Fertility and Food

What we eat can influence our fertility. In fact, there are several foods that can increase a person’s fertility. These include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, grasses and algae, and some animal products. As a general rule fresh foods are the most beneficial to your fertility. To increase your fertility through your diet, increase your intake of the fresh foods listed below. When choosing your fresh foods consider the source and remember that organic, free range, and grass fed are the most beneficial to your heath and the health of the planet.

On the other hand, there are also foods that can decrease a person’s fertility. Avoid processed foods. Processed foods often come in a bag, a can, or a box. Therefore, when you are shopping for foods to increase your fertility, avoid the centre of the grocery store where many of the processed foods are kept. Instead, focus your shopping on the outside walls of the grocery store where the fresh produce, fresh diary, fresh seafood, and fresh meats are kept.

Trying to increase your intake of foods that benefit your fertility? Check out our recipes. We will continue to update the recipes in this section and welcome suggestions from you. Do you have a fresh recipe that includes fertility foods? Contact us via email and we’ll add your recipe here!

Foods that benefit fertility include:

Animal Products

• Anchovy
• Clams and oysters
• Chicken (unmedicated)
• Eggs (free range)
• Fish oil
• Ghee
• Kidneys
• Liver
• Mussels
• Organ meats
• Oysters
• Salmon
• Sardines
• Trout
• Wild fish

Fresh Vegetables

• Avocados
• Adzuki beans
• Brussels sprouts
• Black beans
• Black soybeans
• Beets
• Chard
• Carrots
• Cabbage (green/red)
• Legumes
• Leafy greens
• Mung beans
• Peas
• Sweet potato
• Soybean
• Sprouts
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Taro root
• Yams

Fresh Fruit

• Blackberries
• Mulberries
• Pomegranate
• Plum
• Raspberries

Nuts and Seeds

• Almonds
• Black sesame seeds
• Chestnuts
• Coconut
• Flax seeds
• Flaxseed oil
• Hazelnuts
• Honey (sparingly)
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Walnuts

Whole Grains

• Barley
• Millet
• Rice (brown or white)
• Rye

Grasses and algae

• Barley grass
• Chlorella
• Kelp
• Kombu
• Micro algae
• Nettles
• Wakame
• Wheat grass
• Spirulina
• Blue-green algae

Unrefined Sea salt

Acupuncture in Pregnancy & Childbirth

Pregnancy is an amazing time in a woman’s life. Many women report feeling healthier than they have ever felt before; however, the physical growth of the baby and changes in hormone levels can bring about pain, discomfort and a variety of health problems.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can provide a safe, effective alternative for many of the health complications that arise before, during and after pregnancy. A growing number of women are choosing acupuncture to use throughout their pregnancy and as an optional treatment for an overdue or difficult labor.

Planning for a Healthy Baby

Healthy parents produce healthy babies. With acupuncture and Chinese medicine, parents can improve their health to create the most optimal environment for their unborn child. In addition to their ability to strengthen, support, and balance overall health and well-being, acupuncture and Chinese medicine are an effective treatment for regulating menstruation and hormone levels, reducing stress and addressing any pre-existing medical conditions or concerns that a woman may have.

Acupuncture during Pregnancy

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine play a vital role in the comfort of a pregnant woman. There is strong evidence to support that acupuncture is highly effective at treating some of the most common problems experienced during pregnancy including morning sickness, heartburn, insomnia, water retention and sciatica.

Some of the problems that an acupuncturist often treats during pregnancy:

• Nausea and Vomiting
• Heartburn
• Constipation
• Hemorrhoids
• Edema and Swelling
• Urinary Tract Infection
• Pelvic Pain
• Neck and Back Pain
• Sciatica
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Leg Cramps
• Fatigue and Exhaustion
• Insomnia
• Anxiety and Depression

Acupuncture for Childbirth

While there are acupuncture points that can provide natural pain relief during labor, acupuncture is more commonly used to induce labor. There are several points that stimulate contractions and influence cervical ripening. There is also an acupuncture point that has been found to turn a breech baby.

Acupuncture Postpartum

Many women feel depleted after the birth experience. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine help the transition of those first few months after birth to ensure a quick recovery. Postpartum care focuses on the physical, emotional and psychological recovery of the mother from the effects of pregnancy and labor, as well as encouraging breast feeding.

Postpartum disorders that can be treated with acupuncture:

• Fatigue
• Postpartum Depression
• Mastitis
• Insufficient or Excessive Lactation
• Post Operative Healing
• Night Sweats

To learn more about how acupuncture and Chinese medicine ease discomfort and facilitate pregnancy, please call BodaHealth at 604-733-2632.

Acupuncture and Cancer Treatment

There have been many advances in the early detection and treatment of cancer. While the standard medical care for cancer is effective, the treatments are aggressive and cause numerous side effects.  Acupuncture has received much attention as a therapy in cancer treatments for its use in pain relief, reducing side effects, accelerating recovery and improving quality of life.

What is Acupuncture Used for during Cancer Treatment?

Acupuncture provides a total approach to health care. It is used to address many concerns during and after chemotherapy, radiation, biological therapy and surgery.

According to the National Cancer Institute, acupuncture may cause physical responses in nerve cells, the pituitary gland, and parts of the brain. These responses stimulate the body to release proteins, hormones, and brain chemicals that control a number of body functions. By these actions, acupuncture affects blood pressure and body temperature, boosts immune system activity, and causes the body’s natural painkillers, such as endorphins, to be released.

Areas that Acupuncture has shown the most promise:

• Nausea and Vomiting
• Dry Mouth, Night Sweats and Hot Flashes
• Stress, Anxiety and Fatigue
• Pain Management
• Increasing White Blood Cell Count

Nausea and Vomiting

Strong evidence of the effect of acupuncture has come from clinical trials on the use of acupuncture to relieve nausea and vomiting. Several types of clinical trials using different acupuncture methods showed acupuncture reduced nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy, surgery, and morning sickness.

Other Symptoms Caused by Cancer Treatment

Clinical trials are studying the effects of acupuncture on cancer and symptoms caused by cancer treatment, including weight loss, cough, chest pain, fever, anxiety, depression, night sweats, hot flashes, dry mouth, speech problems, and fluid in the arms or legs. Studies have shown that treatment with acupuncture either relieves symptoms or keeps them from getting worse.

Boosting the Immune System

Human studies on the effect of acupuncture on the immune system of cancer patients showed that it improved immune system response, including increasing the number of white blood cells.

Pain Management

In clinical studies, acupuncture reduced the amount of pain in some cancer patients. In one study, most of the patients treated with acupuncture were able to stop taking drugs for pain relief or take smaller doses.
Acupuncture is also very useful for support if you are undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, or hormonal therapy.

New Lung Cancer Guidelines Include Acupuncture

Acupuncture is now officially recommended for cancer patients experiencing fatigue, dyspnea, chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, pain, nausea and vomiting.

Evidence-based guidelines published by the American College of Chest Physicians recommend acupuncture for cancer patients experiencing fatigue, dyspnea, chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, or to soothe symptoms of pain or nausea and vomiting.  The new edition of these standard guidelines represents the first time complementary and integrative medicine has been addressed in the prevention and treatment of lung cancer.

For more information please call BodaHealth at 604-733-2632

Acupuncture and Reproductive Health

Current statistics state that one in five couples over the age of 30 have difficulty conceiving after one year of trying. Many of these couples are turning to acupuncture and TCM for a safe, effective and natural solution.

Chinese medicine has a long history when it comes to enhancing fertility for both men and women. In fact, evidence that acupuncture and herbal medicine have been used to aid fertility can be found in early medical literature dating back to 3AD.

How Acupuncture Enhances Fertility

According to the principles of Chinese medicine, a person’s health is determined by the quality of Qi, the vital life energy, and blood circulating through the body. When Qi and blood are circulating properly, the body is well nourished and functioning optimally which, in turn, enhances fertility.

Researchers have confirmed its benefit in the following areas:

1. Regulate menstrual cycle.
2. Improve sperm count and motility.
3. Reduce stress and anxiety associated with infertility.
4. Normalize hormone and endocrine systems.
5. Improve blood flow in the uterus.
6. Decrease chance of miscarriage.
7. Increase the chance of pregnancy for women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Fertility treatments vary from person to person, but are usually scheduled for at least three consecutive cycles (twelve weeks). Treatments may include acupuncture, custom herbal therapy and dietary counseling. Treatments work alone but are an excellent addition to any Western intervention.

Acupuncture Increases IVF Success by 65%

Women undergoing IVF were 65 percent more likely to become pregnant when they combined the procedure with acupuncture, a recent study has shown.

The remarkable success rate occurred across seven acupuncture trials involving 1,366 women in a systematic review and meta-analysis published in a February, 2008 issue of theBritish Medical Journal.

Acupuncture was delivered either just before or just after embryo transfer – a step in the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF) whereby one or several embryos are placed into the uterus.

The research was carried out by scientists from the University of Maryland in the United States and the VU University of Amsterdam in Holland.

Acupuncture stimulates the neurotransmitters that trigger the production of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone, which controls the menstrual cycle and a woman’s ovulation.  Acupuncture also stimulates blood flow to the uterus and boosts the production of endogenous opioids, inducing the body to relax.

Acupuncture Improves Sperm Quality

A study published in the July 2005 issue of the journal Fertility and Sterility found that acupuncture helped infertile men by helping improve sperm quality.

In the research project, 28 men received acupuncture in addition to allopathic infertility treatments, while another 12 men received only the allopathic treatments. All of the men were diagnosed with infertility of unknown origin.

Acupuncture was associated with fewer structural defects in the sperm of men who received it.
Previous studies have also shown a link between acupuncture and improved sperm production and motility.

Treating Irritability and Moodiness with Acupuncture

Everyone suffers from irritability and moodiness from time to time, but if you find that a short temper and frustration are becoming a constant issue for you, then acupuncture may be able to help.

Often irritability and moodiness are the consequence of chronic stress in your life. Over time these emotions can progress into more serious emotional conditions such as anxiety and depression as well as other health conditions such as digestive problems, trouble sleeping and the tendency to get sick more frequently.

Liver Qi Stagnation and Emotions

Within Oriental medicine emotional disorders can be associated with a number of different patterns of disharmony; however, anger, irritability, and frustration are all signs that our qi is not flowing smoothly. The liver is responsible for the smooth flow of qi (life force) throughout the body and for smoothing our emotions. When the liver’s function of moving qi is disrupted, qi can become stuck. This is referred to as liver qi stagnation.

Liver qi stagnation is one of the most common patterns of disharmony seen in today’s patients. In addition to irritability and moodiness, signs and symptoms may include distending pain in the area below the ribs, stuffiness of the chest, sighing, abdominal distention, nausea, sour regurgitation, belching, diarrhea or constipation, feeling of a lump in the throat, irregular periods, painful periods and distention of the breasts prior to periods. Liver qi stagnation is commonly associated with PMS.

Acupuncture is excellent at relieving liver qi stagnation. Treatment for irritability and moodiness associated with liver qi stagnation focuses on moving qi and supporting the liver and spleen organ systems with acupuncture, lifestyle and dietary recommendations and perhaps an herbal formula.

If you are concerned that your emotions may be interfering with your health and wellness, please call to see how acupuncture can help.

Move Your Qi!

The liver is responsible for the smooth flowing of Qi (life force) throughout the body. When the liver functions smoothly, physical and emotional activity throughout the body also runs smoothly. So, for optimum health, move your Qi!

Stretch – The liver controls the tendons. According to Oriental medicine, the liver stores blood during periods of rest and then releases it to the tendons in times of activity, maintaining tendon health and flexibility. Incorporate a morning stretch into your routine. Try yoga or tai qi.

Eye Exercises – The liver opens into the eyes. Although all the organs have some connection to the health of the eyes, the liver is connected to proper eye function. Remember to take breaks when looking at a computer monitor for extended periods of time and do eye exercises.

Eat Green – Green is the color of the liver. Eating young plants – fresh, leafy greens, sprouts, and immature cereal grasses – can improve the liver’s overall functions and aid in the movement of qi.

Try Something Sour – Foods and drinks with sour tastes are thought to stimulate the liver’s qi. Put lemon slices in your drinking water, use vinegar and olive oil for your salad dressing and garnish your sandwich with a slice of dill pickle.

Do More Outdoor Activities – Outside air helps liver qi flow. If you have been feeling irritable, find an outdoor activity to smooth out that liver qi stagnation. Try hiking or take up golf.

Enjoy Milk Thistle Tea – Milk thistle helps protect liver cells from incoming toxins and encourages the liver to cleanse itself of damaging substances, such as alcohol, medications, pesticides, environmental toxins, and even heavy metals such as mercury.

Get Acupuncture Treatments – Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can help improve the overall health of your liver as well as treat stress, anger and frustration, which are often associated with liver qi disharmony.

Periodic acupuncture treatments can serve to tonify the inner organ systems and can correct minor annoyances before they become serious problems.

Cholesterol and Health

This is a great time to take charge of your heart health and look at ways to lower cholesterol!

1 out of every 2 men and 1 out of every 3 women will develop heart disease sometime in their life. Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women about 1.25 million heart attacks occur each year.

Research has clearly shown that lowering cholesterol can reduce the risk of developing heart disease. Whether you have heart disease already or want to prevent it, you can reduce your risk for having a heart attack by lowering your cholesterol level.

The American Heart Association says it’s important to pay attention to exercise, and a proper diet that is low on foods that contain cholesterol and saturated fats. That means eating better and improving lifestyle. Speak to your health care providers to make sure your cholesterol is being monitored and find out how acupuncture and Chinese medicine can help you stay healthy.

Reduce Risk with TCM

Acupuncture and herbal medicine are both used to address high cholesterol.

Acupuncture can be used to treat many of the health conditions that are known to drastically increase the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol.

Here are a few of the risk factors that can be addressed with acupuncture:

• Smoking
• High Blood Pressure
• Excess weight
• Diabetes

Herbal Medicine

Several Chinese herbs and herbal formulas are used to lower cholesterol levels. Shan Zha (Fructus Crataegi) also known as Hawthorn berry, have been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure.

Most herbal medicines are a blend of herbs specifically chosen for each individual. Please talk to your practitioner about which herbal formulas and supplements for high cholesterol and heart health are right for you.

Causes of High Cholesterol

Three nutrients in your diet make LDL (“bad” cholesterol) levels rise:

• Saturated fat, a type of fat found mostly in foods that come from animals;
• Trans fat, found mostly in foods made with hydrogenated oils and fats such as stick margarine, crackers, and French fries.

Learn how to read a food label – Choose foods that are low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol.

Overweight

Excess weight tends to increase your LDL level. Also, it typically raises triglycerides, a fatty substance in the blood and in food and lowers HDL. Losing the extra pounds may help lower your LSL and triglycerides, while raising your HDL.

Physical Inactivity

Being physically inactive contributes to overweight and can raise LDL and lower HDL. Regular physical activity can raise HDL and lower triglycerides, and can help you lose weight and, in that way, help lower your LDL.

Participate in physical activity of moderate intensity—like brisk walking—for at least 30 minutes on most, and preferably all, days of the week. No time? Break the 30 minutes into three, 10-minute segments during the day.

Smoking

Don’t smoke. If you do smoke, contact call our office to discuss ways in which acupuncture can help you quit.

Your Cholesterol Level

You can have high cholesterol and not realize it. Most of the 65 million Americans with high cholesterol have no symptoms. So it’s important to have your blood cholesterol levels checked. All adults age 20 and older should have their cholesterol levels checked at least once every 5 years. If you have an elevated cholesterol, you’ll need to have it tested more often.

Setting your Goal

The main goal in treating high cholesterol is to lower your LDL level. Studies have proven that lowering LDL can prevent heart attacks and reduce deaths from heart disease in both men and women.

Total Cholesterol
Less that 200 mg/dL – Desirable
200-239 mg/dL – Borderline high
240 mg/dL and above – High

LDL Cholesterol
Less than 100 mg/dL – Optimal (ideal)
100-129 mg/dL – Near optimal/ above optimal
130-159 mg/dL – Borderline high
160-189 mg/dL – High
190 mg/dL and above – Very high

HDL Cholesterol
Less than 40 mg/dL Major heart disease risk factor
60 mg/dL and above – Gives some protection against heart disease