Detoxing and Pregnancy

I recently completed a hair analysis for a woman in Madrid who is pregnant. During pregnancy, she discovered that aspartame is toxic to the fetus and immediately stopped using all the chemical diet sweeteners. That was a smart move on her part. She then immediately sent me a hair sample to see what her health status looked like. That was also a smart move on her part. Little did she know that she was carrying a heavy toxic load, but the time to detox is not during pregnancy.

It is best to detox your body all of the time - I do. You wash your clothes regularly and dust your house on a customary basis, right? But if you are a newbie to detoxification, you might not think to detox BEFORE pregnancy. Think about it now.

I do not recommend detoxing during pregnancy because detoxing heavy metals can be like punching a hornet's nest - all the toxins will come out, but exposing a fetus to metabolized heavy metals and harmful chemical toxins is not a good idea. Here are some tips to naturally cleansing your body during pregnancy:

Avoid ALL food chemicals during pregnancy and focus on eating and drinking only whole foods, preferably raw fruits and vegetables, fresh grains, and organic meats. What you eat goes to the baby, so eat healthy, non-chemical foods.
Drink water as your primary fluid. Everyone knows pregnant women use the bathroom a lot, so take advantage of this opportunity to have an acceptable excuse to use the bathroom more often; drink healthy water, water, water.
Detox through foods. Research the foods known to aide in the removal of food toxins, such as cilantro, kelp, olive oil, and apples. The body will sweep out harmful toxins while it digests your food; this is a safe way to eliminate toxins as quickly as they enter your body, and this won't inundate the fetus with toxic chemicals.
Eat more often throughout the day. Eat smaller portions, but more often. Graze every hour, and allow your body to pluck the nutrients from whole foods on an on-going basis as opposed to having blood sugar dips and spikes when eating at irregular times and when eating portions that are too large.
Eat the foods that you crave. Cravings represent the nutrients your growing fetus prefers for its personal body type, which may be different from your specific metabolic type. Some babies are protein eaters while mom might be a carb eater. Worry about your baby's preferences above your own during pregnancy. When I was pregnant with my third son, I couldn't tolerate green bell peppers, which I dearly loved. My son, 24 years later, can't stand to even look at a bell pepper without turning "green."
When eating whole foods, you should not need to worry about your pregnancy weight. Rarely does anyone gain weight when drinking water and eating healthy. Baby weight is just that - baby weight.
If you suspect you are exposed to toxins, eliminate the source during pregnancy. If you eat too much canned tuna, for example, and are concerned about mercury poisoning, then eliminate the canned tuna until you can detox- after delivery.
Don't diet during pregnancy; diet after the baby is born. Your baby does not need to be on a diet if whole foods are its daily intake.
Avoid using unnecessary medications. If you have a headache, go take a nap and avoid the pain relievers, if possible.
Avoid all diet sweeteners at all costs, and read your labels for hidden chemical sweeteners found in foods that are not labeled sugar-free.
Avoid the No-Fat/Non-Fat products and purchase the Low-Fat products instead. "No-fat" typically means that chemical sweeteners are included in place of the fat.

If you are planning on starting a family, detox before conception. This is a very good time to clear the decks of past and present toxins that may be impacting your health and the health of your future baby. I highly recommend having a hair analysis done at this time to discover what toxins you may have been exposed to and to check what your nutrients levels look like. Determining what toxins have accumulated inside of your body serves two purposes:

You will finally know what may be causing mysterious health symptoms and what toxins might be making conceiving difficult;
You can search for the source or sources of these toxins and remove your exposure to them, once and for all.

If you are exposed to toxic chemicals, your baby will be, too. So, determining these "unknowns" before you get pregnant is a wonderful way to relax and enjoy the nine months ahead!

For more detailed information, click on the following links:

Hair Analysis Testing

Using Foods to Detox

Discuss This Article in Dr. Hull's Web Forum

Posted June 2010 | Permanent Link

Dr. Hull's Recommended Products

Dr. Hull has selected the best resources on the web to get her recommended products. Browse the following products Dr. Hull highly recommends to keep you and your family healthy.

	Bionic Bands » Give your body more strength, balance, energy and alignment.
	Niacin, 50 mg » Great for: Detoxing, High Blood Pressure, Liver Health, Children
	Wobenzym N » Great for: Allergies, Immune System, Nausea Relief
	Vitamin C 1000 » Great for: Immune System, Colds, Detoxing, Flu & Viral
	Hair Analysis Testing » Identify hidden toxins in your body by having your hair analyzed with Dr. Hull.