by Julia Asper

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist and I cannot give medical advice. I’m just a fan of natural healing ways and locally, well grown food.

I tend to like to keep things light-hearted, but if I have a problem, then for me it shows up as very obvious or visual for the world to see.

The Problem

With challenges during pregnancy, I really have not had to face much.

My mom seemed to have an easy time with her pregnancies, so I think it’s from genetics. Also, I really dove into eating a good, whole food, nourishing diet once I learned about those principles a few years before childbearing, so I guess that helped. Last, my prenatal care has been holistic, so I learned great natural principles from a knowledgeable midwife. The pregnancy part has just been a non-issue for me, which has been great.

However, during my 4th pregnancy, I developed some vein pain and elevated my legs more, but it wasn’t until my 5th that it magnified. I developed painful, large varicose veins on the whole of my left leg and foot almost immediately during the 1st trimester. Nothing I could do could stop the problem from increasing, as the veins just kept expanding and getting worse. When I thought what I had was bad, another showed up. I am a super active person, not working out, just busy with farm chores and managing a lot of little children, so I assumed I had not rested enough.

At the time, I didn’t know anyone that had this issue with pregnancy, nor what people even felt like who had it, but when I read articles about it, my case was practically word for word just like how the other women experienced the challenge developing.

I was clueless about what to do.

I just figured I had to find some lightweight support hose for the hot south, keep replacing from snags with thorns and corners of benches, and just deal with it because they would be there regardless until the baby was born.

The Solution

My husband Aaron wanted to help, and I told him it was pointless because I really did not see a solution. However, he decided to look into it. This would be during the 3rd trimester.

He came across a video from medical doctor Dr. Berg who explained that varicose veins can be related to scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency.

Scurvy!

Come to think about it, I had changed my vitamin regime, so I wasn’t taking supplemental C, and while I eat a lot of whole foods, as a quirk, I just couldn’t recall eating much fruit, especially raw, even in the summer! That’s a humbling drawback from being a picky eater, for sure.

Dr. Berg in his video suggested to use a whole lemon in a blender with blueberries to make a drink. The whole lemon has rutin, something beneficial for vein health and producing collagen, in the fruit rind, and it can also be found in violet flowers and other odd places.

As I was skeptical, I’m not sure how long it took for me to try the recipe, but I did and it tasted really good. I had not had a smoothie in a long time.

I then realized after some days of drinking the smoothie, when Aaron asked if the smoothie worked, that my legs actually did feel better!

Multiple times a week I drank the smoothie. I also found some new support wear for pregnancy. I used Absolute Support cotton knee highs and SRC maternity leggings and shorts. These worked well in colder months, but I’m still using them as it gets warmer because of how effective they feel together.

According to Dr. Berg, there are many more benefits of the whole lemon for women and men’s health: reducing kidney stones, fat on the liver, reducing collagen destruction, and more (link to video). Furthermore, if you get the ratios right, it is tasty for the whole family.

I happily do not think about the dreaded leg pain today during the remaining days of pregnancy because I have a solution. I just know what to do for myself, which is to wear support and I just aim to remember to drink my smoothie. I think the veins may look a tiny bit better, but after going through this challenge, I do not even give much thought to how they look because I feel so much better.

Caution about Lemon Peels

As I personally am wary of consuming the outside of the lemon, due to the potential bacteria, I buy organic lemons and then soak the lemon covered in water with a drop of Dr. Clark Store’s Lugol’s Iodine. This is how I wash my fruits and vegetables to kill parasites.

In conclusion, this is not a medical study that I personally researched in depth at all, rather it’s just a testimony of what actually has worked for me and an inspiration for you to consider. Plus, using a whole food to get the nutrition versus a pill has more well rounded benefits for your well-being. Give it a try and please share with a friend!

A video from Dr. Berg about the whole lemon and benefits

Instructions

Machinery:

Vitamix or other high power blender–

Adjust recipe proportionately to fit the size of your blender–you do not want the berry mixture to overflow!

Ingredients:

• 1 organic lemon, halved, soaked in water with a drop of Dr. Clark’s Lugol’s Iodine. I insist you must use organic lemons and have some way to cleanse the exterior from parasites. I highly recommend Dr. Clark’s Lugol’s Iodine for its purity.
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups water
• 1 1/2 cup frozen berries
• 2 Tablespoons whole flaxseeds (pre ground flax seeds go rancid fast unless you keep them in the fridge or freezer after you have ground them yourself)
• 2 Tablespoons honey (Local honey is actually better because it has more benefits from your area you live.)

(You can also omit or add what ever you are inspired, just keep the lemon—but I’d stick with just half a lemon to reduce the tartness.)

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