Baby Grace

Grace is 3 months old - cute as a button.

Harmony with the Season: Fall

Fall is the season of gathering and harvest. The bounty of Summer comes to an end; leaves and fruit fall from the trees and the sap returns to the roots in preparation for Winter. In Chinese Medicine, Fall is associated with the Metal element and the Lungs. To be in harmony with this season, consciously bring awareness to the breath and shift your focus inward.

In the Fall, the foods that are in abundance are heartier and require more time to cook. Use herbs and spices to activate digestion though the sense of smell. In general, cook at lower temperatures for a longer period of time. During this season we begin to focus our energy inward in preparation for winter – eating sour foods helps to support this process. Add some sour foods to your meals such as: sourdough bread, pickles, sauerkraut, vinegar, yogurt, limes, lemons and olives. Keep in mind that a small about of sour goes a long way.

Fall Detox Week

We complete the 5 day fall detox just in time for Halloween. The time around we had 22 students and near perfect attendance the whole week. During this week I am always reminded of how profoundly breathwork and pranayama effect me. The next Detox Workshop is at the end of January, the perfect beginning to the new year.

http://yogacentermpls.com/workshops.asp

Baby Banneker

Amy M. brought Banneker in a few weeks ago while she was here visiting from CA. He is a gem...

Baby Thomas

Thomas was born on 10/5 at 8:02
AM. He came in weighing 7 pounds and was 20 inches long. Cutie.

Baby Olivia

Olivia was only 6 days old when she came in to visit. How adorable!

Yoga for Transformation

Today is the first day of the month long Yoga for Transformation workshop. As the name implies, this workshop is all about transformation - physical, mental and emotional. I will be teaching the workshop today on food, eating practices and making mindful choices. Later on I teach a workshop on cultivating your own Qi. A shorter version of this workshop is our seasonal Detox Week - the next one is at the end of October.

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/home.asp

IVF Transfers this Week

This week 5 of my patients are having IVF transfers! I wish them the best and am hoping for a bunch of spring babes.

New Babies

Kathleen carried her twins to 39 weeks (a record for her doctor's office) and on Monday, August, 17, the family was blessed with 2 wee ones. I am happy to report that everyone is healthy and doing well.

Welcome,

Aidan Whelan (Aidan is Irish and means "little fire")
Born--3:20 pm
Weighed--7 lb 2 oz
Length--21 in

&

Kieran Just (Kieran is Irish and means "little dark one")
Born--3:34 pm
Weighed--6 lb 8 oz
Length--20 1/2 in

EFT Workshop

I did a workshop on Saturday with Bernadette Wesley entitled Decode Your Body's Messages using EFT or Tapping. EFT or emotional freedom technique can be used for physical mental and emotional issues. The points that you tap are mostly on acupuncture meridians located on the head, upper body and chest. As an acupuncturist, i really liked the idea of using a modified version of acupressure on the body for treatment. I got a lot out of the material we learned in the workshop and then had an opportunity to do a private session with Bernadette. So far i can say that the 'tapping' session are very relaxing and i do feel like they are helping me better understand the way my body/mind communicate.

Insomnia and Stress Reduction

This Friday, August 14th, Jen Davis and I are teaching our Insomnia and Stress Reduction workshop. This class combines restorative poses, adjustments, guided meditation and breathwork. All of the postures are on the floor and you will be using props. During each of the poses i will come around a give you acupressure on various points. You will learn self acupressure techniques that you can use to treat yourself. Check it out:

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/adm/home.asp

What about the Spleen?

One of the most common diagnoses in my practice is Spleen qi deficiency. In Chinese medicine, the Spleen plays an important role in the delivery of nutrients to the body, the production of blood, and the transportation and transformation of fluids in the body. The Spleen is easily over burdened by irregular eating habits, consumption of liquids with meals, cold and raw foods, over thinking/worry and excessive mental activity. It is no surprise that in our society Spleen deficiency is common.

You can help to supplement the energy of the Spleen by eating more cooked food, chewing your food well, drinking beverages between meals, practicing meditation, breath-work and yoga.

Author James Schwartz on Acupuncture & Fertility

James Schwartz, author of Mind-Body Fertility Connection, is a certified hypnotherapist and neuro-linguistic programming practitioner. He is interviewed in the current issue of Acupuncture Today. Here is an excerpt from that interview:

JW: What do you think is the best way to promote fertility?

JS: I think the key to fertility is to create mental, physical, emotional and (for some) spiritual wellness. I highly recommend that all my clients use acupuncture to put the body in a place of physical balance. I recommend hypnotherapy to reduce stress and process the emotional blocks that might be interfering with the conception process. When a fertility client has weak kidney and spleen qi, a uterus that is out of alignment, is experiencing high anxiety and has a fear of repeated miscarriages, it is very unlikely that she can successfully conceive or carry the baby full term.

The key is to first create balance, which is when the process begins. Many women figure that going off the pill is the start of the fertility journey. I feel that a woman begins that journey when she starts to work on creating balance in her life. I find it to be very rare that a woman can circumvent that process by ignoring all of the physical and emotional issues by opting for Western medicine. Women who choose Western medicine should be doing this wellness work in conjunction with their procedures.

JW: Do you feel that any woman with a diagnosis of "infertility" can ultimately overcome that diagnosis?

JS: Absolutely. I believe that the term "infertility" is used too liberally within the Western medical model. If a woman who is having trouble getting pregnant goes to a Eastern medicine practitioner, and that practitioner observes conditions such as blood stagnation related to the liver (resulting in poor blood flow to the uterus) and depleted kidney energy, that practitioner isn't going to use the "infertility" label. Instead, the acupuncturist is going to say: "Let's try to correct these imbalances and give you the opportunity to succeed." Similarly, if I see a woman trying to get pregnant but experiencing a high level of stress and who has some issues, I would also say: "If we can process these issues, it might change the dynamics of your situation."

The "infertility" diagnosis is usually based on the limited resources available within the Western Medical system. I find that when a woman achieves physical and emotional balance, there may no longer be an infertile situation. That is why I felt this book was so important to write. Some people get into the mindset that Western medicine is the only way to address fertility when the statistics show that alternative modalities often produce better results.

Male Fertlity

In the last few weeks I have had a number of patients ask me about male fertility and improving sperm quality. While diet, exercise and stress can effect sperm quality it has now been shown that frequent ejaculation can improve the quality of sperm:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156007.php

Acupuncture and Fertility Studies

• "Acupuncture and IVF Poor Responders: A Cure?" Magarelli and Cridennda, 2004.
• "Acupuncture and Good Prognosis IVF Patients: Synergy" Magarelli, Cridennda and Cohen, 2004
• "Acupuncture: Impact on Pregnancy Outcomes in IVF Patients" Magarelli, Cridennda and Cohen, 2004
• "Improvement of IVF Outcomes by Acupuncture: Are Egg and Embryo Qualities Involved?" Magarelli, Cridennda and Cohen, 2005
• "Acupuncture and In Vitro Fertilization: Does the Number of Treatments Impact Reproductive Outcomes?" Cridennda, Magarelli and Cohen, 2005

The outcomes have been phenomenal. poor prognosis patients treated with acupuncture were more likely to get pregnant, have lower miscarriage rates, suffer fewer ectopics and, most importantly, have more take-home babies! As an added bonus, they seemed to have fewer multiples.

This research demonstrates that adding acupuncture to IVF protocols results in increased pregnancies, fewer ectopics, fewer miscarriages, a trend toward fewer multiples, as well as a marked increase in take-home babies. Couples benefit in three important ways:

• Gives women some semblance of active control and involvement in their care by opting to add acupuncture to their high-tech fertility treatments;
• Acupuncture will add an estimated 15 percent more pregnancies in an IVF series. For some couples, this may make the difference between creating a family or not creating one.
• Adding acupuncture to an IVF cycle reduces miscarriages, ectopics and multiples; this benefit is reaped by not only the patients but society in general by reducing hospital costs. According to Diane Cridennda, acupuncture gives her patients a small sense of control by choosing acupuncture, thereby taking an active role at a time when they can feel helpless and hopeless. This benefit is priceless.

Babies are Born

Lindsey gave birth to Annaleigh Rose on July 3rd.




Jessie had her second induction appointment on July 4th and then gave birth to Isabelle Lynne on July 6th. Pics to come...


Happy birthday little ones!

Acupuncture for Labor Induction

Jessie's due date is today and I just did an induction treatment for her. I hope she has her baby in the next few days!


Acupuncture during Pregnancy

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can 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.

Here is a list of 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

Acupuncture is 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.

Babies born in June

Four of my patients have given birth this month. One couple had a twin girls! I am honored to share their joy and excitement.

CSA Friday

Zoe created this "thank you" card for me, I love it!

Today Ive been working on increasing the web presence of Dharma Wellness & Spa.

Check us out at:

http://yogacentermpls.com/dharma_acupuncture.asp

Fertile Grounding Yoga Workshop

I met with Jennifer Coletti today to discuss the upcoming Fertile Grounding Yoga workshop the she is teaching at the Yoga Center of Minneapolis in July. I will be presenting at the third class where I will talk about acupuncture, Chinese Medicine and fertility. Check it out:

Date: Thu 7/16/2009 - 8/20/2009

Time: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

In this workshop, find support, education, inspiration, and peace with your journey. Whether you are in the midst of fertility treatments, or just started walking this path, these 6 weeks will be an amazing place for you to optimize your reproductive health, while nurturing your body , mind and soul. Each class includes: An educational element or guest speaker, yoga practice and a group touch base with journal writing. Educational segments include: Yoga Philosophy, nutrition with Nutritional Weight and Wellness, acupuncture, healthy home healthy living, and more. Please wear comfortable clothing you can move in. Bring with you water, a light snack, a new journal, a pen, and a 3 ring binder. Cost for six-week course: $250 http://yogacentermpls.com/workshops.asp