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

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