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Enhancing Fertility Through Functional Medicine - a conversation with author Jaclyn Downs
10 Plays2 days ago
Jaclyn Downs is a Functional Nutrigenomics Consultant at Nutrigenetic Research Institute and author of "Enhancing Fertility through Functional Medicine: Using Nutrigenomics to Solve 'Unexplained' Infertility" (Taylor & Francis, 2023).
In this episode of the Abeceder health and wellbeing podcast Fit For My Age Jaclyn and host Michael Millward start their conversation by discussing the relationship between our lifestyle choices and our gene health.
They discuss how exposure to toxins and micro toxins can trigger reactions within our genes and how both physical and emotional stress impacts gene health.
Understanding gene health can lead to improved performance during health events like Go Sober This October which is organised by MacMillan Cancer Support .
Jaclyn explains how awareness of our gene health impacts our fertility.
Find out more about Michael Millward and Jaclyn Downs at Abeceder.co.uk.
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Fit for My Age' and Guest Jacqueline Downs
00:00:05
Speaker
Made on Zencastr. Hello and welcome to Fit for My Age, the health and well-being podcast from Abysida. I'm your host, Michael Millward, the Managing Director of Abysida.
00:00:18
Speaker
Today, my guest is Jacqueline Downs. Jacqueline has written a book called Enhancing Fertility Through Functional Medicine.
Promotions: Zencastr and Ultimate Travel Club
00:00:29
Speaker
As the jingle at the start of this podcast says, Fit for My Age is made on Zencastr.
00:00:36
Speaker
Zencastr is the all-in-one podcasting platform on which you can make your podcast in one place and then distribute it to the major platforms. Zencastr really does make making podcasts so easy.
00:00:51
Speaker
If you would like to try podcasting using zencastr visit Zencaster, visit zencaster.com forward slash pricing and use my offer code, Abysida. All the details are in the description.
00:01:04
Speaker
Now that I have told you how wonderful Zencaster is for making podcasts, we should make one. One that will be well worth listening to, liking, downloading and subscribing to.
Genes, Lifestyle, and Fertility Education
00:01:16
Speaker
Very importantly, on Fit For My Age, we don't tell you what to think, but we do hope to make you think. Today, my guest, who I met on Matchmaker.fm, is Jacqueline Downs.
00:01:31
Speaker
Jacqueline is on a mission to get more people to understand how their genes work and how the lifestyle choices that we all make can impact the performance of those genes.
00:01:43
Speaker
To support that mission Jacqueline has written a book called Enhancing Fertility Through Functional Medicine Using NutriGenomics to Solve Unexplained Infertility.
00:01:57
Speaker
Now hello Jacqueline.
Understanding Functional Nutrigenomics
00:01:58
Speaker
Hi Michael I am so happy to be here thank you for having me. I am very happy that you're here as well. I'm just worried whether i have got the pronunciation of NutriGenomics correct?
00:02:10
Speaker
Yes. I'm so relieved. It's a mouthful, yeah.
00:02:15
Speaker
Jacqueline is based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. um i haven't visited Lancaster in Pennsylvania, USA, but I have visited the English version in Lancashire.
00:02:28
Speaker
If you would like to visit Lancaster in the UK or in the USA, The best way to arrange your travel is to do like I do and book your flights, hotels or holidays at the Ultimate Travel Club because the Ultimate Travel Club gives you access to trade prices on all sorts of travel purchases.
00:02:46
Speaker
You'll find a link and a membership discount code in the description.
Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants Explained
00:02:50
Speaker
Well, now that I've paid the rent, Jacqueline, perhaps we could start by you explaining what functional nutrigenomics is, please.
00:03:01
Speaker
Certainly. Yes. So functional nutrigenomics is essentially the intersection between nutrition and our genes. So how nutrition affects the expression of our genes and how our genes can affect our health.
00:03:19
Speaker
And functional means these are genes that we can do something about. So these aren't like full on genetic mutations that for things like muscular dystrophy, these are small changes in our genes that are like light switches that we do have control over to some degree that we can support the functioning of and optimize the performance of.
Gene Function, Epigenetics, and Lifestyle Impact
00:03:41
Speaker
Right. That sounds really interesting. There are genes that are dysfunctional, which gives people conditions which we cannot do anything about at the moment. Is that right?
00:03:53
Speaker
Yes, that's true, but there's a very large gray scale of dysfunction. And then there are these genes that have like light switches on in them. And if we do something which flicks that switch on or off, then we'll end up with some sort of health problem, health issue.
00:04:12
Speaker
Short answer, yes. Now, a lot of people do say that epigenetics, um so you're you're born with the DNA that you have, but the way that your dna expresses can be like a light switch, but rather than just being off or on like a black and white issue, I think of it more as a dimmer switch.
00:04:31
Speaker
So it's not necessarily that it's all the way on or all the way off, but you know the longer that we have a deficiency in a certain nutrient or the longer that we are exposed to a toxin, the the more that will be turned on or turned off.
00:04:45
Speaker
Right. it really is complicated stuff then. Yes, it can get very, very biochemical for sure. And, you know, nothing stands, no gene stands in isolation unless of course it is g true genetic mutation. Like I said, like with muscular dystrophy or or something like that, but otherwise,
00:05:03
Speaker
ah Like this this MTHFR gene that's the most well-known gene, functional as far as you know functional genomics goes, so a lot of people place a lot of weight on that gene and blame a lot of stuff on that, but that gene does not work in isolation. There are so many factors upstream and downstream that can affect the final outcome of your body's folate needs.
00:05:28
Speaker
This conversation can go one of two ways. We can get really technical about genes and I will be lost.
00:05:39
Speaker
Or we can get very practical about them, I think, and I would rather go with the latter rather than the former. because it sounds very scientific, the work that you do.
00:05:50
Speaker
But one of the things I have noticed about your book is that it is written for the lay person, the person who doesn't have that high level of technical knowledge. And I think that is fantastic. But I think we need to get very practical in order to understand all of these sorts of things. And you say that there is a like a gateway gene, this MTHFR gene.
00:06:12
Speaker
That's the one that people know the most about. Yes, I almost jokingly titled my book MTHFR as a Gateway Gene because it is often the first gene that people learn about and it opens their eyes to the concept that your genes can affect your health and that you can do stuff nutritionally to support the function, the proper functioning of your genes.
00:06:33
Speaker
Because one of the things that comes out of the book for me was this idea that stress is one of the but things that impact your genes and cause chronic health conditions, chronic health challenges. Yes.
Detoxification in a Toxin-Heavy World
00:06:47
Speaker
And in my book, I define stress in multiple ways. So yes, there is the stress that we all think of, you know, the stress of relationships and work and schedules and that kind of mental emotional stress, but there's also physical stress. Now, a lot of times people think physical stress is just training for a marathon or working out too much, but it's also the, um you know, radiation or cigarette smoke or things that our body is exposed to.
00:07:13
Speaker
And all of these types of stress from toxins and nutrient deficiencies, physical, mental, emotional stress, all cause what is called oxidative stress. And that is a huge mission of mine to make the terminology oxidative stress a household term.
00:07:30
Speaker
So what oxidative stress is, is essentially damage to the cell, or it's not having enough antioxidants to neutralize the free radicals.
00:07:40
Speaker
And that creates damage to the cell, which is oxidative stress. And essentially, if you want to think about oxidative stress as just inflammation, when when writing my book, I did some research because I was like, well, is it the inflammation that causes the oxidative stress or is it the oxidative stress that causes the inflammation?
00:07:58
Speaker
And multiple papers on PubMed ah stated it both ways. And so it is a cyclical relationship. And so if you have one, you're going to have the other.
00:08:09
Speaker
So um we really want to make sure that we can identify causes of oxidative stress and minimize those to protect our cells and so that they can perform optimally.
00:08:21
Speaker
So it's the the cell is not getting enough antioxidants and antioxidants would come from fruit, vegetables, those sorts of things? Yes, our body also makes antioxidants as well. So there's um a master antioxidant called glutathione that our body does make and recycle and and your genes really can impact how well that glutathione is made or recycled or or how quickly it's used up.
00:08:48
Speaker
We were getting down to the like the basics of what you eat impacts the health of your cells in your body. Yes, and also the toxins that we are exposed to. So in my book, I do state, and this is rather bold statement, that I think in this day and age, your detoxification ability is just as important, if not more important, than your nutritional status.
00:09:11
Speaker
Because you can be eating a perfect diet, but we live in this toxic soup of a planet. Our bodies were not designed to be able to deal with the amount of toxins that we are exposed to every single day.
Reducing Everyday Toxin Exposure
00:09:25
Speaker
And so detoxification of all of these toxins is essential because they throw wrenches in our metabolic pathways and it requires more nutrients in order to support the detoxification of those toxins.
00:09:39
Speaker
I wish the people who sit in their cars with their engine running outside schools, in supermarket car parks, just whilst they're parked checking their telephone messages, could hear you say that.
00:09:55
Speaker
The fumes that come out of petrol and diesel-engined cars, you can smell them. That is a toxin. It's on our streets. We're walking past it all of the time.
00:10:06
Speaker
If people understood more about the things that we are consuming that are poisonous, then we would have better health. It's not just a case of... or my lungs were full of smoke.
00:10:19
Speaker
It's the, you absorb all of those toxins in the atmosphere. Yes. Even without choking on them, even without coughing, you are absorbing those toxins. Yes. Those um exhaust fumes are just one. and And there's some that we have total control over of the cleaning products that we choose to bring into our homes or the body care products or the hair products, all of those things, all of those fragrances, they all do the same thing essentially.
00:10:45
Speaker
When I'm doing my housework, Should I wear a mask? I would say just make sure that there's appropriate ventilation, but also use natural products that aren't going to expose you to that level of
Stress Management for Health
00:10:58
Speaker
toxicity. So the more natural the products that we use, the more natural the foods that we eat as well, but cleaning products, hair care products, the more natural they are, we are less exposed to the toxicity, which then will improve our cell health or prevent the cell damage.
00:11:18
Speaker
as well, because from my understanding from what you're saying is like when some cells are damaged, they're damaged end of, but there are others which we can work on to repair.
00:11:30
Speaker
Yes, exactly. And part of what you're talking about in the book is like, when it comes to stress, there is a fight or flight sort of state that can cause the oxidative stress that causes the damage to the cells and the hormones and the genes.
00:11:49
Speaker
But you can also create a parasympathetic stress as well. Yes. And that, that is much more about the recovery from stressful situations.
00:12:01
Speaker
Yes. So our nervous system has two branches, ah essentially. One is the fight or flight. That is your sympathetic. That is what our bodies were designed to do to protect us, to either fight the predator or flee from it or oftentimes freeze. And a lot of people are in a freeze mode these days with ah you know people with with chronic fatigue and that kind of stuff.
00:12:27
Speaker
And then the Parasympathetic is the rest, digest, repair, reproduce state. And so a lot of times people are just trying to go for the liver detoxification when their nervous system is in a ah heightened state of of alert.
00:12:42
Speaker
And so they're putting the cart before the horse. And so we need to make sure that our bodies are in a state that is going to be receptive to healing. It's going to feel safe to let its guard down and start detoxification and start healing. So it sounds as if we can go into like or a liver detox, like the dry January type of thing or dry October.
00:13:07
Speaker
People go through that process. But before they go through that process, if they prepare for that process, if they get their body into the right state, the parasympathetic state, then the dry January, the dry October would not be as painful as many people experience it.
00:13:28
Speaker
Is that true? Would that work? Yes, I think conceivably that is the ideal way to go about it. Yes. Yes. When we're thinking about detoxing, when we're thinking about rebuilding our our bodies and sort of getting them to a healthier state, we very often think about physical health as being what we consume in terms of food and alcohol, smoking, those sorts of things.
00:13:54
Speaker
Whereas what you're saying is we need to think about our cell health and then that would then lead on to thinking about what we eat and eating foods which help to maintain good cell and gene health.
00:14:08
Speaker
Yes and then knowing your genetics can take you a step further because if you know that your body is predisposed to not repairing cellular damage very well, then there's certain steps that you can take to safeguard yourself to make sure that your cells are repairing, being able to have that repairing capability to the best of its ability.
00:14:35
Speaker
Does that make sense? Yes, it makes a lot of sense and the sense that it's making is increasing for me. It is ah completely new area of knowledge for me.
00:14:47
Speaker
Like I say, you know we need to keep it very practical. and think, okay, when you went through rest, digest, repair, reproduce, you're talking about reproducing the cells so that we end we've got healthy s cells, but rest comes first.
00:15:06
Speaker
And I'm thinking that many people aren't doing enough of the rest, are they? They're not resting enough. Right. Or their bodies aren't fully capable of getting into that rest state for that repair and regeneration.
00:15:19
Speaker
And when I say reproduce, yes, cellular reproduction, you want to make sure your cells are replicating healthy cells, but also reproduce in the fertility capacity.
00:15:30
Speaker
Because um as I state in my book multiple times, if our body is in a state of alarm, it's going to know that now is not a good time to make a baby.
00:15:41
Speaker
ah so it's going to temporarily shut off mating ability so that the stressor can be dealt with. There's more energy to conserve or to fight or to flee.
00:15:53
Speaker
It's almost as if we are not in control of our bodies. We may think we are, but we are not. Our bodies are programmed to form an opinion about our situation based upon our behavior, I suppose.
00:16:10
Speaker
And that then it dictates to our bodies the decisions that it should make about what it will or will not do. And like you say, if someone is trying for a family and their body is actually thinking, no, now is not a good time because...
00:16:27
Speaker
We're on the verge of fight or flight. We're on the verge of ah stressful situation. We need to be prepared for that. It would not be a good time to get pregnant. It would not be a good time to be a parent because of the conditions that we're experiencing.
00:16:44
Speaker
And I suppose in some ways, our bodies can be experiencing all of the negative things, but because those have become our norm, we may not realize that we're experiencing those those strains. Yes, yes.
00:16:59
Speaker
Our bodies respond to stress in the same way that they've always responded to stress, even though our stressors have drastically changed from what they used to be. They used to be what famine or a predator, right? Something like that.
00:17:16
Speaker
Whereas in this day and age, like I had said, it could be just, you know, family stress, schedules, ah emotional stress. The pressures of modern life is is what we're actually talking about, which of course our bodies were not designed for because we evolved to be hunters, gatherers, farmers, even the way in which we work now, most of us sitting down inside is not really how our bodies were designed to function.
00:17:41
Speaker
Correct. But also when there was a stressor, if there was a predator, our body went into a state of fight or flight. It got us away from that danger. And then it came back to a parasympathetic homeostasis, which is you know that the the resting point.
00:17:55
Speaker
And in our modern society, that bearer just does not stop chasing
Proactive Health and Modern Survival
00:17:59
Speaker
us. And so our body is constantly putting out that cortisol. And when your body has to make your stress hormones, it doesn't want to make your reproductive hormones as well, or they're going to get really, really out of balance because because the body is trying to deal with the stress first. yeah Your safety and your your well-being is your body's most important priority.
00:18:21
Speaker
So making a baby is not a priority if it feels that it's in a a state of danger. Or if your mitochondria aren't making enough energy, the body's going to know, well, if we don't have enough energy for our day-to-day life, we sure as heck aren't going to have enough energy to grow a whole other human being.
00:18:39
Speaker
No, no, it all fits together so logically, but it's one of those things that isn't really something that we talk about or understand until somebody like you comes along and and writes a book and says, you know, this is this is what is happening.
00:18:57
Speaker
It is fascinating. It's interesting when you say ah bodies are designed a particular way, the predator arrives, we flee, and when we're safe again, our body goes back into that state where it's calm.
00:19:11
Speaker
The way in which we live nowadays, we go from rush hour commuting, getting the kids to school, The pressures of work, the pressures of being in the queue for lunch, the pressures of going home, being the taxi of mum and dad, paying the bills, all sorts of pressures.
00:19:28
Speaker
It is totally understandable when you say that we're never out of that stress mode. hu Yes. I state in my book that you know there's there's this whole concept of survival of the fittest, right?
00:19:40
Speaker
But in this modern day with those constant stressors, survival of the fittest is being proactive about your health and making sure you're avoiding those toxins, but making time to manage your stress reduction or to consciously pause because it's the stressors just don't, you know they don't seem to they seem to be endless.
00:20:04
Speaker
And so
Addressing Trauma and Environmental Wellness
00:20:05
Speaker
we have to be proactive and very mindful to make sure that we don't let those ah affect us in a negative way. So what sort of hints, ideas, suggestions do you have for people who want to go down into this this rest period, this this proper body, full body rest?
00:20:27
Speaker
What sort of suggestions have you got that would help them to achieve that? I do have a whole chapter in my book on that because it is so foundational and you don't need to know what your genetic blueprint is.
00:20:38
Speaker
So these are things that everybody can do regardless of what your genetic profile is that are going to promote health and longevity for your body and therefore fertility.
00:20:49
Speaker
But first of all, things like addressing traumas that maybe you're repressed or that you consciously are aware of, but maybe you're you're not realizing how they are affecting your physical health. So our emotional health absolutely affects our physical health.
00:21:05
Speaker
So if we've had trauma in the past, until we actually deal with that trauma and come to some sort of resolution of it, we won't really be able to achieve the sort of rest that you are saying is necessary to achieve the rest that starts the process of cell repair.
00:21:26
Speaker
Well, I think it's just having a good relationship with your baggage and understanding how it can be affecting you is a great place to start. It's not like you have to resolve all of your trauma before you can move forward with your health condition or your fertility challenges or anything like that. but But knowing how that can be um impacting you and then taking the steps, even if they're very, very small baby steps, to start trying to clear out that trauma or resolve it.
00:21:54
Speaker
um but just even just being aware of it and how it is affecting you and the choices that you're making and how your body might still be in that, heightened state of, of alarm because your body is still holding on to some of the effects of that trauma.
Grounding and Book Credibility
00:22:10
Speaker
yeah So there's that, but then there's things that everybody can do for their health, such as moving your body in a loving way, most days and getting outside in the sunshine and breathing fresh air, making sure it's clean air, especially indoors.
00:22:26
Speaker
So many homes and buildings have mycotoxins, which are toxins from mold. And, um, that that is a I have a whole chapter on mold and mycotoxins in my book because it is very much more problematic than most people are aware of.
00:22:41
Speaker
So you know breathing clean air, drinking clean water, moving your body, being outside, putting your feet on the earth, getting enough sleep, managing your stress, all of these things are beneficial to every single living being on this earth.
00:22:57
Speaker
I have to say today it has been like 80 degrees Fahrenheit in my back garden. I have been walking around my back garden barefoot. It's completely different experience to wearing shoes, completely different.
00:23:11
Speaker
And you do feel,
00:23:14
Speaker
more in contact, more connected to the grass and the plants because you've got that, there's no barrier between you and the ground.
00:23:25
Speaker
It's a completely different experience to walking around in shoes or gardening boots, completely different. Yes, I actually state some references. for there There are scientific studies on grounding and earthing and how the it provides an antioxidant effect.
00:23:42
Speaker
and I know the late Dr. Steven Sinatra, he actually, um he was a world-renowned cardiologist and he was one of the beta readers for my book before he had passed. And he was just so gracious to to accept beta reading my book, but I just loved everything that he talked about, especially he's he's a cardiologist, but he's talking about grounding or it's also known as earthing and putting your feet on the earth and the physical benefits of that. There are biophysicists that understand the science of of how it works and why it works.
00:24:11
Speaker
Yeah. Like I say, it is so interesting. We have only scratched the surface. One of things i want to emphasize about your book is very, very comprehensive.
00:24:23
Speaker
You you've said there's a chapter on this, a chapter on that. It is very comprehensive. It is published by Taylor and Francis, who are, they're a proper scientific type publisher. It would not be published by them unless this book was full of facts. Like you say, it has been checked.
Conclusion and Call to Action
00:24:41
Speaker
by some very eminent scientists and experts and it is still written from the perspective of somebody who really doesn't have that scientific background but can understand it and make little steps it's it's not a um it's not a book that bullies you into doing things you just little steps that you can take that will improve your health. It has been very interesting to have this conversation with you, Jacqueline.
00:25:10
Speaker
Thank you very much. Really appreciate your time. Oh, thank you for having me. My pleasure. Thank you. I am Michael Millward, the Managing Director of Abusida, and in this episode of Fit for My Age, I have been having a conversation with Jacqueline Downs, the author of Enhancing Fertility Through Functional Medicine Using Nutrigionics, I think I might have said that wrong,
00:25:35
Speaker
to solve unexplained infertility, which is published by Taylor and Francis. There is a link to opportunities to purchase Jacqueline's book in the description.
00:25:46
Speaker
can also find out more information about both Jacqueline Downs and me at abucida.co.uk, another link in the description. I must remember to thank the team at matchmaker.fm for in introducing me to Jacqueline.
00:26:01
Speaker
If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests, or if, like Jacqueline, you have something very interesting to say, matchmaker.fm is where matches of great hosts and great guests are made.
00:26:14
Speaker
There is a link to matchmaker.fm and an offer code in the description. At Fit for My Age, our aim is proactive positive ageing. Knowing the risks early is an important part of maintaining good health.
00:26:27
Speaker
That is why we recommend the annual health test from York Test. York Tests provide an assessment of 39 different health markers, including cholesterol, diabetes, vitamin D, vitamin B12, liver function, and deficiency, inflammation, and a full blood count.
00:26:47
Speaker
The annual health test is conducted by an experienced phlebotomist who will complete a full blood draw at your home or workplace. Hospital at standard tests are carried out in a UK AS accredited and CQC compliant laboratory.
00:27:04
Speaker
You can access your easy to understand results and guidance to help you make effective lifestyle changes anytime by your secure personal wellness account. There is a link and discount code in the description.
00:27:19
Speaker
If you are listening to Fit for My Age on your smartphone in the United Kingdom, you may like to know that 3.0 has the UK's fastest 5G network with unlimited data.
00:27:30
Speaker
So listening on 3.0 means you can wave goodbye to buffering. There is a link in the description that will take you to more information about business and personal telecom solutions from 3 and the special offers available when you quote my referral code.
00:27:47
Speaker
The description really is well worth reading. If you have liked this episode of Fit for My Age, please give it a like and download it so that you can listen anytime, anywhere.
00:28:00
Speaker
To make sure you don't miss out on future episodes, please subscribe. Remember, the aim of all the podcasts produced by Abusida is not to tell you what to think, but we do hope to make you think.
00:28:13
Speaker
Until the next episode of Fit for My Age, thank you for listening, and goodbye.