Breaking Out the Big Guns

So you know how I wrote in my last entry that it seems that people are unloading their problems on me lately….like complete strangers?? Well I am beginning to really think that maybe that is my calling or something? I was just at the bank depositing a check. I waited in line and walk towards the teller as she motioned me forward. As I walked up she asked how I was doing to which I replied “pretty good, and you?” She then responded with “well I just broke up with my boyfriend of 3 years but other than I am fine.” This started a 15 minute conversation between the two of us that ended with my giving her the advice that she is the only that can control her happiness. How that conversation happened during a quick trip to the bank….I am not sure but just another encounter that makes me think I am going through this to help people. Does that sound weird?? I mentioned I had lunch with an incredibly strong woman last week who had lost a child?? Well she was nice enough to recommend a fertility acupuncturist whose office is about three minutes walking distance from mine. Even though I love Carol, my current acupuncturist, it has been awhile since I have seen her and I believe there is a reason I would meet my new friend and that she would recommend this new acupuncturist to me….so I made an appointment for this Friday. My plan is to ask for treatments to treat yin deficiency and help my body to suppress FSH and product more estrogen. This new acupuncturist works closely with many of the fertility specialists in the state and has knowledge of all the officers I have gone to in the last year and a half. I am very excited to get things started :0) I have been re-reading “Making Babies” and taking my own advise and am incorporating recommendations into my daily routine as I learn of them. Three of those are taking L-carnitine supplements, putting a heating pad on my lower abdomen for at least twenty minutes daily and incorporating Yin foods into my daily diet.



I continue to be amazed at women’s bodies and I mean that in a totally not creepy way. What I meant is that I keep hearing incredibly inspiring stories about women who have beat the odds and conceived. Yesterday a friend from work shared another with me about a close friend of hers who was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer, had an ovary removed and went through chemo. On the day of her last chemo treatment, she found out she was pregnant. The baby is fine and she seems like she will be able to carry full term. My friend at work said that if the woman from the story could get pregnant while going through chemo and only have one ovary, then I would be just fine. She is right, I have two ovaries with follicles, just need to build up some estrogen to get them going again and stay positive. I went to the meeting with a new acupuncturist, Jeff, a few days ago. He seemed very up on his knowledge and I was very glad to see him when I got to the appointment. That day, Friday, was an “I’m feeling sorry for myself” day and was also very stressful at work. I was so stressed and exhausted that I welcomed the needles he was going to be sticking in me with open arms. When I arrived, we went through a questionnaire, discussed my current lifestyle and eating habits and he looked at my tongue a few times. For those of you who are not into Eastern medicine, practitioners believe you can tell a lot about a person simply by looking at their toungue. Mine, for example, let Jeff know that I was very imbalanced. Great, another man telling me I am unbalanced! Fortunately, this  imbalance can be fixed (not so sure on the others). After filling out my questionnaire, Jeff started my treatment. As I laid down on the treatment table, I felt a nice warm heating pad like object on my back. “Let the relaxation begin!” Next he placed a small heal lamp over my feet. As he started inserting the needles, I was surprised to find that every single needle he poked in made my body flinch. Again for those of you who have never done acupuncture, this means they are getting a good spot. Once the needles were in, Jeff asked if he could break out the big guns and wanting to be as aggressive as possible I said “but of course”. The “big guns” Jeff was referring to was a machine that hooks up to the needles and vibrates them intensifying the treatment. The needles we were focusing on were the ones place over both of my ovaries. It hurt at first but he explained that my body would regulate in just a minute and I would barely feel it and would fall asleep. He was right, I woke up to him knocking on the door. He removed the needles and explained the we were going to discuss the rest of my treatment and what would come next. While I took my needle induced siesta, Jeff had been grading my questionnaire and had a diagnosis and recommendations ready. According to what I filled out, I had six imbalances. Kidney yin, kidney yan, spleen chi deficiency, blood deficiency, live chi stagnation and heart stagnation. Yikes, just like any other test I have ever taken…..a negative result. Next came my question “do you think you can help me get my periods back?” to which he said “I don’t want to promise you anything but I am pretty confident we can have things back in 3-4 cycles.” Three of four months? I thought, well heck I can do that. Next we discussed doing two treatments a week to be a bit aggressive since it has almost been one year since my last period. Then Jeff gave me some instructions….no caffeine, no soda, carry lavender coated cutips in my purse and use them whenever I get stressed (he obviously doesn’t know I was born stressed and that to fulfill this request I would have to walk around with cutips up my nose 24 hours a day). I am also to drink things without ice at room temperature if possible and soak my feet in hot water every night before I go to bed. Next we went over a list of foods I should be eating they include but are not limited to: broccoli, asparagus, spinach, sea cucumber, yams, garlic, chives, orange sweet potatoes, black beans, black sesame, carrots and celery. Fruits goji berries, pomegranate, kiwi, figs and lots of pineapple. Proteins include salmon, mackerel, tuna steak, chicken, lamb and pork. Jeff suggested making a chicken soup and putting a bunch of the veggies he suggested and then add chicken off the bone. He said to take the chicken carcass and scrape the marrow off and put in the soup. Next we discussed how my exercise program could be whatever I wanted until I started a period and then I would have to calm things down a bit. But until then, Jeff suggested working out for 45 minutes, 5 days a week. I was given herbs to take (three, three times a day) and was also told I could drink alcohol but only red wine. At least he didn’t say no alcohol at all :0) I feel very encouraged and hopeful that with the acupuncture and low estrogen doses, I will have periods again in no time!

A Thank You to Beth Moore & Helpful Info From Making Babies

I have kind of been taking it easy the last couple of weeks. I have been listening to a great bible study on the book of Esther in my car discussing how hard it is to be a woman which has really helped me through all of the thoughts running through my mind. I have also been really concentrating on getting my metabolism back, working out and playing catch up at work. I am feeling very at peace with myself lately, like I have all the time in the world to figure things out and that I should cherish every moment like it is my last. I have been making it a priority to take advantage of every opportunity that is thrown my way. Lunch/Dinner invitations, happy hours, shopping trips, phone calls, baseball/football games, parades, emails you name it, I have accepted it and haven’t really had time to think about “the things” I have been impatiently waiting to show up for almost a year and a half now. The Beth Moore bible study I have been listening to has a chapter on waiting. On the audio, Beth states that we need to learn that if something isn’t happening at the particular time we want it to happen that there is a reason for it. Although it is tough to admit, this is me in a nutshell. I have been focusing every thought and every minute of the past year and a half to try and get a period and/or get pregnant and all it has done is wear me out and get me even more down. It never occurred to me that perhaps someone up there might have a plan and that maybe me not being able to get pregnant right now is all part of a bigger plan. This bible study also talked about how sometimes God will bring a tragedy into our lives to help sort of turn us into the direction we are supposed to go in order to fulfill our destiny. Since starting my blog, I have learned so much about nutrition and fertility and have chatted with so many incredible women going through similar situations. I have been able to help people get pregnant by recommending books, nutritional changes and other things and am so happy I have been able to do that. I have also noticed lately that I have sort of become a “Dear Abby”. Just yesterday while I was sitting at work, I had three people come into my office and proceed to tell me a problem they were having and ask me what I thought they should do. While at lunch a few days ago with a coworker, it came out that she too was going through a horrible time after loosing a child at birth. This is something I can’t even imagine working through but there she sat, emotions intact, some people are just so much stronger then others. My point is that I believe God wants me to help people, specifically women and that is why I my ovaries have gone on vacation. I needed to go through this to figure out that I have a love for writing, nutrition and that I am interested in my fertility past what kind of tampons I want to buy each month. I have learned so much and after listening to this bible study am actually feeling like I have a purpose again. Sorry to get all bible happy on you but this chapter of esther study just hit home and the best part was that at the end the speaker said “you are just waiting on the things. You are waiting on that baby which is a really important thing to wait on but if you just believe in God and that he has a plan, it will eventually come.” This hit so close to home that I started crying in my car. I wasn’t in hysterics or anything but tears were falling from my eyes because I realized that the speaker was right. I was spending all my time waiting on the thing I wanted the most in this world instead of focusing on everything I have the ability to enjoy right now. Ironically after listening to this chapter of the study in my car, I received a call from my doctor with some urine and blood test results. My thyroid test was not back yet but my urine test suggested that I had a small infection that could be cured with cranberry juice. Next we discussed the fact that I seemed to be shedding more hair off my head then I have ever done before and she suggested maybe I come in for a follow up and we could run some tests and maybe try a low dose estrogen treatment. Having previously been told that HRT kept you from being able to get pregnant, I asked if this low dose treatment could hurt my changes of getting pregnant and she said no that if anything it might help it. She said it would mostly be to just try and balance me out a bit since women with POF tend to have lower amounts of estrogen then women with no fertility issues but that it might give me the extra boost I need to restore my periods. I told her I would think about it and she scheduled me to come in on October 29th. I felt good about that because it gave me a month to think things through. The entire next day I prayed that God would help me decide what to do. For the past 6 months I have been doing everything the natural ways. Taking myself off the progesterone and thyroid supplements and not going on HRT would starting the low dose estrogen erase everything I have been working towards? Or is it the missing link? I prayed that God would give me a sign on whether I should try the therapy and help guide me towards the right decision. After dinner that night, I went home ate dinner, got ready for bed and decided to pop open a book I have recommended to many women “Making Babies.” I had already read many different sections of this book over three times but I thought maybe there was something I had missed. Turns out I was right. There is an entire section on POF and treatments/nutritional changes you can try along with success stories of treatments. Guess what? Right there one of the pages was a success story about a woman with POF who made a few diet/lifestyle changes I have already made and took a low dose estrogen and got pregnant. If that isn’t the sign I was praying for I don’t know what is! As I finished reading that section I marked the page, closed the book, turned off the lamp and looked up at God and said “ok…I will try it, thank you for your help.” I know it sounds corny and that there are many of you non believers out there but why would I choose to open a book I have read so many times and happen to find a section regarding the one subject I had prayed about ….things like this just have to make you think. I will be doing research and have my folder armed and ready by the time October 29th rolls around. At least I feel that God might feel that this is “my time” to start a treatment but until then I am on his time and hope that I continue to find some great research on the subject I can share with everyone else. Here is what “Making Babies” has under the POF section (pg 208):


• In POF, the ovaries stop functioning normally in women under age 40. Either the supply of eggs runs out way ahead of schedule or eggs stop responding to FSH and don’t mature. Either of these scenarios causes estrogen to drop because the follicules don’t respond.

• Estrogen will be very low and FSH will be elevated (FSH usually is above 40)

• Case study on a 32 year old woman; hadn’t had a period for 2 years; FSH over 90 with low estrogen; told IVF with donor eggs only option; to see if she had any follicules she was put on low dose estrogen which would only help her ovulate if she had any follicules left; patient ovulated very next cycle and conceived via insemination.

• 10% of women with POF conceive spontaneously

• Dr. Sami David has had success treating POF patients with low dose estrogen which suppresses FSH. If there are any follicules left, blood estrogen levels will rise with this treatment followed by successful ovulation.

• Another case study – early 30’s; low estrogen, high FSH;prescribed herbs to boost yin and clear the heat from her body and product estrogen; incorporated more soy into her diet; took an EFA supplement (I went to whole foods to get this supplement and they suggested just taking an extra tbsp of flaxseed oil); within three months patient’s mood and menopausal symptoms getting better so started weekly acupuncture treatments; by end of 6th month patient was ovulating; conceived.

• Book suggests women with POF are the “Dry” fertility type which means we are yin deficient. Suggests following recommendations for Dry type in the book, seeing a Chinese practioner for help in boosting estrogen and seeing an acupuncturist to promote ovulation.

• Acupuncture & herbs can be useful in lowering FSH and increasing fertility

• Use visualization techniques to lower stress and help normalize FSH (pg 90)

Like always this is going to be TMI but I have noticed lately that my breasts have been hurting for weeks at a time. I read in Making Babies that this could be a sign that I could be conceiving and having early pregnancy loss. In the book one of the doctors prescribed a progesterone supplement and one of the patients was pregnant within three months (pg 212). I wonder if this could be happening to me??? But then I read on another page that an increase in caffeine could be responsible for the breast tenderness. I have also noticed I am able to sleep better at night, my skin has more moisture and isn’t as dry, I have some changes in my CM and my mood is better. These are all good signs pointing to an increase in estrogen. “Making Babies” also has a section on infections and states that “every couple struggling with unexplained infertility ought to be screened for bacteria and infections so mild that they are flying under the radar. It is possible to beat the infection with a good diet and healthy lifestyle but it is possible that you have had the infection for a long time and so the authors recommened taking an antibiotic and adopting a healthy lifestyle.” (pg 253) “25-30% of women treated for infertility carry micro-organisms that can impair fertility which can kill sperm, infect an embryo.” After self diagnosing myself with a gallbladder issue and demanding a urine test from my doctor, I was told I had a small infection show up in my urine. My doctor suggested drinking cranberry juice to try and wipe it out and if on October 29th, the infection was still present, then she would prescribe an antibiotic. So although my diagnosis was yet again incorrect, it led to the discovery of this infection. I was going to just ignore the cranberry juice thing but I think I will be going out to the store before bed tonight to get some cranberry juice and a few other items recommended by the book. Suggestions listed under the “dry” fertility type are:

Food –
• “vegetables & fruits combine with complex carbohydrates and small amount of protein – see pg 297 for suggested percentages of each
• Small portions of protein throughout the day
• Flax and soy production (already doing this and reaping the benefits)
• Seaweed and concentrated green juice (already doing, I could eat more seaweed but don’t really know how, not exactly a yummy and tasty treat unless eaten with sushi)
• Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day
• Has a list of food Chinese medicine considers moistening and lubricating and yin nourishing
• Avoid coffee, black tea, caffeine and sugar
o Has a recipe for Fertili tea for dry types (pg 299)
• Eat more spicy foods

Exercise
• Choose revitalizing exercise that is replenishing and meditative (yoga, tai chi or walking in nature) – I have been walking on this great path by my home you know becoming one with nature.
• Avoid any exercise extremely exhausting – limit to 30 minutes a day
• Balance exercises that builds bulk

LifeStyle
• Get enough sleep
• Try to get fresh air throughout each day
• Limit time sitting in front of computer
• Adopt stress coping strategy to use during the day
• Be patient, could take awhile to get yourself back in balance
• Try visualization and self massages

Supplements
• EFAs
• L-carnitine – helps with cervical mucus
• Royal Jelly (already taking in my smoothies)
• Liquid chlorophyll – helps with follicule building (already taking)
• Floradix iron supplement (already taking)

Medical Help
• If you are considering taking fertility drugs, the book suggests preparing your body for three months before starting the treatment. Wait until menopausal symptoms have improved or are completely gone.
• Acupuncture and herbs can help get your body ready

Although I am not feeling pressure to get pregnant right this second thanks to Beth Moore, I decided to give one last push on my husband regarding the IVF topic. He has expressed how against he is of using someone elses eggs for IVF and that he would not want to have children with someone else and live that lie. This has been killing me because I have never been the type of women who let someone else make decisions for me (even God and thus I have not wanted to wait). So I decided to push the topic one more time but I choose to bring it up at a time when my husband was in a very good mood on a drive home from a great day in Golden. I voiced my opinion on the matter and asked if he would ever consider it and to my surprise he replied with “maybe once it has been awhile, we are not even two years into trying and some couples have to try a lot longer then that.” That was a good enough answer for me. He was right, I can admit that (just don’t tell him I said that). I had to chuckle as I got out of the car, he asked me what I was laughing about and I just told him I was happy he had changed his mind and he just shook his head. What I was really laughing about was that I had waited to approach the subject with him until the right time and that was one of the other subjects the great bible study had covered. Waiting until the right time. All of the other times I had tried to approach my husband on the IVF subject had been when he was at work or just getting home from work and this relaxing Sunday afternoon was just right. Two new things to make me feel better about my current situation, I have God's plan which I pray will include my cycles coming back and I have the fact that IVF with donor eggs could be a possibility when the time is right. Ahh, finally some peace.

Aligning my stars

Don’t worry I have calmed down since my last post…well sort of. I am still a little bummed out. While walking to my car yesterday (and feeling sorry myself yet again), I was trying to focus on something else when a couple appeared in front of me. They were running to their car and the woman was holding her bulging pregnant belly. Guess it was time for their baby to arrive….lucky ducks! That is what’s so freakin hard about not thinking about it. Pregnancy and motherhood is literally everywhere. The gym, the office, Starbucks even on E News. Does it seem like a lot of celebrities have been pregnant lately??? I mean come on, I can’t even get a little gossip in now without getting sad and usually that makes me feel better. Oh well, it will happen eventually I have to be strong and in the words of Gloria Gaynor “I will survive.” Just got to keep doing the things I am doing and be healthy and happy. Align the stars and wait to see what happens. Right now it feels like my stars are scattered everywhere. I am really busy at work so I haven’t had time to get the bills organized, the laundry is just piling up, we still haven’t found a new house, I have gained weight and top it off with the fact that I haven’t had a period since last November…like I said they are everywhere. I am working on this though. I have been taking a few minutes each day this week to get paperwork organized, I have been to the gym the past three days and even met with my trainer yesterday, my husband is handling the house situation and I continue to eat flaxseed, yams and soy everyday to help with the estrogen issue I currently am experiencing. On that note….

I have decided that I am going to focus on eating things that support both estrogen production and a healthy endocrine system. Like many southern gals, I prefer to do everything through food. I found a great article at http://www.ehow.com/how_4449618_diet-healthy-endocrine-system.html. It lists items you need to be sure and eat to support a healthy endocrine system. One suggestion is taking omega oil supplements which I was on way back when I was first diagnosed. Perhaps this is something I should look into taking again??? The article also suggests yoga for stress management and states that there are actually some yoga positions that stimulate hormonal balance. Also listed is garlic which I cook with all the time!

This article caused me to want to find what yoga poses I can be doing so I can be sure and do them once a day since I am obsessive….yes I know I have a problem. During my brief travel on the jam packed information highway this morning, I found another article discussing how different every infertility patient is, the reasons for hormonal imbalances and why they seem to be rapidly increasing and things we as women can do to reverse the imbalances. http://www.womenseducationcenter.com/health/natural-hormone-balance.html .

What Can Women Do to Be in Balance?

1. Put themselves first when it comes to health. When women are healthy, everyone who needs them benefits.

2. Walk, garden or relax in the sun for 20 minutes. This produces vitamin D for immunity and bone health and melatonin for sleep.

3. Get plenty of sleep. Cortisol from not sleeping and stress promote weight gain and depression.

4. Eat organic green vegetables and drink organic fresh squeezed juices which contain natural plant sterols. Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables are particularly helpful in balancing estrogen.

5. Cook in glass or stainless steel. Plastic can have an “estrogenic effect” on the body.

6. Increase exercise, which increases DHEA and other important hormones.

7. Increase weight-training exercises to help build bone mass and stimulate Human Growth Hormone that keeps us young with a positive attitude.

8. Take time to do yoga, meditation and other relaxation exercises which stimulate hormone functions, decrease anxiety and balance brain chemicals.

9. Read books on hormone balance by Johnathan Wright, MD, Uzzi Reiss, MD, or others.

10. Get saliva tested for hormone levels over a period of a month. This test examines your total cycle and is more relevant than a blood test.

11. Go to a health care practicioner who has a long history with hormone balancing. It is a very intricate science.

12. Take a good vitamin made from natural ingredients with antioxidants for food cell function, bone health and hundreds of other body functions.

13. Have fun and laugh. This simple and enjoyable part of life decreases the stress chemicals and helps build the immune system. The bottom line is there are alternatives to the dangerous synthetic hormones that have been prescribed for decades. There always have been. It is up to us to be proactive and seek the solutions that have been around for centuries.

Thought this was such a great article because it suggests we be proactive and not rely on doctors to figure out how to restore balance to our bodies. I wish someone would have given me this article a long time ago. I googled the authors suggested and have a few written by Dr. Uzzi Reiss in my Amazon shopping cart right now. When I go in next week for my gallbladder and thyroid test, I am going to ask about doing a saliva test throughout the month of October to see if anything fluctuates. I am doing most of the other things so I feel like I am on the right track.

A Pep Talk For All You Wonderful Women Out There.....

I promised some friends of mine a few weeks ago that I would stop the obsessive research on how to cure myself….I even made a bet with them and for the last two weeks I have stuck to it. This morning I woke up and checked my blackberry and saw I had my daily update for Team Inspire (RESOLVE). Usually I glance at the daily topics and move on but I went a little further this morning seeing that one of the topic discussions was one I know very well, POF. The person who started the discussion has been diagnosed for a long time and was searching for information on what her options could be.  Seeing this entry of course relit the spark to my need to do research and since then I have scouring through the pages of discussions on POF on the RESOLVE site. I have to say that after doing this, I feel very discouraged and sad. I wasn’t able to find a single story of someone with POF healing their body or conceiving on their own.  I know it may seem a little unrealistic of me, but I still believe I will eventually find out what is keeping my body from ovulating and have a child.  I believe that most of us women who have been diagnosed as POF represent a group where western medicine has just plain failed us.  Basically, there is something wrong with us and doctors don’t want to take the time to find out what it is so they give us the whole “you have premature menopause, but we don’t know why. Sometimes it just happens.” Sorry, I mean I am not a doctor but that explanation is just not acceptable to me especially when it is concerning a process that my body was built to carry out. If a body process has full on shut down, there is a reason for it and that should be a concern to a doctor. I believe that nutrition and lifestyle have a very large part in the growing epidemic of infertility. I also believe that if the same doctors who typically throw aside their patients after their POF diagnosis would just recommend less stress, some yoga and a healthier diet that many of the “infertile” patients would find their problems might be solved.  I also have to say that even after being diagnosed as having “POF” for almost a year and a half, I am still not exactly sure what that means. For the first year, I was told by several doctors that it means I have no eggs and no chances of conceiving. For the past six months, I have been seeing an OBGYN who specializes in working with women with POF who says that I do have eggs just not the hormones to get my body to go through a complete cycle.  I have also read a few books in the past six months that back up my most recent doctor’s opinion on the matter.  Regardless, maybe doctors should figure out exactly what it means to diagnose patients with POF before sending women into the gloom of an infertility diagnosis. I have seen many positive changes in my body over the past year and a half. I went from having flattened ovaries with no eggs and very low hormones to having round ovaries with standing follicles and good levels of hormones. I was able to keep myself from having to go on HRT and have had a few cycles. All of which I was told would not be possible in the first year and a half. Through research of my own, I have had tests run as I see fit to be able to rule possible causes of this problem out and am positive I will eventually find the problem. I believe that my celiacs disease caused some damage and have been on a strict gluten free diet for almost two months.  I am currently looking into thyroid and gallbladder possibilities as thyroid disease runs in my family and I took Yasmin for almost 6 years…for those of you who haven’t heard…the makers of Yasmin & Yaz are in the middle of  lawsuits from women who took their products and suffered severe side effects one of them being gall bladder disease.  All I am saying is to you wonderful women out there who have been diagnosed with POF or any other fertility problem don’t give up. Do some research, change your diet and find a doctor that is up on the topic. Our bodies were made to reproduce and drive men crazy.  Our body wouldn’t shut this process down unless there was a reason for it!!!

It's My Rights....Right?

Ok so first let me put this out there…..I don’t know much about Politics mainly because I believe most politicians (if they were wooden puppets) would really long noses. I typically don’t believe much of what comes out of any of their mouths but I saw something on the news last night that really upset me. Some republicans in the state of Colorado (will remain nameless) are currently backing Amendment 62 (Personhood Amendment) that will be voted on this fall. If passed, this amendment would outlaw abortion even for cases of incest and rape and would also outlaw infertility treatments. Now being a Catholic the first issue is just a big no, no but I do believe there are certain circumstances where having that choice is needed. It’s more the second part of the amendment that really frankly pisses me off!! Why should someone be able to make that kind of a decision for a woman??? Why shouldn’t the law abiding, tax paying, hard working women of the state of Colorado have access to infertility treatments? And why should anyone care if they want to have these types of treatments done. You see, we are not all blessed with perfect fertility, or finding a significant other and to me you are taking away a god given right for someone to be a mother by taking away her right to see a fertility specialist. It is taking away our rights to family planning!!!! The argument is that all of the frozen embryos deserved to be loved and adopted and have rights which I agree with but I feel that you are taking away their rights to be loved by not allowing fertility treatments. I am just so angry that this is what our government leaders have come to…trying to control what we can do with our own bodies!!! For some women, like myself, infertility treatments are our only means of trying to conceive. Some of us even pay for healthcare that covers these treatments so that we aren’t thousands of dollars in debt. What I have to say to these government officials is this……do you really think that women across the state would put themselves through brutal fertility treatments if they didn’t have to? Do you really think they are trying to take rights away from the very embryos they are hoping will implant and become their children? What’s next? Are you going to regulate the type of toilet paper we use? Or make it mandatory for women to take birth control? What I do with my body is my own choice. This is an unfair amendment and personally I see it as a form of suffrage. Ok I am done now just had to get that off my chest. I am sorry if I have misspoken about any of the above, remember that I got this off the news while trying to curl my hair and get out the door in time to get to slide into my chair just before the buzzard.


I had lunch with a friend yesterday who has been going through almost the exact same things I have for the past year. We sat and chatted about things we had tried, things strange doctors had said and what our next moves were going to be. I believe my next move is this, no cleansing, no kinesiologist, no supplements. Just me, my friends and family, the gym, a little yoga and enjoying my life. I will or course stick to my gluten free mostly organic diet but I will not let this rule my life anymore. If God wants me to have a child, I will have a child. I am DONE letting this rule my life. I know I have said that before but sorry infertility, I have moved on. The past few weeks I have been having fun. I have lost a little weight, spend lots of time with friends and family and have even been able to enjoy time with my husband without being sad. I like to tell you it has been nice having a relationship with you but we are done. I will give you the old “it’s not you, it’s me.” I don’t want you following me around anymore. I realize I may be forced to see you once in awhile, or you will get mentioned in casual conversations but this exclusive thing we have had for a year and a half is just not good and I am done! See you infertility.

On a Break.....Or am I?

I am usually not one who believes in taking "breaks", at least when it comes to relationships. I like many others have been fed that line several times and in my opinion if someone feels the need to spend less time with me then maybe they dont need me in their lives at all.....my opinoin on breaks has changed since my dianosis. I temporarily take breaks when I feel overwhelemed. Lately I have felt like my constant need to be researching and have my head buried inside a book is spinning out of control. I am also getting very tired of attending doctros appointments and eating super healthy to not see the improvements I am wanting and gaining weight. I have decided to stop taking most of the supplements continuing to take my liquid form of royal jelly and maca powder with my juice in the morining, my probiotics and my iron supplement.  I am going to take a break from cleansing, accupuncture and try more yoga and working out.  I need a break!!! Sorry Mr. Library, but you and I were getting to serious way to fast and my husband is getting jealous. I do want to share my latest self diagnosis with you.  My husband and I recently attended a college football tailgate and game. At the tailgate, I caught up with a friend who I hadnt seen in awhile and to my surprise, she mentioned that she had gone off the pill a littel over a year ago and that she too was having ovulation problems.  My heart dropped as she explained how painful it had been for her and her husband and that she was so tired of all the different kinds of doctors.  Next she explained that she had recently started seeing a chiropractor who was also a natural doctor and that he has recently diagnosed her with a gall bladder problem and had given her some supplements.  We decided that we would have lunch soon and talk about our experiences and see if we might be able to help eachother some time in the upcoming weeks and then went off to enjoy the game. That night while I sat on the couch I was thinking about what my friend had said and decided to start googling gall bladder issues and fertility. To my surprise, I found a link between the two and also found a link between the kidney and the gall bladder.  I called my mom and told her what I had been reading and then she mentioned a friend of hers that had been on Yasmin (the same pill I was on for over 6 years) and had to have her gall bladder removed.  I told her that I had to go do more research and as I scrolled through page after page of information, I realized that maybe my issues could be related to my gall bladder.  Fatigue, hot flashes, black pepper like flakes in urine, sharp pains in the upper right side...to name only a few. I am still convinced that my thyroid is also part of the problem and have read a lot of material that states that just because you are in the "normal" range of .5-5.5 that doesnt mean that range is right for you.  My thyroid was at a .3 on my last blood test.  Below is a list of Symptoms related to thryoid problems that I fall under:
Family history of thyroid problems (my uncle and my grnadmother)
Past history of auto-immune disease (celiacs)
Allergies or sensitivity to gluten
Other pituitary or endocrine diseases (diabetes, PCOS, premature menopause)
Chronic Fatigue
Infertility
Celiac disease/gluten intolerance
Heavy consumer of soy products
Heave consumer of raw foods
Exhaustion/fatigue
Heart palpitations
Anxiety
Sweating more then usual/feeling hot when others are not
Inappropriate weight gain despite changes in diet and excercise
Hair loss
Itching skin
Abnormally low sex drive (yes I know you may not want to know that...sorry)
Unexplained infertility
Periods have stopped
Constipation (yes I know sorry another overshare)
Shortness of breath
Difficulty falling asleep

and there you have it....an extremely long list of symtoms I currently have...hmmm I think I need to keep reading my new thyroid book......ok so I am taking a break from reading more then one book at a time. I will focus on one at a time so it doesnt seem so overwhelming. That should be easier to keep under control.

Namaste...

The past few days I have really been feeling down. I just can’t believe it has been since last November since I had a period and that until recently I hadn’t taken gluten out of my diet which means….I have started over again. Kill me now! All of the research I have read says you need to be off gluten for “an extended period of time” before your fertility may¬ be restored. I am going to assume that “an extended period of time” is probably a year or more. This is seriously exhausting. The juicing in the morning, making my “organic and cleaning” lunches everyday, making sure I take my supplements through the day . either preparing my dinner separately from everyone elses or playing twenty questions with a waiter at a restaurant to make sure my meal will be gluten free, making sure I workout for 30 minutes 5-6 times a week and going to my cleansing appointments! It’s all to much and I am still not ovulating, still have headaches and am still child less. I know what you are thinking “patience my dear, patience” but I have been going through this for over a year and a half now. GURRR! Here is what I am thinking, I am thinking of cutting down my cleansing appointments down to twice a month (so I can relax and save some money), finish the bottles of supplements I am currently taking and then cut them out (except for the multi-vitamin, probiotics,royal jelly, maca). I feel that my body is currently overloaded with supplements. That means I will be cutting out lysine, PABA (which I am not currently taking upon request of the kiniesologist), Heavy Metal Detox. I want my body to get healthy on it’s own. I will keep the royal jelly and maca because they are superfoods not just for fertility but for your body in general. I will keep the multi-vitamin because everyone should take a multi-vitamin and I will keep the probiotics in because it is really beneficial to your body to take them. That is it. I will get the liquid form of royal jelly when my pills run out and that way I can dump royal jelly and maca into my juice in the morning which leaves only the probiotics and multi-vitamin for me to remember to take through out each day. One problem solved! I am also going to start going to yoga classes a few times a week. I have noticed that they are only offered from 7-8 PM during the week but I will have to suck it up and get home late those nights. I really think the relaxation will be worth it and very good for me. I believe stress is a huge part of my problem. I have always been the type of person to keep things in and try and make sure everyone else is happy. Well I need to be able to punch things (which I already do in my boxing classes) and to take time to breathe (which I will be doing in the yoga classes). I have an extremely hard time meditating (due to my self diagnosed ADD) so going to a class that forces me to focus will be a very good thing for me to do. According to Belly Bliss where I will be attending fertility yoga “Dr.Alice Domar, researcher at Harvard Medical School, did a study with women who had been trying to get pregnant for a year or more. She put them on a program that included Yoga and exercise, 50% of those on the program became pregnant within a year as opposed to 20% in the control group who were not on the program that included Yoga and fitness.


*Yoga poses that can help with fertility are those that open the hips and increase blood flow to the pelvis, this also can help rebalance the hormones. Certain Yoga poses can also help to stimulate the ovaries. Yoga is a great way to help women reduce their stress levels and relax which can be key when trying to conceive. *20% of those facing fertility issues are considered “idiopathic” meaning doctors are unable to diagnose the reason a woman is unable to get pregnant. Many feel Yoga has helped them relax, believe in their bodies and de-stress which has helped them overcome their fertility complications and become pregnant.” Proof that it will be good for me. The class was great. The instructor is now pregnant. I remember last fall when I attended a few classes she mentioned her and her husband were thinking of trying soon. She helped me work through my stress about infertility and explained that yoga can help me balance my hormones. There were a few parts in the class that requires everyone in attendance to throw there egos out the door and not care what other people think. I of course have no problem throwing my ego out the door, considering I already tell the world about all my digestive and woman issues. The first things we did was chanting which was so amazingly relaxing. Next we were asked to get into table top position and move around freely to try and start to open up the hips. I had my eyes closed but I am sure I looked like a wounded deer trying to move around. I was able to relax my muscles and move quickly into the next pose. I was amazed at how relaxed I felt throughout the class. At the end of the class the instructor had us lay in “corpse pose” which is flat on your back with your arms and legs relaxed. As soon as I laid down, my lower back started throbbing. Then, as if she was reading my mind, the instructor said “feel for any areas in the body that are calling out to you, what do they need? Focus on sending each breathe to that area.” I took a few deep yoga breathes and concentrated on sending them to my lower back. Guess what, my back stopped hurting!!! That is enough proof for me that yoga works! I think I am going to try and practice my chanting and my corpse pose breathing a few times during the week (just don’t want to scare the hubby, any sentence with the words chanting and corpse could probably scare anyone).

I have officially cut out half my supplements with the exception of maca, daily vitamin, probiotics and royal jelly. I am also still drinking the Seven superfood juice and the superfood greens mix in my smoothie. I am no longer taking lysine, PABA or milk thistle. I just want to be as natural as possible and taking what feels like hundreds of supplements just doesn’t feel right. Everything I have left/added in my daily routine wont hurt me it can only make me stronger….just like the saying “if it doesn’t kill me, it will make me stronger”. These are things that just might give my body that extra push it has been wanting. At the gluten free food fair I recently went to, they were passing out a food pyramid that gluten intolerant people should follow. My question is how much of a particular item is considered “one serving?” I mean the grains section suggests at least six servings a day. That sounds like a lot of food but I think I am probably picturing much larger servings then what is recommended. According to http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/0715.html below is an explanation of service size:

Even though there is no single chart that details how much of a particular food a serving constitutes, you can click on each food group's heading (see below) for more information on common portion sizes. Also, here's a basic breakdown of the new guidelines: Breads, Cereals, Rice, and Pasta

One serving equals 1 slice of bread; 1/2 cup of cooked rice, pasta, or cereal; or 1 ounce of cold cereal. All of these serving sizes are known as "ounce equivalents" As a general rule of thumb,

1 serving size/ounce equivalent of bread = plastic CD case
2 servings/ounce equivalents of cooked brown rice = a tennis ball

Vegetables
Unlike the Breads, Cereals, Rice, and Pasta group described above, cup size matters when it comes to vegetables. That is, vegetables servings are measured in cups rather than ounces. One serving equals 1/2 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice or 1 cup of leafy raw vegetables.
1 serving size = 1/2 cup of broccoli = a light bulb
1 serving size = 1/2 cup of potato = a computer mouse

Fruits
Like the vegetable group, cup size matters here, too. One serving equals 1 cup of fruit or 100 percent fruit juice, or 1/2 cup of dried fruit. Because fruits come in so many different shapes and sizes, it's hard to say how many pieces of fruit count as a serving.
Generally, 1 serving size of whole fruit = 1 tennis ball
1 serving size of cut fruit = 7 cotton balls

Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese
One serving equals 1 cup of milk or yogurt, 1.5 to 2 ounces of cheese, and even 1.5 cups of ice cream. Choose low-fat options from this group whenever possible.
1 serving size of cheese = 2 9-volt batteries

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts
Like the Bread, Cereals, Rice, and Pasta group, serving sizes are also measured in ounce equivalents. One serving or ounce equivalent equals 1 ounce of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish; 1/4 cup dried beans, after cooking; 1 egg; 1 tablespoon of peanut butter; or 1/2 ounce of nuts or seeds.
3 servings/ounce equivalents of fish = 1 checkbook
3 servings/ounce equivalents of meat or poultry = 1 deck of cards
2 servings/ounce equivalents of peanut butter = 1 roll of 35 mm film or 1 ping-pong ball

Oils
MyPyramid.gov measures serving sizes in teaspoons.
1 serving/teaspoon of margarine and spreads = 1 dice
2 serving/teaspoons of salad dressing = 1 thumb tip
Because these oils are found in many of the foods we eat, there may not be a need to add this group to your diet. For example, half of a medium avocado or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter provide 3 and 4 teaspoons or servings of oil respectively, while also counting towards your vegetable or nuts allowance.

I also found information on a law passed in 2006 which made it easier for consumers to check the labels on the foods they were consuming. Since January 2006, all food labels are required to clearly state if the food contains any of the top eight food allergens, including wheat. It is important to remember that wheat free doesn't mean gluten free. Lawmakers are also working to make labels easier for people with celiac disease by requiring companies to identify other components, such as hidden ingredients and barley and rye. The article suggests a list of foods to avoid. They are below:

beer and other grain-based alcohol products
bouillons and broths
breading (such as the coating on breaded chicken cutlets, etc.)
brown rice syrup (frequently made from barley)
cake flour (made from wheat)
caramel color (occasionally made from barley)
communion wafers
couscous
creamed or breaded vegetables
dextrin (a rare ingredient, which may be made from wheat; maltodextrin is OK for people with celiac disease)
dry roasted nuts (processing agents may contain wheat flour or flavorings)
fried chicken
french fries (if they've been coated in flour)
gravies and sauces (including some tomato and meat sauces)
imitation bacon, crab, or other seafood
luncheon and processed meats
malt or malt flavoring (usually made from barley)
marinades
matzo
modified food starch (most food manufacturers will now specify the source of this ingredient; e.g., modified cornstarch, which is OK, or modified wheat starch, which is not)
nondairy creamer
pastas
salad dressings
seasonings (pure spices are OK, but check seasoning mixes for gluten-containing additives)
some herbal teas and flavored coffees
soup mixes and canned soups
soy sauce and soy sauce solids (they may be fermented with wheat; don't eat them unless you verify they're OK with a dietitian)
spreads, soft cheeses, and dips
stuffings
thickeners
udon noodles
wheat-free products (wheat free does not mean gluten free; many wheat-free cookies and breads contain barley or rye flour, which contains gluten and other gluten-containing ingredients)
yogurts with wheat starch


While we are on the gluten free subject, here is a list of information on items I have recently done some research on:
• Mccormicks seasoning – their site states that all of the their ingredients are listed on the back and if it isn’t listed on the label, it isn’t in the product. All of their one ingredient seasonings, like cinnamon, contain only that one product.
• Burts Bees – all products gluten free (I love the green tea shampoo and conditioner for colored hair..smells so good, they also have a great body lotion with royal jelley and tinted chapstick)
• Sky vodka – I know I said I wasn’t going to drink….but with football seasoning now here and the holidays in the near distant future, I should start drinking a little so that I don’t over do it at tailgates and work parties…don’t you think?
• Bare Minerals – foundations are gluten free. Some of the lipsticks are not. The Boxom lipgloss is gluten free.
• Aveda - http://www.glutenfreehub.com/aveda-is-celiac-friendly/ - they check their products periodically to determine “allergen content.” Aveda Color Conserve shampoo & conditioner.Lip Saver lip balm SPF 15. Light Elements Smoothing Fluid, Phomollient & Light Elements Defining Whip. Hand Relief for hand lotion. Have other shampoos, conditioners and make up that are also gluten free.

I also recently found some research on treatments currently being researched to treat celiac disease. http://www.glutenfreehub.com/what-everyone-ought-to-know-about-the-causes-and-treatment-of-celiac-disease/
• drugs to break down gluten peptides completely, which researchers expect would prevent the immune response
• drugs to inhibit TTG, which would intervene in the chain of events that cause the immune response
• interventions to dampen the genetically controlled factors that lead to the oversensitive immune system (though gene therapy has not been explored)
• drugs to block intestinal permeability (the results of pilot studies appear promising)
• gluten-free diet for the first year of life may prolong or prevent the development of celiac disease among high-risk infants
• probiotic treatment


I received an email back from the doctor I had emailed off of glutenfreefrenzy.com regarding celiac disease and infertility. Below is her response:

“Sounds like you are headed on the right track. Our bodies are meant to reproduce and the body is a very powerful thing. Now that you have the Celiac Diagnosis you can get yourself on track to a better you! My Neice who also has Celiac was told it would take a year of strict gluten avoidance for her body to be healthy enough to have a baby. With this program she now has a healthy toddler and is pregnant once again. You have the right idea, just being gluten free is a great start but by truly eating a natural diet full of heathy foods is key. My theory is that if you can't hunt it, pick it, or gather it you should not eat it. Obviously not everyone is able to go out and hunt and gather their food, so what this means is to avoid all processed foods and foods not found in nature. A healthy diet is full of nutrient rich foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, unpasturized dairy, and organic meats. Your body also needs healthy fats like coconut, olive oil and butter. Pure filtered water is also so very important the body is made up of almost 80% water. In my practice I can also recommend herbs that are wonderful to help with infertility if you are willing to try them, I know with the things listed above they work with your body to heal and balance out your hormones, making it easier to concieve. Trust yourself and believe in the power of your body I have seen the body heal itself from terrible diseases when given what it needs. Please feel free to contact me with any further questions!
Best wishes to your health and happiness!!!”

That’s it for me right now. I am still on my drive down the slow paced information highway. I have been capturing notes from every book I have read so far and will post my reading list as soon as I have some time. I am going to try hot yoga this weekend. Groupon.com has a coupon for $40 you get unlimited yoga classes for a month. I am going to try one class for free and see what I think. I have read that hot yoga is very good for you, and as you know, I am willing to try anything once.

I'm with Stupid

I have to tell you how just plain dumb I feel right now. Remember how I told you I thought I had been really good about not eating gluten? Well it seems I wasn’t doing nearly as well as I thought. As I start to double check at restaurants I go to, it seems that my favorite “gluten free” dishes aren’t gluten free at all. My favorite dish at Mexican restaurants is fajitas most of the time just veggie. Turns out that 4 out of 5 places put a marinade on the fajitas that has you guessed GLUTEN! The corn chips are also not gluten free because they are usually fried in the same oil as everything else. I go to Cheesecake Factory at least once a month for work and order the same salad each time because I was once told it was gluten free. During a dining experience there yesterday, I asked the waiter to double check. He came back and said that none of their salad dressing were gluten free and neither were the black beans that go on that particular salad!!! I smiled and said, well someone here once told me it was all gluten free and he responded with “well if you didn’t have a reaction maybe it isn’t a big deal.” I then smiled and replied “well it is still a big deal because the allergy causes my immune system to attack itself.” Yes, I was Debbie Downer at my group lunch yesterday but I felt that was a very dumb comment for the waiter to make. Just because I don’t immediately break out in hives as soon as it touches my mouth doesn’t mean isn’t causing my body any damage. This salad and the fajitas I have been ordering could be keeping me from restoring my health and that makes me feel so stupid! The waiter made up for the comment by helping me build a safe, gluten free salad that ended up being pretty tasty. Now that I am “double checking” it is getting more difficult to eat out and it stresses my husband out. I don’t even want to know what else I have been eating that has gluten in it. I thought I had been gluten free for a year and a half (except for the accident at my mother in laws where she bought corn tortillas that still had wheat) but it turns out I have only truly been completely gluten free for two weeks. I have to start over and that is frustrating however I do have hope that this was what I was missing. Perhaps my ovaries haven’t completely clicked on because there was still gluten in my system??? A girl can dream can’t she??? Now all I can do is be very careful, exercise and get in the best shape possible and continue to eat superfoods to build my body back up. I didn’t get a chance to read “It’s my Ovaries Stupid” yesterday, I had a long day. I think I might have been a bit hormonal though, after a very unexpected verbal exchange with an extremely unpleasant woman at a gas station, I just started crying. I thought to myself as I drove off “what the hell am I crying for?” Right then I noticed I kind of had cramps and decided that it was something hormonal …although I am not sure what. Whatever it is….I’ll take it. It’s evidence that there are some hormones left inside me. Since I didn’t make it to the gym last night (due to my uncontrolled emotional breakdown), my father in law and husband put together the old family trampoline for me. I had the best time jumping on that thing, I felt like a kid again and even practiced some of my old cheerleading jumps. After about 20 minutes on that thing I was completely out of breathe and in need of a shower. I have to laugh because I am getting excited even thinking about going home and jumping again tonight. Along with emotional breakdown, yesterday also brought with it some stomach issues that I thought were kind of strange. I am going to blame the probiotics I recently starting taking again. I have read that you can have stomach issues when you first start them. It’s the good vs the bad (good bacteria vs the bad). Perhaps though, it is the hatched parasites that Ann told me about escaping since I didn’t take PABA yesterday??? Man, I feel sexy now. Hey babe, guess what, I have hatched parasites, what should we name them???


After our recent move, I joined the gym my husband and father in law go to. My father in law came home last night with a little goodie bag he had gotten at the gym. It was filled with literature, coupons and samples of new organic and some gluten free products. The only items I can’t eat were a nutrition bar with probiotics that had wheat in it and some sample cat food (guess I could eat it but just don’t have the urge). I love that people are starting to realize how important organic and clean eating is. I am going to research the products and possibly put a few on my next grocery list. Well we have plans to go to dinner tonight at a fish place. Hopefully there is something on the menu I can eat. I am going to go online and do so searching so my husband can relax.


I wanted to mention something I found while looking up an Udos product online (to see if it had gluten in it). Just because something is labeled “gluten free,” doesn’t mean it has absolutely no gluten in it. According to Udos response to the gluten free question, anything with below a certain amount of gluten in it, is considered gluten free. How freakin stupid is that. So you are telling me all of us celaics patients out there have to pay double for our food and treats and there is still gluten in it even though we are paying for gluten free?? Are you freakin kidding me? How is the FDA ok with this? It could still be making us sick!!!

My husband and I went to a gluten free food fair today. Here is a list and my comments on products that were there. I just want to say that the turn out was amazing and I was so excited to get to go around and taste things without worrying about my allergies. There another one schedule in a few weeks at a local vitamin cottage, I can't wait to go!!
 
Gluten Free Food Fair – August 29th Jefferson County Fairgrounds

• Bobs Red Mill GF Products – have separate milling & packaging department. Gave out coupons and packet of mighty tasty GF hot cereal. www.bobsredmill.com
o Have a pizza crust, brownie mix
o Pamphlet with huge list of GF products (70)
o Catalog lists books that are continually sought after and use by their customer base. I thought they all looked interesting but here are a few I will definitely be reading
 The Amazing Flax Cookbook – Jane Reinhardt-Martin
 Art of Cooking with Quinoa – Maria Baez Kijac
 The China Study – Most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted – T. Colin Campbell
 Cooking with Coconut flour – Bruce Fife
 The Joy of Veagan baking – Collen Patrick – Gourea
 125 Best Gluten Free Recipes – Donna Washburn & Heather Butt
 Babycakes – vegan, gluten free and sugar free recipes from New York’s most talked about bakery – Erin Mckenna (some recipes call for spelt flour which is not gluten free)
 Cooking Free – 200 flavorful recipes for people with food allergies and multiple food sensitivities – Carol Fenster

• Chipotle was there handing out chips and guacamole – their meats are not marinated in gluten and their chips are safe!

• Carinos Italian was there advertising their gluten free menu and handing out a sample of cooked potatoes

• General mills had a booth that had pamphlets explaining how to read labels. They have hundred of gluten free products and are listed at liveglutenfreely.com
o Some brands listed are Larabar, fruit by the foot, chex, Yoplait, progresso and betty crocker

• Cecelias Market Place guid had a booth – website will give you product of the day emails and product alerts – www.CeceliasMarketplace.com

• Bakery on Main – Granola products. Gave out packet of Cinnamon Raison Granola and a peanut butter chocolate granola bar. Have a 34,000 square foot manufacturing facility with in house gluten testing on every batch of products.

• Bard’s beer – founded by celiacs, made it their mission to give beer back to those who are intolerant to gluten. America’s first gluten free sorghum beer and the only beer brewed with 100% malted sorghum. To find the beer visit www.bardbeer.com or call 1-877-440-2337

• On the border was there handing out a copy of their gluten free menu and a coupon for queso. I especially love they list the alcoholic beverage that don’t have gluten :0)

• Local Denver bakery, Delicious, was there. Gluten free baking www.delicious-gluten-free.com

• Diamond Baking Co. – www.diamondbakingco.com – Boulder and Denver Metro – gluten free dessert catering

• Another booth of locals who are about to launch and had an amazing booth full of truly amazing yummy products was toosies. They will be selling products in all local natural food stores. Toosiesglutenfree.com
o Will be selling all purpose flout, bread mix, brownie mix, muffin mix and pancake/waffle mix

• Schar- company that makes gluten free products was handing out free samples or chocolate covered wafers and a food pyramid for celiac patients. To remind us what we need to be eating to stay healthy.

• Barlean’s Organic Oils had a booth advertising their Omega Swirl. Tasted and looks like a smoothie yet provides optimal levels of vital and essential Omega 3 EPA/DHA. I tried the strawberry/banana and is was really good. They are sold at vitamin cottage. Can be taken straight, mixed with yogurt and blended with smoothies or protein drinks.
o Voted best product of the year by Vitamin Retailer Magazine
o Gold metal winner of American Masters of Taste Awards

• Rudis had a booth and was giving out complete loafs of bread to everyone. I had already purchased the cinnamon swirl a few weeks ago and love it. You cant even tell its gluten free. Today I got a loaf of the multi-grain and will have to let you know what I think.
o There slogan is “gluten free doesn’t mean bread free”
o Have original sandwhich, multi-grain and cinnamon swirl bread
o www.rudisbakery.com

• The Organic Dish – pre-made gluten free and other special diet food
o www.theorganicdish.com/menu
o Can shop at their kitchen in boulder or order online for pick up, delivery or shipping nation wide.
o Food comes ready to cook with instructions

• Bready had a booth. An automatic gluten free baking system. Very large and bulky and is $299.99. You can check it out at www.mybready.com

• Simply Boulder culinary sauces – sold at whole foods and vitamin cottage. Very good dipping sauces. Gluten free,agave nectar, dairy free, vegetarian, 100% natural. www.simplyboulder.com

• Gluten Free Oats – www.glutenfreeoats.com – tested at Univ of Nebraska Food Allergy Research a

• Kinnikinnick Foods was giving out packets of information – have bread products, doughnuts, personal size pizza crust, waffles, smores, bread crumbs and oreos.
o www.kinnikinnick.com or goglutenfee.com
o Gluten free never tasted so good
o To provide Celiacs, people with Autism and other people with special requirements with uncontimated, risk free source of food products.

• Glutenfreeda – gluten free burritos, granola and oatmeal.
o All products produced in our own 100% gluten free facility

• Gluten free passport had a booth. You can download an app on your phone will give you a list of restaurants and menus that you can eat from. www.GlutenFreePassport.com

• Jules Gluten Fee – www.JulesGlutenFree.com.
o Had some amazing desserts
o Author and creator of the flour was there
o The flour looks like it would be really great to use has tapioca starch, potato starch, corn starch, white rice flour, corn flour and Xanthum gum. I am thinking of ordering some, then I wouldn’t have to mix all of these together while cooking.
o The author signed by book that I bought
o Can go to her website for some great GF recipes.

• Minnie Beasley’s Handmade Almond Lace Gourmet Cookies – first let me say that the creator of this cookie is a little intense but they are very good. He said that if you google “best damn cookie ever” his will pop up. Very good and they will ship pretty much anywhere.

• Arbonne cosmetics – all products including make-up, moisturizer and shampoo are gluten free. I asked for a catalog but they were out. I am going to email the consultant I met today and have her mail me one.

• Themissingmenu.com – “where the missing allergy-free menu can be found”
o Search local and national restaurants and bakeries
o Search by allergy, cuisine and neighborhoods
o View allergy free highlighted items and menus
o Stay current with allergy conscious community by using our twitter and facebook feeds

• Happy Bellies – the only organic baby cereal with DHA plus probiotic protection.
o Have formula that is allergy friendly
o Fresh, frozen organic baby meals
o Organic puffs

• Beaujo’s pizza – have gluten and dairy free pizza. I got a preferred discount card for 15% off every purchase. I have never tried this pizza but will make a note to do it soon and let you know what I think.

• The Gluten Free Gal Baking Company
o Gluten free, Soy Free,Dairy Free, Nut Free, Yeast Free, Corn Free, Sesame Free and Refined Sugar Free
o www.theglutenfreegal.com

• Namaste foods – contain zero gluten, wheat, soy, potato, corn, tree nuts, peanuts, casein or dairy
o Dedicated allergen free facility
o 15 baking mixes, 3 pasta dishes and all natural
o Also listed on a card I picked up is Bread, cookies, pizza crust, vanilla cake, sugar free muffins, perfect flour blend, biscuits pie crust and more, Chocolate and Vanilla frosting, muffins, brownies, spice cake, waffles/pancakes and chocolate cake
o I have tried the spice cake and I believe this is my favorite GF spice cake mix. I recently made the brownies, I thought it was really good but I added some things to it (organic justin’s peanut butter, walnuts, flaxseed and a bit of soy milk.

• Funky Monkey – fruit snacks
o 100% natural, real fruit, delicious,
o Nothing added
o Gluten Free & veagan
o Raw food
o Kosher
o I received a free bag which I will try and get back to you. They also gave out funky monkey temporary tattoos. I am sad to say I can’t find mine but if I could, would proudly be wearing it right now

• Udis Gluten Free Foods
o Made in a 100% dedicated gluten free facility
o Also dairy free, soy free and nut free
o Shown in the brochure is bagels, granola, pizza crust, sandwich bread, cinnamon rolls and muffins
o I haven’t tried their stuff but I got a coupon which means I will try it soon.

• Celiac Spruce Association – www.csaceliacs.org
o Handed out a bunch of information
o Flyer on “the gluten free diet and celiacs disease” class being offered taught by a registered dietician with over 20 yrs experience working in the field. Diagnosed herself with celiacs and multiple food allergies.
o Class is $45.00 and includes a copy of a list I bought today. A small bound book listing all safe GF products. Designed to take to the store with you and help decifer which products are safe.
o http://www.denverceliacs.org/

 
Hope this helps! I received a bunch of literature which I will work look through this week and share. 

Information Overload and another visit with the "Wich" doc

I have so much to share I don’t even know where to start. First, I finally got the chance to watch the Crazy Sexy Cancer documentary. I loved it, but not as much as I loved the book. The book has so much more information. I loved that she went to an alternative medicine expo where she tried all sorts of natural healing techniques including an ionic footbath. The author goes to a health retreat where they do nothing but focus on healing. When she first arrives, blood is drawn and put under a microscope where it is determined that her cells are sticking together and that her body seems to still be acidic even though she had been taking really good care of herself on a macro biotic diet. She states that she was eating to many grains which was making her body to acidic. Once she arrives at the retreat, she eats mostly greens and takes in wheatgrass shots twice a day. She also participates in yoga and many other healing activities. When she leaves the retreat another blood test is drawn and her cells are not sticking together and no mucus/acidic substance was present. That became her way of monitoring her progress. A few weeks later, she gets another scan on her tumors and they have remained dormant. I decided that this was going to be my goal. To get my cells as healthy as I can. If her cells can help cure her cancer then mine can most definitely fix the damage to my body. Seems like I have a much smaller mess to clean up then the author did. I have been reading “It’s My Ovaries Stupid,” all week. It is a really great book written by another woman who has made women’s hormones and how they effect the rest of our bodies her passion. The intro explains that most of the ailments that women complain about or go to doctors appointments for are caused by ovarian hormone imbalances. The author goes on to explain that most doctors will not test these hormones because one, it is expensive to do so and two, they don’t have the time to do this for every patient. The typical doctors appointment lasts 15 minutes. Doctors of today like to give a quick and accurate (based on facts presented) diagnosis and get you through the door. Not to mention most of the current research done on women’s reproductive systems has been done within the last 10 years and according to a 2001 government survey “it takes an average of 17 years for new research to become commonly accepted in the average clinical practive.” The author states that after receiving treatment to naturally restore optimal ovarian hormone balance, most of her patients ailments disappear!!! The book explains how important each of our ovarian hormones is, specifically Estrodial and Progesterone. Our hormones help each one of our internal organs function on a day to day basis. It is no wonder why women with ovarian disorders or that are in menopause seem to have so many health concerns. The author explains that before ovulation Estrodial is important and after ovulation Progesterone (means pregnancy promoting) begins to rise. If there is no ovulation, then there is no way to produce the progesterone. “Estrodial alone is involved in over 400 functions in a woman’s body.” “Hormones have docking sites we call receptors made of proteins that are located on the surface or inside our cells themselves. All throughout our bodies, the hormones are like little manufacturing plants making chemicals the body needs to function.” As I read this I thought again to myself “this is it, proof that I need to be like the author of Crazy Sexy Cancer and improve my cells!” It’s My Ovaries Idiot also includes a list of estrogen receptors that depend on healthy levels of the hormone to function some of them are our musles, skin, heart and the one the popped out at me the colon. I was also very excited to read that “women who are more physically active and have more muscle mass often have better estrodial levels then less active women with less muscle mass.” Reading this reconfirms my decision on doing some form of aerobic activity for 309 minutes everyday!! The book also explains ovarian disorders such as POF. “Characterized by an FSH greater then 20 (guilty) and low ovarian hormone levels which is a characteristic of menopause (not guilty, hormone levels were high enough that I don’t have to be on HRT). POF can cause “infertility, increase in bone loss, lower sexual responsiveness, insomnia, headaches, allergies and immune changes”…. to name only a few. “The ovaries do not produce the proper amounts or balance of estrodial, progesterone or testosterone needed for your body to function or to be fertile.” One thing I was happy to read (even though I already knew I have eggs) is that women with POF “ still have their follicules, but the ovaries are not working properly. They don’t make optimal levels of hormones, even though follicules are still available to do so.” That means all I need to do is get things in balance. Wish it was easy as balancing my check book! So basically I need to get in a habbit of checks and balances. This book also explains that all of the toxins in our everyday environment (not the first time I have read this since starting my research) causes most women’s ovarian hormone balance to be disrupted….ah yet another reason to stay on my organic and gluten free diet and keep drinking my alkaline water. There was so much helpful information in this book and I have only read two chapters. Don’t you worry, I will continue to right my book report for you. I wouldn’t hold out on you!


Yesterday, while taking a much needed mental break, I was reading a blog on celiac.com between women who had been diagnosed and were experiencing fertility issues. One women raises the question as to whether gluten could be rising her FSH levels which has caused her to miscarry. http://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/topic/21776-infertility-and-celiac/. Another woman who was 36 year old had unexplained infertility. She went gluten free, did acupuncture and took herbs. Her symptoms are gradually getting better. She stated that “From what she understood, in women with celiacs, the body won't absorb nutrients needed to provide enough of a lining in your uterus & you may not even be ovulating.” Another woman mentions that if she accidentally gets gluten in her diet, ovulation is delayed by at least a week. A doctor posts that “two reasons Celiac Disease causes infertility – antibodies in the blood and malabsorbtion of nutrients.” Hmm, I am seeing a definite link here. If this isn’t enough then read this, another article I found on celiac.com http://www.celiac.com/articles/22259/1/The-Celiac-Disease-and-Reproductive-Health-Connection/Page1.html
“This study confirmed the association between celiac disease and pregnancy disorders. However, there have not been enough studies yet to determine the exact correlation between celiac disease and female related reproductive issues. It has been hypothesized that the connection might be due to the fact that celiac disease can cause malabsorbtion and therefore malnutrition in some individuals, which could possibly play a role in ovarian dysfunction. Although from this study and others, the connection between celiac disease and reproductive disorders has been demonstrated to be significant enough that women exhibiting reproductive issues are recommended to undergo celiac screenings.”

Yep, it’s now painfully apparent what happened to my fertility. I was literally starving my body of nutrients all so I could enjoy pizza and beer and all the other treats with gluten.

One last thing, I wanted to share the results of my visit with the kinisiologist. Like always it was an experience but I feel better and I believe in the process.


When I went to see Ann the first time, I had a 100% negative charge. During the testing on the phone today, I had a .08 negative charge so I have been doing some healing. There is no charge on the fungus that my mother passed on to me that caused my celiacs. There was something hiding under the fungus and it was viral. The viral was 3 parasites. The Cranial work Ann did on my last visit attacked the viral but they left behind eggs that have since hatched. Something has been blocking the release of the new parasites. Ann said it was something I was taking. We reviewed everything I was taking and she said it was PABA. She said that I needed to stop taking PABA so I could get rid of the parasites Sensed some with holding from me and asked what went on between my mother and I after my last appointment with her. I explained the situation with my brother and she said that it is an emotional issue my brother has with my mother.I can sense my mother wants me to get better and she wants to get well too. I am to stop taking PABA and wait 6 weeks for this to work. If things are still not working at this point, she wants to see me one last time on Friday, Sept 24th at 12:30. Sometimes it can take up to three treatments for it to work. I have an 87% positive charge for healing just have been withholding for a few days. Don’t give up.
-I know what you are all thinking, and dont worry I am not in full support of the findings of this phone conversation but i do believe I am healing and if not taking PABA could do it more quickly why not try??
To make all you Celiacs patients feel better about having to pass on the beer and order wine instead. Check out this article. http://specials.msn.com/A-List/Lifestyle/Beer-linked-to-psoriasis-in-women.aspx?cp-searchtext=Beer%20linked%20to%20psoriasis%20in%20women. Beer has been linked to cause psoriasis in women. “Women who bend their elbows with a schooner of beer are at a markedly higher risk for developing psoriasis.” The article states the psoriasis is an auto immune disease so I can’t help but wonder if the women being diagnosed with this disease might have celiacs??

Cruising the Information Highway

My cup runneth over with information. I have a new hobby (shopping step aside, I will need to come back to you once the seasons have officially changed). I have become addicted to reading about nutrition, fertility and celiacs disease. I can’t stop reading books, magazines, blogs and anything else I can get my hands on. Don’t worry, I am recording it all so I can share. I am still feeling frustrated because I have yet to find an article or story regarding someone with diagnosed POF who reversed their symptoms on a gluten free diet. Perhaps, I would be the first?? No there is no way, I just think that the link between the celiac and fertility is not where it should be. If you think about it though….why do so many women with fertility issues conceive after taking wheat/flour out of their diets?? No it’s not a coincidence think about it people!!!! Anyway, I don’t need a stinking article to make me feel better. If I will be the first to turn around my fertility diagnosis then so be it. Damned if I am going to let some diagnosis keep me from being healthy and have a child. I the infertility queen hereby vow that I will no longer think of my diagnosis as a bad thing, it is simply going to make me a much smarter and healthy woman who will prove the doctors all wrong and show them that although it appears my ovaries are working below their potential right now they are merely suffering from lack of nutrition and will be back working in no time. During my last 7 days of nonstop research I found a great blog called Gluten Free Frenzy. This website has all sorts of healthy tips, recipes, books to read and even a column from a licensed herbalist who also lives the gluten free lifestyle. On the blog, there is a list of things you can do in your life to be happy. They are:


1. Love yourself, flaws and all (even the stray gray hairs that seem to have snuck there way in.)

2. Help others

3. Find a creative outlet

4. Keep busy – being busy doesn’t allow time to think about my diagnosis. I’m in, new hobbies here I come.

5. But not too busy – leave time for yourself

6. Appreciate what you have - Focus on what you have instead of what you don’t have.

7. Tickle that funny bone – laugh more

8. Have a support network – love my friends and family they are awesome!

9. Forgive yourself and try again - . Everybody messes up, so dust your shoulders off , take a deep breathe and move on.

10. If all else fails, fake it. You’ll even fool yourself. Studies have shown that smiling for sixteen seconds can boost your mood. After a bad morning today, I turned on my favorite morning radio talk show and laughed my whole way to work.



This morning seemed a bit like a comedy routine. I got up this morning a few minutes late and felt very groggy so naturally I didn’t see that dog toy in the walk way which I tripped over but managed to catch myself on the doorway to the bathroom. While in the shower I must have dropped my razor three times and was surprised I didn’t slip as I got out of the shower. I put my robe on and made my way up the stairs (without tripping or falling) so I figured my clutsy moment had passed….well like usual I thought wrong. Today I started bringing my lunch in order to save money and be sure I wasn’t taking in gluten. I went to the fridge and pulled out the ingredients for both mine and my husbands lunch. I decided to make mine first so that the bread for his sandwich didn’t contaminate the lunch making space. I pulled out the GF tortilla, sprinkled some spinach and sprouts, cut the avocado, sprinkled olive oil on top and as I squeezed the bottle of flaxseed oil to sprinkle on top, about half the bottle sprayed on my lunch and I think the other half went all over the stove. I grumbled under my breath as I immediately cleaned the stove and rolled my lunch up in foil. I managed to make my husbands lunch with no issues and moved on to making my juice. It seemed to go by pretty quickly this morning. I rinsed some lettuce and kale off and shoved it in. Next was the broccoli, half an orange and some carrots. I wasn’t even halfway through with my ingredients and I already needed to empty the glass into the blender. I picked up the newly washed blender and poured my juice in. I was shocked as the juice went directly through the blender onto my robe, the counter and my white Chihuahua. As I looked around at the green, sticky mess I had just made I thought to myself “how the heck did that happen?” I looked back at the blender I was still holding in my hands and saw the problem…..the bottom was not screwed on. How do you not notice something like that is missing? I felt super smart as I got down on my hands and knees to clean the floor, wiped off the counter and rinsed the poor dog off. Frustrated and already running late, I put the blender back together, and re-started the juicing process and was done in 15 minutes. I got dressed and was out the door by 6:30 (the time I need to be at work!). I decided that I was just going to take a deep breathe, turn on my favorite morning talk radio and let my morning roll off my back. It worked, I felt much better as I pulled into the parking garage. As I picked up my computer bag it hit my thermos my juice was in, popped the lid open and spilt half of it in the council of my car. Luckily I keep a roll of paper towels in my car so I walked around to the back to grab the paper towels, cleaned up the mess and walked into work where I then realized that I had my juice all over my clothes. Nothing like a look that says “hi, I am wearing my breakfast.” Needless to say, I had a very trying morning but am amazingly able to sit here and laugh about it. I am anxious to talk to Cheri today. I seem to be gaining weight and don’t understand why (no I’m not preggers, I checked). I feel bloated and hungry all the time. I feel like I am missing something with my nutrition and taking to much of something else. I need to get balanced.

I have a follow up phone convo with Ann, the kinisiologist this Tuesday. When she called to set up the appointment she told me that it might take awhile to get better because I didn’t just wake up sick….it took some time to get this way so it will take some time to undo the damage. I accept that is true and although I am just plain tired of paying doctors to have zero results, I am going to meet with her one last time because I am a believer and believe everything I am currently doing is going to help me get better.



Books of the week for me will be:

Super Immunity Foods

It’s My Ovaries Stupid

Feel the Hormone Revolution!

Over the weekend, I spent the day with my mother who had a brilliant idea! She took me to the library to find books on nutrition and fertility. She too has been doing research on nutrition and celiacs and decided that instead of buying the books it would be better to check them out from a library. The woman is a genius! We spent almost two hours looking through the books and making our selections. The books can be kept for 3 weeks and the DVD’s and magazine 1 week. I walked out of there with over 10 books about nutrition, hormones and auto-immune disease. You would think I might feel overwhelmed knowing I have that much reading to do but I figured with most of the books, I would just be looking in the sections that pertained to me and my issues (health issues all other issues can wait for another time). I checked out books with titles like “It’s my ovaries stupid,” and “Auto-immune Disease & Women.” The book I started with is called “Hormone Revolution.” I started it on Saturday and have decided I will be reading the entire book (so much for just looking in certain sections, blew that out of the water with the first book). It is written by a Dr. who has dedicated her life to researching women and the effects hormones have on their bodies and lifestyles. In her lifetime, her menstrual cycle has stopped twice. Each time this happened she evaluated what her body needed and was able to bring back her monthly menses and is currently still having a regular monthly period in her sixties. I figure if she can do it at 60 then I can bring my cycle back at age 29. Along with the monthly cycle, she doesn’t even look close to be in her sixties and her hair is still naturally the same dark brown she was born with (no grays). She wrote the book to help women restore a healthy hormone balance in their bodies naturally but she has recommendations for hair, nails, skin and diet as well so that women who read her book can feel beautiful inside and out. I am about halfway through and don’t worry I am taking good notes. I will be sure to share my findings as soon as I am done. The only frustrating part of the book is that it asks you to confirm if you are low on estrogen or progesterone. I don’t know which one I am because at the time of my last blood test, I was told I was producing enough of each to not have to go on hormone replacement so I guess I am low on both?? Anyway, I decided to record the recommendations on restoring both hormones and incorporate those mentioned under both categories into my daily routine. I know that a high FSH means that there is not enough estrogen production in the ovaries so I am definitely keeping that in mind.




I went into my typical Monday appointment with Cheri with a whole list of supplements I wanted to pick her brain on. After reading only half of Hormone Revolution I had millions of questions and needed someone else’s opinion. I asked her opinion on all kinds of things I had read about and after talking with her, I have decided to not incorporate anymore supplements into my diet at this time (don’t worry I will still share them with you and keep them in my arsenal for later use just in case). Cheri has seen people try all sorts of things to heal her body and swears that the people who have had the most success, heal by cleansing and eating a healthy diet. She said that if I give it a chance, my body will balance itself and that if I fill myself full of supplements, I would not allow my body the chance to work things out. We discussed what I was currently taking and decided that it all sounded like things I could continue to take as they are supplements that are for overall health. So for now it is my prenatal multi-vitamin, royal jelly, PABA, MACA and my organic pregnancy tea (with nettles). I will also continue to add my liquid probiotics, SunWarrior Super Greens and Protein to my juice each morning. I am going to try and incorporate all other suggestions from “Hormone Revolution” through the foods the author suggests. Superfoods such as MACA, Flaxseeds and Oil oil are just a few. I figure if it’s good for me and it’s food, can’t hurt right?? More natural then taking it in pill form. As I read through my massive stack of books from the library, I will make changes with my diet to be sure my body and my immune system (yes I know they are not separate) can get the top notch treatment. I never thought I would be this excited to read and type up book reports but I find myself anticipating the weekend to get here so that I can continue my research!!!



I received an anonymous comment on this blog yesterday regarding the book “The Gluten Effect.” Thank you for this tip, I plan on reading it and the article attached to the link you sent me. While searching for “The Gluten Effect” from a search engine. I also found a great blog called The Gluten Free Frenzee. I haven’t been able to read much of it but what I read seemed very helpful and had a bunch of tips for restoring your immune system such as taking probiotics every day.



Here is the link to the article linking celiac to fertility issues.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38600414/ns/health-kids_and_parenting?gt1=43001

Since reading this article, I have been doing research all week on celiacs and fertility. It turns out that doctors now believe that celiacs is a leading cause of unexplained infertility. Makes sense, an auto immune disease that turns the body against itself…..um I would think that could cause damage to not only your fertility. It’s just that the reproductive system isn’t a necessary function to survive so it is one of the first to go. During my search, I read all sorts of blogs from women on gluten free diets. Most had fertility restored after an “extended amount of time”. That wasn’t good enough, I had to know how long an “extended amount of time” was. It seems that it takes 9-12 months of a strict gluten free diet for most women. I thought I was gluten free and being pretty smart about the way I ate but I was sadly mistaken. When I was going to eat at Mexican resteraunts, I was ordering shrimp or veggie fajitas thinking that had to be safe and gluten free. It turns out most places use a seasoning while grilling that has gluten in it. I was pretty upset to learn that because we go to eat Mexican at least twice a week! Something else I hadn’t really thought about until recently is the chips at all restaurants. Most of them, even if they are made from corn tortillas, are not gluten free. They are fried in the oil that everything else is fried in which contaminates them. I have started taking my own chips when I know we are going out to dinner. I also realized that I was cross contaminating my own food at home. I make my husband’s lunch everyday before I make my juice. Until recently, I wasn’t wiping off the counter in-between making his sandwiches and slicing my fruit. I now wipe off the counter and wash my hands before even getting my fruit out of the fridge. I have also started making his lunch on a different part of the counter then the part I use to slice and juice.

Wine free...no longer me!

I found a great natural fertility website that I wanted to share with everyone. I found it by doing something that is not for the newly diagnosed….I googled. I typed in fertility superfoods and up came http://natural-fertility-info.com/5-fertility-superfoods-you-should-know-about.html. OMG the information on this website is great. I got so excited when the page came up, I didn’t even know where I wanted to start. Once I got my mind to focus and stopped hyperventilating, I decided to start with what I had search for. Natural Fertility Info lists superfoods: Maca, Royal Jelly, Bee Propolis and Bee Pollen and Spirulina. I know what you are thinking what the heck is Maca? Well according to the site ….


Maca has been traditionally used to help:
Balance hormonal levels in women*
Increase libido in both men and women*
Increase egg health*
Increase seminal volume, sperm count per ejaculation, and sperm motility*
Lower FSH levels
This site had me at “lower FSH levels”

How does Maca work?
“Maca is a nourishing food for the endocrine system, aiding both the pituitary, adrenal, and thyroid glands (all involved in hormonal balance.) Maca has the ability to affect key hormones in both women and men without containing hormones itself. Maca helps to stimulate and nourish the pituitary gland, acting as a tonic for the hormone system. When the pituitary gland functions optimally, the entire endocrine system becomes balanced, because the pituitary gland controls the hormone output of the other three glands. In women Maca works by controlling estrogen in the body. Estrogen levels that are high or low at the wrong time can keep a woman from becoming pregnant or keep her from carrying to term. Excess estrogen levels also cause progesterone levels to become too low. Taking Maca may help to increase the progesterone levels, which are essential to carrying a healthy pregnancy.” This was enough for me to leave work for the sole reason of purchasing a Maca supplement but then I read this.. “Estrogen in men produces erectile dysfunction, low/lack libido, low sperm count, and lowered production of seminal fluid. Men who use Maca have been shown to have an increase in libido and healthy sperm.” That’s it, going to vitamin cottage tomorrow after work to see my new and helpful buddy. Do you think he is going to think I am addicted to taking supplements? The site also lists “Who should use Maca?” Maca would really be good for anyone preparing or trying to become pregnant. It is a food, so it is healthy to take daily. But it can specifically help women who are experiencing:

-Poor egg health
-Endometriosis
-PCOS
-Recurrent miscarriages
-Preparing for IVF
-Infertility due to stress
-In addition, hormonal stability sharpens the mind and generates a sense of well-being.

The next one listed is Royal Jelly which I was taking for a long time and stopped in December. I will consider taking it again “Royal jelly is another fertility specific superfood which may help to increase egg health, quality of egg, and genreal fertility. Royal jelly is the food that is fed to the queen bee which is what makes her the queen bee. She goes on to live 6 years and lays up to 2000 eggs per day. Most bees live less than two months.Royal Jelly is rich in vitamins, A, B, C, D,and E. It is also contains minerals including calcium and iron, all of the essential amino acids plus antibacterial and immune stimulating properties.” I didn’t know that with bees, it can cause the queen bee to way out last all of the other bees. Must be pretty potent stuff, like the fountain of fertility youth. Why can’t this stuff come in juice form? I would chug a gallon of it a day. I also didn’t know that it helps the immune system. Why did I stop taking that again…..

Next was Bee Propolis and Bee Pollen. “Bee propollis and bee pollen are two more fertility super foods from our friends the bee. These foods are rich in nutrients. Bee pollen contains 50% more protein than beef and is rich in every vitamin and mineral. Bee Propolis is a powerful immune system stimulant and inflammation aid. It also helps women who have endometriosis. Bee propolis and Bee Pollen are available in capsules or in a base of honey. They can be taken everyday. I like to take all three together in one product.”

Last listed is Spirulina. “Spirulina is a tiny aquatic plant has been eaten by humans since prehistoric times and is grown worldwide as a healthy food. Imagine a vegetable with more protein than soy, more Vitamin A than carrots, more iron than beef, profound source of protective phytochemicals, naturally low in fat, source of the essential fatty acid GLA and is easy to digest.” This is listed in my superfood powder I put in my juice every morning.

This site also has suggestions for a great fertility diet and discusses a very encouraging statistic from a Harvard study on women and their diets. By following a good fertility diet & making simple lifestyle changes, women had an 80% decrease in infertility. Basically you eat healthy and organic, exercise daily, stay away from dairy and soy, drink plenty of water and make sure you eat one of the superfoods I just listed above each day. You can even join a 21 day fertility diet challenge and there is a link for a fertility smoothie book. If you can’t tell yet….this site is my new favorite thing. There is even a reminder list of the things you need to try and eat everyday! There are a few things mentioned that I am currently not taking/eating that I am considering trying. One is eating sea veggies like kelp and nori. They are said to help lower FSH and can be eaten with sushi or in a salad. I will have to see if I can find them at the store over the weekend.

I picked up Gluten Free Living at vitamin cottage earlier this week. It is a great magazine, I am going to subscribe to it. One of the articles in this last issue lists alcoholic beverages that are gluten free. I was shocked and extactic to read that wine “is recognized as an alcoholic beverage that is safe for those who follow a gluten free diet.” There have been some questions raised about the use of wheat to seal the wooden barrels but there is no evidence of this happening. Oh man, I am definitely going to get a bottle of nice red wine this weekend so I can reward myself a few times a week with a drink. Red wine is good for you and it will help me relax. Don’t worry I wont take in as much wine as I do supplements each day. The article in Gluten Free Living also lists brands of Rum, Tequila, Vodka, Gin, Scotch, Ready to drink cocktails, blender drinks and special liquors that are gluten free. A website is provided in the article www.glutenfreedrinks.com. So now that the weekend is approaching, go print out that list and have a good time. Now that we know we can have fun and stay gluten free.