Enhancing Fertility through Functional Medicine: Using Nutrigenomics to Solve 'Unexplained' Infertility

Description

Enhancing Fertility through Functional Medicine: Using Nutrigenomics to Solve 'Unexplained' Infertility provides cutting-edge information and solutions to help support the worldwide rise of fertility challenges. It addresses common, yet not commonly known, root-causes of oxidative stress that are at the heart of reproductive issues (and all chronic health issues). These solutions can help enhance the outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) or support women to avoid them altogether. Enhancing Fertility through Functional Medicine: Using Nutrigenomics to Solve 'Unexplained' Infertility will show you how to improve cell health (including egg and sperm), lower inflammation, balance nervous system functioning, and optimize genetic expression, allowing the body to return to its naturally fertile state. It details information on numerous root causes of health-derailing inflammation and oxidative stress, while the appendices discuss the genetic and biochemical pathways related to these topics. Each chapter also provides easy “Action Steps” that can be implemented immediately. Chapter topics include iron dysregulation; oxalates; mold/mycotoxins; phase 2 liver detoxification pathways; fat utilization; introductory information on genetics, epigenetics, and nutrigenomics; everything one needs to know about histamine intolerance; and how these factors adversely affect metabolic and reproductive functions. Enhancing Fertility through Functional Medicine: Using Nutrigenomics to Solve 'Unexplained' Infertility is the handbook for people wanting to achieve and sustain a healthy pregnancy. It highlights lesser-known causes of fertility challenges the reader can learn how to investigate. This book also serves as a reference guide for practitioners, providing them with additional tools to add to their repertoires when other protocols have not been effective. It may also provide clarity as to why other protocols did not work and will enable the practitioner to custom-tailor protocols for each patient. Cover Half Title Endorsements Title Copyright Dedication Contents Foreword Acknowledgments Author Biography Introduction PART 1: Introduction to Functional Fertility and Oxidative Stress Chapter 1 What Is Functional Genomic Fertility? 1.1 My Realization 1.2 The Statistics on Infertility and Miscarriage 1.3 ART Statistics 1.4 What Exactly Is a Hormone, Anyway? 1.5 A Word on Assisted Reproductive Technologies in Relation to Hormones References Chapter 2 Oxidative Stress and Inflammation as Major Root Causes of Reproductive Issues 2.1 Inflammation as a Cause and Result of Oxidative Stress 2.2 How Inflammation Affects Fertility References PART 2: Your 12-Week Functional Fertility Solution Chapter 3 Improving Sleep Quality as a Solid Foundation for Fertility References Chapter 4 Get Salivary Genetic Testing Done That Goes above and beyond Just MTHFR and Methylation 4.1 First, What Is a Gene? 4.2 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms 4.3 Enzymes Require Nutritional Cofactors in Order to Work 4.4 Epigenetics Describes the Way the Genome Interacts with the Environment 4.5 “Genetics Loads the Gun, but Environment Pulls the Trigger" 4.6 Food and Environment Are Information for Our Genes 4.7 Government Nutrition Recommendations Are Antiquated 4.8 Now That You Know All That, It’s Finally Time to Talk about MTHFR 4.9 Folic Acid Conversion to Folate 4.10 Methylfolate 4.11 Notes on Intermittent Fasting 4.12 Action Steps for Patients References Chapter 5 Eat a Nourishing Diet, Not a “Healthy” Diet 5.1 Water Nourishes the Body and Is Essential for Life 5.2 Here Are Some Basic Tips to Know If a Supplement Is Halfway Decent References Chapter 6 Address Stress: Your Physical and Emotional Health May Be Hindering Your Fertility References Chapter 7 Mold and Mycotoxins: Get the Mold Out 7.1 Mold Spores 7.2 Mycotoxins and Gut Health 7.3 Mold, Mycotoxins, and Reproductive Health 7.4 Testing for Mycotoxins in the Body 7.5 Clearing out the Mold References Chapter 8 Iron Behaving Badly: Understand Your Iron Status 8.1 While Hemochromatosis Isn’t All That Common, Iron Dysregulation Is 8.1.1 Iron Dysregulation and Its Effects on Fertility References Chapter 9 Investigate If Oxalates Are a Culprit 9.1 A Note on Oxalates and Estrogen Dominance References Chapter 10 The Importance of Proper Fat Utilization for Hormonal Balance and Fetal Growth 10.1 The Fat/Oxalate Relationship 10.2 L-Carnitine to the Rescue! 10.3 Other Helpful Nutrients for Proper Fat Usage References Chapter 11 Improve Egg and Sperm Health References Chapter 12 Toxins, Toxins, Everywhere: Prioritize Avoiding Toxins! 12.1 Toxins and Hormones 12.2 Toxins and Mitochondrial Energy Production (or Lack Thereof) 12.3 Plastics 12.4 Pesticides 12.5 Heavy Metals 12.6 Mold Exposure and Mycotoxins 12.7 Indoor Air Quality 12.8 Body Care Products References Chapter 13 Optimize Your Liver Detoxification Pathways and Detoxify with Precision 13.1 Drainage before Detoxification 13.2 Sulfation Is Critical for Hormonal Health 13.3 Sulfation Ability Impacts Thyroid Hormones 13.4 Vitamin D Levels Can Be Deficient If Someone Doesn’t Have Sulfate 13.5 Sulfite from Foods 13.6 Glucuronidation: The Unsung Hero 13.7 Glutathione Conjugation Pathway 13.8 Action Steps: How We Support Glutathione and the GST Genes 13.9 Acetylation 13.10 For All Acetylation Reactions, We Need Adequate Acetyl-CoA 13.11 Action Steps: Beginning to Support Acetylation 13.12 Phase 2.5 and Phase 3 Detox References Chapter 14 Show Your Guts Some Love 14.1 The Gut–Hormone Connection: How Gut Imbalance Leads to Inflammation and Hormonal Havoc References Chapter 15 Histamine Can Affect Reproductive Outcomes 15.1 What Is Histamine? 15.2 What Causes Histamine Intolerance? 15.3 Histamine Intake/Exposure 15.4 Histamine Production 15.5 Action Steps to Compensate for HDC Gene Upregulation and Slow Histidine-to-Histamine Conversion 15.6 Histamine Receptor Activity 15.7 Meet the Histamine Receptors 15.8 A Note on Antihistamines 15.9 The Ability to Clear Histamine from the Body 15.10 Nutritional Cofactors to Support DAO Activity 15.11 Excess Histamine Causes Poor Gut Health (and Vice Versa), Which Causes Low DAO, Which Causes Elevated Histamine 15.12 DAO Blockers 15.13 Methylation of Histamine 15.14 Testing for Histamine Intolerance 15.15 Acetylation of Histamine 15.16 Glucuronidation of Histamine 15.17 Probiotics: Harmful and Helpful 15.18 Histamine and Reproductive Outcomes References Chapter 16 Additional Support: Tighten Up Your Blood Sugar Levels: Why Addressing All the Previous Steps Will Help Balance Blood Sugar 16.1 Blood Sugar Imbalance = Rise in Cortisol = Reproductive Problems 16.2 The Blood Sugar Roller Coaster Constantly Relies on Cortisol to Save the Day References Chapter 17 Summing It Up/Conclusion Appendices Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 4 DNA Structure Ancestral/Wild Type versus Risk Allele Upregulation and Downregulation, Also Referred to as Gain of Function and Loss of Function Promotion of Autophagy to Keep mTOR in Check References Appendix 8 There Are Other Genes Relating to Iron Dysregulation besides the HFE Gene References Appendix 9 What a Urine Organic Acid Test Can Tell Us About Oxalates References Appendix 10 Appendix 11 NADPH Is Required for Glutathione Recycling Now, on to NOX NOX Must Be Kept under Control mTOR Stimulates NOX Homocysteine Stimulates NOX Additional Nerd Notes on Homocysteine Histamine Is Another Factor That Stimulates NOX Glutamate Stimulates NOX Natural Progesterone Promotes GABA and Suppresses Glutamate Caveat for GABA Supplementation Tamp down NOX Activity to Spare NADPH NAD+ and NADPH: Not to Be Confused, But Definitely Related What Are NADH and NAD+? Action Steps for Supporting NAD+ and NADPH Levels Let’s Go Upstream of NADPH Nrf2: An Essential Component for NADPH Production, along with Controlling Many Other Processes What Is Nrf2? Nerd Note for My Nerdies: Genetic Variants and Autophagy Nrf2, NADPH, and Folate NAD+ Governs Mating Ability via the SIRT Genes References Appendix 13 Phase II Detoxification Conjugation by Acetylation PANK Is Needed for Healthy Fats, Which Make Hormones References Appendix 15 Glossary of Terms Resources Index