Do you prefer soft floating fabrics or something more structured and formal?

Do you love being by water or prefer walking in the country?

Are you quick to anger or someone who keeps things bottled up?

Are you naturally lean and muscular or is your body more curvy and rounded?

Do you come alive in the summer sun or are you someone who loves to cocoon all winter?

Are you a night owl or up with the lark?

Do you crave sweets or is it the salty taste that has you rifling through your fridge late at night?

The ancient Chinese philosophers looked to the natural world to find a way of describing how we are similar and yet unique. They discovered that pretty much anything in the world could be broken down into five energy types, which they called the Five Elements.

Wood

Fire

Earth

Metal

Water

These elements play a pivotal role in many forms of Eastern thought.

• In Feng Shui they are used to achieve balance so a space heals and nurtures or one element is emphasized to attract a specific energy.
• In Macrobiotics they help a cook create a balanced meal that supports health and reduces cravings or to prioritize one specific element to heal a health problem.
• In Chinese medicine they are used to diagnose disease and the resulting treatment plan will either emphasize a weak element or sedate an excessive element to restore balance and order in the body.
• In Chinese astrology they play a role in understanding a person’s constitution.

There’s a little bit of all five elements in each of us, but we all have a dominant element and this is said to be our Five Element Type. Our type is something we’re born with and has gifts as well as challenges associated with it. My patients find it helpful to understand their element and many have told me that it comes as a relief to know why they are the way they are. They find that it helps them be more accepting of their “faults” when they see them as part of a package. A Wood Type, for instance, can have a bit of a temper but is also very direct and productive.

Personally, when I realized I was an Earth Type I stopped being so hard on myself. Earth types have softer, rounder bodies and for years I tried to diet against my type to no avail. Once I understood my type, I was grateful for the gifts that come along with it. Earth Types are empathetic and good listeners, which helps me be good at my job. I’m never going to be skinny but with the right diet, I’m healthy and proud of my curves.

What Type Are You?

The descriptions below should give you a clue. I’ve kept them brief but there’s much more to say and I encourage you to read more if you’re interested. There’s plenty of good information on the internet. One concept that I’d like to touch on is that each element relates to the other four elements in such a way that it can be used to heal and balance them. This is way the elements are used therapeutically in Chinese medicine. So for instance water element foods tend to moisten and cool the body so they are particularly helpful for Fire Types who tend to be dry and overheated.

The Wood Type

To understand the wood type you only have to imagine a tree. Trees tend to compete aggressively with the other trees around them when growing and become steadfast and solid. Likewise Wood Types are determined, Type A people who seek out challenges and do well under pressure. Competitive and adventurous they love novelty and movement. Spring is the season of the Wood type who is drawn this season’s new starts, growth and possibilities.

Wood Types tend to have thin, lean bodies and move with grace. Their faces tend to be long and thin with a long nose, a broad high forehead and slender cheeks.

They have a strong sense of purpose but can become driven and stressed when out of balance. This means that Wood Types can be irritable, frustrated and impatient and suffer health problems such as PMS, high blood pressure, tight muscles and headaches. Being wound up sometimes makes the Wood Type crave alcohol or other unhealthy ways to relieve stress.

Jill’s advice for Wood Types

• Balance your strength by noticing when you get stubborn and learning to be flexible
• Take time to play and “smell the roses” and find a healthy stress relieving activity such as tai chi.
• The organ most associated with the wood type is the liver so wood types should avoid alcohol and include sour foods in your diet to stimulate the liver.

The Fire Type

Imagine a roaring fire and you will have some idea of what kind of person is a Fire Type.  They are energetic, passionate, dramatic and have a tendency to be emotionally volatile. Fire types love to talk and are known for being eloquent and expressive although they can sometimes talk too much or too quickly. They are energetic, charismatic people who approach life with an enthusiasm that is infectious. They make great leaders because of their ability to “fire up” other people.

Willowy and well-proportioned with delicate hands and feet, fire people may have ruddy complexions and prominent cheek bones. They sometimes have red hair and freckles.

The season associated with the Fire Element is summer with all it’s fun and excitement. Like the summer, the emotion most associated with the Fire Type, when in balance, is joy and they create intimacy and connection easily. However when out of balance the Fire Type can get anxious and suffer from insomnia and palpitations. They’re prone to overheating and can suffer acne and skin rashes. Because the heart is the organ most associated with the fire element, they are also prone to circulatory problems.

Jill’s Advice for Fire Types

• Balance your sociable nature by taking time to be alone each day.
• Writing in a journal or meditating helps balance you when you feel frenetic.
• It’s important that Fire Types guard against becoming too scattered and so try to plan ahead and prioritize what’s important.
• Fire types respond well to regularity and that includes regular small meals.
• You should avoid foods that are too spicy and over-heating and include in your diet bitter foods, such as leafy greens and cooling foods such as pears, cucumber and yogurt.

The Earth Type

Think of a vegetable garden and you’ll have some idea of who the Earth Type is. They are nurturing, grounded and practical people who enjoy nourishing others and are known for their reliability. Earth Types are drawn to harmony and like to feel connected to other people. They are compassionate and empathetic and often go into caring professions or use their skills to arbitrate disputes or negotiate agreements.

The season of the Earth Type is late summer with its harvest and bounty and they are often enthusiastic gardeners who love to grow their own food. They also enjoy home crafts such as cooking, knitting or quilting. Likewise they may express their love of nature by being environmentalists or working in conservation.

Earth people often have square faces with strong jaws and sallow complexions. Their features can be large, especially the mouth. Their bodies are often thick set or curvy.

Earth types are thoughtful but when out of balance these thoughts can become obsessive and intrusive and can cause them to worry unnecessarily. Also their wish to be needed sometimes leads Earth Types into codependent relationships or makes them give too much and become depleted. The organs associated with the Earth Element are the digestive organs so if they get run down they may have digestive problems, loose stools, fatigue and food allergies. They can also crave carbohydrates and put on weight easily.

Jill’s Advice for Earth Types

• Work on developing good boundaries and being able to say “no”.
• Make time to be in nature because this will refuel you.
• Earth Types should work at staying present and not allowing their mind to stray into the future and worry too much about things that may ever happen.
• Avoid sweets and replace them with sweet vegetables such as yams or carrots.

The Metal Type

When I think of Metal Types I imagine a knight with a shiny sword. Metal Types are righteous, faithful, brave and gallant. They’re intellectually sharp and this, combined with their tendency for self-discipline, can make them very successful. They like structure and tend to be organized and methodical.

Perfectionists in everything they do, Metal Types are highly creative and detail orientated. With their ability to “cut to the chase’, Metal Types are good at solving problems and make good lawyers, teachers or counselors.

Metal types have strong muscular bodies and broad shoulders and tend to have oval faces with widely set cheekbones and pale complexions. They often have straight hair. They are known for their fast metabolism and rarely have problems with their weight.

The Metal Element is associated with the lungs and skin and so when out of balance Metal Types are prone to respiratory problems such as asthma and skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis.

The season of the Metal Element is the Fall and the emotion associated with this type is grief. The Fall is when we all start to slow down after the excitement of summer and Metal Types can seem insular, preferring a small group of close friends as opposed to being part of a large crowd. When out of balance the Metal Type can allow grief and past hurts to damage their present relationships. This can make it hard for them to form bonds with other people and they may end up replacing intimacy with material things.

Jill’s Advice for Metal Types.

• Regular aerobic exercise will strengthen your lungs and benefit the Metal Type.
• Seeking help with letting go of the past can really support the Metal Type to form good relationships.
• Watch for a tendency to self –righteousness which is one of the ways the Metal Type protects herself from pain.
• Breathing deeply is important for Metal Types so a meditative technique that involves focusing on the breath can be helpful.
• Metal Types should avoid junk food and opt for foods high in minerals especially leafy greens vegetables.
• White foods such as mushrooms are also particularly nourishing for the Metal Element.

The Water Type

Think of a river carving it’s course through a valley and you’ll understand the Water Element. Water Types are able to go with the flow but they also have a strong will and get things done. They are known for their determination and are often described as self-contained or self-sufficient. Unlike the Wood Types, who get things done by force, the Water Types are more adaptable and achieve their aims by determining the best path through a situation.

Water Types enjoy anonymity and are often introspective making them somewhat enigmatic. As the old adage goes, “still waters run deep” and these people may seem to be wise beyond their years or quietly philosophical. The season of the Water Element is winter when quietness and stillness reign and the Water Types reflect this by seeking out solitude and tranquility.

Water types often have round faces and soft rounded bodies. They have large soft eyes and often have dark hair. If they are out of balance they are prone to dark rings under the eyes.

The organs associated with the Water type are the Kidney and Bladder and if they are prone to urinary tract infections and water metabolism issues leading to swelling and edema. The Water element also governs the bones so Water Types can have sore joints and back problems. The emotion associated with water is fear and when out of balance the water type can be fearful, timid and indecisive.

Jill’s Advice for Water Types.

• Guard against becoming too isolated by consciously prioritizing your social life.
• Drink plenty of fluids.
• Be aware that fear is a sign that you have become imbalanced and take steps to overcome timidity.
• Soups and stews support the Water Element and are particularly important in winter when the Water Type should avoid cold foods and salads.
• Seaweed is particularly nourishing for the Water Type and should be included in the diet wherever possible.

For most of us the New Year is a time to think about the changes we want to make in our lives. Many of us resolve to drop some bad habits or pick up some good ones. Here at The YinOva Center we often hear from people who are trying to give up smoking especially at this time of year. We understand that quitting smoking can be really tough and we want to support you in whatever way we can.

So can acupuncture help? The answer according to clinical research is mixed. This study compared acupuncture to sham acupuncture in a group of smokers who wanted to quit and found that acupuncture increased the likelihood they would be successful. Some other research studies were less conclusive.

The mixed results in clinical trials reflect our experience here at The YinOva Center. Many, but not all, of our patients find acupuncture very helpful in that it gives them the extra boost they need to finally kick the habit once and for all. They find it takes the edge off their nicotine cravings and gives them enough support to resist temptation. Other patients enjoy their relaxing treatment but find it isn’t enough on it’s own to stop them from smoking. I always tell my patients that when it comes to stopping smoking, acupuncture can be supportive but it isn’t the whole story. It can help you with cravings but it won’t replace will power.

So if you’ve made up your mind to stop smoking and want some extra support we’d love to see you here at the YinOva Center. We have found that 2 treatments a week for three weeks seems to work best. We focus on points that calm cravings as well as those that calm anxiety. We also address any symptoms that come up. For example many smokers who quit to protect their lungs are disappointed to find that initially they develop a cough as their lungs expel years of accumulated gunk.

Here is the advice we give our YinOva patients who come to us for help as they give up cigarettes:-

• We love these people who run a 1/2 day stop smoking course in New York City and all over the world. Founded in the UK they use a combination of cognitive and behavioral therapy and hypnosis and have great success rates. They also have an online course that many of our patients have found really helpful.

• From the same people comes a book, The Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Join the Millions Who Have Become Non-Smokers Using Allen Carr’s Easyway Method. Both Ashton Kutcher and Ellen DeGeneres claim to have quit smoking having read the book. One of my patients skimmed through the book standing up in Barnes and Noble and quit there and then!

• In our experience the best way to quit is cold turkey. Patients who try to cut down their cigarette consumption usually find that it creeps up again.

• Quitting to make someone else happy almost never works. You need to find a reason to do this for you. Talk to us and let us help you get in touch with all the reasons why you are worth taking care of.

• Note that cravings last only a few minutes so ignoring them uses less will power than you think. Distract yourself for a couple of minutes and you should feel much better. We asked some of our patients what they did when they were experiencing a craving and here are some of their suggestions. Chew gum, eat a carrot, light a candle, focus on taking 10 full breaths, wash your hands or have a shower.

• The worst cravings only last a week. Take it one day at a time and know that by the time you have reached day 7 you are over the worst.

• Many of our patients have found that drinking alcohol weakens their resolve. In fact in studies 50% of relapse is related to alcohol use. Its best to avoid situations where you are drinking and other people are smoking, especially for the first few weeks.

• Find ways to calm your mind. Take up yoga, adopt a regular meditation practice, have an acupuncture treatment or go for a run.

• Don’t skip meals. When you were smoking you may have replaced a meal with a cigarette. It allowed you to avoid the feelings associated with low blood sugar. Now if you miss a meal you may feel irritable and unable to concentrate and your mind may trick you into having a cigarette to make you feel better.

• Convince yourself that there is no excuse for a relapse. Nicotine never makes anything any better so no matter what life throws at you don’t use it as an excuse to start smoking again.

• Acupuncture, whilst not replacing your own will power, can help you manage cravings so feel free to come in and see us for a course of 6 treatments.

• If you do slip up and have a cigarette, simply start again. Don’t beat yourself up or decide it’s impossible. Just get back on track. Many of our patients who have successfully given up smoking made several attempts before they finally quit for good.

Good luck!

Like many of you, I’m increasingly worried about the amount of chemicals we are exposed to.  From talking to our YinOva patients, I  am clear that many of us want to take sensible steps towards a less toxic lifestyle. Personally, I’ve changed my diet, eliminated toxic household cleaners, made different make-up choices and even found a natural deodorant that works (Dr. Hauschka).

In the past I’ve eyed organic tampons in the health food store and dismissed them as too expensive. However, as a someone who specializes in the care of women, I know that the membranes inside the vagina are thin, sensitive and more porous than our skin. The average woman uses about 11,000 tampons or sanitary towels in a lifetime, so it makes sense to look closely at what these products are made of. When I researched the chemicals in most commercial sanitary products I knew that this was another change I needed to make.

Dioxins

In our book, Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility, Dr David and I discussed the adverse effect of dioxins on fertility and you can find out more about them here on the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) website. As you can see from the link the EPA has confirmed that dioxins are known to cause cancer in animals and are suspected of contributing to human cancers too.

Tampons are made of cotton and rayon which are bleached because we, the consumers, associate white cotton with purity and cleanliness. This bleaching process produces dioxins, although the FDA assures us that they are present in tampons in very minute levels and are therefore safe.  However the risk from dioxins increases with repeated exposure because dioxins have a long half-life. What this means is that the dioxins stay active in the body and don’t break down for many years.  In fact it may take 50 years or more for them to be completely eliminated from the body. Dioxins therefore build up over time, and each exposure increases the amount of the chemical in the body. According to the EPA, there really is no “acceptable” level of exposure to dioxins. The real danger lies in repeated contact and I think we’d all agree that using about 5 tampons a day, 5-7 days a month, for about 40 years means we definitely have repeated contact with this dangerous chemical even though the levels are very low.

Pesticides

Did you know that cotton is one of the crops that is most heavily sprayed with pesticides? I didn’t either. Not until I started to look at the research and found out that 10% of the all world’s pesticides and 22.5% of insecticides are used to grow non organic cotton. Five of the top nine pesticides used on cotton in the U.S. are known to be carcinogenic and all nine of them are classified by the EPA as Category I and II chemicals, meaning the most dangerous and likely to cause harm. Again the residues in tampons are small but given the repeated exposure are they small enough to be harmless? We don’t know and personally I’m no longer willing to take the risk.

Fragrances

Fragrances are a new addition to feminine hygiene products. We’re supposed to want them in order to smell better “down there”, but I consider them a marketing tool that preys on our insecurities to sell us something we don’t need. These fragrances are considered to be trade secrets so tampon manufacturers do not have to tell us what chemicals they use. They are simply required to list them as “fragrance”. However among these hidden chemicals we may be being exposed to phthalates which are a class of chemicals known to disrupt hormones and affect fertility. Why take the risk?

So what’s a girl to do?

Tampons

There are plenty of organic tampons for sale in health food stores and online. They’re more expensive than ordinary tampons and it is cheaper to use reusable pads or a cup, however they’re convenient and if you can afford to make the switch they may be a good option. Trusted brands include Seventh Generation and Natracare.

Disposable pads

Look for sanitary towels that are made with organic cotton and are not bleached with chlorine. Both Natracare and Seventh Generation make pads that are widely available.

Reusable pads

Our granny’s generation used reusable pads which involved belts and safety pins. Thankfully the modern versions of these pads are much less cumbersome. Check out the ones made by Lunapads, which are convenient to use and well designed.

Cups

Menstrual cups are a type of barrier worn inside the vagina, just below the cervix, to collect menstrual fluid. I like these! I didn’t think I would, but whilst doing my research, I tested the Diva Cup and found it to be a comfortable alternative to tampons. It’s made of medical grade silicon and contains no chlorine, dyes or additives. It does require access to a clean water supply to cleanse the cup and the manufacturers recommend using a mild, unscented soap to clean it regularly. Diva cup sell a cleanser for just this purpose.

So are tampons toxic?

The answer is we’re not sure. Some of the more extreme internet myths (such as the one where tampons have been found to contain asbestos) have been discredited. The chemicals in tampons seem to be low level but they are known carcinogens and hormone disrupters. Given the vulnerability of vaginal tissue and the repeated, regular exposure feminine hygiene products require, it seems sensible to limit our exposure to these chemicals by switching to natural brands of tampon or the many alternatives that are now on the market.

That’s what I’ve decided to do and it’s the advice I’ll be giving my daughter.

I love the rhythms of the country and the way the passage of time is marked by the fruits and vegetables we grow and the foods we eat. I look forward to each crop from the early summer peas and beans to the autumn pumpkins and squashes. However, nothing generates more excitement in our house than the apple harvest and recently Noah and I took advantage of a sunny fall day to pick enough apples and pears to last us through the winter.

In Chinese medicine both apples and pears are considered to be cooling and moistening and are used medicinally to treat inflammation and dryness. Modern scientific research seems to agree with the old adage that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” because various studies have shown that apples can protect women from osteoporosis and breast cancer whilst also preventing asthma and lowering cholesterol. Pears meanwhile can treat a sore throat, reduce inflammation, boost the immune system and lower blood pressure.

We spent a happy afternoon picking the fruit and arrived home tired and in the mood for an apple crumble and some home-made pear juice. Suitably fortified, we set about preserving the rest of the fruit for later use. We canned the pears in spiced red wine  and the apples in syrup to be used as pie filling and talked about how happy we will be to open these jars during a freezing New York winter and briefly recapture the autumn sunshine.

Canning is daunting the first time you do it, but it’s actually very simple and it makes economic sense to use fruits when they are plentiful and cheap and preserve them to eat the rest of the year. Our grandmas did this because they had to and I’m happy to carry on the tradition and even pass it on to the next generation. My daughter Emma has inherited a passion for preserving and is an enthusiastic jam maker. You can read her favorite jam recipe here.

Apple or Pear Crumble

Ingredients:

Topping
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped nuts eg. walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds (or a mixture of all three)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (or 1/3 cup of date sugar, if you are avoiding processed sugars)
1/3 cup whole-wheat flour (or gluten free bake mix, if you are avoiding gluten)

Filling
5 tablespoons canola oil
3 1/2 pounds ripe pears or apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
2 tablespoons cornflour
2 tablespoons lemon juice.

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Prepare the topping by combining the oats, nuts, brown sugar and flour (or gluten free bake mix) in a medium bowl.
• Stir in the oil and mix until all the topping ingredients are moist.
• Prepare the filling by combining the pears, maple syrup, cardamom, raisins (or dried cranberries), cornflour and lemon juice into a large pie dish. Mix well.
• Sprinkle the topping over the pears.
• Bake the crumble for 45 minutes. The pears should be soft, the juices should be bubbling and the crumble topping should be golden and crisp.
• Take the crumble out of the oven. Ideally it should stand for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to develop but this never happens in our household where everyone digs in the minute the crumble is ready.

I’m hooked on this roasted seaweed snack made with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Gluten-free and vegan, it has a delicious salty, crunchy quality which satisfies the same kind of craving that tempts me to binge on potato chips or pretzels.

A pack contains 5 large sheets which is rather a lot to eat at one sitting (although I have been known to!). Each sheet has only 10 calories in it and is packed with healthy phyto-nutrients so this is the nearest thing possible to a guilt-free snack.

Seaweed is highly nutritious because it absorbs so many minerals from the ocean. Long used to support the thyroid because of it’s concentration of iodine, seaweed is also used in herbal medicine as a libido booster and weight loss aid.

You can get them from your local health food store or as a 4 pack online

This is barely a recipe. In fact I almost didn’t share it with you because it’s so simple. However it tasted good, looked pretty and is cheap and nutritious. It’s also an ideal soup to make as the season changes because it’s light enough to evoke the taste of summer and warming enough to serve as the autumn weather sets in.

This is really a very adaptable recipe and I often make it to use up the contents of the vegetable drawer in my fridge. I called this version End of Summer Soup because I used some of the summer vegetables that are still growing in our garden and combined them with some of the winter root vegetables that we are just starting to harvest. I’m giving you a list of ingredients so you can see what I used this time but really it’s just a guideline so please adapt it to suit what you have on hand. I’ve also given amounts but don’t bother to measure anything because this is not the kind of soup that need precision.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

Approx. 1 cup of anything in the allium family, chopped – (I used a combination of onions, leeks and garlic)

3 tbsp mixed fresh herbs, chopped or 3/4 tbsp of dried herbs (I used sage, thyme and tarragon)

4 sticks of celery, chopped

4 mushrooms, chopped

Approx. 2 cups of root vegetables, chopped (I used sweet potato, carrots and turnips)

Approx. 1 1/2 cups softer vegetables, chopped (I used summer squash and red pepper)

1 can of beans, drained and rinsed (I used garbanzo)

5 medium sized tomatoes, chopped

Vegetable broth to cover (about 8 cups)

Approx. 1/2 cup parsley and chives, chopped

Salt and pepper

Instructions

In a large soup pot saute the onions, leeks and garlic in the olive oil over a gentle heat for 5 – 8 minutes, until the onion is transparent. Then add the chopped herbs (except parsley and chives which go in at the end). Add the root vegetables and cover the pot. Sweat the vegetables over a low heat for 5 minutes to extract some of their juices. Then pour on the stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the soft vegetables and the beans and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer for a further three minutes (the idea is to use the tomatoes to give the soup some sweetness but cook them briefly so they don’t break up and make the broth taste too much of tomato). Add the parsley and chives, adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper if necessary and serve.

Serves 6

Kathy was a patient I hadn’t seen for many years. She’d originally come to me to manage her back pain and once she was better we had lost touch. However a new set of symptoms had brought her back to the YinOva Center in the hope that Chinese medicine could help.

A month prior she’d had a worrying episode. Out of the blue she suddenly felt a pain in her chest. This was accompanied by a sour stomach and pain down her left arm. Naturally Kathy feared she was having a heart attack and, quite sensibly, had gone to the ER in the middle of the night. There she was tested and pronounced fine. The ER doctor prescribed some antacids and suggested she see a GI specialist. Since then Kathy had been taking antacids regularly but found they didn’t help much. The GI doctor suggested an endoscopy and had found that Kathy had a hiatal hernia. He too prescribed antacids and a special diet but Kathy was finding her symptoms to be increasingly unpleasant.

“Is there anything else I can do apart from taking the antacids”, Kathy asked me. Actually there was much Kathy could do to help herself and we set about coming up with a treatment plan.

What is a hiatal hernia?

Your esophagus passes through a small hole (a hiatus) in the diaphragm to connect with your stomach. Sometimes the stomach can push up through this hole and that is what’s known as a hiatal hernia. It’s a very common condition and many people who have a hiatal hernia have no idea it’s there because they have few symptoms.

Other people, like Kathy, do have symptoms including acid reflux, nausea, belching and chest pain. Some of my patients also feel that their hiatal hernia’s give them more systemic symptoms such as fatigue and body aches. I’ve even seen some patients who’s hiatal hernia was irritating their vagus nerve and causing an irregular heart beat.

Many doctors dismiss these broader symptoms but to me, as a practitioner of Chinese medicine, a hiatal hernia is not just a local phenomenon but a symptom of a weak digestive system or weak earth element as it is know in Chinese medicine. Weak earth can lead to fatigue and muscle aches. Kathy’s full diagnosis was Wood overacting on Earth which is a way of expressing how stress affects the liver and weakens digestion. A sludgy, stagnant liver can cause gastric inflammation and is often overlooked in many conventional treatments for this condition.

So Kathy and I set about treating her whole body and her digestive system in particular.

Why does it happen?

First we looked at what had caused Kathy’s hernia. The causes of hiatal hernia can vary but these are the main ones.

• Mechanical causes – Anything from improper lifting, bouts of coughing, repeated vomiting, a sharp blow to the abdomen, to tight clothing and poor posture can cause a hernia

• Dietary causes – Overeating, eating a large meal and then lying down, eating rich fatty foods and excessive alcohol consumption can all cause a hernia.

• A backed up GI system – Many people who have a hiatal hernia also have an inflamed ileocecal valve lower down in their digestive tract causing gas to build up and creating pressure higher up in the digestive system. I’ve noticed that many of my hiatal hernia patient have a long history of constipation causing their GI tract to flow poorly.

• Emotional causes – In Chinese medicine the wood element can become excessive when the patient represses anger. It’s almost as if they “can’t stomach” a situation and anger causes them to tighten up and suck their breath upwards. If this anger doesn’t get released it can lead to pressure in the stomach and a hernia.

As Kathy and I talked she realized that she had put her body through a few of these challenges. She had recently been through a difficult divorce where she had been very angry but had tried not to show resentment in front of her children. She’d also started dating again and, worried about an extra few pounds on her tummy, had taken to wearing high waisted control underwear which gave her a nice figure but pushed her stomach upwards. She also confided that she had been bulimic in the past although not recently and that when she was going through her divorce she had got into the habit of having a couple of large glasses of wine after the kids had gone to bed.

Solutions

After Kathy and I had worked all of this out we set about making a plan. She agreed to stop wearing the control underwear and to follow a diet aimed at calming her acidic stomach. We talked about various ways of releasing anger and Kathy told me she had tried talk therapy in the past and found it wasn’t for her, so I suggested several sessions with our YinOva Massage therapist who has training in therapeutic abdominal massage.

Next we used acupuncture to treat both the root and the the symptoms of the hiatal hernia and I prescribed a Chinese formula that supported her liver, cleared heat and inflammation from the GI tract, promoted healthy digestive function and relieved emotional anxiety.

I also taught Kathy the following maneuver which I’m happy to pass on to you. This exercise helps get the stomach back down through the hole in the diaphragm. Many of my patients with hiatal hernias have found it really helpful.

Exercise to reverse a hiatal hernia

First thing in the morning drink a cup of warm water (not tea or juice – just warm water!)

Then, while standing, bring your arms straight out to your sides and then bend your elbows so that your hands are touching your chest. Stand up on your toes as high as possible and then drop, you should feel a jolt. Drop down about 10 times in a row. Then, while standing with the arms up, pant short quick breathes for about 10-15 seconds.

That’s it!

How does it work? The water acts as a weight and the fact that it’s warm relaxes the stomach. Raising your arms and bending your elbows stretches the diaphragm and opens up the hiatus. The jolt as you drop down pulls the stomach out of the hiatus and the panting tightens up the diaphragm and helps the hiatus to close up.

Other advice we give YinOva patients with a hiatal hernia

• Do the maneuver above every morning. After you feel better keep going for a further three weeks every day to strengthen the area and stop a recurrence.
• A massage therapist skilled in abdominal massage will know massage techniques that can help bring the stomach back through the hiatus. Our own Nicole Kruck is especially skilled at this.
• Eat regular small meals – “little and often” should be your mantra
• Don’t eat right before you go to bed. Sit up and allow your digestive system to do it’s job.
• Acupuncture can be used to treat both the symptoms and the cause of a hiatal hernia
• A specially tailored Chinese herbal formula can be very helpful and can be designed to fit your particular pattern
• Avoid alcohol
• Limit fatty foods
• Lose weight if you need to
• Find a way to relieve stress (acupuncture and massage may be helpful here too)

Kathy followed the plan we’d created together and was particularly diligent about doing the special exercise every day. Within two weeks she was feeling much better. After 4 weeks we stopped the herbal formula and after 6 weeks she didn’t need the acupuncture anymore either. We decided she’d carry on doing the massage once a month to relax the area and follow the guidelines above. Before I wrote this article I rang Kathy to check in on her and ask her permission to write about her case (with names changed). She told me she’s been symptom-free for 8 months and hadn’t needed an antacid in all that time. She’s even been able to have the occasional rich meal and some wine here and there without a problem.

It’s that time of year again!

Our children are heading back to school. We Moms often have some mixed feelings around this. Most of our YinOva Moms tell me they feel a bit wistful that summer is over whilst at the same time breathing a giant sigh of relief as everyone gets back into routine. At this time of year patients usually tell me that they want to get off on the right foot and ask advice about putting some healthy habits in place. So here’s some back to school advice gleaned from our YinOva Moms (both staff and patients) as we wish you all a healthy transition into fall.

Get a healthy start

We’re all familiar with the morning rush but making time for a proper breakfast is an essential start to the day. It’ll help your children arrive at school alert and able to concentrate.

Unfortunately many quick and easy breakfasts are full of sugar and empty calories. As a general rule it’s best for children to start the day with some protein such as eggs, nut butter, milk or yogurt and some high fiber carbohydrates such as grains, wholegrain tortillas, whole wheat bread or healthy cereals. You can round this our with some fruit – bananas go particularly well with nut butter and whole wheat bread for example.

Check out this blog from our archive which has plenty of healthy and kid-friendly breakfast ideas.

Nutritious Packed Lunches

We’ve talked about packed lunches before on the YinOva Blog so for some good ideas and helpful advice check out this blog from our archive.

If you’re having trouble planning your child’s lunches ask them for some input. Sit down with your kids and talk to them about which foods are healthy and which foods won’t help their body as much. Get their agreement about which foods to eat regularly, which to only eat occasionally and which to avoid altogether. Then make a list of things they want to eat. Help them understand balance by getting them to pick proteins they like as well as grains and fruit and vegetables and get their ideas about how to combine these.

As important as what you put in a healthy lunchbox is what you leave out, so give the following a miss:-

• High fructose corn syrup
• Fruit juice from concentrate
• Artificial sweeteners
• Partially-hydrogenated oils
• Trans-fats
• Nitrites
• White or bleached flour products

Some ideas from our own YinOva acupuncturists include:-

• Leftover grains (eg Brown Rice) with leftover steamed veggies and low sodium tomato sauce
• Hummus or other bean dip with whole grain crackers and veggies to dip into it and a banana for desert.
• Greek yogurt with veggie chips to dip into it and a small bag of trail mix.
• A whole grain, rice, or corn pita, no nitrate lunch meat, lettuce, sliced tomato and hummus.
• Wholewheat pasta salad with tuna and veggies and some veganaise and apple sauce on the side.
• A whole grain, rice, or corn tortilla with mashed avocado, beans and rice.
• Rice crackers with nut butter and a bag of cut veggies and some seedless grapes.

We’d love to hear your own ideas for packed lunches so please share in the comments.

Exercise

When I was young we did PE every day but these days many schools have had to cut their PE programs and academic pressure means that children get less exercise than they used to. Children’s lives have also become more sedentary with TV and computer games replacing outdoor play. Staying fit is important for mental health and concentration as well as physical health and well being. Make sure your kids get some kind of exercise everyday, either by encouraging them to participate in organized sports or by letting them ride their bikes or run around in the park.

Herbs and Supplements

Being in a stuffy classroom with lots of other kids means that our children are particularly susceptible to colds and flu. Support their immune systems by adopting some of the healthy habits above and also by making sure that they take some useful supplements. This blog from our archive looks at how some of the supplements and herbs we stock here at the YinOva Center can be used to support your kids.

My own personal Mom trick is to give them a probiotic which will not only support good digestion by promoting beneficial intestinal flora but has been shown to boost the immune system and help them fight infectious diseases.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a great way to address many childhood ailments and disorders. Check out this blog article by a YinOva Mom who came to our center for acupuncture and Chinese herbs which successfully treated her child’s eczema.  We use acupuncture to treat kids for weak immunity, repeated ear infections, digestive problems, asthma and behavioral problems.

Mom’s who are new to acupuncture worry that their kids will be upset by the needles but this is rarely the case. This video shows me treating some of our YinOva kids and should reassure you that fer from being scary, acupuncture can be fun.

Few things are more comforting than a boiled egg with toast soldiers, a sandwich on crusty bread or a cake with afternoon tea. But for the millions of people who suffer from gluten intolerance these pleasures are denied.

At the YinOva Center we’re familiar with the territory. Quite a number of our patients are allergic to gluten and suffer from inflammation when they eat wheat. Some of these people have full blown Celiac Disease, which is a common autoimmune disorder that affects the small intestine, and some are just mildly gluten intolerant. These patients feel better if they avoid wheat, barley and rye which used to mean missing out on some favorite foods. These days, however, there are such great gluten-free alternatives that no one need feel deprived.

I made this gluten-free summer squash bread to use up an over-abundance of patty pan squash from our garden and make a tasty treat for a friend with a wheat allergy. Using Pamela’s Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix I was able to accommodate my friend’s allergy without sacrificing taste and by using agave nectar I managed to avoid processed sugar too. The result was a moist loaf that wasn’t too sweet.

A word of warning about baking with agave nectar: When I first made this loaf I used 1 cup of sugar instead of 1/4 cup of agave nectar. This gave a a sweet loaf with a cake-like texture. For health reasons I wanted to make the cake less sweet, less high calorie and without processed sugar so chose I chose to substitute a small amount of agave nectar for the cup of sugar. This gave a loaf that was more moist and less sweet. More like a tea bread. We loved it but if you like a sweeter cake and don’t mind using sugar, feel free to use it instead. One more word of warning a loaf baked with agave nectar will seem rather too moist when it first comes out of the oven but does dry out as it cools.

Ingredients

2 cups Pamela’s Ultimate Baking & Pancake Mix
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1 1/2 tsp ground cardamon
3/4 tsp salt
pinch of ground nutmeg
2 cups grated summer squash
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• Grease a loaf pan
• Grate the summer squash and put it in a colander over the sink to drain off some of it’s moisture.
• In a large mixing bowl mix together the baking mix, ground flax seed, ground cardamon, ground nutmeg, lemon zest and salt
• In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, agave nectar and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together until combined
• Fold in the grated summer squash and almonds
• Bake for 50 – 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean

Enjoy!

“Do I really have to give up coffee now that I’m trying to get pregnant?” Patients ask me this question a lot and here’s how I usually answer it. If you’re trying to get your body healthy in order to conceive it makes sense to limit your coffee intake to one cup a day. However if getting pregnant is proving to be struggle or you are suffering from infertility it’s best to cut coffee out altogether.

I understand the allure of coffee. I love a cup of coffee myself and I’m similar to my patients in that I’m an over-scheduled New Yorker and I appreciate the energy lift coffee can give me. However even as I guiltily sip my latte, I know that this caffeine boost is false energy and no replacement for proper rest and good nutrition.

We all know that caffeine can increase stress and anxiety levels but for women trying to conceive, coffee has other consequences as well. Caffeine can decrease the flow of blood to the uterus, which can interfere with implantation. Too much caffeine can increase the risk of blood clotting and miscarriage.

Knowing that caffeine can cause fertility problems some of my patients switch to decaffeinated coffee in order to enhance their fertility. However, all coffee, be it regular or decaf, is acidic and can make the body and cervical mucus too acidic and so hamper conception. Several studies have shown that coffee (even decaffeinated coffee) can diminish fertility. One Dutch study showed that 4 cups of decaf or regular coffee a day lowered a woman’s chance of having a baby by 25%. Some studies have linked coffee to miscarriage and some have linked it to low sperm count.

So the message is clear. If you’re trying to conceive and nothing’s working, it may be time to ditch your daily cup of Joe.

Here’s the advice we give our YinOva patients who are trying to limit their coffee intake.

• If you are suffering physical symptoms due to coffee withdrawal, acupuncture can help. Caffeine constricts the blood vessels in the brain and decreases circulation. If you suddenly cut out coffee, the increase in circulation both to your brain and your digestive system can lead to headaches as well as constipation or loose stools. An acupuncture treatment can treat both these symptoms well and so help you navigate your first coffee-free week.

• Herbal tonics such a astragalus or ginseng can help give your body a boost as you adjust to living without caffeine.

• Try drinking black tea. Even though tea contains some caffeine it does not seem to have the same adverse effect on fertility as coffee. In fact some studies have shown that tea may even help fertility. Researchers at Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program of Northern California in Oakland found that women who drink tea, even caffeinated black tea, have increased fertility.  Black tea contains some caffeine so it can give you a bit of a boost, however the caffeine content is much less than coffee making it a great alternative.

• Go green. Not only does green tea contain even less caffeine (about 1/3 of the amount) but it also boasts numerous health benefits.

• Herbal teas are also worth considering. Experiment with different teas at different times of the day. A soothing cup of chamomile at night or a bright tasting mint tea first thing in the morning.

• Take a coffee-free break! Coffee drinkers enjoy the rituals around their regular cups of coffee as much as the coffee itself. So try to find a replacement for making a cup of coffee in the morning. Buy a pretty tea pot and sip tea from a china cup. If popping out to your favorite coffee shop is a wonderful break in your day, know that you don’t have to give this up along with the coffee. Give yourself permission to take a coffee-free break and go out and buy some tea or even a bottle of water.

Cucumbers thrive in warm sunny weather and in our garden we tend to have dozens that ripen at the same time. It makes me realize why, in days gone by, people invented dill pickles, because it’s hard to keep up with a cucumber harvest and a shame to waste them.

Cucumbers have been used medicinally in Chinese medicine since the 7th century and have been prized ever since for their heat clearing, detoxifying and diuretic properties.

So on a baking hot day here in New York State, I decided to stay cool as a cucumber and use our over-abundant harvest by making these easy recipes.

Thai Cucumber Lemonade

This recipe is based on one by Guy Fieri of the Food network. He uses vodka in his, whereas we settled for a virgin version with seltzer water instead. Our lemonade is also less sweet than the original and has more water added.

First make an infused simple syrup by combining the following in a small saucepan

• A handful of fresh cilantro, basil and mint
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Bring the water to the boil and simmer just long enough for the sugar to dissolve. Take off the heat and allow to cool with the herbs still in the syrup. When cool strain the liquid into a container. Discard the herbs and put the syrup in the fridge.

Next make the cucumber juice by blending the following in a food processor.

• 1 large cucumber, peeled
• 2 cups water

Strain the juice and store in the fridge.

Squeeze the juice of

• 4 lemons

Then in a large jug blend 1 cup of cucumber juice, the juice from 4 lemons, 3/4 cup of simple syrup and add seltzer water to taste. We used about

• 4 cups seltzer water

Cold Cucumber Soup

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot or some green onion, finely chopped (about 2 tbsp)
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp oat bran
• 1/2 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup sour cream (low fat OK)
• Parsley
• Cucumber for garnish, finely diced

Swirl the olive oil in a deep pan and saute the shallot or onions over a low heat. Add the cucumbers, vinegar, broth and oat bran and bring to a boil. Add the tarragon, turn down the heat and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes until the cucumbers are soft. Carefully put the soup in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put the soup in the fridge to chill. When ready to serve whisk in the sour cream, ladle into individual bowls and garnish with parsley and chopped cucumber.

Susan was a long-term fertility patient who was overjoyed to find out that she was pregnant. “Should I still come and see you every week?”, she asked me.

The answer is only if you want to. If you find acupuncture relaxing and useful, feel free to visit us here at the YinOva Center as much as you like. However, most pregnant women visit us only when they need us and I encourage them to use us as a resource coming in when they are uncomfortable.

Pregnancy is not an illness and most women do not need regular ongoing treatment. However acupuncture can be an excellent choice to address common pregnancy ailments in a safe, gentle, drug-free manner. The needles we use a small and hair-like, the treatment is relatively painless and there are no adverse side effects for either you or your baby.

The First Trimester

• Fatigue
• Morning Sickness
• Constipation
• Headaches and nausea

I end up seeing my patients quite a lot in the first trimester. Many women struggle with fatigue and nausea at this time. Usually they haven’t told friends and colleagues about their pregnancy yet so they struggle to act as if everything is normal whilst feeling strange and off-kilter. It can feel like a bit of a battle. Acupuncture can help with the fatigue and has been shown in clinical trials to be effective for nausea and vomiting.

A study of women who had been hospitalized for severe pregnancy vomiting showed that acupuncture was a useful treatment. Researchers randomly assigned 33 women to acupuncture treatments at a specific point (PC6) on the underside of the wrist, or to sham treatments at a different spot. After two days, all treatments were stopped for two days to allow any effects to dissipate. Then the groups were reversed for two more days of treatment. Before treatment all women were vomiting. On day three, only seven out of seventeen women (41 percent) receiving active acupuncture were still vomiting compared with 12 out of 16 (75 percent) receiving sham treatment. After the active and sham groups were switched, more of the women receiving active treatment stopped vomiting. Women also reported experiencing less nausea. (1)

I needle a variety of points for patients with morning sickness and then send them home with a tiny magnet taped to their wrist at a special nausea point. For many women this magnet is a bit of a lifeline. I once arrived at my office early one morning to find an unscheduled pregnant patient sitting on the floor outside waiting for me. Her magnet had fallen off and she had started to feel nauseous again. She was determined to get a new one put on before work and had decided to camp out until I arrived.

Some women also suffer from headaches and migraines at this stage and find acupuncture to be a useful way of addressing them. The other common problem that women complain of is constipation. There are acupuncture points to help this although I’m also a big believer in prune juice (if you can stomach it).

The Second Trimester

• Heartburn
• Edema
• Excessive weight gain
• Hemorrhoids
• Back pain
• High blood pressure

The list above makes this trimester sound like an ordeal but the truth is most women feel happy and healthy in the 2nd trimester and I end up seeing my patients the least at this time.

As your bump grows, however, you may start to feel the strain on your back. If so, please come on in and see us at the YinOva Center.  Acupuncture has been shown in several clinical trials to be a safe and effective way of relieving pregnancy related back pain.

A study published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica looked at pelvic and low back pain in pregnant women, and concluded that acupuncture it is a safe and effective method of reducing pain without producing any serious side-effects.

In the study, 72 pregnant women with pelvic or low back pain were randomized, during weeks 24-37 of their pregnancies, to either an acupuncture group or a control group. Women in the acupuncture group received needling at traditional acupuncture points and “local tender points” based on their individual pain patterns, and were treated once or twice a week until the child was delivered. Women in the control group were given no stimulation.

Throughout the study, patients in both groups were asked to rate their pain weekly on a visual analog scale, and to rate their pain on a three-point scale during various activities.

Over time, visual analog pain intensity scores decreased in 60 percent of the women given acupuncture, but in only 14 percent of the women in the control group. Additionally, 43 percent of the acupuncture patients reported a decrease in pain during activity, compared with only 9 percent of the control patients.

No serious adverse effects were observed in the women receiving acupuncture, and no adverse effects of any kind were noticed in the babies born to women in the acupuncture group. (2)

We have a soothing herbal balm for hemorrhoids and can treat edema and heart burn. Along with your doctor we can help you with high blood pressure and also give you acupuncture to slow down excessive weight gain.

The Third Trimester

• Back pain
• Pelvic pain
• Breech position
• Induction of labor

It is in this trimester that acupuncture’s ability to gently relieve pain comes into its own. I always caution my patients to look after their back at this time and not to lift anything heavy. The combination of your ligaments softening in preparation for labor and your center of gravity being pulled off by a big bump makes you susceptible to back injury. If you are suffering please come in and see us. As shown in the study described above, acupuncture is a great way of relieving your discomfort without having to resort to pharmaceuticals.

If your baby is breech it is worth coming in for moxibustion. There is a proven technique that involves burning an herb above the small toe that has been shown in trails such as this one to be an effective method of turning breech babies. In some clinical trials it has been found to be effective 67% of the time. Here is a link to an article on our YinOva Blog about using acupuncture to turn a breech baby and here is a one of our patients blogging about her own experience.

I’m often asked how this works and it’s important to note that the techniques does not miraculously pivot the baby. What it does is relax the uterine walls a little so that the baby has more room to move. Some babies follow their instinct and use this space to move head downwards and some don’t. Personally I have found it hard to get the desired effect after the 37th week.

Many OB’s here in New York send their overdue pregnant women to us for acupuncture induction. We use elector-stimulation to stimulate contractions and in many cases this gets a sluggish labor started without the need for a chemical induction.

I always tell my patients to come in and see me in the last month of their pregnancy so that I can prepare them for labor. I do acupuncture to relax the pelvic muscles and near the big day I needle acupuncture points that help dilate the cervix. Labor is an unpredictable event so I can’t promise anything but patients that we have prepared do, on the whole, seem to have shorter and easier labors. Our lovely YinOva acupuncturist Laurel Axen Carroll blogged here about using acupuncture to prepare for labor.

Birth

In 2004 I worked as an acupuncturist at Lutheran Hospital in Brooklyn. At the time I was teaching students in the hospital and one of our main focuses was pain relief in labor. I had the opportunity to attend many births and was so impressed by how helpful the acupuncture could be. We started a clinical trial investigating the use of acupuncture to relieve pain during labor and delivery – a study that is still ongoing.

Postpartum

• Poor milk supply
• Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Depression
• Pelvic and low back pain

After birth acupuncture can help restore balance in your reproductive hormones and deal with any residual aches and pains from labor. It’s also a useful way of addressing the anxiety and fatigue that many new Moms feel. If you are suffering from depression we encourage you to talk to your doctor but we also have very good herbal formulas, which may be useful to you at this time.

If you find that your milk supply is weak or inconsistent, acupuncture can help with flow and nourishing herbs can help with supply.

At the YinOva center we love taking care of women through all their transitions and it is our pleasure to support you at such an exciting time. I am delighted that most of our patients find pregnancy to be a rewarding and creative time. We love meeting your babies and cherish the many pictures you send us. I am so thrilled that so many of you take the time to drop by with your little ones and share with us your joy at becoming a Mom.

Click here for more articles about pregnancy from our YinOva Blog

References:

(1) Carlsson CP et al. Manual acupuncture reduces hyperemesis gravidarum. A placebo-controlled, randomized, single-blind, crossover study. J Pain Symptom Manage 2000;20(4):273-79.
(2) Kvorning N, Holmberg C, Grennert L, et al. Acupuncture relieves pelvic and low-back pain in late pregnancy. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, March 2004;83(3):246-50.

Endometriosis is one of the leading causes of pelvic pain we see here at the YinOva Center. It can seriously affect a woman’s ability to conceive and can also cause uncomfortable, heavy or irregular periods. Sometimes there are no symptoms associated with endometriosis and it is only discovered when a woman seeks treatment for infertility.

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a condition where the tissue that normally lines the uterus (the endometrium) grows outside the uterus and sticks to various pelvic organs such as the the ovaries, bowel, rectum, bladder and the delicate tissue lining the pelvis. Occasionally, but rarely, this tissue can stray even further and can be found outside the pelvic region in other areas of the body.

This misplaced endometrial tissue behaves just like the uterine lining itself in that it responds to the interplay of hormones during the menstrual cycle. Consequently tissue and blood slough off the endometriosis during the period, just as the uterine lining sloughs off every month. The difference is that the tissue in the pelvic cavity has no means of being discharged, so over time it builds up and can form masses and lesions which can affect organ function. The cyst-like masses are called pseudocysts, and usually appear dark blue to brown, the latter being called “chocolate cysts”.

What are the symptoms of endometriosis?

The primary symptom of endometriosis is pelvic pain often worse during the period. Pain during or after sex is also common, as is pain associated with a bowel movement or urination. Other common symptoms are heavy bleeding during the period or uterine bleeding between periods. Occasionally endometriosis can also cause nausea, bowel movement changes and fatigue. Its worth pointing out that the severity of the symptoms does not reflect the severity of the endometriosis itself. In my career I’ve seen women with very mild endometriosis who have debilitating symptoms and some with very severe endometriosis who have no symptoms whatsoever.

What causes endometriosis?

The cause of endometriosis is unknown, but there are a number of theories. The most likely explanation is that there is a back flow of menstrual blood during the period and endometrial cells travel through the fallopian tubes and into the abdominal cavity. However some researchers have suggested that bits of endometrium are already in the abdominal cavity at birth or that the cells lining the abdominal and pelvic cavities are descended from embryonic cells and have the potential to specialize and become endometrial cells. However, no one knows why these cells would suddenly change and fulfill this potential.

We do know that endometriosis has a genetic link because women with a mother or sister who suffer from endometriosis are 6 times more likely to have the condition themselves. It’s also more common in women who have never given birth or became pregnant for the first time later in life.

How is endometriosis diagnosed?

If your doctor suspects you have endometriosis she may do a pelvic exam and order an ultrasound but the only way she can be absolutely sure is to do a minor surgical procedure called laparoscopy. That way she can look for endometrial implants and may even be able to remove some during the surgery.

How does conventional medicine treat endometriosis?

Conventional treatment for this condition varies depending on the severity of your symptoms, the location of the endometriosis and whether you are trying to get pregnant. Treatment options include medications to relieve pain and inflammation, hormonal therapies to stop the endometriosis from getting worse, surgery and as a last resort hysterectomy.

Can Chinese medicine treat endometriosis?

Yes and no!

Yes…Chinese medicine is a great help when it comes to relieving the uncomfortable symptoms associated with endometriosis.

Yes…Chinese medicine can help limit the proliferation of endometriosis.

No…Chinese medicine does not make current endometriosis disappear (although it may be able to reduce it).

At the YinOva Center we often see fertility patients for whom the endometriosis is getting in the way of a successful conception and a healthy pregnancy. We advise these patients to follow their MD’s advice and if their doctor deems laparoscopic surgery necessary we support them through this process. Then we use Chinese medicine to help with recovery and to slow the rate the endometriosis returns.

It’s often effective to combine Chinese medicine with conventional medical treatment. In Chinese medicine endometriosis is seen as blood stagnation however to treat it properly a good practitioner will also diagnose and treat the root cause of the blood stagnation. The most common patterns we see in our clinic are :-

 
• Qi stagnation with blood stagnation
• Yang deficiency with blood stagnation
• Qi sinking with blood stagnation

There are other, rarer Chinese medical diagnoses associated with endometriosis so it’s always a good idea to meet with a practitioner who specializes in OB/GYN to get a full explanation of your particular case. At the YinOva Center we’re always happy to explain how your particular pattern works, how we came to our diagnosis and what our treatment strategies are designed to achieve.

In 1980 researchers at the Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Shanghai First Medical College conducted a clinical trial using Chinese herbs to treat endometriosis. 156 endometriosis sufferers were divided into three groups based on the diagnoses above and then given a herbal formula that addressed blood stagnation as well as their underlying condition. According to the report, 82% of the women saw their symptoms mostly or entirely alleviated, while 18% of the women had either no effect or any beneficial effect was very short term and was lost when the herbs were discontinued.

To me what this research means is that Chinese herbs are effective in the treatment of endometriosis but only if a full diagnosis is made and if treatment is specifically tailored to fit the patient’s individual pattern.

How does acupuncture treat endometriosis?

According to current research acupuncture seems to promote blood circulation and regulate hormones. It also seems to have an anti-inflammatory effect and is effective for pain relief because of it’s effect on blood chemistry and in particular endorphin levels.

In December 2002, The Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine published a study of 67 women diagnosed who were suffering from dysmenorrhea due to endometriosis. Half of this group received ear acupuncture whilst the other half did not have treatment. In the acupuncture group 81% of the women had less painful periods after receiving the acupuncture treatments.

At the YinOva center we use a combination of ear points and systemic body point aimed at improving blood circulation, clearing inflammation, relieving pain and treating the patient’s underlying condition.

Which Chinese herbs treat endometriosis?

As the study from Shanghai showed herbs are most helpful when they are part of a formula specifically designed by a skilled and trained herbalist to treat a patient’s individual pattern. However some of the herbs most commonly used at our center to treat endometriosis are as follows:-

Stop excessive bleeding

• Pu huang – bulrush
• San qi – pseudoginseng

Reduce pain

• Yan hu suo – corydalis
• Tao ren – persica
• Mo yao – myrrh

Reduce masses

• E zhu – zedoaria
• Zao ci – gleditsea spine
• Mu li – oyster shell
• Xia ku cao – prunella

Moves qi

• Chai hu – bupleurum
• Xiang fu – cyperus
• Chi shao – red peony

Improves blood circulation

• Chuan xiong – cnidium
• Dang gui – Tang kuei
• Dan shen – salvia

Warms

• Gui zhi – cinnamon
• Gan jiang – ginger
• Xu duan – Dipsaci

Relieves Inflammation

• Mu dan pi – moutan
• Zhi zi – gardenia
• Gui ban – turtle shell

How can I help myself?

• Regular acupuncture can improve blood flow, reduce inflammation and decrease pain.
• Chinese herbs prescribed by a board certified herbalist have been shown in clinical trials to reduce the pain associated with endometriosis and may also prevent further proliferation of the tissue.
• Arvigo Mayan Fertility Massage™ is helpful for relieving symptoms and promoting pelvic organ function. You can read more about it here.
• A warm caster oil pack on the lower abdomen brings relief for many of our patients.
• Although we know that the back flow of menstrual blood may not be the whole cause of endometriosis, at the YinOva Center we still feel its important to avoid counter flow of menstrual blood wherever possible. To that end we advise our patients not to do yoga inversions during their period.
• Regular exercise promotes blood flow and in our clinic we have noticed that our endometriosis patients who exercise frequently respond better to treatment and show marked symptomatic improvement.
• As endometrial tissue is affected by estrogen it is helpful to avoid a  condition called “estrogen dominance”. The liver is responsible for metabolizing excess estrogen and so supporting good liver function is an important part of a holistic strategy to treat endometriosis. Because of this we advise our YinOva patients with endometriosis to limit their alcohol consumption and avoid caffeine. You may also want to discuss with your practitioner ways of using liver supporting herbs such as dandelion, milk thistle and burdock root as part of your herbal regimen.
• Many women find that adopting a low fat, high fiber, mostly plant based diet helps relieve some of the symptoms associated with endometriosis.

For further advice about pelvic pain see this YinOva Blog article from our archives about fibroids

Some of you may remember that back in April we blogged about planting vegetable seeds. I posted pictures of those seedlings here on the blog and on Facebook and have been surprised by how many people have asked me how they are doing.

They looked like this in the early spring….

And now it’s June and here are the same plants in our garden…..

Most of these vegetables were grown from seed and cost very little. Some started out under a light unit in our living room and some seeds were sown directly into the ground. Now that summer is just beginning we’re able to harvest the early vegetables and are excited about the crops that still have some growing to do. Nothing is more satisfying than feeding family and friends with nutritious, organic home grown veggies and growing them from seed is easy and economical.

The kinds of vegetables that are ready in our area in June are :-

Asparagus, broad beans, early broccoli, spring cabbage, mustard greens, lettuce, green onions, peas, early potatoes, radish, spinach and chard.

Here are the main June jobs for vegetable gardeners in New York State.

• If you haven’t done so already, plant your warm weather plants. Ours went in at the end of May but it’s not too late to plant tomatoes, corn, peppers, eggplant, squash, melons, cucumbers and pumpkins.
• Very gently shake your tomato plants to encourage them to pollinate. Water them regularly (we have a sprinkler on a timer) because otherwise the fruit grows into strange shapes. Once you see some green tomatoes growing then it’s time to fertilize the plants once a week.
• If you really want to extend your growing season you can plant seeds for broccoli, cauliflower, kale and brussels sprouts now. This will give you a second crop of these nutritious plants that will be ready in the autumn and last into the early winter.
• Thin out any lettuce plants if you planted the seeds directly into the soil. If you want to have fresh lettuce throughout the summer it’s time to plant a second crop. You can sow the seeds directly into the ground but pick a variety that can tolerate heat well and as the shoots appear cover with a polythene tunnel to give them some shade.
• Eggplants and peppers start to grow now. They need plenty of heat and so often get off to slow start. Don’t feed or fertilize them until they flower.
• You should be able to pick an early crop of peas with plenty to come as the summer progresses.
• Harvest early beets, spring onions, radishes and salad leaves and don’t forget to sow some more for a later crop.
• Mound soil up over your potato plants to protect them from the heat.
• Harvest asparagus until the end of the month, then allow the shoots to grow to feed the roots for next year’s crop.

Enjoy!

Patient’s often ask me what the early signs of pregnancy are. It is useful to look out for them even though they can be a little confusing. Realistically, the only conclusive way of knowing that you are pregnant is a positive pregnancy test however the signs outlined below may give you a hint. Our book Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility gives more information about this.

These are the symptoms I tell my patients to look out for.

Digestive Changes

Feeling nauseous or vomiting is one of the most common signs of early pregnancy. Gas, constipation or abdominal bloating are also common because digestion slows down in pregnant women.

Breast Tenderness

Extreme breast tenderness or itchy nipples are also a sign of early pregnancy.

BBT Chart

A BBT chart that goes up at ovulation and then goes up again about 4-6 days later, especially if the temperatures stay high.

Mild Spotting

As the fertilized egg implants into the uterine lining this can cause some very light bleeding. Women experience this as very light spotting a few days after ovulation. Heavy bleeding could be a sign of something more serious and should be flagged up to your health care provider.

Cramping

This feels like a mild menstrual cramp and is often the first sign of pregnancy for many women

Extreme Fatigue

In early pregnancy a lot of your body’s energy is diverted to the developing fetus. My pregnant patients are often surprised to feel as tired as they do.

If you are feeling these symptoms regularly but your pregnancy tests are negative you may be experiencing chemical pregnancies. If you are a patient at The YinOva Center we would like to know about this as this effects the treatment plan we draw up for you. We also advise you to tell your OB/GYN or RE as it will help them with their diagnosis.

You can find out more about our work with women trying to conceive here and with pregnant women here.