I'm a bit hesitant to ask another question, given the time and effort your generous responses require. However, I'm curious about your opinion on IR light lamps for those of us who might miss out on natural infrared exposure some days and happen to have a lamp at home. 🏠 🚨
Not at all—in fact, thank you for your thoughtful questions! It helps me know what to add for future posts or updating these. And I am working on a book to reach wider audiences and eventually get this into a physical, offline format and I need it to be very thorough and clear since people won’t be able to ask questions like this (nor will I be able to edit it later if I were to discover I had left out an important piece). So please always feel free to ask questions. It may take me more time to answer sometimes if I am busy or not in the mood to be checking in on things here, but I do really value the community element of this and your thoughtful mind on these posts 🧡
I personally am a purist for an open fire, banked coal bed or warm candle-lit bath when it comes to wintertime photobiomodulation. Time-tested and 100% emf free. I haven’t read any studies on the lamps in pregnancy, but I have seen research about them being used successfully for labor pain and also on the breasts to increase weight gain in breastfed infants. My concern would be especially high for early pregnancy when babies are so very sensitive to emfs and also because I know the lights also have such narrow frequencies compared to natural infrared light sources. Possibly using them on your own feet or extremities, but not directly over the womb but again, I haven’t really investigated this because there are more natural ways to do this. I read the book Red Medicine and she even talked about traditional sauna use in pregnancy, which nowadays is not recommended but nowadays most saunas are also infrared and emf instead of flame. https://www.amazon.com/Red-Medicine-Traditional-Indigenous-Directions/dp/0816529566
Nikko, I noticed no mentions on Vitamin B6 or CoQ10 which are commonly repeated recommendations I see given by practitioners. I was hoping you’d address those in the FAQs perhaps guiding us into why you think they may or may not be useful.
Oh, and last thing, I clicked a couple of links that don’t work just so you know.
(As I was reading, I was frenetically clicking all links and saving as bookmarks for later 😆😅)
Thank you! I’ll check the links. I address B vitamin metabolism in my Folate series—my understanding is they are meant to work in harmony together. CoQ10 is also mitochondria/redox supporting, and it is in many of the foods I list in the Folate series. But the doses in supplements are so much higher than you could eat naturally. I am always looking to the sense of taste to guide.
What a fascinating article. After looking for answers for over a week while dealing with these symptoms I have finally come up with the clear and actionable information I was crazy to find. Thank you for making your time all about women like us!
I just have a few practical questions. Would like to get the trace mineral drops you recommend. Do you have a preferred brand? Also, recommendations for magnesium salts? Why the ACV for the warm water and whey? Do you have a preferred way for homemade whey? Lastly, for high Vit C foods, what are your go-tos? Would love your insights.
Thank you so much for the detailed comments and questions, Paula. This will make the article better in the future as I’ll make some updates on this. But I do most of my shopping through Azure, and here’s where I have listed some of the products I like: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-_VSn4FZoAYAKCZ6ye38lLadUlAh8rq05ad3TgY_ldI/edit?usp=drivesdk Always use your own judgement and sensibility for what is right for you!
ACV can help modulate blood sugar—it should have read water with ACV or Whey with lemon. Whey can boost glutathione production. I make homemade dairy kefir and strain it through muslin cloth overnight to get my whey—then it is still full of the probiotics, plus I get kefir cheese out of it which is tasty with salt and high quality olive oil, or with jam or honey for sweet. And warm drinks are easier to assimilate and save you energy since your body doesn’t have to heat it up.
Thank you so much for YOUR detailed answers. You got a reason for everything you recommend! I used to be a kefir making machine (I have a BS in microbiology and have always appreciated the art and science of fermented foods) thank you for reminding me that I should go back 🙂
Amazing! I’m slowly working on a series about dairy—this inspires me to pick it back up with a more details post about how amazing kefir in particular is. Here’s the most recent one which you may enjoy thanks to your background https://www.brighterdaysdarkernights.com/p/spoiled-or-clabber
Nikko, this was very interesting to me, and also over my head! However, I was curious if you had any experience in particular with clients overcoming the NVP/HG to be able to consume the proteins you mentioned? Dietary changes, or taking supplements, when drowning in nausea/vomiting were impossible for me. This is why I appreciate the additional information on circadian rhythm and grounding. That's new to me, and I find it fascinating!
Yes! For women already experiencing these symptoms, a salty protein snack right before bed and in bed in the middle of the night is key, because if you go all night without eating you will wake up feeling very nauseaus and having a blood sugar spike from the body having to dip into its own reserves to prevent blood sugar from going too low. If someone going through this can start getting some protein overnight, they can possibly start to be able to tolerate some in the morning, too. I will say, it is much easier for women if they can start eating a high-protein diet before conceiving—the most successful people with this are those who do that and then in their next pregnancy they are able to avoid the challenges because they start doing the right things at the first sign of symptoms before things escalate.
Nikko, this is a fascinating read. I feel like you popped a whole filing cabinet of resources into the guide and I love it! The reset you recommend parallels much of what I have found to be most effective with clients experiencing NVP/HG, but I absolutely have not been paying attention to light exposure/time spent out-of-doors and how that correlates with symptoms. I so wish I had read this prior to some of my years of fast paced clinical work, with real-time opportunity to observe how working on circadian rhythm/light exposure affected client experiences of morning sickness!
Thank you. I wish all birth workers could get light coaching before starting their training! I think we could really reduce our rates of burnout. Not to mention giving us another way to help the families we serve.
You are so welcome! Yes, it is a lot of time and energy. This is all working towards print books—I also have paid options for those who want to support, and all the paid subscribers get my live and video teachings which can go into even more detail 😃 https://www.brighterdaysdarkernights.com/p/upgrade-to-pro
I'm a bit hesitant to ask another question, given the time and effort your generous responses require. However, I'm curious about your opinion on IR light lamps for those of us who might miss out on natural infrared exposure some days and happen to have a lamp at home. 🏠 🚨
Not at all—in fact, thank you for your thoughtful questions! It helps me know what to add for future posts or updating these. And I am working on a book to reach wider audiences and eventually get this into a physical, offline format and I need it to be very thorough and clear since people won’t be able to ask questions like this (nor will I be able to edit it later if I were to discover I had left out an important piece). So please always feel free to ask questions. It may take me more time to answer sometimes if I am busy or not in the mood to be checking in on things here, but I do really value the community element of this and your thoughtful mind on these posts 🧡
I personally am a purist for an open fire, banked coal bed or warm candle-lit bath when it comes to wintertime photobiomodulation. Time-tested and 100% emf free. I haven’t read any studies on the lamps in pregnancy, but I have seen research about them being used successfully for labor pain and also on the breasts to increase weight gain in breastfed infants. My concern would be especially high for early pregnancy when babies are so very sensitive to emfs and also because I know the lights also have such narrow frequencies compared to natural infrared light sources. Possibly using them on your own feet or extremities, but not directly over the womb but again, I haven’t really investigated this because there are more natural ways to do this. I read the book Red Medicine and she even talked about traditional sauna use in pregnancy, which nowadays is not recommended but nowadays most saunas are also infrared and emf instead of flame. https://www.amazon.com/Red-Medicine-Traditional-Indigenous-Directions/dp/0816529566
Nikko, I noticed no mentions on Vitamin B6 or CoQ10 which are commonly repeated recommendations I see given by practitioners. I was hoping you’d address those in the FAQs perhaps guiding us into why you think they may or may not be useful.
Oh, and last thing, I clicked a couple of links that don’t work just so you know.
(As I was reading, I was frenetically clicking all links and saving as bookmarks for later 😆😅)
Thank you! I’ll check the links. I address B vitamin metabolism in my Folate series—my understanding is they are meant to work in harmony together. CoQ10 is also mitochondria/redox supporting, and it is in many of the foods I list in the Folate series. But the doses in supplements are so much higher than you could eat naturally. I am always looking to the sense of taste to guide.
What a fascinating article. After looking for answers for over a week while dealing with these symptoms I have finally come up with the clear and actionable information I was crazy to find. Thank you for making your time all about women like us!
I just have a few practical questions. Would like to get the trace mineral drops you recommend. Do you have a preferred brand? Also, recommendations for magnesium salts? Why the ACV for the warm water and whey? Do you have a preferred way for homemade whey? Lastly, for high Vit C foods, what are your go-tos? Would love your insights.
Thank you so much for the detailed comments and questions, Paula. This will make the article better in the future as I’ll make some updates on this. But I do most of my shopping through Azure, and here’s where I have listed some of the products I like: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-_VSn4FZoAYAKCZ6ye38lLadUlAh8rq05ad3TgY_ldI/edit?usp=drivesdk Always use your own judgement and sensibility for what is right for you!
ACV can help modulate blood sugar—it should have read water with ACV or Whey with lemon. Whey can boost glutathione production. I make homemade dairy kefir and strain it through muslin cloth overnight to get my whey—then it is still full of the probiotics, plus I get kefir cheese out of it which is tasty with salt and high quality olive oil, or with jam or honey for sweet. And warm drinks are easier to assimilate and save you energy since your body doesn’t have to heat it up.
Thank you so much for YOUR detailed answers. You got a reason for everything you recommend! I used to be a kefir making machine (I have a BS in microbiology and have always appreciated the art and science of fermented foods) thank you for reminding me that I should go back 🙂
Amazing! I’m slowly working on a series about dairy—this inspires me to pick it back up with a more details post about how amazing kefir in particular is. Here’s the most recent one which you may enjoy thanks to your background https://www.brighterdaysdarkernights.com/p/spoiled-or-clabber
Nikko, this was very interesting to me, and also over my head! However, I was curious if you had any experience in particular with clients overcoming the NVP/HG to be able to consume the proteins you mentioned? Dietary changes, or taking supplements, when drowning in nausea/vomiting were impossible for me. This is why I appreciate the additional information on circadian rhythm and grounding. That's new to me, and I find it fascinating!
Yes! For women already experiencing these symptoms, a salty protein snack right before bed and in bed in the middle of the night is key, because if you go all night without eating you will wake up feeling very nauseaus and having a blood sugar spike from the body having to dip into its own reserves to prevent blood sugar from going too low. If someone going through this can start getting some protein overnight, they can possibly start to be able to tolerate some in the morning, too. I will say, it is much easier for women if they can start eating a high-protein diet before conceiving—the most successful people with this are those who do that and then in their next pregnancy they are able to avoid the challenges because they start doing the right things at the first sign of symptoms before things escalate.
This is great. Thank you, Nikko! You gave me a lot to think about!
Nikko, this is a fascinating read. I feel like you popped a whole filing cabinet of resources into the guide and I love it! The reset you recommend parallels much of what I have found to be most effective with clients experiencing NVP/HG, but I absolutely have not been paying attention to light exposure/time spent out-of-doors and how that correlates with symptoms. I so wish I had read this prior to some of my years of fast paced clinical work, with real-time opportunity to observe how working on circadian rhythm/light exposure affected client experiences of morning sickness!
Thank you. I wish all birth workers could get light coaching before starting their training! I think we could really reduce our rates of burnout. Not to mention giving us another way to help the families we serve.
What a fabulous read. How do you give away this knowledge for free!!?! I can’t imagine the time spent writing this let alone research. Thank you
You are so welcome! Yes, it is a lot of time and energy. This is all working towards print books—I also have paid options for those who want to support, and all the paid subscribers get my live and video teachings which can go into even more detail 😃 https://www.brighterdaysdarkernights.com/p/upgrade-to-pro