Your reproductive health is primarily influenced by the health of your Kidneys. According the Chinese Medical theory the Kidneys store essential energy, which feeds the reproductive organs and maintains their health. If the Kidneys become weak, then the sexual health of the person declines. A poor diet will cause your Spleen to overwork and this will also weaken the Kidneys. The Spleen is involved in the production of blood that nourishes the Uterus.
Dr. Lily Hua Yu, fertility expert at AcuMedic clinic, explains that the ideal diet should be balanced: “A balanced diet is important because you can replenish Kidney essence and Qi. Qi (stored in Kidneys) is vital to your health and fertility, but a big part of it is inherited from your parents. This congenital Qi, also known as Jing, is absolutely precious and fixed. The Qi you inherit will shape your constitution, as well as your ability to produce children. It gets used up during the course of life, and especially during a crisis or a serious illness, so you must protect it and develop it by maintaining a good diet and avoiding overwork”.
Vitamin B12, Iron and Folic acid are all vital to fertility. Vegans should have no problem with obtaining enough folic acid; however plant proteins do not provide the same level of nutrition as meat proteins. You can get vitamin B12 and Iron from produce; however meat is the preferred option. Dr. Lily suggests your diet should include 25-30% meat; otherwise there is a high chance of becoming anaemic.
According to traditional Chinese Medical theory, there are two kinds of energy. One is called Yin, the other is called Yang. The primary function of Yang is to warm and transform. Women with Kidney Yang deficiency experience symptoms of coldness and may feel generally low in energy. Excess of Yang may cause problems for those trying to conceive as it could cause a lack of progesterone, which could possibly lead to implantation failure.
Vegans have a tendency to be Yang deficient. This is due to the fact that we don’t get many warming foods that are fruit- and vegetable-based. For those who choose to be vegan, Dr. Lily recommends drinking warm soya milk and adding the following to your daily diet:
· 5 walnuts a day (especially good for the Kidneys)
· Chinese dates
· 30-40 Gouji Berries (wolfberry fruit)
· Yam
· Ginger
She also recommends adding warming spices to your diet, including cinnamon, cardamoms and nutmeg.
At AcuMedic Clinic, Dr. Lily and her team of specialists have been very effective in treating fertility problems in hundreds of patients for over 20 years with success rates currently at just fewer than 60%. She uses acupuncture, Chinese herbs and lifestyle medicine to provide men, women and couples with holistic treatment tailor-made to naturally boost fertility by improving health and treating various medical conditions which could be making natural conception difficult.