Philosophy

Ray Peat, nutrition, metabolism, fertility, infertility, wellness, holistic, evidence-based, insulin-resistance, hormone balance.

A healthy metabolism can be restored by taking advantage of various life-giving substances, many of which are simple and inexpensive


There are so many confusing health messages today. Some things are marketed to us as being "healthy", but in fact are actually harmful. And some things we are told are "unhealthy" are actually good for us and we shouldn't be avoiding them. Evidence-based information can help empower you to make your own healthy choices. Choices about what you eat, what personal care products you put on your skin, and your lifestyle are important. 

Creating a supportive environment to maximize your metabolism is an important first step. Your metabolism runs the show and restoring it will allow cells to function at a higher level......producing hormones, structure and substances necessary for good health and fertility.

You can learn to easily monitor your metabolism at home. Some foods, substances and activities can actually slow the metabolism and are hormone disruptors, while others will increase it and improve health. Some slow it for 24 hours, others for as long as 2-3 months. Some accumulate over time and are difficult to get rid of, and we may need "tools" to assist us as we remove these harmful substances. Some will also need the support of the youthful hormones. You can easily begin to determine the need for these by learning to monitor your metabolic rate and chart your hormonal profiles at home. 

When we eat better and include physical activity we often feel and look better. 

Each person's circumstances are unique. Nutritional factors are one of the most influential environmental aspects upon our health, but not the only one. Factors such as stress, physical activity and toxin exposure need to be addressed. The field of epigenetics is revealing this more and more. We each have unique genes, but the expression of genes is influenced by our environment, of which diet plays the key role. Your grandparents' and great grandparents' diet and environment may likely have an important influence on your health today, just as your choices may likely impact the health and fertility of your children and grandchildren. 

 

 

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Adding and removing some things from the diet can be a very effective first step to help you reach your wellness goals.

It doesn’t need to be difficult nor does it mean giving up everything you love. I can help you make your favorite dishes healthier often by simply using healthier ingredients. Taking advantage of the many life supporting substances can be beneficial as an adjunct to medical treatment on your path to wellness.

 

Challenging the Paradigm

We are our bodies. What we do with our body matters. As this website unfolds, it will address the challenges we all face in the current medical paradigm in which find ourselves.

The reductionist view

The current medical paradigm often focuses on reducing a person down to a system, symptom or lab value. One such example can be seen in the fact that most fertility disorders, approximately 80%, are associated with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, and have some degree of insulin-resistance. This focus leads to many practitioners who recommend low-carb and low-glycemic diets, along with diabetic drug treatments for certain fertility and other health conditions. Data shows these approaches most often give short-term gain and long-term problems. They don't address the elevated cortisol, inflammatory and other stress substances or the multitude of contributing factors...the least of which is sugar! Low-glycemic diets ruin the metabolism over time...for many this can be as short as a few months.

When a patient presents with an irregular cycle, some practitioners prescribe the pill to make the cycle look normal. This "band-aid" covers up the problem, but does not address the underlying cause. The underlying conditions often worsen on the chemicals and problems go undiagnosed. 

Fertility drugs may help boost your ovulation helping you to conceive, but again don't correct the often underlying condition which remains. Studies suggest those who need to use fertility drugs have more problems with the pregnancy and the development of the baby, and there is a negative affect on the longterm health of the child. A University of California study suggests there may be an almost 300-fold increase in childhood disorders such as autism in those that use fertility treatments.

What has caused them to be unable to conceive goes on to cause problems. It is as if a brick wall has stopped you becoming pregnant. Treatment allows you to climb over the wall, but it is still there and it goes on to cause problems.”
— Prof. Mary Croughan, University of California

It is best to restore your health and fertility before conceiving. It's best to conceive naturally. Many have spent countless resources and valuable time on a multitude of treatments that have not helped, some resulting in more harm than good.

New perspectives

Evidenced-based research supports using diet, nutrients, protective substances & hormones to restore and maintain health while avoiding substances that are harmful. When you provide the right environment, the body can heal itself and restore balance. Many harmful things exist in foods and supplements are marketed to us as being 'healthy'.

Several foods and environmental factors are hormone disruptors. Hormones act in minute amounts to cause significant harm. These exist in our personal care products, our own endogenous hormone levels, foods, lifestyle choices and supplements. For example, many who take what is marketed as a "healthy" supplement consume them in large amounts thinking they are good for them. I see many who think that because they are not healthy yet, they need even more, causing even further harm. 

Ensuring you are getting adequate nutrients is key. Nutrients are best obtained from natural sources and from your foods. Traditional fertility diets throughout time around the world, are rich in nutrient-dense foods such as butter, liver, shellfish and eggs. Our modern lifestyle, environment, marketing for the past several decades to discourage the use of nutrient dense foods, marketing to discourage sun exposure and to use harmful sunscreens, and many other things have contributed to an increase in fertility disorders. Experience comparing hormonal profiles in the clinical setting has given considerable discovery with regards to the key roles of: nutrients, saturated fats, daylight & sun exposure, protective hormones such as progesterone, pregnenolone and thyroid, the role of inflammation, stress, the immune system, restoring glucose regulation and metabolic rate.

I am inspired by the work of Ray Peat, PhD, as he has the larger overall picture. He does not reduce someone down to a lab value or system, but views the whole as "interdependent at every level”. This approach gives a basis for restoring health….for the long-term, alleviating problems of development and degeneration by using energy-protective materials. He introduced me to a wealth of researchers such as Hans Selye, Constance Martin, W.F. Koch, Szent-Gyrogyi, Mechnikov, Otto Warburg, Broda Barnes, Gilbert Ling, Gerald H. Pollack and many others.

These new perspectives focus on increasing the metabolism and decreasing stress. At the cellular level this means increasing the energy and respiration of the cell (mitochondria), while reducing inflammation and stress hormones. The body is then able to restore balance and stability, and heal itself when the proper environment is provided. Various extremely effective life-giving substances contribute to a supportive environment, many of which are simple and inexpensive.

 

 
The cycle variants should not be considered as abnormal, they are normal responses to the environment to ensure that pregnancy does not occur under very unfavorable conditions for the mother and fetus.
— Prof. James B. Brown, 2000
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Adaptability is probably the most distinctive characteristic of life.
— Hans Selye
 

 Client-centered                                                  

      Evidenced-based                  

Empowering

 

Each life is a gift!