toxins Archives - Dr. Ashley Damm

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Category: toxins

Environmental toxins impact your hormones

July 26, 2019

Hormones, Lifestyle, toxins

10 steps to reduce your environmental toxin...

I am a naturopathic doctor with a holistic approach and a special interest in the intricacies of the human body. I strive
to understand the why behind symptom patterns as a key to understanding the best solutions and support for my patients.

(c) Dr. Ashley Damm, ND. All Rights Reserved.

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#208-888 W. 8th Ave, Vancouver BC.
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drashleydamm

Naturopathic doctor @acubalancewellnesscentre
📍Vancouver, BC
👩🏾‍⚕️Hormones, Digestion, IV’s and more.
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It takes a lot of ATP to make a baby⚡️ . . ATP

It takes a lot of ATP to make a baby⚡️
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ATP is the energy source our cells need to do just about anything. Our “mitochondria”, are the parts of our cell that produce ATP, and they are super important for the reproductive process. Let’s break it down what’ involved:
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⚡️Egg development, or “folliculogenesis”: This is the process where the follicle matures within the ovary - basically the long process of preparing the egg for release. This can take anywhere from 3-6 months, and requires a lot of ATP. In fact, the body has a concentration amount of mitochondria for this process because it needs that much energy.
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⚡️Sperm development, or “spermatogenesis”: This is the process of sperm development, very similar to folliculogenesis. This takes about 75-100days, and also requires ATP.
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⚡️Acrosome reaction - a crucial step in fertilization when the sperm penetrates the egg/oocyte and fuses. Also requires ATP.
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⚡️Fusion of egg and sperm DNA (plus all the screening and correction of any errors made during this process) to produce a zygote. Also requires ATP.
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⚡️The replication of all the DNA over and over again, where chromosomes are copied and divided over and over again to form a blastocyst. Requires a lot of ATP.
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⚡️Implantation - when the blastocyst makes contact and buries into the endometrium, causing numerous downstream effects and changes. Also requires ATP.
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The take-home message - ATP is essential, and supporting the mitochondria should be a part of the conversation in a fertility intake.
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Things that can impact our mitochondria?
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💥Advanced age has been shown reduce both quantity and quality of the mitochondria
💥Oxidative stress- this is huge, and the root cause can be wide and varied, some root causes include: lifestyle, nutrition, lack of sleep, poor detox pathways, autoimmune condition, vitamin d deficiency and MUCH more
💥Antibiotic use - fun fact - mitochondria are actually bacterial origin
💥Medications that deplete important mitochondrial cofactors.
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There’s lots that can be done to support, preserve and even increase your mitochondrial function! Take to your naturopathic doctor or health care provider on how to do this!

Antihistamines & Cervical Mucus 🌸 . . 🌸The c

Antihistamines & Cervical Mucus 🌸
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🌸The cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and for many people, this means allergy season is here. Runny nose, red itchy eyes, sneezing, brain fog, fatigue, allergies are no fun.
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🌸Over-the-counter antihistamines are often the go-to's. They block your cells from releasing histamine - the chemical responsible for the notorious allergy symptoms. Antihistamines can work pretty well - sometimes too well, and with some unwanted side effects.
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🌸Antihistamine is really great at drying up mucus membranes - this means no more runny nose. But in some cases, they can dry up your skin, eyes, nose…. and, dry up your cervical mucus.
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🌸If you’re trying to conceive, this is not ideal. Cervical mucus is an indicator of your peak fertility window. It is the ideal medium for semen to travel up to your fallopian tubes and await a released egg to possibly fertilize. Cervical mucus essentially a road map. Ideally, it should change in consistency as you get closer to ovulation - becoming more egg white in quality/texture.
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🌸However, if you’re struggling with allergies and are in need of antihistamines- it may prevent optimal cervical mucus production. There are ways to minimize/avoid this!
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Head over to my blog - link in bio to continue reading my top 5 natural antihistamines to support you through allergy season.
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#health #wellness #fertilty #ttc #ttcjourney #hormones #hormonebalance #allergies #allergyseason #antihistamines #naturalantihistamines #reproductivehealth #cervicalmucus #womenshealth #menshealth #hormoneimbalance #menstruation #menstrualcycle #periodpower #naturopath #naturopathicdoctor #vancouvernaturopath #functionalmedicine #prevention #holistichealth #vancouver #yvr #naturopathvancouver

A “normal” semen analysis is not the same as a

A “normal” semen analysis is not the same as an optimal semen analysis. And a semen analysis does not assess sperm quality.
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I’ve been seeing a lot more patients looking for sperm quality optimization in my office over the past few weeks. This is pretty awesome because we know that sperm factor fertility can impact ~50% cases of infertility.
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Spermatogenesis - the process of sperm development and maturation takes ~ 75 days. There are many factors that can impact how the sperm develop - and impact it ability to swim, it’s shape, it’s amount and it’s quality.
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A naturopathic assessment looks at multiple factors that may impact sperm parameters and quality- and creates a plan to optimize. This can look different for each case.
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🔹We may decide to run some labs, assess things like cholesterol, blood sugars, vitamin D, or detox pathways.
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🔹We often explore nutrition, and customize so you’re getting the most from the food you’re eating.
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🔹We discuss lifestyle parameters - cannabis use, smoking, alcohol, exercise, stress, sleep patterns etc.
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Take home: The semen analysis cut off for “normal” vs “abnormal” is not a great assessment of optimal vs subfertile. And it doesn’t consider sperm quality. There is an increased awareness around this - and let’s keep it going. 🙌🏾Fertility assessment and treatment should encompass those with eggs and sperm.✨
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PMID: 25597249, 20338556
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#fertility #ivf #iui #ttc #rpl #pregnancyloss #unexplainedinfertility #infertility #ttcjourney #hormones #optimalfertility #pregnancy #eggquality #spermquality #gutmicrobiome #menshealth #microbiometesting #functionalmedicine #naturopathicmedicine #naturopath #vancouver #yvr #naturopathvancouver

If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know

If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know I’m a big fan of the microbiome. And if you’re a patient, you know I ask about your poop every visit. 😉💩
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The microbiome is astounding, and the more I dive into the research the more fascinating it becomes, and the more relevant it becomes to our overall health and wellbeing.
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I’ve talked previously about the role of the reproductive microbiome - essentially, we have bugs on our endometrial lining, and this is a factor in fertility. A new systematic review came out a few months ago exploring the role of the chronic endometritis, “CE”- or chronic inflammation of the endometrial lining. CE was shown to be prevalent in those with:
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▫️Unexplained infertility
▫️Recurrent IVF failures
▫️Repeated early pregnancy loss
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A major cause of chronic endometritis is the imbalance of the microbiome. Several studies have found this to be a curable condition with the rebalance of the microbiome.
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What was even more fascinating but not too surprising - was the most common bugs found in CE biopsy samples were coming from the intestinal microbiome.🤯
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If you’re interested in checking out the study or reading more about it - check out my latest blog post, linked in bio.🤗
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#microbiome #reproductivemicrobiome #endometrialmicrobiome #fertility #ivf #iui #ttc #rpl #pregnancyloss #unexplainedinfertility #infertility #ttcjourney #hormones #optimalfertility #pregnancy #eggquality #spermquality #gutmicrobiome #vaginalmicrobiome #uterinemicrobiome #microbiometesting #functionalmedicine #naturopathicmedicine #naturopath #vancouver #yvr #naturopathvancouver

“Fertility diet” . . 🍋There’s a lot of in

“Fertility diet”
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🍋There’s a lot of info out there about fertility supporting or boosting foods. It can feel overwhelming because it feels like there’s a new super food every other day.
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🍋I keep it simple. Our goal is nutrient dense foods. We use something similar to the Canada food guide, and tailor from there: 50% vegetables, 25% protein, 25% whole grain/complex carb and a healthy fat with each meal.
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🍋Usually this means an increase in your daily vegetable intake or diversifying your vegetables intake. Vegetables are jam packed with nutrients, antioxidants and more.
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🍋From here - we may tailor further. I look at your health history, medical conditions, inflammation, digestion, energy, hormone balance, skin health, lab work etc. - and make tweaks from there.
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🍋This may mean reducing inflammatory foods for your body, better supporting blood sugar, hormone balance or detox pathways etc.
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🍋Sometimes we may run a nutrition assessment or other labs - rule out Celiac disease, food sensitivities or a micronutrient panel to customize even more.
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🍋Finally, we talk about resources and examples - how to implement these changes so it doesn’t feel overwhelming! I don’t believe nutrient-dense foods means taste or satisfaction needs to be compromised.
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#nutrition #fertility #fertilitydiet #fertilityfoods #ttc #ttcjourney #ivf #ivfsupport #lifestyle #health #wellness #healthyliving #prevention #holistichealth #naturopathicmedicine #naturopathicdoctor #naturopath #integrativemedicine #functionalmedicine #vancouvernaturopath #diet #hormones #hormonehealth #womanshealth #vancouver #vancouvernaturopath #yvr #naturopathvancouver

“What do my labs mean?” . . 🩸Part of a fert

“What do my labs mean?”
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🩸Part of a fertility work-up often includes blood work - assessing hormone balance and ovarian reserve. Patients often bring their labs with them to discuss and interpret. This is something I encourage you to do with your healthcare provider.
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🩸A blood test is a snapshot of what’s going on in the body, at that specific moment. As we know, our hormones are constantly fluctuating; there are different high and low points in our hormones at different times in the month, and also at different times in the day.
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🩸Blood tests are also measuring what is in the blood! This may not be a true representation of what’s in the tissue, or what is active.
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✨Therefore, what you see in your lab results is just ONE piece of the puzzle.
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🩸Because hormones fluctuate so dramatically through the course of a cycle - testing on the RIGHT days is super important for proper assessment. This is something your doctor should tell you - and if they don’t, ask!
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🩸Fertility labs are also interpreted based on your chronological age.
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✨A thorough and complete assessment utilizes not only blood work, but also your clinical picture: history, family history, symptoms, physical exam etc.
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What do I look at when assessing labs?
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🩸First is assessing for red flags - clear imbalances, deficiencies or excesses that need to be further worked up or addressed.
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🩸If this is all clear, then we look at your blood work within the context of your WHOLE health history - are things looking optimal? Do things look out of balance, and explain some of your symptoms? Does your treatment plan need to be adjusted?
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🩸We review all of this information together. Finally, we discuss monitoring and when/if re-testing is needed.
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#hormones #hormonebalance #womanshealth #fertility #menopause #perimenopause #labtesting #testdontguess #reproductivehealth #fpcos #thyroid #menstrualhealth #pms #rootcause #naturalhealth #functionalmedicine #naturopathicmedicine #vancouver #yvr #naturopathvancouver

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