From an internationally recognized integrative physician, a thorough guide to fertility that encompasses all aspects of female well-being to help women prepare their bodies for easy conception, pregnancy, and the delivery of healthy babies. The increase in environmental toxins, processed foods, and stress, as well as the advancing ages at which couples seek to have children, have made it more difficult for women to conceive. In Be Fruitful , Dr. Victoria Maizes, an expert on women’s health and the executive director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, delivers all the information women and their partners need in order to conceive with ease and confidence, and to bear healthy children. Warm, friendly, and hands-on, Be Fruitful offers a comprehensive self-assessment to help identify any potential physical, emotional, and practical roadblocks that may interfere with conception, as well as clear and easy-to-follow dietary, supplemental, and exercise recommendations proven to increase optimal fertility. Dr. Maizes details how nutrition, mind-body practices, elimination of environmental toxins, and traditional Chinese medicine can all contribute to a successful pregnancy. Unique in its integrative approach, Be Fruitful acknowledges that wellness comes from caring for the entire person—not just the physical body—a crucial factor for the countless women trying to conceive and committed to transforming their overall health. 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 “It's clear from the very first chapter of this power-packed guide on maximizing fertility that a hands-on clinician, brainy scientist, holistic thinker and compassionate, thoughtful woman is offering up the very latest and best that integrative medicine has to offer . Be Fruitful is an eminently readable, warm, encouraging, practical book bursting with a wealth of consequential information, backed up by clinical research and epidemiology. It is destined to become a well-worn, gratefully used reference book for anyone interested in fertility, whether professionally or personally.” --Belleruth Naparstek, LISW, BCD, author of Invisible Heroes: Survivors of Trauma and How They Heal ; and creator of the Health Journeys Guided Imagery series. “ Who knew that low fat milk might lower your fertility, while hypnosis could boost it? I found Dr. Maizes' well researched book to be a treasure trove of this kind of valuable, but rarely discussed, advice. Be Fruitful is the perfect read for anyone seeking a happy pregnancy and a healthy baby." -- Daphne Miller, MD, author of The Jungle Effect and Farmacology "For some of us, the road to motherhood is strewn with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. In Be Fruitful, Dr. Victoria Maizes has given us a superb, well researched guide to help transform our obstacles into health and life-affirming opportunities." -- Julia Indichova, author of The Fertile Female: How the Power of Longing for a Child Can Save Your Life and Change the World “Women interested in protecting and maximizing their fertility will find this book filled with up- to-date facts that are easy to put into practice. I will recommend this book to my women patients in their late teens and early twenties to help them maximize wellness and fertility years before they start trying to have children. This is a must have book in my integrative medicine medical reference library.” -- Roberta Lee, MD, author of The Super Stress Solution and Vice Chair, Department of Integrative Medicine Continuum for Health and Healing Beth Israel Medical Center “Be Fruitful is a must read for any woman currently attempting or planning for a pregnancy. Dr. Maizes is a leading advocate for Woman’s Integrative and Preventative Healthcare and her book provides practical, proven strategies for improving the chances