life stages 143
All the men and women I have worked with in this situation have needed
a total health review, personal programs of treatment, and adaptogenic
herbs such as Siberian ginseng. A whole-body approach to natural healing
is needed, involving proper diet, healthy function of the digestive system,
the use of cleansing programs, exercise, and hydrotherapy.
- Nutritional support should focus on organic foods, thus avoiding
synthetic hormones fed to animals and pesticides in plants, all of
which can affect conception. - Eat a generally wholesome diet, reducing dairy and wheat intake and
increasing fruit and vegetables. - Consume at least three quarts of water daily.
- Ensure that your bowel is working well and your liver is working
effi ciently, rather than laboring under hormone imbalances. - Exercise will be important. Sitz baths will really help; see chapter 5.
Pregnancy
Creating magic in our bodies is part of the miracle of life. Pregnancy is a
time of bliss, vulnerability, femininity, creativity, and change.
It is a time to build and tone the body, to balance feeding oneself and
the baby within, with not overburdening the heart, circulatory system,
and other organs with unwanted weight gain or any other condition.
Before pregnancy is even entered into, it is wise to cleanse the colon, liver,
and kidneys (see chapter 6), and to be consistently eating nutritious foods.
This pattern should be established long before conception, if
possible — even though pregnancy is not, of course, always planned!
Pregnancy is not the time to cleanse and detoxify the system heavily,
though some minor cleansing work can be carried out with guidance and
under supervision. Good food, herbs, and a well-functioning colon are
vital. Once the placenta has grown (by the third month) and the fetus has
its own line of nutrition and detoxifi cation processes, you should attempt
only very minor cleansing programs, guided by a professional. A suitable
mini-cleanse could be aimed simply at decongesting the liver, which has a
tendency to become overworked, overheated, and overcongested just by
the pregnancy itself, with all the extra hormonal commitments it has to
cope with. Likewise, the colon can become a bit sluggish, owing to
hormonal changes and the extra bulk of the baby fi lling up available space
in that area. The kidneys, the home of female nurturing, need to be able
to perform the important role of helping to detoxify waste.
I strongly advise reading chapter 4, as the very best nutrition is vital
while building another human being. Do not consume fi sh, meat, or dairy
products raised on synthetic hormones, as these can complicate and
143 The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition