Jan
17
Why You Should Be Tracking Your Period If Your Trying to Get Pregnant…
Posted by admin at 05:30 | Filed In Inspired Wellness Center, News you can Use | Add a Comment
Alright boys, you’re not invited to this topic . . . but this is a MUST READ for any women out there who are thinking about or trying to get pregnant.
Tracking your period. It’s something that if you’ve read any of my other blog posts, you probably wondered why it’s such a big deal? Well, trust me, it is. Understanding your cycle can be the key that unlocks the mystery of why it might take/or is taking some time to conceive and it doesn’t matter if you’re working with a fertility specialized Acupuncturist or a Reproductive Doctor… we’ll all want to know the same details.
Here’s a quick version of what a “normal” cycle looks like:
- Day 1- This is the first day of menstrual flow! Not spotting . . . actual flow. An important day, remember this date!
- If you are taking your temperatures (known as basal body temperature) the we would expect your temperature to be lower than it was at the end of your last cycle. If it takes a couple of days to drop after your period has started, this could indicate endometriosis.
- A “normal” period should last about 4-5 days, not painful, not too heavy, not clotty, bright red flow…basically comes and goes without ruining your life.
- Once your “monthly visitor” leaves for good, things should be rather uneventful for a little bit.
- If you are taking your temperature, we would be looking for it to be relatively even. If it is especially up and down (we call that sawtooth) then that could mean high stress levels which is NOT conducive to baby making!
- As ovulation draws near (roughly Day 14) we end the follicular phase of your cycle and start moving into your luteal phase.
- Ovulation is the official “GO TIME!” Some women feel some cramping during this time, some feel nothing. We would also be looking for good cervical mucus (WHAT! We’re going to talk about that stuff!? YEP!) Good cervical mucus should arrive at the same time as ovulation and should resemble an egg white in consistency and appearance. This stuff is a big deal and needs to be there, however some fertility drugs can dry it up a bit (hello Pre-Seed(R)).
- If you are taking your temperature then we would expect it to rise .5-1 degree indicating an increase in progesterone levels which confirms ovulation. If it doesn’t rise, this could indicate an ovulatory disorder and can be confirmed with a progesterone test on either day 19 or 21.
- If you are using Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKS’s) then you will pee on a stick 1-2 a day until you get a positive. This indicates the LH (luteinizing hormone) surge which happens first and triggers ovulation about 24-32 hours later. If you don’t get a positive then this could also indicate an issue with ovulation and should be looked into.
- Okay. . . so now we’re in the really important part. The egg has been released, the sperm is in the hunt and hopefully a conception will happen! Assuming that all goes well, implantation is usually happening about 5-8 days after ovulation and this is when the fertilized egg is trying find an awesome spot to set up shop for the next 9 months. Blood flow to the uterus is important at this point so keep moving (good for circulation) and keep your lady parts warm (i.e, try to avoid cold lakes, swimming pools, polar bear plunges…)!!!
- If you are taking your temperature we want to see your temperature go up after ovulation and stay up and stay fairly consistent. Any dips here could indicate a progesterone issue.
- And drum roll please . . . . . Approximately day 28 we’ll be looking for either a period or a positive pregnancy test (and obviously we’re hoping for the second one). Don’t rely just on symptoms to try to guess what’s coming… mother nature can be a real jerk and often symptoms (breast tenderness, fatigue, cramping) can go either way so wait for confirmation. If you get a period that seems strange¸ maybe lighter than usual, still do a pregnancy test as it’s not uncommon for women to have something resembling a period in early pregnancy.
- If you are taking your temperature then we want for the temperature to stay high. If it suddenly drops than that usually indicates your period will be starting within 24 hours.
OK! There you go, that is a breakdown of the what and when’s of a “normal” period and any deviation of this might be worth looking into further. If you do identify any potential issues be sure to keep an open mind about your options. Working with both an Acupuncturist and your regular doctor is a great way to quickly identify and correct any issues that could be getting in the way of your fertility!
For more information about Inspired Wellness Center you can join the conversation online on Facebook and Twitter. Inspired Wellness Center services Arvada and the entire Denver Metro Area.
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Jan
12
What Everybody Ought to Know About Quitting Smoking with Acupuncture
Posted by admin at 05:30 | Filed In Acupuncture News, Inspired Wellness Center, News you can Use | Add a Comment
As part of January’s coverage of common New Year Resolution’s we come to one Resolution that I wish, more than any other, for you to be successful with…Quitting Smoking! It doesn’t matter why you started or how long you’ve been smoking, it’s still exciting that you are thinking of quitting. Chances are good that you’ve heard the stories about how hard it can be to stop smoking, and even if this isn’t your first time trying to quit, this CAN be the time you are successful once and for all!
Quitting cigarettes is just like dealing with any addiction, it can be done but you have to be 100% committed! And I’ve worked with just about every addiction you can think of from sugar, to nicotine and Meth to cocaine. Here’s a few things I’ve learned firsthand.
- First you have to want to do it for you! You can be trying to quit for your husband or your kids… you have to want it for yourself because you know you are better off without it.
- Second, once you’ve made the decision to quit for yourself, make a list of as many other reasons as you can think of and this can include your family, friends, health, hygiene and money. Be clear why you can’t do this anymore and write it with painstaking detail so when you are craving it so bad you are about to give in, and your brain has convinced you that you should just do it, you can stop and read your list and know that no matter how hard this moment is… the moment will pass and it’s never worth it, falling off the wagon or starting from scratch.
- Next, think things through! Most habits are replaced with another habit so if you try to quit cold turkey but don’t have anything to fill that void, you will likely fall off the wagon. What can you use to fill those times when you would have usually reached for a smoke (driving, after meals or social occasions)? As they say, failing to plan is planning to fail.
- Tell people around you what you are doing. If you are trying to quit smoking but your friends are all social drinker/smokers… tell them not to invite you when they go out to smoke. It’s easy to think you can just avoid the situations all together, but life goes on and you will eventually want to hang with the people you’ve always enjoyed. Opportunity to fall off the wagon will ALWAYS be there so you might as well jump in with both feet and prove to yourself that although you had the choice to indulge… you didn’t.
Okay, once you have all of that in place… now it’s time to start talking about how something like Acupuncture can really help you, especially in those first few weeks. There is something called the NADA (National Acupuncture and Detoxification Association) protocol which is used in addition centers all over the world and is SO effective in working with addiction as it works to reset the brain chemistry involved in any addiction. On top of that, you should be using acupuncture to deal with stress, irritability and lung health so that the first few weeks of being a non-smoker is an easy transition for your body, for you and for everyone around you!
For more information about Inspired Wellness Center you can join the conversation online on Facebook and Twitter. Inspired Wellness Center services Arvada and the entire Denver Metro Area.
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Jan
10
Top 10 Ways Acupuncture Can Help Anyone Going Through Cancer Treatment!
Posted by admin at 05:30 | Filed In Acupuncture News, Inspired Wellness Center, News you can Use | Add a Comment
As a person, I have been dealing with cancer in my family for as long as I can remember, and as an Acupuncturist I have been working with Cancer patients since I was in Grad school. I’ve seen both sides of the story and I’m here to tell you that although getting the news of Cancer will probably always be one of the worst days you can imagine, your cancer treatment doesn’t have to be as scary as it sounds. Find a good Oncologist (shameless plug for one of the best Oncologists in Denver, Dr. Samir Witta of Mountain Blue Cancer Care Center) and you will find plenty of options if your cancer is treatable. Now bring on an Oncology Specialized Acupuncturist and you have a very well rounded team to get you through your cancer treatments.
Does it seem strange to think of a Medical Doctor and an Acupuncturist working so well together? Well it shouldn’t! Many of the best hospitals in the country offer Acupuncture as part of their treatment program.
Here are 10 things Acupuncture can help anyone going through cancer treatments with:
- · Fatigue
- · Neuropathy
- · Nausea/vomiting
- · Headaches
- · Body-aches
- · Insomnia
- · Surgery Prep/Recovery
- · Blood counts/Immune System
- · Depression
- · Hot flashes
Although that’s the list of things I most commonly see, there is so much more that Acupuncture can help with! The timing, a frequency, can change depending on what works best with your body and your chemo schedule, so be open to playing around with timing of treatments. A good place to start is the day before your Chemo treatment. Although once a week is useful, many of my patients, who have done the very best, have come in twice on the week of chemo and once a week otherwise.
So there you go… while the diagnosis of Cancer will always suck, the treatment doesn’t have to. Things like rest, sleep, good nutrition, laughter and Acupuncture, you are giving your body the tools it needs to take care of itself, while you go thru treatment, and I know that it will return the favor tenfold!
For more information about Inspired Wellness Center you can join the conversation online on Facebook and Twitter. Inspired Wellness Center services Arvada and the entire Denver Metro Area.
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Jan
5
SECRET sshhh: Top 4 Ways Acupuncture Can Help You Lose Weight!
Posted by admin at 05:30 | Filed In Acupuncture News, Inspired Wellness Center, News you can Use | Add a Comment
With the New Year comes the inevitable New Year Resolution. And the big daddy of them all is usually the one regarding weight loss. It can come in lots of varieties such as the broad proclamation of “I’m going to eat better this year” or be as specific as “I WILL lose 25 pounds by June 17th, 2012”. If you’re really taking your resolutions seriously then you might be looking into resources to help you out and at this time of year there are plenty of products and people promising how they can help you reach your weight loss goals.
In fact, during January we get more inquiries than ever asking how Acupuncture can help with weight loss. Here’s what I tell my patients… YES! Acupuncture can help with weight loss but there is no magic point on your body that we can poke with a needle and you will begin to shrivel like a balloon. You must still do the work yourself! You must commit to eating more fruits and vegetables, less sugar and drink more water. You must plan physical activity into your week… something simple likes 20 minute walks at lunch or maybe you want to get a little more GI Jane with it and look into things like boxing or boot camps. Just do something! Our bodies were made to MOVE!!! Ok, enough with the nagging, here’s what you came for… how Acupuncture can help you lose weight:
- Acupuncture has a proven effect on the hormonal systems in the body. This is useful for people, especially women, who are gaining weight as their hormones are changing (think estrogen, progesterone and thyroid). As we keep these systems as balanced as they can be that will have a positive effect on your ability to lose or maintain weight.
- Is chronic pain keeping you from being active? Well good news…Acupuncture is phenomenal at treating pain! If you have injuries like back pain, achy knees or foot issues then try Acupuncture and I’d bet that within a few treatments you’ll have one less excuse that’s keeping you on the couch.
- Acupuncture can be very beneficial at regulating the appetite. It’s easy to blame a lack of will power for your bottomless stomach but we actually look at something like an excessive appetite as a true symptom of something that can be corrected.
- Emotional eating (and this is the BIG one!). As a society, we eat when we’re happy and we definitely eat when we’re sad and our body usually tells us to eat when we’re stressed too. All that eating will only lead to one thing… weight gain. And what do we want to eat during these times??? For me, it’s never salad! Unfortunately, our body knows that we are sad or stressed (or whatever we are) and it wants to help us feel better. It knows that those comfort foods like candy, baked goods or rich pastas will release just the right combination of chemicals in our brain to make us feel better but our body doesn’t understand that this isn’t a long term solution so you just stay on the same roller coaster. Acupuncture is very effective for working with brain chemistry and changing this scenario for the long term so you don’t feel the need to eat all of your emotions… and as an added bonus you FEEL BETTER IN GENERAL!
Those are four of the things that Acupuncture can do for YOU to help you reach your health goals this year. And if losing weight isn’t already enough of a reason to try Acupuncture, then just think of the other added health benefits like having more energy, sleeping more soundly and reduced stress levels.
For more information about Inspired Wellness Center you can join the conversation online on Facebook and Twitter. Inspired Wellness Center services Arvada and the entire Denver Metro Area.
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Jan
3
Acupuncture for Infertility
Posted by admin at 05:30 | Filed In Acupuncture News, Inspired Wellness Center, News you can Use | Add a Comment
Are you thinking about getting pregnant or have been trying for a while? Are you starting to consider using Acupuncture to help you boost your fertility and increase the chances of becoming/carrying a healthy pregnancy? Well here is the Top 5 reasons why you shouldn’t wait another day before calling Inspired Wellness Center (or your local fertility specialized Acupuncturist)!
1. Trying to get pregnant can be a stressful process and Acupuncture is GREAT at reducing stress levels! Even if you can’t wrap your head around the rest of the stuff I’m going to tell you that Acupuncture can help with… after your first treatment you’ll becoming a believer that Acupuncture WILL reduce your stress levels. In fact it’s been scientifically proven that just the simple act of Acupuncture encourages your brain to release a whole feel-good cocktail of chemicals and hormones which in turn makes you feel better!
2. Acupuncture can help regulate your menstrual cycle. If you know anything about your body and what happens during your cycle you can probably assume that just one “kink in the chain” can have a domino effect and mess up everything else. If there is a simple solution to correcting your cycle, why not do it? Things like tracking ovulation and temperatures can help identify these issues and your Acupuncturist can discuss with you where the issues might be and what your treatment plan would look like.
3. Studies have shown that doing Acupuncture with IVF can increase success chances by up to 60%! But what if you’re not doing IVF… you ask? The reasons why adding Acupuncture to the IVF process is so important because of it’s ability to do things like regulate hormones, increase blood flow to the uterus and reduce uterine contractions…. These are all important whether you are trying to get pregnant naturally or are using ART technology like IUI/IVF’s.
4. We think outside of the box! Acupuncture and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) have been around for a LONG time! One of the reasons that it is so successful is because they developed an entirely different thought process when it comes to dysfunctions and the body. This is important for the women who struggle getting pregnant and after a full work-up at the Doc’s office they are told they have (the dreaded) UNEXPLAINED INFERTILITY. If we turn this statement inside out we understand this to mean… on paper you’re perfect but for some reason you’re not getting pregnant. That’s great for us! We know there is nothing majorly wrong so lets look at your history from a different perspective and see if we can’t find something to fix.
5. Acupuncture wants to FIX the problem not band aid it. The goal in any medicine should be to identify the problem and then fix it. This is important because a fixed issue does not rear it’s ugly head down the road… what I am getting to here is that chances of miscarriage are significantly reduced when doing Acupuncture. Rather than forcing your body to do something it isn’t ready to do, take a couple of months to really take care of yourself and get your body as healthy as you can get it and I know it’ll pay off in the end!
For more information about Inspired Wellness Center you can join the conversation online on Facebook and Twitter. Inspired Wellness Center services Arvada and the entire Denver Metro Area.
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