Coenzyme Q10, AKA CoQ10, ubiquinone, or active compound ubiquinol) is a naturally-occurring antioxidant found in the body. More commonly known as a dietary supplement, it is naturally present in the body’s cells and plays a vital role in the process by which cells generate energy. It is particularly helpful in protecting skeletal muscles and organs that require greater amount of energy to perform effectively, i.e. the heart, liver and kidneys. CoQ10 protects cells from oxidative stress, (which can occur as a result of unhealthy diet, stress, environmental factors, lack of exercise, social isolation, etc), thus helping to maintain cell integrity.
Read MoreI get a lot of interesting looks when I'm drinking my green smoothie. Some people seem weirded out, but most people seem curious as to what it is and why I'm drinking it. So here's my two cents on why green smoothies rock:
Read MoreHaving your period seems like a natural time to exercise heightened self-care, making sure you have ample time for sleep and to decompress, maybe even treating yourself to a special snack you’ve been craving. Since a big part of menstrual care is accommodating bleeding in one of the most permeable and delicate areas of the body, it’s important to consider the quality of the feminine care products you are using.
Read MoreMany of our patients work for so long to get pregnant, that they become experts on what to eat, how to exercise, and how to take their basal body temperatures. Then when they get that positive pregnancy test, they sometimes seem at a loss as to what to do next. Here are a few tips until you can get in to see your midwife or OB:
Read MoreIt’s a question that I get asked on a weekly basis - “What days should we be trying on?” A recent study from Yale University researchers found that about 60 percent of women thought that they were most fertile in the two days after ovulation. Unfortunately, those women were wrong. So, as it turns out, there’s also a lot of misinformation about when women are at their fertile peak.
Women are most fertile during a 6 day window that ends the day after ovulation. Outside that relatively short window, your chances of falling pregnant are generally lower than 5%.
For the past 5 or so years, I’ve seen the garnish I avoided like the plague on the plates of chicken tenders I ordered at restaurants as a child gaining immense popularity. It seems like nowadays you can’t browse a menu or get out of Whole Foods without encountering at least some form of kale. In the health food industry, kale is everywhere! You’ll find it in green smoothies, juices, salads, and any number of recipes in a modern cookbook. It’s arguably currently the nation’s most popular vegetable and has definitely won me over since the days I was ignoring it on my plate at Red Lobster. But recently, I’ve seen a darker trend growing in kale—and I’m not talking about leaf color.
Essentially, what needs to happen is that you commit to four or five days of working on this. Clear your schedule, hide your to-do list, and take a little breastfeeding vacation. Take your baby, a snack, a bottle of water, and some toys and books into your bed and stay there, all day if possible. Do pretty much nothing but eat, drink, rest, and nurse. If your baby doesn’t sleep well, get someone else to take care of the baby so that you can conk out for a few hours (beg or pay someone if you have to!).
Read MoreCongee is traditionally a rice porridge popular in Asian countries and goes back thousands of years to the first recorded congee (made of millet) eaten by Emperor Huang Di. It is more about the process of cooking rather than the grain that is used. Long cooking times break down the grain until it is literally mush. This renders it almost completely pre-digested so your body doesn’t have to work in order to absorb the nutrients from it. This is ideal for those with digestive problems who lack the ability to break down foods enough to get the nutrients they need from it.
Read MoreFor anyone actively trying to conceive or anyone who already has, I wanted to pass on and reiterate how important sleep and sleep cycles in general are to ensuring your success in the fertility realm.
Read MoreAccording to TCM, during fall we are most susceptible to dryness, which can affect the lungs, skin, and digestion. Common signs of disharmony in the fall are thirst, dry nose and skin, itching, and sore throat. There are a number of things we can do to combat dryness and fortify our bodies for the coming winter months.
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