What you have come to believe is normal during monthly menses may not be natural or necessary. After years working with women to address symptoms like painful cramping, lower back pain, leg discomfort, heavy flow, clotting, spotting and short or long cycles, it turns out these can all be resolved. This prompted my post a few years ago, What’s Normal?

The real cause

Hormone imbalance often takes the hit for these symptoms, but it’s not the root cause. The lack of harmony stems from adrenal fatigue and poor stool elimination. In fact, the monthly cleaning of the uterus and vagina can also serve as an overflow for weeks of less than optimal cleaning from the bowel and kidney. The patterns for this are set in adolescence with the onset of a menstrual cycle. In What Moms of Young Girls Need to Know, I explain the link between elimination and menstrual symptoms.  

Why resolving is important

While you can buy countless products today to suppress these symptoms, none resolves them. If they “go away,” why would it be important to solve them? It’s actually very important, because the root of the problem remains, and lingering inflammation can lead to more serious, chronic conditions. One of those conditions is endometriosis — you can read Margaret’s story here.

What you can do

You can use Gemmotherapy extracts to restore optimal elimination and support the adrenals, which resolves inflammation and allow hormones to harmonize. The extracts are to be taken three weeks each month, stopping during the menstrual flow. Cases in my practice have been resolved with either Silver Birch Sap, Blackthorn or Blueberry, supported by Black Currant for adrenal health.

In addition, a dairy-free diet is critical. While a completely plant-based diet will provide best results, simply removing all dairy products will be a significant help. Read about this successful case from my practice.

While making these changes and resolving inflammation, you can also use Raspberry and Silver Lime as an acute protocol for menstrual cramping.

Learn more

If you would like further information on Gemmotherapy extracts, you’ll want to read my Beginner’s Guide to Gemmotherapy. Specific information on dosing Gemmotherapy extracts can be found in my books, “An Introduction to Acute Care” and “Building Immunity in Babies and Children.”

For individualized support, I recommend you consult with a practitioner trained in Gemmotherapy to restore immunity, or consider working directly with me. Looking for a deeper understanding? Consider taking my next Foundations of Gemmotherapy series.

The information above is for educational purposes and not meant to replace the care and guidance of your health care practitioner.

I am delighted to work with new clients who come to my practice with the intention of preparing their body to create life. Taking this step in itself is acknowledgement of the responsibility they are about to take on.

It is important for both practitioners providing and individuals seeking fertility support to really get that fertility is linked to vitality. Vitality is a measurement of health completely ignored by conventional allopathic medicine but it is critical to natural health therapies. Vitality is the resource the body has at that given time to self-heal. Symptoms of vitality are apparent in one’s hair, skin, eyes, teeth, sleep, and health history of family members. Read about those specific symptoms in my third post in this series that discusses an alkalizing diet. Vitality cannot be improved with prescription medications or by working out, but rather through these steps:

1. Optimize elimination
2. Alkalize the body
3. Clean primary organs of metabolic waste that has accumulated over the years

When vitality is restored one can see and feel the difference. This approach is in direct contrast to fertility treatments that force performance of reproductive organs in an individual with low vitality.

Here are the specific, simple, and straightforward steps to support fertility naturally by improving vitality.

1. Assess current state of elimination and vitality.
2. Discuss current diet and changes needed in order to optimize elimination and alkalize their organ systems. (Generally this is eliminating dairy products and increasing the intake of raw and cooked fruits and vegetables.)
3. Begin women with a Gemmotherapy protocol that encourages a uro-genital cleanse which restores health to the mucus membrane of the urinary tract and genital tract, balancing bacteria levels. This is then followed by a Gemmotherapy protocol that cleanses and fortifies the adrenals, liver, and kidneys; the primary reproductive support organs.
4. Begin men with a Gemmotherapy protocol that supports their adrenal glands and reduces states of acidosis throughout the body and continue until pregnancy is achieved.

Boosting fertility by improving vitality is attainable and affordable. You can begin by learning more about Gemmotherapy extracts and how they restore the body’s ability to heal. Different from traditional herbal medicines, Gemmotherapy extracts contain embryonic plant tissues that offer tremendous regenerative capabilities, much like human stem cells. While Gemmotherapy is safe for all ages, there is a small selection of the 60 extracts available that are proven successful in supporting fertility in women and men. Practitioners who want to learn about these extracts and how to help their clients support fertility may be interested in my webinar, Gemmotherapy for Fertility.

Perhaps you are considering starting a family soon or even a bit down the road.  Have you considered that what you eat today plays an important role in supporting or reducing your fertility? Read on and learn how.

Because fertility is a key indicator of health and vitality, it is my mission to make reliable, practical methods accessible to all. Fertility and vitality go hand in hand and to create a viable strong baby, parents must first have a high vitality. This can be seen in the state(s) of one’s skin, eyes, hair, teeth, quality of sleep, and family health history.

There are specific symptoms in these areas that indicate if inflammation is present and if it has been for long enough to reduce vitality, creating (as it is known among holistic practitioners) a state of acidosis. Individuals with low vitality tend to have an acidic pH and their symptoms can not improve until that state is shifted.

Easily identifiable examples of acidosis include acne, dry dull hair or hair that sheds easily, receding hairlines or balding in men before the age of 40, dental issues or tendency for cold/ canker sores in the mouth, and more. While allopathic medicine offers a path to fertility that ignores these symptoms and achieves pregnancy, with the 50% success rate of IVF, the new developing life is dependent on a physical body that has less than optimal vitality. What occurs next can be a pregnancy riddled with unpleasant symptoms, early delivery, c-section births, and infants with lowered immune systems leading to early infections and poor health from the start of life. This entire cycle can be broken by addressing the vitality of parents BEFORE conception, thus improving fertility and the quality of life they are creating.

Eating an alkalizing diet is simple, attainable, and won’t cost a bit more money than what you are eating already.

Morning Meal
It all begins in the morning with a breakfast of raw fruits and/or veggies on an empty stomach. This meal promotes an alkaline state from the start of the day, lymphatic cleaning, quick digestion, and optimal morning elimination. Continue eating raw fruit and/or veggies as far into the morning as you can.

Mid-Morning & Mid-Afternoon Snacks
These snacks can include such foods as whole raw fruits and veggies, fresh pressed juices/ smoothies, dried fruits, raw bars, guacamole or hummus with raw vegetables, almond or cashew butter with apples, and nuts or seeds.

Mid-Day Meal
Your lunch time meal will be any combination of vegetables and gluten free grains. This can be a salad, stir fry, curry, or Buddha bowl. Gluten free grain includes rice, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, and corn. These two foods digest well together and more quickly than protein, preventing that afternoon dip in energy.

Evening Meal
The evening meal is any combination of vegetables and protein (plant or animal). Always begin the meal with a raw vegetable or fruit salad to aid digestion and increase your daily intake of plants. Watch your proportion ratios on veggies-to-protein keeping the protein to 30% or less of your meal. Note that proteins are placed at the end of the day as the digestion rate is the slowest of all foods, causing a drop in energy which is already natural in the evening.An alkalizing diet in combination with Gemmotherapy extracts is the perfect formula to improve vitality and fertility by restoring a healthy pH level!

Important to note is that Gemmotherapy protocols will clean, fortify, and restore rather than pushing weak organ systems to perform. Due to this unique action, fertility is addressed at its root. In this series, I will go into further detail on these protocols and how they benefit all wishing to improve their fertility.

New to Gemmotherapy? Check out my Beginners Guide. If you would like to learn how to begin  Restoring your own Immunity with Gemmotherapy, consider ordering my latest book. Would you like a more personalized approach? Contact one of my advanced interns for a consultation.

Hey guys- I have some news for you too! While having a child may not be on your mind now, chances are high it will be someday and how you care for your health in the present plays a vital role in the health and well being of your future child. Women may be tasked with carrying the developing baby but the quality and quantity of male sperm has much to do with whether a viable life is created.

Quality and quantity of sperm isn’t really something young adolescent males are taught to protect. Unfortunately, it usually isn’t taken under any consideration until a partner is unable to conceive. And yes, the chance of infertility is similar between men and women. Statistically in male/female couples unable to conceive, 40% of the time the cause is the male partner.

Today the World Health Organization states that one in four male/ female couples from developing countries is unable to conceive. That is a pretty staggering number given that fertility is a natural response in the human body.

It is a mission of mine to spread this message:

• Your fertility is linked to your immunity and factors that support or deter your immunity do the same for your fertility
• There are natural proven methods that can both improve your immunity as well as your fertility

Organs Needing Protection

When we think of fertility in men we tend to think of sperm but there are actually glands at the opposite end of the body that are as vital. These are the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary gland. These two glands release the hormones that trigger healthy production of sperm. The health and function of these glands has a lot to do with the circulatory and lymphatic system. When the circulatory system and lymphatic systems are slow or stagnant, states of acidosis occur deteriorated glands and organ tissue.  How well have these systems performed to remove wastes over your lifetime?

Below are physical symptoms that may present when states of acidosis are present in the head.

These symptoms are all associated with acidosis of the lower body, also affecting sperm quality and quantity.

Specific Cautions for Men

So what should men of all ages avoid to protect themselves from developing states of acidosis?

• Smoking, alcohol consumption, recreational drugs
• Exposure to antibiotics and long-term use of prescription medications
• Soft drink consumption
• Overwork
• Direct exposure to electromagnetic fields (particularly mobile phones kept in pockets or used without a headset and laptops in laps)
• Toiletry products (which provide an estrogen effect)
• Consumption of estrogen treated animal products (chicken, dairy, soy)

How Gemmotherapy Protocols Help Fertility In Men

Gemmotherapy protocols begin by shifting the pH balance of the male body overall, creating an alkaline state to enhance fertility. The protocols are selected by accessing the state of elimination, vitality, and inflammation then combined with a plant based diet in order to optimize elimination. The ability of the body to clean optimally enhances the function of the male fertility support organ/ systems mentioned above.

Important to note is that Gemmotherapy protocols will clean, fortify, and restore rather than pushing weak organ systems to perform. Due to this unique action, fertility is addressed at its root. In this series, I will go into further detail on these protocols and how they benefit all wishing to improve their fertility.

New to Gemmotherapy? Check out my Beginners Guide. If you would like to learn how to begin  Restoring your own Immunity with Gemmotherapy, consider ordering my latest book. Would you like a more personalized approach? Contact one of my advanced interns for a consultation.

I’m on a mission to spread the word that we all have much more control over their fertility than we realize. I want to take the mystery out of your fertility and put you in charge. Follow along with this series to discover the next four weeks what I first learned from my MD mentors in Europe as well as what I found to be true in my years as a practitioner.  The natural protocols I  have used and now teach have supported many successful pregnancies .  I certainly count myself fortunate to have played a role in coaching those interested in increasing their fertility  and then supporting the young life created.

The plant-powered approach to fertility I share has been beneficial to individuals at these various stages:

• Considering pregnancy in the near future and wanting to best prepare.
• Having already tried to conceive on their own without success.
• Having undergone IVF or other medical intervention(s) without success.

In a perfect world, fertility would be valued and protected from birth and everyone would be aware that even simple decisions made for babies and children play a vital role in that child’s future ability to eventually create life. We are learning more each day with the advances in science and two important facts have been established: Soy formula can adversely affect male and female fertility and the early use of antibiotics disrupts hormone production and regulation. So, what could have seemed like a simple in-the-moment decision by your parents or pediatrician can certainly be playing a role in where you are today with your fertility. Read on to learn more.

The Deep Roots of Fertility

When we think of fertility in women we automatically think of the ovaries, the uterus, and hormones. While all three are important, we must look beyond the reproductive system to the organs supporting its function.  The organs and systems of particular concern include the nervous system ( central and autonomic),  the kidneys, liver, and adrenal glands. If these organs/systems/glands are overworked or are not functioning optimally there is often a struggle with fertility.  The program I advise for women begins with harmonizing the both central and autonomic nervous system, optimizes kidney function, supports the adrenals and eventually improves all of the detoxing actions of the liver.

Causes of Concerns 

All of the following negatively immunity and fertility

• Antibiotic use, hormonal birth control methods, and the use of Acutane for acne are just a few of the prescription medications that place a toxic load on the body
• A diet high in salt, sugar, and hormone laced food sources such as industry meats, dairy, and soy
• Chemically laden cosmetics, toiletries, and hair products that young girls are being exposed to as early as the preteen years.
• Over-consumption of alcohol or any use of recreational or street drugs
• Emotional or physical trauma
• Stress-filled lifestyle

How Gemmotherapy Protocols Help Fertility In Women

Gemmotherapy protocols begin by harmonizing the nervous system, improving elimination, and rejuvenating your adrenal glands.  The improved elimination leads to a shift in the pH balance creating an alkaline state to enhance fertility. The protocols are complimented by a plant based diet in order to optimize elimination. The ability of the body to clean optimally enhances  the function of the female fertility support organ/systems mentioned above.

Important to note is that Gemmotherapy protocols will clean, fortify, and restore rather than pushing weak organ systems to perform. Due to this unique action, fertility is addressed at its root. In this series, I will go into further detail on these protocols and how they benefit all wishing to improve their fertility.

New to Gemmotherapy? Check out my Beginners Guide. If you would like to learn how to begin  Restoring your own Immunity with Gemmotherapy, consider ordering my latest book. Would you like a more personalized approach? Contact one of my advanced interns for a consultation.

If you are one who is plagued by, or even just susceptible to, urinary tract infections don’t you ever wonder why that is the case? Before you reach for that box of AZO or fill that prescription of antibiotics, let’s talk. There is a reason your urinary tract gets inflamed, whether it is once or every other month, and while it’s uncomfortable, masking that pain only increases the likelihood that the symptom will reoccur and more often.

The Root of the Problem
The body is actually perfectly designed with a system to clean and organs to eliminate waste. These elimination organs include the kidneys, bowels and (in women) the uterus. When men experience UTI’s the root of the problem is less than optimal bowel elimination over time. In women the root can be either less than optimal bowel elimination over time or the loss of a regular menstrual cycle due to birth control. While intercourse can seem to bring on urinary tract infections, the irritation would not likely occur if the bowel eliminates optimal. When the root of the problem is not addressed, as in most cases with UTI’s, then it remains and the inflammation that occurs only relocates. That is never the right answer as it leads to further chronic symptoms.

What if this is a one off urinary tract infection? The answer is still the same and even more the reason to handle it naturally so you don’t begin a cycle of suppressing and relocating inflammation. If you contact my practice with the symptoms of a urinary tract infection, I have a tried and true protocol that resolves that inflammation by doing exactly what your body needs: support bowel elimination.

The Plan
If the symptoms began within the last twenty-four hours they can be resolved by Gemmotherapy and diet alone. If they have been allowed to linger and the immune system has been working without support it is likely a second therapy is needed to support the vital force. In my practice that therapy is Homeopathy.

First 24 Hours of Symptoms

1. Increase intake of warm and room temperature fluids (water, coconut water, alkalizing teas, and fresh pressed juices).
2. Gemmotherapy: Black Currant and Lingonberry – 25 drops of each, 4x daily.
3. Refrain from physical activities giving the body as much rest a possible.
4. Apply heat in the form of a pad or hot water bottle to the kidneys to help with elimination.

Second 24 Hours of Symptoms

1. If the symptoms have not improved by 50%, seek the support from your health care provider.
2. If symptoms have improved by 50%, continue with the above protocol until all symptoms have improved and then for another two full days. (Usually this is a total of one week.)

Future Consideration
Should you experience a UTI once a year or more it is important to consider further support from Gemmotherapy and an alkalizing diet to resolve the less than optimal bowel elimination the contributes to the reoccurring symptom.

In the case of UTIs and a wide variety of acute and chronic symptoms, Gemmotherapy is able to offer the body something no other natural therapy can- the action of cleaning, draining, and fortifying the affected organ tissue. This powerful action is due to the inclusion of the plan meristem cells in each extract.

Gemmotherapy is the youngest plant based medicine and is fascinating to study as a home user or as a practitioner. While you can find many more acute protocols in my blog you can now read them together in my newly released, Gemmotherapy for Everyone: An Introduction to Acute Care. In this first book of the series you’ll learn Gemmotherapy history, fundamentals, and find 36 proven reliable protocols for acute symptoms.

Want to dive a bit deeper? Check out this online self-paced Acute Care with Gemmotherapy course or join me live in Berkely California on 21 October when I will present both Acute Care with Gemmotherapy and Gemmotherapy for Chronic Symptoms 101 and 102.

Over the last weeks I have written a series of posts on the back story of birth control. While the availability of birth control options for women was a huge step forwards culturally it has also been one step backwards when it comes to the negative impact on our physical health. Being aware of the downsides and taking a proactive approach to our daughters’ health during their childhood can go a long way in avoiding issues later in life.

I began this series by providing a counter argument to a popular article that touted women did not need their periods. In What’s a Girl to Do? I compared the current birth control options available and discussed the range of issues associated with each. In two additional posts I relayed stories that come directly from my practice. Both about women who suffered severe side effects from the Mirena IUD, one having been prescribed it for convenience sake and the other to curb endometriosis symptoms.

Today I want to speak specifically to moms of young girls and call your attention to symptoms you probably don’t think about, but are actually HUGE indicators of your daughter’s health and susceptibility to chronic disease. They are signs that her body is not eliminating optimally and therefore not cleaning itself properly which then directly impacts its ability to heal.

As parents we subconsciously scan our children for signs of health on a daily basis. We tend to watch for things like runny noses, coughs, and skin issues. It’s great to notice these issues, but they are actually secondary symptoms that follow the primary problem of compromised elimination. What we need to be watching for first in preadolescent girls are these four symptoms:

• Less than 2 well formed, pain free bowel movements daily
• Loose or unformed stools
• Frequent urination (more than every 2 hours)
• Night time urination

So, while these symptoms indicate poor elimination for both young boys and girls they are particularly significant in girls. Menstruation is a primary way for a woman’s body to clean. Suppression of their cycle will negatively affect them when they likely choose a hormonal birth control in their teens or twenties. If their elimination systems never performed optimally as a young child, they will absolutely face some real problems when their menstruation is also suppressed. All this decreased capacity to properly clean increases their susceptibility for chronic disease.

When is it a good time to take care of this? I say the younger the better. Addressing this now IS preventative healthcare and keeps your daughter out of what will become a spiraling effect of more serious symptoms. I work with young babies in my practice who have difficulty eliminating, preadolescent girls, and teens. Optimizing elimination in females is easier before the start of menses. This will prevent menstrual irregularity and a host of symptoms mentioned in this article on Menstrual Symptoms: What is Normal?

In closing out this series, here are the points I would most like you to take away:

• A woman’s monthly menses plays a vital role in the body’s ability to clean and heal.
• If this menses will be altered or suppressed through hormonal birth control, it is imperative to optimize the function of the bowel and kidneys before and during its use.
• Moms of young girls need to pay attention and address elimination early to prevent menstrual irregularities and reduce future complications that occur when using hormonal birth control methods.

Next week I begin a new series on acute care just in time for allergy, flu and cold season. Learn what you can do ahead of the season to lessen your symptoms and shorten their duration.

In this recent series, “The inside scoop on birth control” I have shared the reasons suppressing a menstrual cycle can be problematic, addressed the birth contol dilemma head on and told one woman’s story of the price her health paid while using a very convenient and highly popular birth control method.

Today I’d like to share a story about a woman who came to my practice experiencing severe endometrial pain during each menstrual cycle and with each bowel movement. Additionally, her bowel movements were becoming increasing more frequent and unformed over time.

Where the story began
Several years before we met, Margaret sought help for the pain she experienced before and during her menses each month. This was a symptom she had suffered with since her teens and was assumed by her physician to be endometriosis, a conditional that can only be diagnosed through surgery. The pain Margaret felt increased dramatically when she had bowel movements. In an effort to ease her pain, her MD suggested a period suppressing birth control pill. The plan was for her to have a period only twice a year. This, of course, reduced the number of times a year she dealt with the pain, however, what occurred was an extreme amount of bleeding twice yearly. So extreme was Margaret’s bleeding that she could not leave the house or even move about for eight days. She was unable to leave her bed, laying on towels until the bleeding subsided. While the pain was now more or less eliminated, this bleeding was unbearable.  Clearly this was not the answer.

What seemed like a good idea
Still searching for answers, Margaret next met with an ob/gyn doctor who suggested this plan:two weeks of estrogen to stop the bleeding and then the implantation of the Mirena IUD to stop the growth of what appeared to be endometriosis.

What she began to notice
Margaret now had bleeding each month, but that eventually tapered off with the Mirena in place. However, what came next was weight gain, depressive symptoms and what she described as a “horrible feeling inside.” Gradually the abdominal pain before each bowel movement returned and she suffering with it for another two and a half years before she found my practice.

My perspective
I am certain Margaret’s symptoms began even before her first menstrual cycle. My prediction would be that she had poor elimination from the start. When puberty came, the body found a great way to eliminate—and that happened to be through her uterus. The painful and heavy menses was due to all of the lymphatic stagnation and congestion in her abdomen causing inflammation. The more time went on the greater the inflammation. Suppressing the one way her body had found to eliminate (her menses) with the first round of birth control pills was not going to be Margaret’s answer and neither was the Mirena IUD. Supporting the bowels and the kidneys to clean optimally with a Gemmotherapy protocol was going to be our starting place.

I’ll point out here that Margaret had already changed her diet to nearly the one I suggest for my clients four years before we met. She was dairy and gluten free eating mostly whole, plant-based foods. With this diet she had already improved the load of inflammatory foods and was at the perfect place for Gemmotherapy support as the next step.

Her Response
After a few weeks of the minor tweaks to her diet (adding the all-fruit breakfast) and beginning the first gemmotherapy extract, Margaret’s stools began to change. They became formed and reduced to 2-3 times daily. At this point she had the Mirena IUD removed.

Our next step was for me to take the symptoms from her first, post IUD menses and find a Homeopathic remedy to support her healing at a constitutional level.

Margaret’s period following the first dose of remedy was the first pain free period she had experienced in 30 years. While the flow lasted slightly longer than I like to see, I knew it would shorten with each cycle, and it already has.

The Bottom Line
While there are years of inflammation in Margaret to clear out we will continue moving through the next three stages of cleaning now that her elimination has been regulated.

There are many Margarets out there suffering unnecessarily with menstrual pain and unable to find a solution that heals the root of their symptoms. The fact is that while suppressing the menstrual flow with hormonal birth control MAY relieve pain temporarily, the core problem still exists and doesn’t go away on its own.

Want to learn more?
I am passionate about helping women restore the natural rhythm of their body so they can live symptom free. A twenty minute introductory meeting (by Skype, Facetime or Phone) may help you or someone you know suffering from symptoms learn more about whether my method is a good fit for you.

My integration of Gemmotherapy, Homeopathy and a Plant-Based diet to support this absolutely natural process is called The Hubele Method. Currently the first two levels of online training are available here for those interested in learning more.

So, if hormonal birth control can cause a range of chronic conditions in women of all ages, what is the answer? Well, that sure is the question of the hour and certainly one I see women struggle with time and time again in my practice and beyond. The answer isn’t short and sweet, but I will do my best here to make it clear. In this post I will explain again the problem with suppressing menses, offer some best case solutions from my perspective, and review the options out there ranking them from least to most harmful. I’ll be honest ladies, the answers aren’t in our favor, and for some it’s going to be a matter of what’s the least harmful approach and what you can do to best support your body at the time.

Truthfully, there is no perfect answer and hormonal altering methods all will have a serious impact on your body. The greatest problem being the possible loss of a regular menstrual flow which does the following:

1. Puts undue pressure on the kidneys and bowel elimination systems causing aggravated conditions such as irritable bowel symptoms, constipation, or recurring urinary tract infections.
2. The body will use emergency exits in order to clean—include the vagina (yeast infections), the skin (acne, eczema, rashes, etc), sinuses (sinusitis), lungs (asthmatic symptoms).
3. Overall increased inflammation in the abdominal region leading to the production of cycsts and growths (benign and/or cancerous).

Important fact: Any woman who has less than optimal elimination prior to suppressing their menses is going to face a host of symptoms, many with long term impact. Optimal elimination is two well formed bowel movements a day, no night waking to urinate, a relatively painfree 4-5 day menses with continuous, manageable flow (no spotting, brown bleeding, heavy cramping, start-stop of flow).

To begin this discussion, however, I want to share myoptimal responses to a variety of scenarios I see in my practice.

Scenario 1—Young Teen (Mom Alert!):
You are a not yet sexually active teen.
You get help now to support your body’s ability to eliminate, especially if you have experienced ANY of the following:

• A urinary tract infection or kidney infection at any point in time
• Waking at night to urinate
• Frequent daytime urination
• Fewer than two pain free, formed bowel movements daily
• Pain, bloating, burping, acid reflux associated with digestion
• Acne, eczema, rashes
• Chronic sinus congestion
• Asthmatic symptoms
• Heavy menstrual flow, clotting, brown bleeding, spotting between or during menses, irregular cycle, painful menses

In my practice, support to ease these symptoms would take the form of:

1. dietary changes to reduce inflammation (namely elimination of dairy and reduction of processed foods);
2. a  gemmotherapy protocol;
3. a homeopathic treatment to address the constitutional imbalance.

If and when hormonal birth control is started, then the diet and gemmotherapy should be continued to support the organs of eliminaiton and reduce the build up of inflammation.

Scenario 2—Sexually active young woman using a hormonal birth control:
You take a physical inventory to see if you are experiencing any of these symptoms:

• A urinary tract infection or kidney infection at any point in time
• Waking at night to urinate
• Frequent daytime urination
• Less than two pain free, formed bowel movements daily
• Pain, bloating, burping, acid reflux associated with digestion
• Acne, eczema, rashes
• Chronic sinus congestion
• Asthmatic symptoms
• Heavy menstrual flow, clotting, brown bleeding, spotting between or during menses, irregular cycle, painful menses
• Recurring pain or numbness anywhere in your body (including the head)

If so, I would recommend the following steps.

• Give your body a 30-60 day break from “X” birth control method
• During that break detoxify your body to establish healthy elimination and address the symptoms you are experiencing. This would be achieved with dietary changes, a gemmotherapy protocol and homeopathic treatment if needed.
• During this time use a barrier method (see chart below) AND chart your fertility with a suggested app
• Then select a method below best suited for you—mindfully watching your body for any of the above listed symptoms to appear and keep the length of time you use this method to a minimum

Scenario 3: Sexually active young woman using hormonal birth control, in a committed relationship and desiring children in the next year:
It is never too soon to clean and prepare your body for pregnancy—any reduced elimination your body has experienced shifts your body into a highly acidic pH state—that is far from ideal for fertility or for a developing baby!
Discuss your plans and the reason behind them with your partner and create a workable solution with charting your fertility and using barrier methods during highly fertile periods while maintaining the intimacy level you enjoy.

Scenario 4: In a committed relationship and between children
I would suggest you follow the same plan above for those preparing for a new pregnancy.

In all the above scenarios know this about all forms of hormonal birth control…..

• They do reduce a woman’s body’s ability to clean and naturally heal from symptoms
• As the eliminating and cleaning abilities reduce, inflammation increases and symptoms begin to appear. Usually these symptoms show up 1 to 3 months later and accumulate over the years of use.
• If hormonal birth control is the only option due to your current circumstances then you can and should by all means:
  – Decrease the inflammation by decreasing consumption of inflammatory foods and following a plant based diet.
  – Use a Gemmotherapy protocol to enhance the function of your bowel, kidney and support your liver.

The available options:

Least disruptive to the body’s harmony, however, statistically the least reliable in preventing pregnancy:

Fertility Tracking: In this method, a woman uses one of a variety of techniques to determine when she is fertile during the month and abstains from sexual intercourse or uses a barrier method during the window of fertility to avoid pregnancy. There are high tech apps and lo-tech charts to record information throughout the month. Here is an app I recommend.

Barrier Methods: Can be combined with fertility tracking. They work by physically preventing the sperm from reaching the egg. Options include male and female condoms, the diaphragm, and the cervical cap. To increase the protection spermicidal foam, jelly, cream, film, or suppository is recommended. These are not non-toxic substances and can cause irritation in those who are sensitive.

Least disruptive to the body’s harmony and statistically quite reliable in preventing pregnancy:

Copper IUD: Here is a fact sheet about the Copper IUD. The good news is it does not use hormones to prevent pregnancy and is very reliable. The bad news is that women with less than perfect elimination, who already have heavy cramping and or bleeding will likely find that those symptoms increase. This would be a good option if there is work done prior to harmonize the body, relieve all elimination symptoms and continue on a protocol throughout the use.

Moderately disruptive to the body’s harmony and statistically quite reliable in preventing pregnancy

Oral birth control pills: The Mayo clinic provides a comprehensive run down of the variety of pills available today. There are side effects and the use of hormones to suppress ovulation and/or pregnancy can cause a wide range of symptoms from emotional to skin conditions. Reducing your body’s state of inflammation through diet and a gemmotherapy protocol will alleviate but not cure the side effects.

Highly disruptive to the body’s harmony, causing clear immediate side effects and often facing a serious challenge in restoring a normal cycle and fertility at a later date. These should be avoided under all circumstances.

• Hormone releasing IUDs (Mirena)
• Implants (Norplant)
• Hormone shots (Depo-Provera)
• A vaginal ring (NuvaRing)
• A contraceptive patch (Ortho Evra)

So it’s a dilemma. Protecting your body and yourself from pregnancy don’t perfectly align. That is not a goal of the pharmaceutical industry. The best solution for you will depend on your age and circumstances at the time. This is a conversation that needs to occur early and often with the young women in your lives.

Here is the bottom line from my perspective:
The best case scenario is to balance and support your elimination before and during the use of any hormonal birth control method that suppresses your menstrual flow. Then, don’t use hormonal birth control, or for that matter any medication, on “autopilot” watch your body and its response. The first sign will always be a change in elimination. If/when that changes, other symptoms will certainly follow.

This is a tough, emotionally charged issue with, unfortunately, no clear path to follow. I think it’s important to talk about the other side of hormonal birth control which you are likely not getting from your Ob/Gyn. I’m not sharing data but rather real stories from real people who wished they had been given more and better information. Next week I will address endometriosis and the prescribing of hormonal birth control to suppress the symptoms.

Last week I went head-on into a trendy topic of “not needing your period.” It all got started with this article that has gained considerable traction in social media forums and was even reposted in the NYT. I shared these four points in response in my post titled Women DO Need To Have Periods:

1. You DO need your period and it should NOT be painful. Those painful symptoms are there to bring your attention to a deeper imbalance that likely began even before your menstrual cycles did. Read this post about what that imbalance looked like in your childhood. So this isn’t an either/or situation, it’s a clear cry from your body to fix the root of the problem.
2. Using hormonal birth control to suppress menstrual pain is only exacerbating the inflammation caused by a sluggish lymphatic system and less than optimal elimination organs. This post on painful periods explains how you’re just shifting symptoms this way.
3. Disruption of a regular cycle for any length of time will likely lead to overworked bowels and/or kidneys. This creates a build-up of acidic wastes which will then produce any or all of these symptoms:

• Digestive disturbances (bloating, flatulence, acid reflux)
• Changes in bowel movements (less than the optimal two a day, loose frequent stools)
• Increase need to urinate or sense of an oncoming UTI
• Nighttime urination
• Skin disturbances (acne and/or eczema)
• Painful breast swelling
• Sleep disturbances
• Lower back pain
  Irritability, Increased Anxiety, or Depressive Symptoms
  This post on inflammation and infertility discusses the approach I use in my practice

Also, don’t forgetthere is a huge pharmaceutical industry out there whose livelihood depends on the sale of birth control devices that will ease your pain or stop your period. It’s an unfortunate fact that much of the research we rely on for our health information is funded by the pharmaceutical industry. This is not cynicism, this is the truth and we can no longer risk our health and that of the next generation because of our naiveté. The greatest source of truth is to listen to your body and recognize its natural healing capabilities. Learning to listen and taking proactive steps that work WITH our body’s innate ability to clean and heal, we can have it all—painless periods and a body in harmony.

Now I’d like to tell you a story this week about a client of mine Melissa. Seven years before I had the opportunity of meeting Melissa she took the advice of her OB/Gyn to implant a Mirena IUD.

Why this seemed like a good idea
While Melissa was looking for the convenience of no menstrual flow she learned there was a price to pay. Let me share Melissa’s story. At 24 Melissa was delighted at all the Mirena IUD had to offer. No period AND reliable, ongoing birth control. That’s one great deal for a young professional woman. She was surprised, however, as she began to hear stories from friend after friend who also had the Mirena who were suffering from reoccurring UTI’s or ovarian cysts. She was feeling quite lucky that her experience was different. Or was it?

What Melissa did notice
While at the time Melissa never attributed these symptoms to the IUD she began experiencing them at a steady increase over time:

Anxiety & Sleeplessness: Like many young professional women Melissa had her fair share of steadily increasing sleeplessness and anxiety. This was easy to pass off as part and parcel of working full time and running her own business, but when this went away after the Mirena was removed it now appears to be linked.

Painful Swollen Breasts & Cramping: At about 8-14 days before her menses (which never actually occurred) Melissa would, in her words, “experience massive PMS symptoms particularly horrible swollen and sore breasts and cramps. It got to the point wearing a bra was extremely uncomfortable and I would have to cancel social outings because going in public was just embarrassing.” Now looking back Melissa can see it as if, “my body wanted to have a release but it couldn’t and it would last for a minimum of 8 days, usually 12 to 14.”  This went on every month in extreme form the last two years of having the Mirena.

Cystic Acne: It was the breast pain coupled with the highly inflamed cystic acne that would appeared on her face and back, increasing mid-cycle that pushed Melissa to the edge. “I remember one particular day crying in my car before walking into HEB because I was so embarrassed by my skin. This was my last straw before taking it out because nothing was working to clear my skin. Not even heavy prescription creams.”

My perspective
Melissa’s flaring symptoms came at the time of some groundbreaking collaborative work of mine with a group of European physicians who also integrated Gemmotherapy, Homeopathy, and Plant-Based Eating into protocols for their patients. I had just implemented the new intake process that evaluated a client’s elimination, vitality and inflammation that we had been working on. I was testing a theory that by opening elimination first the body’s natural cleaning and healing process would be optimized. Melissa’s protocol and her response actually became a landmark case for me and one I often hold up as an example in talks.

I had seen Melissa in my practice on and off for over a year with emotional and digestive complaints. In that time while treating her with Homeopathy, I saw her monthly painful breast swelling and tenderness 14 days out of a 28 day cycle, and significant cystic facial acne only grow more aggravated. Each 4-6 weeks we would make some gains but the cystic acne was taking its toll on her self esteem and she was at her limit. Melissa made an appointment to have her IUD removed and I suggested we meet afterwards to begin the process of restoring healthy elimination.

Meeting with Melissa this time viewing her case through the lens of elimination was where I discovered for the first time that aside from not having a monthly menses, Melissa only had a bowel movement every other day at best and never felt her bowels emptied. She told me this symptom had become increasing worse over the years since the IUD was in place. She had never mentioned it as it had been going on for so long and it was her skin that was in her focus.

I began treating Melissa with a simple protocol of only Walnut, (Juglans Regia) Gemmotherapy extract, twice daily by itself to begin the opening process and asked her to eat an all-fruit breakfast each morning. Within a week she begin having a daily bowel movement, and within that first cycle the breast swelling went from its high of 14 days a month to only 10 and the intensity of pain had decreased. Something was happening. We were both encouraged and could see that we were helping her body heal itself of long carried symptoms simply by opening her elimination.

By her second post IUD cycle her breast swelling dropped to only 4 days pre-menses, the intensity decreasing again and her skin began to show significant signs of clearing! Additionally Melissa was now having two bowel movements daily. We continued with exactly this protocol through one more cycle and by that point her skin was glowing and there was no cramping and only minimal breast swelling.

Convenience can be a good thing but certainly not when it puts a young woman’s health and wellbeing at risk. More often than not conventional medicine offers an immediate fix without a holistic perspective so it is up to you to consider how that fix will impact the intricate systems that make up your body.

The bottom line
My practice is built on the fundamental belief that the human body comes equipped with the perfect systems to clean, eliminate and heal. However, due to inherited traits, accidents, early medical intervention or exposure to harsh toxins one or more of these organs involved may not perform optimally and symptoms appear.  This article on elimination explains what those symptoms might look like. Opening the organs of elimination, namely the bowel, kidney and for women the uterus is key to this healing process. I’ve explained that in this post about the first stage of treatment.

Want to learn more?
I am passionate about helping women restore the natural rhythm of their body so they can live symptom free. A twenty minute introductory meeting (by Skype, Facetime or Phone) may help you or someone you know suffering from symptoms learn more about whether my method is a good fit for you.

My integration of Gemmotherapy, Homeopathy and a Plant-Based diet to support this absolutely natural process is called The Hubele Method. Currently the first two levels of online training are available here for those interested in learning more.

Early in September an article claiming that women did not need a menstrual cycle circulated through multiple social media channels, so I am pretty sure you have seen it at one point or another. Because it was so incredibly off the mark I chose at first to let it go, but when the NYTimes included a reprint of the article from The Atlantic last week, I decided it was time to address this head on. While I honestly would rather be singing the praises of fall veggies to fill your fridge this week, it’s important to put that on pause and offer some honest counter arguments to this wildly popular article.

What the article says

In case you missed it or need a refresher, the article is titled; Women don’t need to have periods. Just on that statement alone I could fill a room with women from my practice who have suffered severe side effects, often for years, by buying into that line. All of whom I am absolutely certain would love to share their experiences that proved the opposite to be true.

The author, Alana Massey a writer from Brooklyn, has now gone 3 years without menstruating due to her use of a Mirena IUD. In the article she makes her case against the need to menstruate through quotes from an interesting array of professionals to support her argument. Through it all she sings the praises of the gains she has experienced and shares these opinions:

she was “inconvenienced and frankly resentful of the fact that I had to spend three to seven days per month bleeding. . .”

she didn’t “want the burden of buying tampons and avoiding wearing white.”

Believes that, “getting rid of women’s periods is a bonus that saves them time, money, pain, and stress, with no known medical downsides.”

Declares that “if they ever want their periods back, all they need to do is have the IUD or implant removed.”

She cites a study on the positive health effects of women using IUD’s from the New England Journal of Medicine. You would need to read the fine print of this study to see that the “health factors” accessed in the study included:

1. practical difficulties
2. social life
3. psychological health
4. physical health
5. work and daily routine
6. family life
7. relationships

While I will not argue all of these are part of a woman’s well-being, they are secondary to her physiological symptoms that I believe this study chose to ignore. Nowhere do they look at what the effects the IUD had on the rest of the body, very likely because conventional medicine on the whole does not see the body in this way, choosing instead to look at each organ as a separate entity.

Here how I see it

What I’ve learned is though the uterus is thought of as primarily a womb, it actually functions first as another pathway of elimination for women. Monthly cycles are an extra way for women’s bodies to clean. This means that:

1. You DO need your period and it should NOT be painful. Those painful symptoms are there to bring your attention to a deeper imbalance that likely began even before your menstrual cycles did. Read this post about what that imbalance looked like in your childhood. So this isn’t an either/or situation, it’s a clear cry from your body to fix the root of the problem.
2. Using hormonal birth control to suppress menstrual pain is only exacerbating the inflammation caused by a sluggish lymphatic system and less than optimal elimination organs. This post on painful periods explains how you’re just shifting symptoms this way.
3. Disruption of a regular cycle for any length of time will likely lead to overworked bowels and/or kidneys. This creates a build up of acidic wastes which will then produce any or all of these symptoms:

• Digestive disturbances (Bloating, flatulence, acid reflux)
• Changes in bowel movements (less than the optimal two a day, loose frequent stools)
• Increase need to urinate or sense of an oncoming UTI
• Nighttime urination
• Skin disturbances (acne and/or eczema)
• Painful breast swelling
• Sleep disturbances
• Lower back pain
• Irritability, Increased Anxiety, or Depressive Symptoms
  This post on inflammation and infertility discusses the approach I use in my practice.

4. Finally, don’t forget there is a huge pharmaceutical industry out there whose livelihood depends on the sale of birth control devices that will ease your pain or stop your period. It’s an unfortunate fact that much of the research we rely on for our health information is funded by the pharmaceutical industry. This is not cynicism, this is the truth and we can no longer risk our health and that of the next generation because of our naiveté. The greatest source of truth is to listen to your body and recognize its natural healing capabilities. Learning to listen and taking proactive steps that work WITH our body’s innate ability to clean and heal, we can have it all—painless periods and a body in harmony.

This is a topic very near and dear to my heart. I have two grown daughters who I have coached through this approach and I work primarily with women’s fertility on a daily basis in my practice. I see day in and out the mis-service done to women and their bodies by conventional medicine, advice that does not take into account the integrated functions of the body, and highly accepted and promoted prescription birth control that is dangerous in the long run.

After removing the IUD or discontinuing the use of any hormonal birth control, a full body detox is in order to restore a regular cycle, and address menstrual pain, endometriosis, and all inflammatory conditions at their source. In my office this is accomplished by applying the Living Well 4, utilizing the therapies of Gemmotherapy, Homeopathy and a Plant-Based Diet to ease the body into harmony. The length of the process is dependent on how long the birth control methods were in place, inherited traits, and commitment to the protocols.

I’d love to hear from women who have personally experienced the negative side of eliminating a monthly menstrual flow. I’m hoping, too, that women who have worked with me to heal their menstrual symptoms and harmonize their bodies will share their experiences.

I hope I’ve given you pause to question this No Periods movement at least a bit more. I know much of what I say here is counter to what’s being reported from these generally reliable sources, but I feel very strongly that there are better, healthier ways for you and your loved ones.

Please do share your questions or experiences in the comments section and read what others have to say. Together we can start a broader conversation about this underexamined women’s issue.

Last week I shared a story that depicts the classic pharmaceutical treatment spiral that is quite commonplace in women’s healthcare. Since writing that I have received numerous inquiries from women who have stories that are, truthfully, heartbreaking. Following the advice of their ob/gyn physicians and believing they were helping their symptoms by taking hormonal birth control, these women are now in a state of aggravated symptoms and struggling to conceive. The message I have reiterated in each of these posts—Menstrual Symptoms What’s Normal?, The Root of Infertility, Could this be your Daughter?, Painful Periods, Stop the Suppression—is that suppressing menstrual symptoms is not, and never will be, the right answer.

When explaining the crucial role menstruation plays in womens’ health in my office recently, I gave this example: we could not even imagine a health practice that would suppress bowel movements when they are irregular. Why then have we accepted that as a standard treatment for menstrual cycles?

While there is much more to be said on this topic of fertility, I will be closing out this series by making a case for detoxing the body rather than following the conventional treatment for infertility.

Making a Case for Detox vs. IVF for Infertility

If you or a close friend or family member have gone through IVF you know it’s a difficult,emotionally charged and expensive process. Because there are success stories, it has become the  accepted “conventional” approach. What I’ve learned from the women who come to my office, however, is that IVF is just the last step along a long trail of pharmaceutical treatments that started for most of the women when they took their first hormonal birth control pill or had an IUD implanted.

I believe the actual approach to fertility should be to first re-balance the body until the menses occurs every 28-30 days and with little to no discomfort. This change alone signifies a healthy body with a high fertility rate. It’s important to know that fertility rates decline as the body’s elimination routes are compromised and wastes build up in the system. The uterus can’t serve its purpose as a womb when the body is using it to help clean accumulated wastes the bowels and kidneys did not eliminate. Adding hormonal birth control to lessen or stop monthly flow creates even more havoc.

What if you are ready for a baby but your body is not? The best thing you can do is to get your body ready by helping it to clean out the build up of wastes created by years of meds and a less than perfect diet. The state your body is in when you conceive affects not only your pregnancy but the long term health of the child you are carrying. So cleaning up the system not only impacts your health and your fertility, it has positive consequences for your children throughout their lifetime.

So now that we’re talking about a much greater and longer impact than just a 9 month pregnancy, let’s look at some of the details of a typical process.

Joan came into my office a few months back looking for answers to why she was struggling to get pregnant. Like many of my clients, she had followed the conventional medical treatment of hormonal birth control to suppress the pain, irregularity and additional symptoms of her menstrual cycle during her late teens and twenties. Now in her 30’s and thinking about starting a family, her body isn’t really up to the task. Those painful periods in her teens were the body’s way of saying “Pay attention. Something is wrong here.” What was wrong was inflammation caused by diet and difficulty eliminating wastes, but she was told to treat it by suppressing the pain.

The original problem was that her bowels and kidneys were not efficiently eliminating the wastes. Her uterus tried to take up the slack, but also got bogged down and inflamed, which then caused the secondary symptoms of cramping and heavy flow. This means that Joan’s reproductive organs have been mired in all that build up of stagnant lymphatic fluid, which, by the way, is acid. It seems fairly clear that doesn’t lead to healthy organ tissue by any means. Unhealthy organ tissue means that organs simply cannot perform their function. Think of it if like a dirty air filter in your air conditioner.  Every smart AC technician will tell you a clean filter optimizes function and a dirty one makes the ac work twice as hard. To solve this problem you wouldn’t boost the power of your AC you would just clean the filter, right? Same is true for your reproductive organs.

If Joan had sought conventional help to get pregnant she would have been treated with medications to stimulate the function of the organs that are tired, dirty and sluggish. If the first level of treatment is unsuccessful there are stronger medications and more refined procedures all optimized to push unhealthy organs to perform in ways they have tried to make clear they are not up to. It’s a testament to the inherent strength of our organs that the IVF approach actually yields a success rate of over 50% nationally.

Beyond my concern for mothers is an interest in a healthy fetus and child. When the pharmaceutical treatment is successful, we then have a baby developing in a less than optimal environment. Conventional medicine rarely discusses that problem. The rate of premature deliveries of IVF babies doubles that of naturally conceived babies and for some very obvious reasons. On top of that, the increased health struggles faced over the lifetime of an infant who arrives prematurely are significant. While medical science has advanced in the area of neonatal care, much of this is completely avoidable if mom is in a healthy state at the beginning of the pregnancy.

Here’s what I propose:

1. Get yourself familiar with how the body cleans and heals itself.
2. Begin a clear plan supervised by your health practitioner that features a clean, plant-based diet, gemmotherapy and works on these four steps:
   •  Opening your elimination organs
   •  Cleaning and restore organ tissues
   •  Optimizing organ function
   •  Supporting your body’s ability to harmonize
3. When your bowel and kidney elimination and menstrual cycle is regulated, then consider getting pregnant.

Do I guarantee success? No I don’t because I do believe there is more at play in bringing forth life than just your physical state, but I do guarantee that you will have a clean, healthy, harmonized body if you see your way through the entire process. You will be in a better space to make decisions that will be wise and informed for all involved.

Please check back in next week. I will revisit and update a post from last summer that depicts what happens over the course of your life when your body does not clean and eliminate efficiently.