Things are looking up, so to speak...

Chris paid a visit to our naturopath yesterday and came home with an armful of supplements and dietary advice to help his sperm. Here's what he was told:

Dietary:

• Avoid tofu and other soy-based products
• Avoid dairy (except, oddly, aged cheese)
• Minimize gluten / wheat intake (go for kamut or spelt instead)
• Eat lots of protein

Supplements:

• Sodium Bicarbonate for sperm motility (the ability of the sperm to move)
• Antioxidants for sperm motility, volume and concentration
• Coenzyme Q10 for sperm motility, density, count and morphology

But it was the supplement tribulus terrestris that I found the most interesting. When I Googled "tribulus herb" I found websites with the hopeful names bodybuildingforyou.com, illpumpyouup.com, and my favourite, trulyhuge.com. It appears the herb is commonly used as an aphrodisiac and does wonders when it comes to increasing sex drive and impotence. In fact, it's been called "Nature's Viagra".

However, a more, ahem, refined search found that tribulus also claims to help in male reproductive functioning and sperm motility, increases the production of the hormone leading to increased testosterone levels, and increases production of seminal fluid.

Another hopeful sign: Chris is no longer training for a marathon, which he was up until two months ago. While regular exercise is beneficial to male (and female) fertility, marathon running and the associated training can alter sperm production. So now that Chris is back to a more relaxed running schedule, things are looking up in that department, too...