Calendula and Chicken Salad

Calendula officinalis is used in traditional western herbal medicine to increase wound healing, soothe inflamed skin and improve lymphatic congestion.  Containing high amounts of flavonoids, calendula extracts have been used for medicinal purposes since at least the 12th century for acne, ulcers and insect bites.  It’s petals are also commonly added to herbal tea blends to soothe the digestive system and improve free radical elimination. 

In the culinary world calendula makes a beautiful colorful addition to salads, adding a subtle bittersweet flavor.

Calendula is also known as pot marigold but should not be confused with other plants that are also known as marigolds, such as corn marigold, desert marigold, or marsh marigold or plants of the genus Tagetes. 

Salad Ingredients
(Makes 4 servings)

1 large skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded

4 cups baby rocket
1 blood orange peeled and sectioned
1 grapefruit peeled and sectioned
1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts
petals from 6 calendula officinalis flowers
1 avocado – quartered, peeled, sliced

Dressing (Makes 1 cup)

1/2 cup blood orange juice
2 Tbsp tahini
petals from one calendula flower
1 Tbsp honey
1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon chives

Instructions


Serve a bed of rocket and avocado on each plate. Top with shredded chicken orange and grapefruit sections and radish sprouts, creating as much height as possible on the plate. Sprinkle the calendula petals and drizzle with dressing.

To make the dressing blend all the ingredients until smooth. The calendula will produce a bright yellow color that is loaded with antioxidants.  Sprinkle over the salad and garnish with a calendula flower.  Enjoy!

Narelle Stegehuis, is a practicing medical herbalist and naturopath specializing in restorative endocrinology for women, with over 14 years clinical experience with fertility.  She is both an accomplished writer, editor and technical training advisor for the media.  A recipient of the Australian Naturopathic Excellence Award, Narelle adopts an integrated approach of both medical science and traditional complementary health care principles.  www.bumpfertility.com.au

The impact of free radicals on fertility

Ensuring your body is baby ready with targeted natural pre-conceptive care can dramatically increase your odds of falling pregnant faster and with unexplained infertility affecting up to 28% of women, there is no better time than now to get started.  Although hormonal influences are well documented to influence fertility, the effects of oxidative stress due to free radical damage is often overlooked.  So what are free radicals?

By definition, free radicals are the by-product of oxygen use. An oxygen molecule becomes unstable and has the potential to do damage to cells and DNA. Anti-oxidants, on the other hand, are substances that bind to this unstable molecule and thus stop it from doing harm. In a healthy body, there is a balance between anti-oxidants and free radicals, but when there is more free radical production or levels of antioxidants are low, the scales tip towards free radicals and oxidative stress occurs.

In very simple terms, oxidative stress damages DNA, and as a consequence cells become damaged, self-destruct or die. This affects your whole body, including the entire reproductive tract, from egg production to fertilization, embryo development and pregnancy. Numerous studies have shown that oxidative stress plays a role in infertility, including the development of endometriosis and possibly PCOS.²

How do free radicals affect fertility?

In men, free radicals are responsible for abnormal and non-viable sperm cells, poor sperm motility and low sperm count.^1,2,6 This accounts for roughly 50% of all infertility cases, but often it is the woman who first comes in for investigations when there are difficulties conceiving. So what harm can free radicals do in women?

Let’s start in the ovaries. Various types of free radicals can lower the quality of the eggs.^1,2,6 That means that you already start with a disadvantage.  Then there is the fact that free radicals inhibit secretion of progesterone,²  a hormone that prepares the uterus for implantation of a fertilized egg. Low progesterone levels lead to poorer quality of the lining of the uterus, decreasing the chances on implantation and a viable pregnancy.²

But they not only affect progesterone production, they can also reduce or inhibit oestrogen production², even further reducing the quality of the lining of your womb. The chances on a viable pregnancy are much reduced by now.

But let’s assume that an egg is released into your fallopian tubes and your womb is preparing for implantation. Free radicals then create a hostile environment in the fallopian tubes, making it harder for the sperm cells to reach and fertilize the released egg.^2,6 If the sperm cells themselves are already damaged, have poor mobility or are low in number due to oxidative stress in the male partner, the chances that a healthy sperm cell reaches the released egg and actually fertilizes it, are not great.

Let’s be optimistic and assume that sperm and egg cell meet and merge, and make it down to the womb. Once there, they encounter nitric oxide, a free radical which inhibits implantation by increasing inflammation in the uterus.^2,6 The fertilized egg, that has beat the odds so far, has nowhere to implant, and no option but to die off and flush out with the menstrual flow.

This means that from start to finish, free radicals fight fertility all the way. And that is just in women without any underlying medical conditions that impair fertility. In those who suffer endometriosis or PCOS, free radicals make conceiving even harder.

Free radicals and endometriosis

As already mentioned before, the presence of free radicals triggers inflammation. Via a complicated chain-reaction, this leads to increased growth and adhesions of endometrial tissue outside the uterus, contributing to the development of endometriosis. ^2,3 It has been suggested that iron from blood that flows up into the peritoneal cavity rather than down the fallopian tubes (a process called retrograde flow) instigates this inflammation, but it is very possible that more factors play a role, as high levels of specific free radicals are found in women suffering from endometriosis regardless of high iron levels.^1-5 These free radicals are not found in healthy women, indicating that endometriosis is at least partly caused by free radicals.

Free radicals and PCOS

It is not fully understood yet how free radicals contribute to the development of PCOS, but their levels s are much higher in blood of women with PCOS than those without.^8,9,10  One possible explanation for this might be the fact that oxidative stress significantly increases blood sugar levels, resulting in impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance.^8,11 Insulin resistance then further contributes to oxidative stress by generating more free radicals, perpetuating the cycle.^8,12,13,14 It is well known that insulin resistance is a major contributing factor in the development of PCOS. Up to 60% of women with PCOS have insulin resistance, with this number climbing to 75% if they are overweight.⁸

Can free radicals still do harm after you have conceived?

The short answer to this question is: yes. In women who miscarry in the first trimester, higher markers of oxidative stress (in response to presence of free radicals) were present in the placenta than in women who had a healthy pregnancy.¹ Not surprisingly, these same women had lower levels of antioxidants.

This means that free radicals not only fight you all the way with conception, but continue to fight you during pregnancy and even labour. By now it should be clear that you want the levels of free radicals to be as low as possible if you want to conceive and have a healthy pregnancy and baby. That brings us to the next question.

What causes high levels of free radicals?

Free radicals are normal part of oxygen use. You could consider them a by-product of it. Under healthy circumstances they are not harmful. It is only when your body doesn’t have enough anti-oxidants to counteract them, or when they are present in higher levels, that they become a problem.

As mentioned before, inflammation is a major cause for increased levels. But there are other factors are well that contribute:

-          Cigarette smoke is known to contain many toxins that act as free radicals and damage DNA. It has been linked with increased risk on infertility, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, low birth weight and delayed conception during IVF.  This applies to second-hand-smoke, too.¹

-          Regular  coffee and alcohol consumption lowers levels of antioxidants and increases oxidative stress. It promotes cell death and damages DNA, delays conception, increases risk of miscarriage and contributes to poor development of the embryo.¹

-          Recreational drugs generate free radicals that impair egg formation, inhibit implantation and disrupt embryo development.¹

-          Pesticides are well known to have a negative influence on all stages of fertility, from poor egg and sperm quality to poor implantation and impaired embryo development.¹

-          Everyday products like makeup and varnish contain Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s), which are linked to increased risk of miscarriage and poor endometrial quality.¹

It is obvious that any of these factors should be avoided well before you start thinking about starting a family.

What can you do for this?

Anti-oxidants are substances that can help make free radicals harmless again or counter their effect. The most well-known anti-oxidants are vitamin C and vitamin E.  Zinc, selenium and copper are needed to activate some antioxidants, but are not antioxidants in themselves.¹ Coloured vegetables, especially purple ones, are known to be high in anti-oxidants; while several herbs can act as anti-oxidants, too. Including these types of foods regularly in your diet could be a good place to start.

How can you measure if you’ve got free radicals?

Free radicals are not picked up on standard blood tests, but the good news is that you can do a test in the convenience of your own home simply by collecting a urine sample and processing this in the

OraxX test kit. The urine will react with a substance provided, and the colour that appears, shows you in which levels free radicals are present: low, moderate, high or excessively high.

If you are interested in this test, please contact our clinic on 1300 133 536 or via info@bumpfertility.com.au . We can send this kit out to you, help you with the assessment of the test results and develop a treatment plan for you to lower these free radicals and improve your fertility.

Narelle Stegehuis, is a practicing medical herbalist and naturopath specializing in restorative endocrinology for women, with over 14 years clinical experience in natural fertility care.  She is both an accomplished writer, editor and technical training advisor for the media.  A recipient of the Australian Naturopathic Excellence Award, Narelle adopts an integrated approach of both medical science and traditional complementary health care principles. www.bumpfertility.com.au

References:

1.       Agarwal A, Aponte- Mellado A et all, “The effects of oxidative stress on female reproduction: a review” – Reproductive biology and endocrinology, 2012, 10:49

2.       Agarwal A, Gupta S, Sharma RK, “Role of oxidative stress in female reproduction” – Reproductive biology and endocrinology, 2005, 3:28

3.       Jackson LW, Schisterman EF, Dey-Roa R, Browne R, Armstrong D, “Oxidative stress and endometriosis” – Human reproduction, vol 20, no7, p 2014-2020, 2005

4.       Lousse JC, van Langendonckt A et all, “Peritoneal endometriosis is an inflammatory disease” – Frontier in Bioscience, E4, 23-40, Jan 2012

5.       Osman Hussein G, El-Refaey AAA, et all, “Role of some trace elements in the physiopathology of endometriosis” – Journal of Endometriosis, vol 4, issue 2, April-June 2012

6.       Hammadeh ME, Hamad M et all “Effect of oxidative stress on ART outcome” – Oxidative stress in applied basic research and clinical practice, 2012, part 2, 449-483

7.       Santanam N, Kavtaradze N, “Antioxidant supplementation reduces endometriosis-related pelvic pain in humans” – Translational research, May 2012

8.       Joo Yeon Lee, Chin-Kun Baw et all, “Role of Oxidative stress in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome” – Current women’s health reviews, 20120, 6, 96-107

9.       Aponta Am, Agarwal A, “Oxidative stress impact on fertility of women with Polycystic ovary Syndrome” – Oxidative stress in applied basic research and clinical practice, 2013 (published online  in Sept 2012), 169-180

10.   Zhang D, Luo WY, Liao H, Wang CF, Sun Y, “the effects of oxidative stress to PCOS” – Sichuan Da Xue Xue Bao Y Xue Ban, 2008 May; 39 (3): 421-3

11.   Xin Wang, Chunshan Gu et all, “Glucose oxidase induces insulin resistance via influencing multiple targets in vitro and in vivo: the central role of oxidative stress” – Biochimie, vol 94, issue 8, August 2012, p 1705-1717

12.   Holvoet P, “Relations between metabolic syndrome, oxidative stress and inflammation and cardiovascular disease” – Verh K Acad Geneeskunde Belgie, 2008, 70 (3), p 193-219

13.   Evans JL, Maddux BA et all “Antioxidants and redox signalling” – July/August 2005, 7(7-8), p 1040-1052

14.   Evans JL, Goldfine ID, Maddux BA, Grodsky GM, “Are oxidative stress activated signalling pathways mediators of insulin resistance and B-cell dysfunction?” – Perspectives in diabetes, vol 52, January 2003

The Truth About Premature Ovarian Failure & Fertility

Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) or primary ovarian insufficiency, affects  approximately 1 in 3 Australian women.  It is a symptom that describes a stop in the normal functioning of the ovaries in a woman younger than age 40 and is a leading cause of infertility. Although medical treatment to reverse POF is limited, identification and reversal of the underlying cause with  medicinal herbs and orthomolecular therapy, can improve a woman’s ability to have a baby naturally.

What are the symptoms of premature ovarian failure?

The most common symptom of premature ovarian failure is skipping or having irregular periods.  

Some women with premature ovarian failure also have other symptoms, similar to those of women going through natural menopause.   

What causes premature ovarian failure?

Firstly, POF is different to premature menopause.  Researchers know that in women with ovarian failure something happens to stop the normal functioning of the ovaries; but in most cases, the exact cause is not identified.

This is why it is important to not just treat the symptom, but address the cause.   The factors that cause POF are multidimensional and complex.  Although most research focuses on a problem with the follicles in the ovaries, identifying and reversing the underlying cause is the key to improved fertility.

Getting to the cause takes time, expertise and an individual approach. 

Although there is no proven medical treatment to improve a premature ovarian failure, many women have successfully turned their fertility odds around.  The best way to improve your fertility with POF is to take a different approach.  

This Was The Case in Tracey's Fertility Journey. Read Her Story.  

To fall pregnant with POF, you need to look beyond the boundaries of a general 'symptom based' simplistic consultation and reverse the cause.

At BumpFertility we apply segmentation based, multilayered, diagnostic techniques, that combine over 14 years of experience with modern research and technology. We then support your body’s natural balance by using medicinal herbs, orthomolecular therapy and diet.

Together, these elements provide a solid platform to redefine your health and help you to fall pregnant faster.

Narelle Stegehuis, is a practicing medical herbalist and naturopath specializing in restorative endocrinology and fertility, with over 14 years clinical experience.  She is both an accomplished writer, editor and technical training advisor for the Complementary Health Care Council.  A recipient of the Australian Naturopathic Excellence Award, Narelle adopts an integrated approach of both medical science and traditional complementary health care principles.  She can be contacted at  www.bumpfertility.com.au

Fertility Friendly Zucchini Soup

4 to 6 servings.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

zucchini, (about 7 cups diced)

2 teaspoons curry powder

6 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water

1/4 cup basmati rice

Salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper

Pinch of cayenne

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For garnish:

2 tablespoons chopped chives

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it is tender, about 5 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt, the garlic and the zucchini and stir for about a minute, until the garlic smells fragrant.
2. Add the curry powder, stir together, and add the stock or water, the rice and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.
3. Purée the soup with blender.
4. Return to the pot, heat through, add pepper and cayenne to taste and stir in the lemon juice. Serve, garnishing with chopped chives.

Narelle Stegehuis, is a practicing medical herbalist and naturopath specializing in restorative endocrinology for women, with over 14 years clinical experience.  She is both an accomplished writer, editor and technical training advisor for the Complementary Health Care Council.  A recipient of the Australian Naturopathic Excellence Award, Narelle adopts an integrated approach of both medical science and traditional complementary health care principles. 

Her services can be accessed at www.bumpfertility.com.au

Discover Your NEW Fertility Path

Fertility profiling and conception mapping are the first steps towards falling pregnant and maintaining a healthy pregnancy, as Kathryn*, 42 years of Melbourne discovered.

Kathryn’s Story

After I started my new job, my health changed.  For starters, I always felt bloated and my periods had become painful.  To top it off, a family trauma left my immune system so low that I was constantly run down.  In spite of several courses of antibiotics, I just couldn’t get well again and now I was suffering from thrush!

It was when my periods stopped that I knew I was really unhealthy and that my chances of conceiving were low. 

Over the next 12 months we tried to conceive naturally, with no luck and my symptoms worsened; (weight gain, poor immunity, bloating) and I was also constantly fatigued.  I was no longer ovulating so I had a scan.  Although I had ovarian cysts, I didn’t have enough to be diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovarian Disorder.  At least I had an explanation, but with no answer, I was rapidly giving up hope. 

There had to be a reason why I could not fall pregnant and was so unwell –  I knew I had to find it. I had tried Chaste Tree, Evening Primrose Oil and Acupuncture and although they were helping a little, I felt they were not enough. 

We tried IVF but could not achieve a healthy implantation.  I cried for days when I was told that our chances of conceiving were slim.  But I just could not give up hope.

Narelle’s Comments

Kathryn’s story is a perfect example of how important fertility profiling and conception mapping is.  We see all too often the effects of ‘blanket treatments’ that treat the symptom rather than the cause. It is important to remember that to restore fertility and long term health, you need to identify the initial cause and this takes time and expertise.  Investing time into getting to the ‘root’ cause of Kathryn’s health challenges is what made the difference.  This is what Kathryn’s ‘conception’ map looked like:

After chatting to Kathryn, I established her fertility profile and a conception map that was not only going to restore ovulation and implantation, but also improve egg quality.  These three factors, combined would not only improve her fertility, but also her energy and overall health.   

Kathryn’s  treatment strategy included a personalized tonic using traditional medicinal herbs such Golden Seal and Gentian to restore  digestive infection and Withania combined with Albizzia and Rehmannia to restore adrenal health, lower inflammation and improve immunity.  Other herbs such as Paeonia, Angelica and Pasque flower were included throughout her treatment  to support hormonal balance and improve glucose control. 

Targeted dietary changes to support fertility health according to her personalized profile including limiting broccoli and eating more blueberries were provided in an easy to understand format, that fitted well with Kathryn’s busy life. 

Personalized orthomolecular therapy and nutritional therapy, formed part of Kathryn’s long term plan.  These changes, combined with gentle detoxification techniques; gently guided her fertility health to new levels.  Her new conception plan was a must for overcoming her symptoms of period pain, fatigue, bloating, lowered immunity, hormonal imbalance, weight gain and unexplained infertility.

Outcome:

Today, Kathryn has restored energy levels and is no longer bloated.  Her immune system is healthy and she has lost weight.  She feels healthy again and has conceived naturally.

Discover your conception map.  Start by completing your Assessment online at: www.bumpfertility.com.au/f_form.php

Fertility Friendly Beef Casserole

Hearty comfort meals can be fertility friendly. This delicious beef stew, is full of vegetables and legumes for added nutrition.  

The added ginger helps to bring warmth and energy to the reproductive system.  Legumes support healthy insulin levels and kale is jam packed with extra nutrients.  All important factors in eating for reproductive health.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 cup dried borlotti beans
• 1/3 cup lentils
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 800g beef chuck steak, cut into3cm pieces
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 200g button mushrooms, halved
• 3/4 cup dry red wine
• sprinkle of dried ground ginger
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 red capsicum, chopped
• 1/2 bunch silverbeet or kale, trimmed, shredded finely

Method

1. Place beans and lentils in a small bowl. Cover with boiling water. Set aside for 1 hour. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat half the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add half the beef. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining oil and beef.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and garlic to pan. Cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Add mushroom and wine. Bring to the boil. Return beef and juices to pan. Add tomato, stock and capsicum. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour 15 minutes. Add ginger, beans and lentils. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until beef is tender. Stir in silverbeet. Cook for 5 minutes or until wilted. Serve.