Fertile Minds Radio | The Total Ecology of Health & How It Applies to Fertility

In today’s episode we dissect the concept of Total Ecology of Health. It’s a term coined by one of my mentors, Dr. Aviva Romm. It has to do with our body’s ability to detox itself in relation to the toxic burden we place on it and our interconnectedness to the planet. We discuss what toxic burden is, the concepts of stress and terrain and what you can do eliminate your toxic burden and supercharge your natural detox abilities. 

I wanted to empower you with ways to take control of your total ecology of fertility so here are my top 6 suggestions for reducing your toxic body burden and improving your fertility

1. Eat Organic- This prevents exposure to pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics and a myriad of other chemicals found in the US food supply. It also prevents you from being exposed to other chemicals that are banned in the US, but not in others as many fruits and veggies are imported from other countries. If eating organic fruits and veggies is too expensive, at the very least make sure you diary and meats are organic as fat is where all the toxins in any mammals body is deposited.Remember I said that  breast milk is another way we pass on toxicity- this is because breast milk is comprised primarily of fat. So if we are taking in toxic chemicals we are passing them right along.  You want to void the #EWGorg dirty dozen or always buy always organic and go towards their Clean 15 when it comes to fruits and veggies. We talk about this in all my seasonal cleanses and many of the recipes are comprised of the clean 15 so you start to develop a repertoire of recipes with foods you don’t have to consume organic incase price is an issue.

2. Use environmentally friendly cosmetics and body products. Lead, heavy metals, urine from animals are just a few things that regularly test positive in women’s beauty products. Because the beauty act hasn’t been touched since the 30’s it’s the Wild West when it comes to what can be included in your beauty products. This seems suspect in so many ways that I won’t rant about at the moment. You have power as a consumer though to be informed and stop lathering your body with products that are full of known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors (hormone killers). Check out the campaign for safe cosmetics @safecosmeticshq for more info on what to avoid or consider buying from some of my favorite clean beauty warriors like @thedetoxmarket or @organicbunny and @citrinebeautyaz. If you are looking for convenient and cheap, most targets now carry the honest beauty brand. I use their tinted primer instead of foundation most days of the week and I love it. I did two entire episodes on clean beauty products a while back so if you want specific recommendations you can tune into those or check out their show notes. I’ll have links to those episodes in todays show notes. 

3. Avoid plastic beverage bottles at all costs. Most plastic bottle leach endocrine disrupting chemicals into your water and other beverages. Switch to a glass bottle or hydro flask and carry it with you. It’s a little work, but way less work than enduring fertility treatments or fighting cancer. No, I’m not over reacting here! And yes, my teenager totally thinks I am a viscogirl but one day he will thank me for my wisdom.

4. Filter your water. Flash back to chemistry class; water is the ultimate solvent meaning it has the ability to take on the properties easily of what it is exposed to because it breaks down other organics easily. I highly encourage you to consider getting a @berkey_filters for your home and office if at all possible. They filter out endocrine disrupting chemicals like chlorine, fluoride, pesticides and even pharmaceuticals in our water supply which are fertility killers.  Check out the interactive water map on EWG.org to see what your potential exposure to harmful chemicals is based on your zip code. 

5. Green up your home. Fabric protectant chemicals and flame retardants are just two classes of seriously harmful toxins that are built into beds, sofas, carpeting and other building materials. Nearly all of these toxic are known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. You can minimize your exposure by emphasizing wood, metals, and untreated fibers. Avoid foams and plastics whenever possible when sourcing furniture. When cleaning be sure to avoid chlorine, bleach, and antibacterial products whenever possible they are known endocrine disruptors. What you clean your home with leaves a residue that is then inhaled and or soaked up through the skin of all of its inhabitants- you, pets, babies and all who enter. You can make your own through a little effort for super inexpensive, check out a refillable environmentally safe place in the bur like @sans.market or at the very least check out the EWG.org for a constantly updated grading system on household cleaners. One of my favorite environmentally friendly cleaning products that allows me to stay on top of everything are norwex towels and mop heads. I don’t have an account with them so I  am not telling you this so I make money off them or anything like that but I love them and use them in my home and office. 

6. Manage your terrain with stress reducing practices like meditation and thought management. The more you practice mindfulness, the less reactive you are. When we are less reactive, we are less likely to harbor negative biochemical responses. In other words, be mindful of what you put in your mind, not just your body because it has a real effect on your biochemistry. It’s all connected. 

I hope this episode has helped you to gain a better understanding of just how connected all the parts of internal and external environment are when it comes to health and our total ecology of fertility. I truly hope that it has inspired you to go on a life long learning quest to tend to your own terrain by what you allow in as a stressor whether that’s a chemical or an onslaught of negative thinking. You absolutely have the power to change your own ecology and enhance your fertility and the health of your one day child and our planet. Thank you for taking the time to learn about your fertility and how it relates to the planet at large, because we owe it to our first mother, Mother Earth to teach our offspring how to take care of her and reverse the damage that’s already been done. 

Links to take you further

EWG.org

https://www.ewg.org/news/news-releases/2009/12/02/toxic-chemicals-found-minority-cord-blood

Disclaimer * 

You must not rely on the information in this podcast as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare provider.If you have any specific questions about any medical matter you should consult your doctor or other professional healthcare provider. If you think you may be suffering from any medical condition you should seek immediate medical attention. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website or in this podcast.