Resources to Manage Stress and Promote Fertility

I just reposted a great NY Times article from a couple years ago that makes the connection between stress and fertility. While there may be medical reasons that prevent pregnancy, stress levels and anxiety are not to be dismissed as factors. The process of trying to conceive can be stressful in itself, so any way to help calm the mind is helpful.

Below are some resources to get started on creating a regular relaxation practice:

• Meditation is the most solidly researched stress-reducing activity and triggers the relaxation response. There are many forms of meditation, but their goals are similar--to focus your mind on internal sensations and actions like breathing, while keeping out thoughts that are distracting. To learn more, visit www.learningmeditation.com or www.meditationcenter.com.
• Jennifer Bloome has created some specific meditations for fertility, available for a free download at www.anjionline.com. You will need to sign up on the front page with your basic information and then you will have access to free MP3 downloads of 10-15 minute guided meditations specific to the fertility journey.
• Yoga: there are many types, but hatha yoga is a great place to start. Yoga is a relaxing form of synchronized movement and breathing and, studies show, a 45-minute session twice a week can reduce the effects of stress and promote hormone balance.
• Mini-Meditation: Just a 2 minute break can calm you down and help your muscles relax when you're feeling particularly stressed. Here's one take on mini-meditating.

Repost: NYT Article Linking Stress to Infertility

"The truth is that if you are not in harmony with yourself and your culture, you are stressed," said physician-researcher, Dr. Sara L. Berga in a recent NY Times article highlighting the findings of her research linking stress to infertility. This 'truth' is the very foundation from which traditional Chinese medicine is built. Traditional Chinese medicine aims to restore health by creating a balance within ourselves and an equilibrium with the environment we live in.

Dr. Berga's research looks at how chronic stress alters brain signals to the hypothalamus--one of the four organs, including the pituitary, the ovary and the uterus--responsible for the intricate hormonal dance of fertility. "Chronic stress," she says, "whether emotional or physical, taxes the body."

In addition to treating the particular pattern of disharmony that may prevent a woman from becoming pregnant, acupuncture offers deep relaxation to the uterus as well as to the whole body-mind. By relieving stress and calming the spirit, acupuncture allows endocrine activity to proceed smoothly and effortlessly. And this helps balance the hormones necessary for fertility.

Often during an acupuncture session for fertility, points are specifically chosen to stimulate the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary-uterus axis. If you've ever had one of these treatments, you may notice a needle place on the top of your head, one between your eyebrows, a needle a few inches below your navel and a needle 3 or more inches lateral to this point. These points stimulate the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, the uterus and the ovaries, respectively.

Thus, as the article proposes, getting pregnant naturally may be as simple as, "just relax." To read the New York Times article in full click here.

Healing Soups to Fight Colds/Flu

The weather is so temperamental and, with all these temperature ups and downs, many of my patients are coming in with colds and flu! Soups are a great way to prevent and treat seasonal illness. To read more, there is a great article in the Yoga Journal called Healing Soups.

Here is a great recipe for an immune boosting soup:

Immune Boosting Soup*

If you need an extra immune boost, the article recommends using 1/2 the total garlic you desire to the soup, and then adding the remaining 1/2 of the garlic (crushed) after the soup is cooked, along with the lemon juice.

4 cups mushroom or chicken broth

1 small yellow onion, chopped

4-10 garlic cloves (to taste, crushed and chopped)

1 carrot, grated

4-8 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1-3 tbsp. grated ginger root (to taste)

3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1. Bring the broth, onion, garlic, carrot, mushrooms, and ginger root to a slow boil.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer on low, covered, for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
3. Remove from heat. Add the lemon juice, parsley and any remaining garlic. Cover and steep for 5 minutes.

* This recipe appeared in the December 2008 issue ofYoga Journal and was provided by Debra Brammer, N.D., associate clinical dean of naturopathic medicine at Bastyr Center for Natural Health.

Women and Foot Pain

Many people, especially women, suffer from foot pain and believe it is normal. Living in a walking city, such as New York, we need to take special care! A recently published study featured in the New York Times, determined that many women make poor shoe choices early in life and suffer with foot pain in later years. The issue is not only confined to the feet, but has also been seen to cause alignment issues in knees, hip, back and even the neck. Unfortunately for the fashionista, high heels not only cause pain, they also cause corns, bunions, hammer toes, shortened calf muscles and ingrown toenails. Ouch!

Improve foot health

• Limit the amount of time you wear high heels. Carry a pair of good quality flats to wear for part of the day, and choose athletic shoes for weekends and downtime.
• Cushion! Take your high heels with thin soles to the shoemaker, and ask for a thin rubber sole cemented to the bottom of the shoe to cushion your foot.
• Pregnancy may cause your feet to grow up to a full size! When shoe shopping, look for thick, supportive soles. Buy shoes that give your toes room to move. Laced, rather than slip on shoes are recommended by podiatrists for the best fit.
• In addition to alignment issues caused by poor shoe choice, I also see a fair bit of orthopedic conditions in the neck, shoulder and hips due to carrying large, heavy handbags on one shoulder.
• Acupuncture can be very effective in treating chronic pain, but prevention is the best medicine. Lighten up the load, limit the high heels and switch to a supportive pair of shoes!

Walnuts: A Great Fall Food

I’m glad to see the walnut getting its due attention In this recent New York Times article (which also includes a delicious recipe for Bulgarian Cucumber Soup With Walnuts!). In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), walnuts have a multitude of health benefits. They tonify the kidneys which, according to TCM, are responsible for maintaining brain functioning. Walnuts strengthen muscles by nourishing the blood, relieve asthma by warming the lungs, aid in digestion and have sweet and warming properties, which means they are great for this season!

Nutritionally, walnuts provide a lot micronutrients: potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, zinc, copper, vitamins B9, B6, E, A and substantial amounts of dietary fiber, which eases constipation. They are also full of essential fatty acids like linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid.

How to Eat More Walnuts: Freshly shelled walnuts taste great eaten raw or cooked. Add raw walnuts to salads. Chop them up small and eat with a baked apple or pear or add them to your baked goods – breads, muffins, and cookies. Roast them as an appetizer or add them to a grain dish – like rice, quinoa or pasta.

How to roast walnuts? Spread them onto a baking sheet and place them in the oven for a few minutes (until lightly brown).
To toast them, place them in a skillet with a little bit of oil.

Walnut oil is another way to get the essential fatty acids (but not the fiber). Walnut oil is wonderful in salad but does not react well to heating so it’s not recommended for cooking.

A Note About Storage
: Because of their high fat content, walnuts turn rancid quickly. Chopped or ground walnuts turn rancid more easily than walnuts in the shell. 
 If they are stored in a cool place in the shell, you can keep them for up to a year. 
If you prefer to buy them unshelled, store them in an airtight container, in a cool, dark place. You do not want to keep them for more than a month.

Miso Soup with Scallions

This past week, so many of my patients have come in sick! The temperatures dropped and then rose again - which is prime time for illness. So, I am reposting this great Miso Soup recipe. As soon as you feel run down, make this soup and throw in some extra ginger and scallions.

Miso Soup with Scallions, a very popular dish, is actually an ancient herbal remedy for colds. In 300 AD, Ge Hong, a famous herbalist, wrote about Miso Soup with Scallions in a book called, Bei ji zhou hou fang or Emergency Formulas to Keep Up One's Sleeve.

The soup is intended to be eaten at the onset of a cold when a person is just beginning to feel a headache, stuffy nose and a slight fever. So, the next time you feel a cold coming on, be sure to have your miso!

Miso Soup (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

* 6 cups water
* 3-4 Tablespoons Aka Miso or red soy bean paste (usually sold in the refrigerated section)
* 3-5 green onions stalks, chopped

Directions:

* Dissolve the miso in a little bit of boiling water (about 2 tsp.)
* Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and add the miso & scallions.
* Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
* Remove from heat top with green onions and serve.

Variations: you can add various other ingredients to make a more substantial soup, such as tofu, seaweed, fresh mushrooms, cooked shrimp, snow pea sprouts, cooked rice noodles, or paper-thin slices of fresh ginger.