Fertility Kitchen

Sticking Your Neck Out to Enhance Fertility

outsideeye — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 10:43:16 PDT

The thyroid is a tiny gland with an enormous impact on the health and wellbeing of the entire body. Underfunctioning of this gland, or hypothyroidism, affects approximately 1 out of every 12 women. However, thyroid conditions can be sub-clinical or go unnoticed for many years. Every cell in the body needs small amounts of thyroid hormone for optimal functioning. So, when this gland is compromised, many aspects of health can diminish, including fertility.

Many women suffer unnecessarily with symptoms such as fatigue, decreased libido, hair loss, water retention, depression, insomnia, and menstrual irregularity and may experience fertility challenges such as recurrent miscarriages.

Chinese medicine groups many of these symptoms into the "Kidney" system, which loosely correlates to the endocrine system, including thyroid, adrenal and ovarian function. Chinese medicine practitioners assess not only standard lab tests (measurements of TSH, T3 and T4) but also delve into aspects of health history such as immunity, energy levels and sleep patterns that have interrelationships to the thyroid function in order to arrive at an understanding of the entire "Kidney" system.

Both Chinese and Western medicine recognize that stress, overwork and poor diet may negatively impact the "Kidney" or endocrine system. Conversely, applying acupuncture and appropriate lifestyle modifications may help improve endocrine health and in turn, reproductive function.

The insertion of acupuncture needles at specific points on the body propagates sensation to the brain (specifically the hypothalamus), which in turn helps regulate the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovarian Axis to impact hormone regulation and improve thyroid function.

Chinese medical nutrition traditionally employs substances from the sea that are rich in iodine, such as oyster shells and seaweed, to treat thyroid nodules. With the current availability of iodine (an essential component of the thyroid) in our regular food sources, these substances may not be as necessary, but a well-balanced diet, including good sources of protein (deep sea fish, hormone-free meat and poultry), complex carbohydrates (squash, asparagus, brown rice, beans, sweet potatoes), have shown to contribute toward healthy thyroid function. Foods to avoid include alcohol, sugar and goitrogens (peanuts, pine nuts, tapioca and sorgum).

Stress reduction techniques and immune-restoring activities such as yoga and meditation help to re-balance and restore thyroid function. Cognitive therapy has also shown an effect on the thyroid axis similar to that of antidepressant treatments.

Proper diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism can significantly improve reproductive health and overall quality of life.

Did the Stork Bring Me?

outsideeye — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:23:36 PDT

As an homage to Pride Month, my last few posts were about LGBT parenting options. Today I want to delve more into the choice of using donor eggs. There are multiple circumstances in which using donor eggs is the best (or only) solution for growing your family. Although, it can be a difficult paradigm shift, using someone else's eggs and/or sperm doesn't translate into it not being your child. Once you go through a pregnancy with your baby in your belly and give birth, the bond is the same. In many cases it's the best way to get lucky children in the hands of wonderful parents.

The New York Times recently published an article stating that roughly 6,000 children are born each year via egg donation. (And a million living adults are the biological children of sperm donors!) This was an informative article, but I felt that it portrayed children conceived by egg or sperm donor as being inherently fraught with angst about the means to their conception, which has not been my direct experience while seeing many families make this choice. As you continue your own evaluation, you can check the article out for some fodder in order to consider all the angles.

In my years of working with couples dedicated to trying anything to form a family, my experience with children who originated from the thoughtful choice of egg donation, has been very positive. The patients who visit me seeking help in getting pregnant are usually extremely mature, emotionally-grounded adults who understand the gravity of bringing a child into the world and are ready to commit their lives to raising their children... by whatever means those children come about. In this scenario, everyone benefits.

Laurel Fertility Care is a local San Francisco fertility clinic with, in my opinion, an outstanding egg donation service by virtue of caring and informed physicians as well as diverse donors.

Should you want more help exploring this topic, I highly recommend seeking out a therapist who can counsel you on the emotional grey areas of choosing egg donation.

HINT: Gayby Kids Score High!

outsideeye — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:21:21 PDT

New Scientist just published an article saying "The children of lesbian parents outscore their peers on academic and social tests, according to results from the longest-running study of same-sex families." (The National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study, which started in 1986)

This is not the first study to come up with similar findings.

In some parts of the U.S., it's still illegal for lesbian and gay couples to adopt children. Doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?

We're celebrating Pride Month at Acupuncture Kitchen.

Join us for Pride Movie Night this Saturday, June 12th. Join us for a free Lesbian, Kung-Fu Vampire Flic in the comfy lobby of Acupuncture Kitchen at 7pm!

Pride Conception

outsideeye — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:36:02 PDT

I recently heard the phrase "gayby" for the first time. Granted, I'm not always in the know, despite being a specialist in fertility acupuncture, but I love good lingo. So, I was happy to incorporate this one into my repertoire.

Here at Acupuncture Kitchen, we-alongside the greater San Francisco area-are celebrating Pride Month. I thought I'd kick it off with a post about pregnancy options for all of our patients who are building their families as either single mothers or fathers, or two-mother/two-father homes. Known as "biological parenthood," infertility clinics are able to give gay and lesbian couples an option over the traditional but more limited option of adoption.

So, here are the main menu items:

For the Ladies: Donor Sperm

The easiest solution is your basic intrauterine insemination (IUI). For a surprisingly low cost (starting at, say, a few hundred dollars), women can research donor demographics and purchase high-quality sperm alongside an IUI. Sperm can also be donated by a friend, but anonymously-purchased sperm has the advantage of not carrying emotional ties and not having to sort out long-term arrangements. If you decide to go this route, a clinic I particularly recommend is Pacific Reproductive Services (a lesbian owned sperm bank).

For Everyone: A Gestational Surrogate

Gay men or lesbians who aren't going to carry their own child have the option of hiring a surrogate to be impregnated via in-vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF, like IUI, can use either anonymous or known donor sperm and/or donor eggs (sometimes from one of the partner's eggs).

For Couples:

A uniquely San Francisco-style parenting option is for couples to agree to raise a child together. In this swinging scenario, one of the lesbians would be inseminated with the sperm of one of the gay men. The two couples then share parenting responsibilities and hope for one (really) big happy family.

There are various clinics in San Francisco that specialize in helping couples of all genders get their baby project in motion. I work most closely with Laurel Fertility Care and founded an Eastern clinic inside of this Western clinic so that patients seeking impregnation can supplement their treatments with acupuncture on-site. In fact, all of the acupuncturists here at Acupuncture Kitchen are on-call whenever one of our patients at Laurel is due for their embryo transplant. We show up and stick a few needles in you in spots that are well-known to increase the chances of successful implantation.

(If you'd like to read the scientific jargon about ACU/IVF, click here.)

Just for kicks, I got the following statistics from the Partners Task Force for Gay & Lesbian Couples (www.buddybuddy.com). This web site lists even more statistics and also some great breakdowns of state-by-state laws on parenting options for gays and lesbians.

The American Bar Association, Family Law Section estimates that there are four million gay and lesbian parents raising 8-10 million children.
The American Civil Liberties Union estimates that eight-to-13 million children are being raised by gay or lesbian American parents.
Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund estimates there are from six-to-10 million lesbian and gay parents who are mothers and fathers to an estimated six-to-14 million children.
The National Adoption Information Clearinghouse estimates there are 1.5-to-5 million lesbian mothers and 1-to-3 million homosexual fathers. As of 1990, 6-14 million children were being raised in homosexual households.

HINT: Everyday Breathing Exercise

outsideeye — Thu, 27 May 2010 10:26:42 PDT

Thankfully, breathing is involuntary, or we'd all keel over and die, but conscious deep breathing can be a simple and profound tool for everyday use. In 4 breaths you can ease your work tensions, feel more energized, and even boost your immunity.

Inhale into your lower belly, filling it up, letting it expand
Exhale and draw your lower belly back toward your spine
Inhale, imagining your breath going up the back of your spine to the base of your neck
Exhale, letting your breath wash down your arms into your palms

Then, begin the inhale again from your lower belly, and repeat until nothing can shake your calm.

It's As Simple As Breathing

outsideeye — Thu, 20 May 2010 17:46:37 PDT

My colleague, Tamara Falvai, L.Ac., is going to give birth any day now, and in her honor I've been thinking a lot about labor breathing.

We've all heard that patterned breathing during labor is a crucial way to get through the painful and scary process of giving birth. Breathing is also a great way to ground yourself through the ups and downs of daily life.

It's a natural human reaction to hold our breath when we are scared or in pain. But-as so many yogis have learned-breathing through difficulty is a crucial tool for coping and staying comfortably grounded in your body. That's one reason that breathing is emphasized so fully in learning the mindfulness-based practice of meditation.

Breathing is a do-it-yourself relaxation tool. It's inherently healthy. It's free, which costs a lot less than acupuncture or a massage. And, it's something absolutely everyone can do.

Here's how:

During labor, we encourage women to take a deep, relaxing breath at the beginning and end of each contraction. (By the way, do you know that I'm a trained doula?) During daily stress, practice bringing attention to your breath whenever you catch yourself in a moment of negative emotional or mind-based reaction. Take a long, deep, slow breath.

It can help to actually count the pacing of the breath to yourself. Try to match the length of the inhale to the length of the exhale.

Alternately, in certain meditation practices, teachers will instruct you to linger longer on the side of the breath that feels most comfortable to you. If you cling to the in breath as an invigorating infusion of energy, take a little longer as you breathe in. If you prefer the relaxing, letting-go sensation of breathing out, then stay longer on this side.

Also, be particularly aware of the pause between each in breath and out breath. This silent little pause is a great moment of contemplation where your body takes the time to shore up for the next breath.

You can practice mindful breathing in the car, while standing in line at a grocery store, while enduring a really boring conversation you simply can't break away from.... basically any time you find yourself feeling anxious, bored, scared, angry, or tense.

RECIPE: Wild Nettle Soup

outsideeye — Thu, 13 May 2010 16:45:14 PDT

Nettles are therapeutic plants known to be high in iron and therefore wonderful to supplement women's diets during certain times of their cycle. We found wild nettles on our Herbal Plant Walk in Tennessee Valley a few weeks ago.

This is a great soup you can make with foraged wild nettles. I tested this one myself recently, and it was delicious.

Ingredients

1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced or put through the garlic press
Olive oil or coconut oil
8 cups of broth (I use chicken broth)
4-6 potatoes, peeled and cubed (more potatoes= thicker and more creamy; less=thinner)
6-8 cups of wild nettle leaves, washed well

Instructions

In a large soup pot, heat the oil until hot, and add the onion
Sprinkle on a touch of salt, and saute until the onion starts to soften (about 5-7 minutes)
Add the garlic and saute for a minute or two more
Add the broth and potatoes and bring to a low boil
Turn down heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. (If using homemade broth, I also like to salt it a bit at this stage too)
Add the nettles leaves, and cook for about five more minutes
You can mash up the soup a bit with the back of a wooden spoon for a rustic soup, or you can puree it into a smooth soup (which I did, and prefer)

For those who can have dairy, finishing this soup off with some cream would be great too!

Salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

RECIPE: Blackberry-Elderberry Wine

outsideeye — Fri, 07 May 2010 14:24:37 PDT

Fresh from the lovely aftermath of our recent Herbal Plant Walk, here is a recipe you might enjoy. Blackberry brambles yield berries mid-summer, so this one should be doable quite soon.

Ingredients

4 lb blackberries
1/4 lb dried elderberries
2-1/3 cups granulated sugar
water to 1 gallon
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1/2 tsp acid blend
1 tsp yeast nutrient
wine yeast

Instructions

Boil 2 quarts of water.
Meanwhile, wash and sort the blackberries and put them in a nylon straining bag. Tie the end, put in the primary fermentation vessel, and mash fruit.
Add dried elderberries to boiling water, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
Add sugar to the primary fermentation vessel, untie nylon bag, and pour boiling water into bag.
Carefully retie end and stir liquid well to dissolve sugar.
Cover and allow to cool.
When lukewarm, stir in acid blend, pectic enzyme and yeast nutrient.
Recover primary fermentation vessel.
After 12 hours, add yeast.
Gently squeeze bag twice daily for 7 days to extract flavors.
Drain bag, squeezing gently, pour liquid into secondary fermentation vessel, and fit airlock.
After fermentation dies down (5-7 days) top up and refit airlock.
Rack into clean secondary fermentation vessel, top up and refit airlock every 2 months for a total of 4 times.
Bottle and age for 6-12 months.

Voila.... in a good 6 months to a year, you just might have some yummy blackberry-elderberry wine!

Stocking Your Herbal Medicine Cabinet

outsideeye — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:27:19 PDT

"A natural alternative to the standard over the counter drugs and first aid products."

Last weekend I took a group of about 15 brave adventurers out into the Marin Headlands to locate and identify medicinal and edible plants that grow wild in the Bay Area. Part deux of our annual Plant Walk is our in-house Herbal Medicine Cabinet workshop, happening tonight. All of the proceeds from the workshop will go to the efforts of Acupuncturists without Borders and their work in Haiti!

You're still welcome to join us, but in case this last minute invite doesn't work for your busy schedule, here's some information about your Herbal Medicine Cabinet.

What Does This Have to do with Chinese Medicine?

In case you didn't catch my last post, I graduated from the California School of Herbal Studies before I started my Chinese Medicine training, and I have always been a great advocate of using herbs and natural remedies to heal.

We created this workshop because we saw a need in our clients to have intimate access to Chinese herbal remedies at home. Maybe they are dealing with acute back pain, but their next acupuncture appointment isn't until the end of the week. Our Burns, Injuries, and Pain kit has all the remedies you need in the moment to stop the pain and bring relief.

The main focus of tonight's workshop will be to create a healing salve-from scratch-that will remedy cuts, bumps, bites and stings. So for those of you that can't make it, here's the basic gist.

Healing Salve

Soak comfrey, plantain and calendula flowers in almond and jojoba oil. Immerse the flowers completely to keep them fresh.
Seal it up, place it on a warm windowsill, and wait 2-3 weeks, shaking the jar periodically.
Strain the oil through bundled up cheesecloth, separating the oil from the herbs, and collecting the oil in a bowl.
Melt 3 tablespoons of beeswax for every 2 cups of oil in a low heat double boiler.
When the wax has melted completely, mix in the oil. The beeswax will temporarily re-harden. Patiently warm the oil slowly until the solution is again clear and the wax fully melted.
Add a teaspoon of Vitamin E oil to the mixture for every 2 cups of oils you originally started with.
Pour your mixture into small jars to cool. Add a few drops of essential oil for a wonderful scent. Voila, salve!

Those who attend the workshop will get all the ingredients needed to make this salve. If you're trying it at home, a natural food store with a bulk section is a good place to start hunting down the goods.

Herbal First Aid Kits

We also put together five first aid kits (in adorable tote bags!) that are available at Acupuncture Kitchen to treat the following areas:

Burns, Injury & Pain
Colds & Flu
Outdoor & Gardening
Healthy Digestion
Natural Pet Care

If you'd like to order one, come on in or give us a call!

Foraging Into the Wilds of Your Own Back Yard

outsideeye — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:00:09 PDT

Back in the day, everyone knew what edibles could be picked to take care of everyday maladies. In many cultures, this sort of folk medicine is still widespread and legitimate. In the Bay Area, we've got lots of fodder to rekindle our relationship to harvesting and preparing natural remedies.

Here's a fun fact you may not know about me: I love making herbal potions and concoctions.

Before I attended Chinese medicine school, I graduated from the California School of Herbal Studies. My original intention was to use acupuncture in conjunction with Western herbs, since they grow here, are readily available, and complement our western constitutions. However, the Chinese pharmacopoeia is so extensive and well-studied that now I mix and mingle the two.

Knowing how to identify and prepare medicinal plants from nature is not just a hobby; it's a way to access effective health care at home. Obviously, not every condition can be treated successfully with natural remedies.

Here is a partial list of some user-friendly plants:

Mint plants: The leaves are great for stomach upset. (During a recent visit to Peru, a friend of mine was given fresh mint for altitude sickness, and she was pleased to report that it did indeed work.)

Nettles: You can simmer them, which takes away all of the sting (although, be careful when harvesting - use gloves!) and make either a nettle tea or a delicious blended nettle soup. Nettles are high in a very assimilable form of Iron and are great to replenish with after menstruation.

Plantains: The leaves are "nature's bandaid." They are gauzy and can wrap around your booboo, and they also contain beneficial compounds which operate as healing agents when used in a compress (soak in water and apply to wound). Comfrey is a nice addition to plantain when making your own salve... we'll be teaching you how to do this at Acupuncture Kitchen at our Chinese Medicine Cabinet Workshop on April 29th.

Horsetail: Well, you can scrub pots and pans with this plant that's as old as the dinosaurs. It's also great as a tea for improving hair and nail health.

Yerba Buena and Sage: These two plants often grow right next to each other. Yerba Buena has a sticky, cherry-like quality, and sage is very astringent. Together, they make an excellent cough syrup!

Mugwort: I like to soak the blossoms in oil with garlic and let them sit for about a month. This makes an excellent ear oil for both babies and pets who may be prone to ear infections.

Books I Recommend To Continue Your Foray into Herbalism:

A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America by Lee Allen Peterson and Roger Tory Peterson
The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan
Stalking the Wild Asparagus by Euell Gibbons

If You Don't Believe Me, Come See For Yourself:

This Sunday, I'll be taking a group of moderately adventurous souls on a plant walk in Tennessee Valley, Marin. We'll identify some edible and medicinal plants and get back in touch with our non-urban roots. If you are interested in joining us, contact Acupuncture Kitchen or check out the flyer for more info.

And next week I'll go into a little more detail and tell you about some herbal first aid kits we've been putting together at Acupuncture Kitchen. I'll also demonstrate how you can make your own salve. All the proceeds from this workshop will go to supporting relief efforts in Haiti.