If you are experiencing infertility, get all the medical help you can.   Next, check out the common toxins that you may be exposed to, both at home and at work, and take steps to reduce your exposure.  Also, restore and nourish your bodies with good nutrition, therapeutic supplements, and stress management techniques.  And last but not least, detoxify your body of heavy metals, chemicals and other toxins that may be lurking in your body tissues.  By following these steps, you will go a long way in saving your reproductive health.

There are several occupations that can be termed as "high risk" when it comes to reproductive health.  The following is a list of occupations and the risks they entail:

 Flight Attendants

Environmental Risk:  Radiation and increased gravitational forces
Observed Effects:  The risk of miscarriage nearly doubles

 Pharmacists, Health Care Workers

Environmental Risk:  Cancer treatment drugs (ie. Methotrexate)
Observed Effects:  Infertility, miscarriage, birth defects

Dry Cleaning Personnel

Environmental Risk:  Solvents used in cleaning (ie. Methylene Chloride)
Observed Effects:  Infertility is three times higher in the dry cleaning industry

Medical Workers

Environmental Risk:  Exposure to ethylene oxide (used to sterilize instruments)
Observed Effects:  May cause birth defects in early pregnancy and miscarriage

X-Ray Technicians

Environmental Risk:  Repeated exposure to radiation
Observed Effects:  Affects sperm production and ovarian function

Environmental Risk:  Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides
Observed Effects:  Infertility, miscarriage, birth defects

Environmental Risk:  Pesticides and chlorinated hydrocarbons
Observed Effects:  Infertility, decreased sperm count, ovarian problems

Environmental Risk:  Numerous chemical and heavy metal exposures
Observed Effects:  Infertility, miscarriage, developmental disorders

Environmental Risk:  Solvents used in firefighting

Observed Effects:  Hazardous to the female reproductive system

Environmental Risk:  Lead
Observed Effects:  Miscarriages, infertility and stillbirths

Environmental Risk:  Mercury vapors, nitrous oxide
Observed Effects: Greater risk for infertility, miscarriage

Operating Room Personnel

Environmental Risk:  Anesthetic gases
Observed Effects:  Reduced fertility and increased rates of pregnancy loss

Garment Workers

Environmental Risk:  Exposure to Carbon disulfide
Observed Effects:  Menstrual cycle changes

Environmental Risk:  Lead, mercury vapors
Observed Effects:  Infertility, miscarriage, developmental disorders

Environmental Risk:  Solvents (ie. Tuolene) used in paints, glues and varnishes
Observed Effects:  Carcinogens that are harmful to the reproductive system

Environmental Risk: Video display terminals (computers)
Observed Effects:  Women exposed to more than 20 hours per week may be at a higher risk for pregnancy loss because of electromagnetic radiation (EMR).

We suggest getting a hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA) to help you determine accurately what your body needs more of in terms of essential trace minerals and needs to eliminate in terms of toxic heavy metals and toxic mineral ratios.

Toxic mineral ratios and toxic metal accumulation following long term or acute exposure can contribute greatly to degenerative conditions like infertility.

Essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium and sodium all have important metabolic functions. However, too little or too much of any of these essential minerals can have an adverse affect on the human body and it’s ability to recover.

How can a hair analysis help me achieve better health?

If we consider that diet is what we consume and nutrition is what we retain, then we can see that discovering what your body needs when it needs it is a valuable tool in creating health.

The dangers of exposure to toxic heavy metals such as mercury, lead and aluminum have been well documented over the years.

Levels of heavy metals in the body can only be accurately measured using a hair tissue analysis or a chelation challenge test (which can be expensive and have serious side-effects). Blood or urine tests give information about your metal or mineral levels at the time of the test only.

A hair analysis provides a biological profile of the past 2 – 3 months of intracellular activity revealing a unique metabolic world which cannot be seen through most other tests. The hair mineral analysis gives you or your healthcare professional much-needed information about mineral deficiencies and chemical imbalances in your body, especially if you’re suffering from symptoms of any disease or disorder, including infertility.

For FAQ’s about hair analysis, please click here.

If you have already been exposed to any of these toxins, or if you continue to work in a "high risk" profession, what should you do?  First of all, it is necessary to remove the stored toxins and chemicals from your body.

Toxic chemicals, metals and radiation poisons are stored within the tissues and organs of the body, and they are not removed through traditional detoxification methods, such as fasting. 

Infrared Saunas have an excellent reputation for removing both metal and chemical contaminants from the body. They are a wonderful addition to other natural chelators, especially for removing chemicals that one is exposed to on a daily basis. One drawback is that they are expensive ( $3,500 and up), or require visits to a health care practitioner's office.

Another very good and inexpensive way to detoxify is to take a bath in sodium bentonite clay. Sodium bentonite clay can be a very simple and effective way to remove heavy metals and chemical contaminants from the surface tissue of the body.

When you mix bentonite clay with water, it creates a large negatively charged surface area. When the body is in a tub of warm water, the warm water opens up the pores of the skin, and the positively charged toxic particles are drawn through the pores of the skin, to be absorbed by the clay.

Most chemical and metal toxins have a postive charge, whereas the clay has a negative charge. Thus, the toxins cannot resist being drawn towards the clay. Bentonite clay has a great capacity for absorbing many times its own weight in toxins. In other words, clay baths have been shown to literally pull pollutants out through the skin, getting rid of many months and years of toxic accumulations.

It is important that you find a clay that has been purified, so it contains no mold, yeast, bacteria or fungus. Also, it helps to use a clay that mixes well and disperses easily with warm water to get maximum effectiveness. Some clays do not mix well in the tub, leaving you with a cumbersome and messy clean-up.

For more information and to purchase the Thermal Life® Far Infrared Sauna from High Tech Health, Inc., please click here.

Glutathione is a short string of amino acids called a peptide. It is composed of three amino acids: glycine, glutamine and cysteine.

Glutathione is a major player in detoxifying the body of many toxic pollutants, including toxic metals and chemicals. Glutathione deficiency impairs the body's ability to get rid of toxins whether they are environmental or the by-products of cellular metabolism.

If we have low glutathione levels we slowly become toxic, storing away poisons in our tissues, organs, muscles and brain. We simply cannot detoxify effectively if our glutathione levels are too low, no matter what form of detoxification we undertake.

Glutathione is made by all the cells in the body, and is the body’s master antioxidant and detoxifying agent. In one review, almost 80% of people with chronic ailments were found to be deficient in glutathione. In fact, low levels of glutathione are involved in all disease states.

Why? – because the heavier the cumulative toxic burden on the body, the greater this depletes supplies of glutathione. For example: One molecule of mercury uses up one molecule of glutathione. Since all chronic, degenerative disorders are triggered, in part, by the toxic load, it is small wonder to see why glutathione levels are such an important marker.

Glutathione is a supplement that is extremely difficult to absorb.  Most oral supplements are worthless, because the digestive tract destroys the nutrient before it can be absorbed. 

Supplements such as NAC can help your body make more glutathione, but the effect is mild. This is why intravenous therapy was once considered to be the only therapy that really works.

According to Dr. Marcus Laux, it is important to find an oral glutathione supplement that your body can truly absorb.  It survives the trip through your intestines because the glutathione is contained in microscopic little pouches called liposomes. Thus, the glutathione enters your bloodstream intact.  According to Dr. Laux, liposomes were recently tested in rigorous scientific studies, and were found to have an amazing 90% absorption rate.  That’s comparable to intravenous glutathione therapy, for a fraction of the cost. 

A cell culture study was conducted on glutathione at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School by Gail Zeevalk, PhD. The study showed the neuro-protective nature of the glutathione from damage due to the known neuro-toxicants maneb (fungicide) and paraquat (herbicide).

Vitamin E and Selenium

Studies have shown that vitamin E is important to fertility for both men and women.  Vitamin E 400 IU with selenium 200 mcg daily shows pregnancies rise by 21%. Selenium is manufactured from plant-derived saccharides and combines an amino acid carrier to ensure absorption.

Buffered Vitamin C 

3000 mg or Vitamin C daily prevents low sperm count and sperm clumping, and is helpful for female infertility as well.

Vitamin C helps to strengthen the immune system. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that protects against free radical damage. Vitamin C also helps to strengthen the walls of veins and arteries. It cleanses and flushes out toxins from your body.

There are numerous sources of toxins we are exposed to on a daily basis, both at home and through our lifestyle choices.  The following is a list of exposures that are known to  have a negative effect on fertility and reproductive health:

• Tap water
• Cigarette smoke
• Marijuana
• Other illicit drugs, including cocaine
• Alcohol (even moderate drinking can affect fertility)
• Household cleaners
• Pesticides and insecticides
• Second-hand smoke
• Old microwaves
• Electric blankets or heating pads
• Red meats (they may have synthetic hormones that mimic the effects of estrogen)

1. Don't smoke.
   
   
2. Don't use recreational drugs.
   
   
3. Don't drink alcohol.
   
   
4. Avoid caffeine, including coffee, soft drinks, chocolate and black teas.
   
   
5. Use environmentally safe household cleaners and pesticides.
   
   
6. Use protective equipment to reduce exposures to workplace hazards.
   
   
7. Drink purified water to avoid chlorine and other chemicals.
   
   
8. Avoid junk food, fast foods, and chemical-laced food.
   
   
9. Eat organic meats, fruits and vegetables.
   
   
10. Get mild, daily exercise.
    
    
11. Take all reasonable treatments to remove toxins from the body.
    
    
12. Use supportive supplements.