Spring is here! For many of us it’s a time we think about renewal and growth. It’s a wonderful time for clearing out old stuff that’s accumulated; both emotional and material junk. Letting go of old grudges is just as important as clearing out the pantry and tossing expired medications. Small shifts can be very rewarding.
A few people told me they got pregnant after long periods of trying unsuccessfully to do so after following the advice from a book called The Fertility Diet. So I got curious and have been reading it this week, and thought I’d share with you their top tips.
The Fertility Diet, by Jeorge E. Chavarro, MD, ScD and Walter C. Willet, MD, DrPH, both professors at Harvard Medical School, presents the results of the Nurses’ Health Study, broken down into their top 10 simple lifestyle and diet changes that can improve your chances of getting pregnant.
I frequently hear from patients that they are hesitant about taking Chinese herbal formulas, and/or don't understand the benefit of them. Many more people are on board these days with receiving acupuncture treatments, but Chinese herbal medicine is still underutilized in reproductive health. So lets discuss some of the benefits and the safety regarding Chinese herbal formulas.
Why take them?
First of all, the herbs help us, the acupuncturists, make progress faster. We make progress at each treatment towards correcting your diagnosis and improving your overall health, and preparing you for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) if you are going that route. But your using the Chinese herbal formulas consistently allows us to continue making this progress between appointments. So taking your herbs:
A little knowledge and a few basic items at home can help you be prepared to nip a cold or flu in the bud, and help speed it on its way out of your body. As soon as you start feeling something coming on, that’s the time to take quick action, and make some tea. Treating it early is key for the best results.
What kind of tea? That depends on whether the bug is giving you symptoms of “cold” or “heat.”
A big part of our holistic approach to wellness includes diet and nutrition. We know that our patients take this seriously and are working to make positive, healthy choices around their food, but something that we don't talk about as much is getting the whole family on board. Someone recently asked Tiff, our resident Holistic Parenting Coach, about how to get more veggies in their little one.
Read MoreWhat is Inflammation?
Inflammation is the body’s innate immune response to any injury or pathogen that disrupts the natural balance of functioning in your body. Inflammation is the beginning of the healing process.
If you have a bodily injury, acute inflammation is short term and helps the body to enter repair mode. If inflammation is prolonged or chronic, however, it can damage to the body’s tissues. Inflammation in our patients has caused painful cramps, upset digestion, skin problems, and inhibits the efficiency of their reproductive health and conception.
Read MoreWe frequently recommend that our patients eat congee for breakfast, but sometimes I think we fail to stress the importance and relevance of it as part of your treatment plan and overall health.
First of all, lets talk about the importance of breakfast. Almost everyone has heard their mom say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but many adults still skip this vital meal.
The time for planting in Austin is ripe! If you plant within the next couple of weeks, you can enjoy a rich bounty throughout the summer and fall … and you know what’s even better? Several of the foods that are highly recommended by TCRA as “Fertility Foods” are incredibly easy to grow and care for, even in Austin’s intense heat. And, who knows, a little "fertility garden" project like this could maybe even provide you with multiple bounties … not all of them grown in the ground. ;)
Although the amount of setup and nurturing required to raise a super productive garden can be time consuming, some of these plants thrive without practically any assistance. The list I’ve thrown together here are of plants that are practically no-fail, even in Texas weather, along with some recommendations on how to best grow and care for them. Having these fertility foods at your fingertips will not only encourage your consumption of them on a more regular basis, but will provide you with the assurance that you are getting the freshest, most nutrient-packed food possible.
‘Gluten-free’ is becoming a more common descriptor every day. The question is: what exactly is gluten and why are we steering clear of it?
Gluten is the protein composite found in wheat, barley and rye. Non-contaminated oats do not contain gluten, but are more often than not processed in facilities that also process the three aforementioned gluten-containing grains.