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Clues to Infertility – Sperm

Liz James · July 7, 2022 ·

The Southern Side of the Endocrine System: “Tell Tail” Sperm
 
I spent twelve years of my pharmacist career👩‍⚕️ behind the scenes within the infertility industry. Looking back, I realize now that that timeframe (2000-2012) was the “canary in the coalmine” years for our country’s fertility decline. The infertility industry accelerated at rocket speed🚀 to keep up with the need. Interestingly, the trajectory of infertility and autoimmune disorders share a remarkably similar path and timeline.🧐
As I was accumulating research for this particular topic, I couldn’t help but dig deeply into current information and statistics. When I left the industry in 2012, 10% of women (ages 18 to 44) struggled with fertility and a growing number of men were also being diagnosed with fertility disorders. Sadly, these numbers have only continued to escalate.🫣
 
Male factor infertility (MFI) currently accounts for 50+% of infertility issues for a couple. Biomechanically, studies have analyzed and found that the most common causes include:
  • An absence or low levels of sperm (and estimated 10-15% lack sperm entirely)
  • Abnormal shape of sperm
  • Abnormal movement of sperm (these swimmers should be swimming fast in one direction!)
  • Abnormal release of sperm
While this is important information, it does not expose the root of the problem….. Why are sperm count and “swimability” continuing to decline? After all, men are still men all these thousands of years later, determined by the presence of their XY chromosome.
 
For all of eternity there has been the occasional physical trauma or genetic anomaly affecting the family jewels (or to the pituitary or hypothalamus which participate in the sperm production process). This trauma or anomaly may have long term implications on sperm production, and while damage may be a plausible reason for infertility, this factor has not changed over the years, and therefore has a very small role in the more than 50-60% decline in sperm production since 1973.
Infertility (both male and female) is a massive clue pointing directly towards the presence of toxins in a personal environment. Recall that the endocrine system is an incredibly precise chemical cascade. When that cascade is interrupted by a daily barrage of toxins, the “machinery” ceases to function as it should. Imagine water in a gasoline tank. If that happens, a vehicle simply ceases to work. Water seems innocent enough, until it has polluted that which makes the vehicle go.
What are some of the “water in the gas tank” possibilities when it comes negatively affecting sperm production? Glad you asked! Seemingly innocent lifestyle choices and habits are often overlooked and are generally the predominant culprits.
  • Processed Foods – Studies have connected eating processed foods (especially those with fats found in margarines and hydrogenated cooking oils) with decreased sperm count and altered sperm motility.
  • Alcohol – Heavy drinking is connected with reduced sperm quality and decreased testosterone production.
  • Caffeine – Excessive amounts of caffeine may lower sperm count.
  • Smoking- Tobacco negatively affects sperm count and quality.
  • Marijuana and THC
  • Exposure to mainstream household/ work chemicals or solvents. While some of these product ingredients are outright carcinogenic poison to the body, others are a slow daily drip of kryptonite to our mighty men. This slow drip of “kryptonite” ( aka: BPA and phthalates found in plastic water bottles, bodycare products and epoxy resins, dioxins, herbicides, organophosphate pesticides, flame retardants, lead, arsenic, mercury, and glycol ethers found in household and industrial cleaners, adhesives, and degreasers) erodes masculinity at its very core by raising estrogen levels and simultaneously lowering testosterone levels. Estrogen dominance does not discriminate. Men are prone to this hormonal imbalance too. ED is easily identifiable with lab work (testing testosterone and estrogen levels both), the visual presence of “man boobs”, and the specter of infertility or erectile dysfunction.
  • Cell phone in the front pocket of pants – Semen quality and quantity has been found to be adversely affected when a cell phone in “talk mode” is carried in the pocket of pants.
  • Choice of underwear – Tight fitting underwear (or pants) increases testicular temperature which reduces both sperm count and motility.
  • Chronic stress – The body does not lie, and it will work to protect itself (and its potential offspring) when in chronic fight/flight/ or freeze mode.
Many common medications are often thefts of male fertility too:
  • SSRI’s – used for mood disorders. An estimated 11% of infertility is caused by this class of medication. These medications affect DNA sperm quality and erectile function. Common culprits include sertraline, fluoxetine, citalopram, lexapro, and paroxetine.
  • Testosterone replacement therapy (especially when used incorrectly) drastically reduces the level of testosterone in testicles, which in turn lowers sperm production.
  • Antihistamines (eg: loratadine and cetirizine) and antacids (eg: ranitidine and cimetidine) appear to have long term negative effects on male fertility
  • Calcium Channel Blockers – This is a class of medications commonly used in the management of high blood pressure, angina, migraines, heart disease, and some heart arrhythmias. (eg: amlodipine, nifedipine, verapamil, diltiazem)
  • Tamsulosin – (used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia)
  • Cipro and Levaquin – (antibiotics)
  • Some vaccinations, especially when combined with an existing toxin load in the body, are being studied as possible contributors to infertility
Unlike eggs, sperm are constantly created when conditions are healthy. An entirely new sperm health profile is possible within 2-3 months of consistent positive changes being made:
  • The Scottish kilted men knew what they were doing💪, but if wearing a kilt doesn’t appeal to you, consider boxers instead of briefs.
  • Get an EMF blocker for cell phones, AND remove an active phone from the front pocket of pants.
  • Watch for endocrine disruptors in your daily life. Reading labels is HARD, even for me. There are hundreds of common chemicals in household and daily use personal care products that fall under the “Endocrine Disruptor” category, and we can’t possibly memorize them all. Keep it simple and worry free by purchasing from Young Living. No label reading required because everything is safe, toxin free and fertility friendly. Clean inside and out with Thieves Household Cleaner and Thieves Kitchen and Bath Scrub. Cologne is another common endocrine disruptor source. Thankfully, Young Living’s essential oil blend Shutran is healthy, hormone supportive, and smells incredible! The Shutran Men’s Care line has body wash, aftershave lotion, bar soap, beard oil and shaving cream. These, in addition to the YL shampoos and conditioners, ensure you’ve cleaned up well, with no endocrine disrupting along the way.
  • Support healthy male hormones and a more balanced stress response with Young Living’s PowerGize capsules, or consider applying YL’s Idaho Blue Spruce essential oil to inner and outer ankles morning and night.
  • Work towards correcting lifestyle habits and choices which may be diluting sperm production. Eat, sleep, and manage stress as though a generation is depending on you, because they are! This includes protecting boundaries in all areas of life.
  • In most instances, pharmaceutical use can also be minimized or avoided entirely with lifestyle changes and the help of your favorite holistically focused healthcare professional. Get to know your Young Living supplements and oils. They are extraordinarily valuable tools that can help you in ways you might not yet imagine. Do some digging and/or ask a savvy friend!
Health is the most valuable possession any of us have, and it’s the one thing we do have full control over unless we abdicate that right by giving it over to someone else to manage. Nobody will care for or know you better than you.
Swim upstream. Future generations will thank you for providing them with a strong foundation of health!👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
xoxo~ liz
 
 
#BYOHD
#becomingyourownhealthdetective
#healthysperm
#swimupstream
#ThanksYL
#toxinfreeslifestyle
#maleinfertility
#goodmedicine

The Salt Of The World

Liz James · June 8, 2022 ·

A Well Seasoned Sleuth looks at Salt Sourcing
 
“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” ~ Matthew 5:13-16
 
It is awfully hard to be physical salt and light in the world if fatigue has taken over your personal world. The verse in Matthew (above) speaks metaphorically. However, it could also easily be speaking to the body’s physical need for salt. In its God made form (from the Himalayan mountaintops 🗻to the ocean floor🏝), salt is loaded with life giving micronutrients. Every cell in our body needs this kind of salt. Our bodies rely on these micronutrients for healthy bone density, stabilized blood sugar levels, proper blood circulation, and thousands of other small but exceedingly significant ways in the body.
 
Modern table salt, however, (the trample👣 worthy kind) is the stuff health nightmares 😈are made of. If you’ve never given much thought to the type of salt you may be eating in processed or fast foods (or perhaps even lurking…. as a clue… in your cabinet), consider the story of modern salt:
A far cry from the original micronutrient loaded seasoning, table salt is mined from deep underground, and then cooked🔥 at 1200 degrees Fahrenheit. As it’s cooked, it loses the other micronutrients it “might “ have contained. Anti-caking agents, fluoride, a less healthy form of iodide, aluminum derivatives, and other ingredients are added to keep the salt shaking freely. Salt in the “real world” is not white, and table salt is bleached to get its pristine color. It may come as no surprise that crude oil extraction is one way “modern” salt is produced.
 
Becoming an avid label reader is one more way to be a stellar health detective. While God’s salt is loaded with health benefits🙌, the man made version wreaks havoc on the body😬. Diabetes, gout, and cardiovascular diseases are all aggravated by modern salt. It is also surreptitiously hard on the nervous and lymph systems, and will aggravate edema, lymphatic disorders, anxiety, and depression tendencies.
 
To recap, manmade salt:
🚫Comes from deep underground and is sent thru a fiery furnace
🚫It is a poor imitation of that which is good
🚫It’s highly addictive
🚫It wreaks havoc quietly on a previously healthy body, and generally makes an unhealthy body sick
It’s almost as if Satan himself came up with this salty plan of attack on mankind, with his uncanny ability to take something so innocently good, twist the narrative, and make it bad.🤔🫣
 
Original salt contains approximately 84 necessary micronutrients and zero toxins.
When used regularly, this type of salt (typically harvested from Himalayan, Celtic, or a natural Salt Lake source):
🥳Aids in hydration of the body,
🥳Improves digestion (and helps remove sediments in the body which can build up over time leading to kidney or gallstones)
supports both adrenal and thyroid function (trace minerals are absolutely key!)
🥳Helps regulate blood sugar
🥳Supports healthy blood pressure
🥳Helps the body detox
🥳Helps re-energize the body at a cellular level
🥳Assists in balancing the body’s pH
🥳One theory of why osteoporosis develops is that the body begins stripping bones of their mineral and calcium content in an effort to neutralize acidic blood. Healthy natural sourced salt is alkalizing by nature, which will eliminate the need of the bones to “give to the greater good (blood). The body is able to survive longer with poor bones than with “poor” blood.
🥳Enhances communication between nerve cells.
🥳Healthy natural salt also helps thin mucous and phlegm (yes, even when ingested!). Think about what a nasal saline rinse does as a physical example of this.
🥳Getting adequate natural salt improves complexion, hair and nail growth over time, and also may improve the appearance of varicose veins.
 
In adrenal fatigue, there is a little talked about hormone called aldosterone.
It follows a similar pattern to cortisol: its production tends to peak around 8:00am, and also rises during stressful situations. Aldosterone is a key player for the maintenance of water and certain minerals (electrolytes) in the body, and where they “should be” within the body. Electrolytes are absolutely necessary for proper cell function… just ask any high performance athlete who has sweated out too many electrolytes!
In adrenal fatigue, perhaps you may have noticed an intense craving for salt.🤓 When adequate cortisol levels drop, aldosterone drops too. When aldosterone drops, there is a tendency towards electrolyte imbalance, causing the salt cravings. Hydrating without adding in electrolytes has the potential to aggravate the electrolyte imbalance by further diluting existing electrolytes within the body.
 
Which brings me back to our naturally available micronutrient loaded salt forms!
 
There is a homemade hydration support tool called Sole (pronounced Sol-ay).
You’ll need a Liter sized mason jar, a cup of Himalayan or Celtic salt and three cups of filtered water.
1️⃣Add salt to the jar, and then fill the jar with filtered water.
2️⃣Put the lid (preferably plastic) on the jar, shake gently, and then leave overnight.
3️⃣If the salt is completely dissolved in the morning, add more salt and leave it overnight again.
4️⃣The mixture will be ready when there is salt sediment in the bottom of the jar. The filtered water is now completely saturated and cannot receive any more salt.
5️⃣Add 1 teaspoon of this mixture to a glass of water and drink it each morning when you wake up (30-60 minutes before taking medication)
6️⃣If you appear to have a detox reaction (such as a headache), start with ¼ teaspoonful and work your way up.
7️⃣Do not use metal utensils to measure your product, as it can interfere with the solution.
 
If you are not a DIY’er or perhaps find yourself on the go and in need of electrolytes/ craving salt (remember, electrolyte balance is important in adrenal fatigue, and not just for athletes!), consider grabbing a bottle of the YL Vitality Drops- Lavender Lemon or Grapefruit Bergamot. (Do not confuse the YL Energy drops available as Jade Lemon or Spearmint Tangerine with these…… they don’t do the same thing!). I love that Young Living uses electrolytes sourced from the Great Salt Lake, and not a synthetic source. The vitality drops are an electrolyte powerhouse!
 
Get yourself the right kind of salty so you can shine your light brightly!
 
xoxo~ liz
 
(Becoming Your Own Health Detective Volume One link: https://goodmedicine.info/my-book/ )
 
#sharingiscaring
#saltylanguage
#beingsaltandlighthumans
#theapplicationofknowledgeispower
#goodmedicine
#BYOHD
#becomingyourownhealthdetective
#ThanksYL
 

Thyroid Problem Clues – part 2

Liz James · March 30, 2022 ·

Analysis Paralysis has finally released its hold on me as I dip into the complexities of thyroid dysfunction and their absolute connection with autoimmune disorders. It’s important to understand that over 90% of diagnosed hypothyroid patients actually have an autoimmune disorder.
History always helps me understand science and biology because history leaves valuable clues. A journal article I read yesterday had this interesting tidbit:
“During the first half of the century [1900’s], autoimmune disease was viewed as biologically implausible.”
My, how things have changed!🥴 Resistance to the idea that autoimmunity could not happen began waning in the 1960’s. By then, life had changed drastically in many ways. Processed foods were introduced into mainstream eating habits, medication / vaccination use steadily inched upwards into the norm rather than the exception, plastics became part of our everyday world, fluoride was added to water, personal care products had a growing ingredient list of words that were barely pronounceable, herbicides were used ubiquitously and parents let their kids run behind the trucks that were spraying DDT for mosquitoes🦟! Thankfully the DDT spraying has stopped, but other pesticides quickly took its place. The toxin list has grown by leaps and bounds over the decades. Today, our bodies have to wade through the toxic soup☠️ known as the standard American life. Genetically, we haven’t changed appreciably, yet we are now part of the sickest generation in recorded history.
Did you know that at least 90% of genetic expression is the result of our environment, while the other 10% can be attributed to the role of the proverbial parental genetic dice? Epigenetics (the expression of our genes based on environmental influences) will look differently for each person based upon genes + exposure to infection (often viral), the Standard American Diet (simultaneously nutritionally deficient and toxic), pollutants (both in and outside the home), medications/vaccines, emotions, and stress. Epigenetics is so specifically unique to an individual that even identical twins👭 may express genes differently when exposed to chronic stressors. If you are going to put together a perfect crime scene,🔎 this is the way to do it!
 
Roughly 20% of the adult population in the USA now has an autoimmune disorder
And this percentage continues to rise. Prior to the 1970’s, autoimmune disorders were relatively obscure. Hashimoto’s, the autoimmune version of hypothyroidism, is considered by The Autoimmune Registry to be the second most common of all autoimmune disorders (second only to rheumatoid arthritis).
There is both bad and good news about autoimmune disorders. While they never disappear, they can certainly go into remission with the right lifestyle changes and choices. It’s a good thing we are in control of our personal choices!😉
 
According to leading Hashimoto’s and autoimmune disorder expert, Dr. Datis Kharrazian, there are 3 stages of autoimmune disease:
🔎Stage One is the silent stage. The body has begun losing its tolerance to its own tissue, but to the western health practitioner, there will be very few “hard core” symptoms. You though, as the CEO and chief sleuth🕵️, will feel “off”. What does “off” feel like? Well, that depends! It may be something as subtle as spending more (or less!) time in the bathroom. Perhaps it might be a rash that comes and goes. Maybe it means you are having difficulty finding the zest for life you once had, or you just have a little harder time waking up in the morning or falling asleep at night. Stage One is very important, as catching “things” early can be a game changer in the outcome. Lab work identifying elevated TPOAb and TGAb antibodies (for Hashimoto’s) can be very revealing. Neither test is very expensive when you pay out of pocket. Sadly, insurance companies often refuse to pay for these as “maintenance” labs. If your request is refused, I highly encourage you to pay out of pocket elsewhere and have the tests run annually with other labs.
 
🔎Stage Two is considered the reactivity stage and actual destruction to target tissue has begun. Symptoms are much “louder” and harder to ignore inside your own body. In fact, it may be this stage that finally sends you to a healthcare practitioner, though you’ve felt “off” for perhaps even years.
 
🔎In Stage Three, westernized medicine officially acknowledges the autoimmune disease. Significant destruction of the targeted tissue has occurred and there may even be collateral damage occurring elsewhere throughout the body. At this stage, damage can be seen by an MRI or ultrasound in addition to the elevated antibodies and actual symptoms.
 
Interestingly, the level of antibodies detected doesn’t necessarily indicate the severity of the Hashimoto’s. The antibodies themselves do not cause the thyroid gland destruction. Without getting too technical, the antibodies bind to and mark the spot (ie: the thyroid), and then the T Cells ( think of them as a special forces unit of the immune system) come in and attack what the antibodies have marked as “foreign”. If your own personal set of T cells are especially aggressive, your antibody count can be low but destruction of the thyroid can still be severe. Likewise, if your T cells act more like lazy posers, your TPOAb’s can be high but destruction probably won’t be as severe as you might think. Again…. epigenetics at play.
Here’s where we take a bunny trail🐰 detour to talk a bit about gluten. Unless you live in an untouched area of the wilderness with no internet, you’ll likely know that many people have issues with gluten. Generally, you hear about gluten and digestive disturbances such as celiac disease (another autoimmune disorder affecting the small intestine), but did you know that gluten is commonly a trigger for worsening both Hashimoto’s (hypothyroid) and Grave’s (hyperthroid) disease?
 
Gluten is a sneaky little son of a biscuit eater, for multiple reasons:
🍞It takes very little to cause great distress in gluten hypersensitive individuals…… like less than 1/20th of a teaspoonful according to some experts, and even less than that according to others.
🍞The after effects of a single gluten consumption/use can be felt for weeks to months after the occurrence in the gluten hypersensitive individual.
🍞Gluten flies under the radar and hides in the most seemingly innocuous of places: soy sauce, corn flakes, salad dressings, marinades, seasonings, processed deli meats, body and beauty care products, and candy (glucose syrup or dextrose can come from wheat) are just a few on the list.
🍞Some thyroid medications (and other medications and supplements too!) contain gluten as an inert filler ingredient. Currently the FDA does not have strict labeling requirements regarding the labeling of gluten positive medications. At the time of this writing, all brands of levothyroxine (except Mylan which is certified gluten free) contain gluten, as does the thyroid medication Cytomel. (And yes, I agree. Why in the world would the pharmaceutical industry use inflammatory gluten as a common filler, especially in a medication for a population prone to be gluten sensitive? As I’ve said before, we’re worth more as a commodity if we are sick than we are if we are healthy friends.🙄)
🍞Other aliases of gluten include starch, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate, dextrin, dextrate, dextro-maltose, maltodextrin, sodium starch glycolate and more. Sneaky Pete, indeed!
 
Is all gluten bad? 🤔Resoundingly no. Although if someone is found to be gluten hypersensitive, it’s a good idea to avoid it as much as possible. Modern wheat and the ancient grain Einkorn are two very different grains containing different types and ratios of gluten. Not only is Einkorn considered to be vastly more nutritious than modern wheat, the troublesome type of gluten (the “D” genome) doesn’t appear to be present in Einkorn according to Dr. Davis, author of “Wheat Belly”. If you aren’t sure if Einkorn is a safe form of grain for you, try incorporating it into a food challenge. Einkorn is also much more highly digestible and because of its starchstructure, is less apt to cause blood sugar spikes.
 
For the non gluten hypersensitive individual there are a few more reasons to nosh on some tasty Young Living Einkorn spaghetti, pancakes, granola, or cereal…..Regular intake of gluten has been found to help mediate exposure to heavy metals. Conversely, those on a gluten free diet tend to have higher blood and urine levels of arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmium ,commonly found in many well known lipstick brands,. If you already use YL Savvy Minerals lipstick💋, here’s a high five…. It’s toxin free!
 
For being a simple little butterfly🦋 looking structure in our neck we often don’t think about, the thyroid is certainly complex and so easily affected by outside influence!
 
xoxo~ liz
 
#sharingiscaring
#becomingyourownhealthdetective
#goodmedicine
#getlabwork
#Hashimotos
#hypothyroidism
#autoimmunedisease

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