Thursday February 26, 2009

Pre-Conception: A Time to Become Your Best

Think for a moment: what does it take for new life to come about? It is astonishing to consider the magic behind conception and the development of new life. The fetus has a sense of touch by the 8th week of life, a sense of smell develops between 11 and 15 weeks and a sense of taste between 13 and 15 weeks. If you had to taste everything another person tastes and be exposed to every experience that someone else has, whose body would you choose to be in for 9 months?

When I see patients who are pregnant or wanting to conceive, I discuss a few influential factors with them so that we can create the most nurturing, life-enriching environment possible. Here are some points to consider during this exciting, challenging, and transformative time.

We want you to pass on the best of who you are to your children, right? Is it all “nature” or all “nurture”? While ‘genes’ are an ever-popular topic of medicine these days, we must also remember this: even though we cannot change our genes, we can change the ways in which genes express themselves. We can support our bodies into optimal health so that disease-causing genes have no reason to be activated. Pre-conception and gestation are the perfect times to do this. We can “nurture” our “nature” into health.

Emotions & Energetic Relationship: Our bodies have memories of every experience we have ever had. In homeopathic theory we also express patterns that we have adopted or inherited, called miasms. These patterns can keep us out of balance and affect our ability to heal, and can be passed on to our offspring (from either mom or dad). These can be shifted through a variety of healing approaches. We also carry around stories of our culture or family that can affect the way in which we perceive pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. Take the time to clear out unresolved issues, discover your own belief system around these subjects and start to welcome this new person into your life. Homeopathy, acupuncture and bodywork, among other therapies, can help.

Stress: We know that when a person is under stress, their blood pressure goes up and immune function goes down. The physiology behind the increase in blood pressure has to do with the constriction of blood vessels. If a pregnant woman experiences a long-term constriction of her blood vessels, the baby is going to also experience increased tension. As I remind all of my patients, bring your awareness to your breath- take 50-100 conscious breaths everyday. This not only slows you down and decreases stress, but it increases oxygen delivery to tissues, the excretion of CO2 and other volatile wastes, and it encourages your parasympathetic (rest & restore) nervous system. You are communicating to the fetus that s/he is growing in a safe and secure world where all his or her needs are met.

Food: Preconception and pregnancy are times of great opportunity to re-visit your food choices! We all know about the importance of folic acid and adequate protein in pregnancy, but only some people realize that it is essential to give developing babies plenty of healthy fats for brain and nervous system development. We also need to consume plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables to supply enough minerals for healthy tissues, bones, and teeth. Think about the quality of foods you buy and consider local and/ or organic produce. For more information on the way in which you choose your food sources read about the benefits of choosing locally grown foods at “10 Reasons to Eat Local Food” (http://www.eatlocalchallenge.com/2006/04/10_reasons_to_e.html#more)

Welcoming a new life into the world is one of the most simple and natural, and yet most complex and mystifying processes we will ever go through! This is the time when you have the opportunity to set the stage for long-term health and can teach a child how to truly care for his/ her health. Bring your family together and create healthcare for yourselves and future generations.
 

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