"We are lucky to get half the nutrition our parents and grandparents did in the Fifties and Sixties," said Amanda Williams, managing director of Cytoplan, a UK distributor of the "food-state" supplements in an article in The Independent today. 

Over the last 60 years the food chain has changed out of all recognition, becoming industrialised and chemicalised, and causing depletion of the nutrient levels in the soil.  This, combined with an increasing trend towards food production becoming more and more processed, makes it ever more difficult to be sure that our food is providing all the nutrients we require. 

Our body is designed to live on fresh fruit and vegetables and the more natural the food, the greater the benefit it provides to the body.  We need our food to provide essential vitamins and minerals or we need to find alternative sources of these essential elements to good health in the form of supplements.

But are supplements all they’re cracked up to be?

Most vitamin supplements are synthetic and as such may have limited benefits: they do not contain the complex mixture of factors that are available from nature, and may also contain fillers or binders and artificial flavourings.  Some claim that these synthetic vitamin supplements act as free radicals in the body increasing toxicity.

The best way to top up your mineral and vitamin reserve is through a varied diet, high in (organic) fresh fruit and vegetables, white meat and whole grains, but if you feel you need a supplement, then seek out food-state supplements.  These are nutrients which are combined with other appropriate food bases to   ensure they come complete with the phytonutrients and associated food factors that are necessary for optimal absorption and use in the body. 

The advantages of this more natural approach to supplements are:

1.       They are easy for the body to absorb because the particles are smaller

2.      They are more effective because they provide nutrients in a state as close as possible to food

3.      They avoid increasing the toxic load on the body because they contain no GMO materials, synthetic chemicals, fungicides or herbicides

And if you’re trying to conceive, it’s important to get all the vitamins and minerals you need to improve fertility, in as natural a way as possible.

Looking for suppliers?  Just Google food-state supplement suppliers, but be warned, they're expensive, very expensive!

Your body naturally strives to be in a state of balance and it's constantly adjusting to maintain that state of balance: your breathing, temperature, blood pressure, blood volume, fluid levels, cell life cycles, hormone levels and a multitude of other adjustments are being made by your body every minute.  This balance is created from a dynamic process that responds to internal and external factors: what you eat, your level of physical activity, stress, environmental pollution, and a whole range of factors. 

And your body needs to be in balance with your mental and emotional state - thought patterns and emotions have a physical impact – your thoughts and feelings can affect posture and chemical responses in the body: the stress response is a great example of how mind and emotions can affect physical state.

So here are a few ways to maximise your fertility, naturally:

Eat Naturally
When it comes to diet, go for organic, unprocessed, colourful food.  If possible, cook from scratch to avoid additives, and have a wide variety of food.  Avoid white or grey foods such as white bread, pasta and rice and avoid diet foods as they are likely to contain artificial sweeteners such Aspartame.  Cut out crackers, pastries, cakes and chocolate as they are likely to contain transfats which are linked to lower fertility and avoid products with MSG such as chinese meals, flavoured crisps, meat seasonings and packaged soups.

Live Naturally
Alcohol, caffeine, smoking, recreational drugs, and unnecessary medications are all no no's.  Avoid stress or develop powerful coping strategies to deal with stress - try meditation to help detox the mind and take the edge off negative mindsets.

Exercise Gently
Avoid the gym and excessive exercise (long runs, rows, etc).  Walking is great exercise and extremely beneficial, especially if you walk in a natural environment.  Go for natural forms of exercise such as yoga and if possible find a fertility yoga class.  Muscle building exercise diverts testosterone from the reproductive organs to the muscles. Avoid cycling and swimming.

Ensure A Natural Environment
Check your house for cleaning products - many of these contain toxic chemicals.  Many of these chemicals were tested in the 1950's and 60's and not in the more stringent health criteria that exist today.  Try cleaning your house with lemon juice and baking of soda or buy natural products from your health food store.  If you feel like being a bit more creative, you can go online and discover how to make your own cleaning products.  

And that goes for beauty and personal care products for hair, body and personal hygiene. Check online to see if you can find more natural versions of your beauty and personal care products.

Laptops should not be kept on laps and mobiles should not be kept in pockets - they give off low levels of radiation.  If possible avoid low level radiation from TV, VDU, digital clocks and electric blankets and avoid living near pylons, radio stations/masts, phone exchanges for the same reasons.

Live A Natural Lifestyle
Be creative - draw or paint, sew, bake, write or do whatever you do to get your creative juices going.  Being creative connects mind, body and emotion to your desire to create a baby.  Look at your life and strip it back to the bare essentials.  Look at your life and how you spend your time and ask yourself whether it gives you joy or if it's just there to fill in the time.  Go for joy!

To help you work your way through this more easily, write down a list of all the things you'd like to do to establish a more natural lifestyle.  Then work out what are the three easiest things to do and do them.  Then work out what are the three most impactful things and work out a plan for implementing them.  Then knock of the rest of the list at a rate of three items a week.

I hope you have joy in living a more natural life and maximising your fertility, naturally.

 

As a Reflexologist, I always ask clients about their sleep patterns, because a good night's sleep is so important to general well-being.  And better sleep is often one of the additional benefits of a Reflexology treatment as the majority of my clients report having had a great night's sleep after a treatment.

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep: 
* a good night's sleep can help learning and memory; 
* chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite;
* insufficient sleep can lead to poor performance and accidents; 
* sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness; 
* serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat; 
* sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. 

Here are  ways to get a better night's sleep:

1. Have a sleep routine
Going to bed and waking at the same time (even at weekends) helps to improve your ability to sleep and the quality of that sleep.  Avoid evening naps by keeping active until bedtime.

2. Get out into natural light
Long days in the office under artificial light can make your brain sleepy, while hours in front of a TV or computer screen can suppress the body's production of melatonin, making it harder to sleep.  Get out during the day - walk to or from work or go for a walk at lunchtime - even in winter when light levels are poor, this will help your sleep patterns.  The exercise you get from your walk will also help you sleep better at night.

3. Make sure your bedroom is sleep friendly
Keep your bedroom cool and well ventilated.  Keep your bedroom dark - use blackout blinds or a mask to keep light out.  Have your bedroom as quiet as possible, and if you can't avoid noises from neighbours or barking dogs, use soothing sounds or earplugs to mask external noise. And, of course, make sure your bed is comfy.  If you wake with a sore back or aching neck it may be a sign that you need a new mattress or a different pillow.

4. Prepare for bed
Have a bedtime routine: as well as brushing your teeth and getting ready for bed, incorporate relaxing activities into your bedtime routine: try doing a 15 minute relaxation, or some gentle yoga exercises.  To allow you to be totally relaxed, empty your head: write down all the things that you want to do tomorrow, or anything that is worrying you, or anything that you need to think about, or anything that you need to remember to do. Get it all down on paper, so there's nothing for your mind to chew on as you try to get to sleep.

5. Eat yourself sleepy
For a better night's sleep avoid big meals and fatty food late at night, alcohol, caffeine, and smoking all of which will disrupt sleep patterns.  If you find yourself waking at night for a snack, try having a light snack before bed - a handful of almonds or a couple of oatcakes with half a banana, honey, a slice of turkey or cheese may help keep your blood sugar stable throughout the night.  You might also want to have a cup of chamomile tea or a glass of warm milk.

6. Get rid of anxiety
If worry keeps you awake at night, this is may be a stress problem, not a sleep problem and you need to address the source of your worry.  You may benefit from meditation, or you may need to learn how to manage your thoughts, or perhaps enrol on a stress management course.  If it's a problem and you're not sure what to do for the best, go to your GP for advice.

7. Try a Reflexology treatment
Sometimes it's nice not to have to do everything yourself, so consider getting support from a Reflexology treatment.  Many clients talk about getting a great night's sleep after a treatment - it's almost as it a Reflexology session has the effect of pressing a reset button in the body. That's not to say that you won't need to take action yourself, but you know what they say about a problem shared is a problem halved!

If you're experiencing poor sleep and would like to try Reflexology to discover if it will help, click this link to email me and ask about my special discount for new clients.

Wishing you sweet dreams.

Hello, I’d just like to check in with you today and ask ... what big fat lies are you telling about the future?

Because telling big fat lies about the future is fine, it’s really quite OK, in fact it’s desirable – IF THEY’RE THE RIGHT BIG FAT LIES.

Am I mad I can hear you thinking!  Why am I talking about big fat lies and the future?  Well, because, when you think about it, THE FUTURE DOESN’T EXIST.  It’s not happened yet.  It hasn’t arrived.  And the past has gone, never to return.  The past consists of memories (not all of which, by the way, are always as accurate as you store them – so your past may be full of lies also, but that’s for another day).

So, if the past and future don’t exist, then the future is a blank slate, it’s an empty space a void a place we are travelling to but have not yet arrived at.  And our natural tendancy is to fill that empty space, that void, with conjecture of what it might be – in other words, lies.

Anything and everything you say about the future is A BIG FAT LIE.

So when you look at your future what do you see - what big fat lies are you telling yourself about the future?  Are your big fat lies, positive or negative?  Are they scary or exciting?  Sad or happy? Optimistic or pessimistic?

And how real do they seem to you?   Do you really believe your big fat lies?  Because the more you believe your big fat lies, the more likely they are to come into being – you’re programming your brain to seek and find these big fat lies and bring them into your life.

So, I’d like to ask: if everything you say about the future is a lie, a big fat lie, is your big fat lie positive, hopeful and  helpful, taking you where you would love to be, or is your big fat lie, negative, pessimistic and useless, taking you away from where you would love to be?

If everything you say about the future is a lie, a big fat lie, won’t a big fat positive lie, make you feel more positive and hopeful now?  And that might be a good thing, because NOW is the only moment you really have. 

And a big fat positive lie about the future might actually help programme your brain to create that future for you.

So, please feel free to tell big fat POSITIVE lies about the future.  Dream of what you want, rather than what you don’t want: it will help you feel better now and it might even help you create that future you dream of. 

Have you been trying to conceive for 12 months or more, without success?

Are you confused by all the conflicting information on the internet? 

Would you like to feel more supported with your efforts to get pregnant?

Fertility Support Workshops

• Get clear about the lifestyle Do’s and Don’ts to improve fertility
• Discover how to transform your environment into a fertility friendly zone
• Learn how to develop a Baby Making Mindset
• Uncover any unconscious barriers you may have to getting pregnant
• Learn techniques to cope with the highs and lows of trying to conceive
• Discover powerful relaxation techniques to relieve stress
• Explore mind/body techniques that can enhance fertility 
• The nutritional maze made easy
  
• Unlock the secrets of a positive mental attitude
  

Sign up for a series of 6 Fertility Support Workshops:

Only 10 places available

When:                  Mondays 7.30-9pm on:
                             22 Sept,  6 Oct,  20 Oct,  3 Nov,  17 Nov,  1 Dec 2014

Where:                The Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre
                             25 Palmerston Place, Edinburgh

How Much:         £15 per session

Book:                  Contact Doris Wylie on 07724 197627 or
                            email doriswylie@btinternet.com

Doris Wylie
Lothian Reflexology                        www.lothianreflexology.co.uk
07724 197627                                www.facebook.com/lothianreflexology