bowel, skin, lungs and lymphatic system. When the body is so over-burdened with toxins, we may find our nasal passages, our ears and even our vaginas (in the form of discharges) acting as organs of elimination. When the body is functioning properly, the blood carries toxins to the liver, where they are rendered harmless and converted to a water-soluble form, which is then eliminated via the bowel or kidneys.

Unfortunately the system was not designed for the sheer amount of toxins we throw at it every day, and certainly not the man-made toxins so prevalent in our diets. When the body can’t deal with them, they accumulate in our tissues.

Let me illustrate the concept for you: Say your job is to shred and dispose of boxes of documents. On day one a truck brings twenty boxes to be shredded, but even working with maximum effort, you can only shred fifteen boxes that day. The next day, the truck brings twenty more, but you still have five left over from the previous day and you you can still only process fifteen boxes. On the sixth day, you will have forty-five boxes to deal with! The excess has to be stored somewhere. That is how we become overloaded with toxins. They interfere with all the functions in the body, including our hormonal function. A favorite storage place for the body is the fat cells. Guess what all the food preservatives are doing in your fat cells? They are preserving your fat cells!

Detoxification is necessary to deal with the backed up toxicity and support the organs of elimination. Detoxification is not a one-time act, it’s a way of life. It’s no use detoxifying and then exposing yourselves to large amounts of toxins again immediately afterwards.

There are two sources of toxins - internal and external. On the internal level our bodies produce toxins, or waste products, from its normal every day functions. Biochemical, cellular, and bodily activities generate substances that need to be eliminated. Our thoughts and emotions and stress itself generate increased biochemical toxicity. A well functioning body is fully equiped to deal with these.

The external toxins are the ones we have to learn to limit. Let’s just look at some of the toxins we are regularly exposed to:

food additives - artificial colorants, flavorants, preservatives.

heated fats - margarines, trans-fats, vegetable oils, hydrogenated fats and saturated fats from animal products.

artificial hormones - from commercially produced dairy products and meat, the contraceptive pill and prescription hormones. You can’t balance your endocrine system if you’re ingesting hormones.

refined flour - bread, pasta, cake, cereal, cookies, bagels, etc

sugar - molasses, white and brown sugar, refined fructose, high-fructose corn syrup
artificial sweeteners

cafffeine - coffee, tea, chocolate, soft drinks

alcohol

nicotine and other recreational drugs

prescription and o.t.c. medication

mercury - from amalgem fillings in teeth and fish

other heavy metals - fish and commercially grown meat and dairy, unwashed non-organic produce, air-pollution

chemicals in personal products - deodorants, skin care products, nail varnishes, make-up, soaps and shampoos

chemicals in household cleaning products

No wonder our bodies are so overburdened and not working properly! But don’t feel helpless and defeated when you look at that list.

So, how do we help the body detoxify?

Drink water. Water flushes toxins and wastes from the body and transports nutrients to where they are needed. Drinking at least 8-10 glasses of pure (NOT flavored or carbonated) water per day (more if you’re overweight).

Warm baths and saunas are very effective.

Eat a healthy diet, high in nutrients and fiber.

Exercising stimulates the body so that the metabolic rate is stepped up.

Practising stress management and relaxation techniques. Stress affects the body in many ways and is particularly devastating to our fertility.