Be Fruitful: The Essential Guide to Maximizing Fertility and Giving Birth to a Healthy Child
Maizes, a medical doctor at Andrew Weil’s influential Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, argues compellingly that women should try natural, easy, not-too-invasive steps to improve their health to increase the odds that they will deliver healthy babies. She tells the story of how another doctor, Julianne Garrison, conceived her daughter by combining conventional medications (progesterone and Clomid) with more holistic techniques such as self-hypnosis and acupuncture, which some research shows improves blood flow through uterine arteries. Maizes points out eating organic foods and drinking tea are linked to better fertility. More surprising, Maizes notes that the Nurses’ Health Study found women who drank high-fat milk were less likely to be infertile than women who drank low-fat milk. Avoid high-mercury fish, such as shark and mackerel, and steer clear of domestic pesticides, such as weed killers and ant and roach sprays, which may contribute to low birth weight, birth defects, pregnancy loss, and infertility. Maizes also talks about Chinese medicine. Overall, this book will help any woman open to trying alternative medicine as a way to improve health and fertility. --Karen Springen