I know that many of you saw the recent news reports about a new study that showed that acupuncture is remarkably helpful when it comes to relieving the side effects of breast cancer treatment. You can see an ABC news report on this by clicking here. Doctors treating breast cancer give patients drugs that lower [...]
YinOva Acupuncturist Margaret Sikowitz blogs: Almost a month into the new school year and already many kids have missed days due to colds, stomach bugs and sore throats. It definitely comes with the territory as their little immune systems fatigue easily. In my house we have a morning ritual that I believe keeps them going [...]
We have a lovely job here at The YinOva Center because we help people have babies. What could be more fun? I can honestly say that all of us are so happy to play a small part in helping you to conceive and we are thrilled when you send us pictures of your new born [...]
When women come to The YinOva Center for fertility treatment we always ask if their partners have had a semen analysis. Women who are not getting pregnant often assume that the problem lies with them and many are surprised to find out that for 40% of infertile couples the problem is male factor.
If you follow this blog you’ll know that quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is our grain of the month. It’s a grain I particularly love and writing about it yesterday inspired me to cook some for lunch today. I chose this recipe from Epicurious because it used ingredients I had to hand. The only substitution I made [...]
At The YinOva Center we have a reputation for being able to help to turn breech babies. So much so that many midwives and OB’s send their patients to us when they find out that the baby is breech. A breech baby is one whose head is upwards so that she is likely to come [...]
I first came across quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) when I lived in San Diego, where my super-healthy friend Amy used to eat a giant bowl of it for breakfast. High in fiber and super-high in protein, quinoa is packed full of vitamins and minerals. It has been a staple in the Andes for over 5000 years [...]
Many of our patients are surprised to find out how much their weight can impact their ability to conceive. In fact an estimated 12% of all infertility issues are weight related and maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI) is one of the most helpful things you can do to enhance your fertility. So what [...]
“Is it safe to exercise during pregnancy?” I get this question a lot from new moms and the answer is that for most women it is perfectly safe as long as they keep a few common sense guidelines in mind. In fact not only is it safe but it’s a good idea to stay physically [...]
As some of you know I was on the CBS Early Show this week talking about foods that enhance fertility. You can watch the piece here if you missed it. It was a blustery day out there on the plaza and the segment was quite brief so I wanted to use this blog to give [...]
I love Simply Recipes. For those of you that haven’t discovered it yet it’s a cookery blog written by Elise Bauer from California. In it she records many of her family’s favorite recipes. It is often a source of inspiration to me and lots of her recipes have become favorites of my family too. So [...]
Recently patients have been asking me about this study which was based on research at The Harvard School of Public Health and published in the journal Human Reproduction. It seems to suggest that men who eat a lot of soy are more likely to have a low sperm count. It also showed that overweight men [...]
As many of you know I have been trying to limit the amount of food my family wastes. With that in mind I salvaged three very overripe bananas that my husband was about to toss on the compost heap and set out to make a version of banana bread that contained whole grains. The end [...]
Hi Everyone, Its Margaret Sikowitz here, blogging while Jill is on vacation. I can’t believe it’s the middle of August already. Like many of you I am enjoying a slightly more relaxed summer schedule but recent talk in the office turned to one of the aspects of back-to-school that fill many of us with foreboding, [...]
Hello Everyone! It’s Emma, Jill’s daughter here. I’ve hijacked my Mum’s blog to thank all of you who supported my trip to Thailand to take part in the Water Project. Without your generous donations none of it would have been possible. So…Thank you. As some of you know I was in Thailand as part of [...]
Recently some patients in our waiting room were talking about wasting food, which is a topic close to my heart. I was shocked to find out that here in the US we throw away $43 billion of edible food each year. In fact a 2004 study at the University of Arizona, estimated that between 40 [...]
A recent study in The American Journal of Hypertension caught my eye. It showed that if women increase their fiber intake in early pregnancy they can cut their chances of a serious pregnancy complication by two-thirds. Pre-ecplampsia, which is characterized by high blood pressure and excess protein in the urine, effects about 8% of pregnant [...]
My recent post about 5 Healthy Ways to Start Your Day sparked some conversations in our waiting room this week. As we shared our experiences and passed on tips, some Mom’s spoke about how they get their kids to start the day in a healthy way. My own daughter, Emma, is 17 now and my [...]
Many of you have asked about the little girl whose pictures and letters decorate our waiting room. Her name is Kunthea and we are proud to sponsor her through the Cambodian Children’s Fund. She is nine years old and before being accepted at CCF she lived with her mom and grandparents in a small shack [...]
Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) “We practice meditation in order to see ourselves as we truly are and life as it truly is.” ( Genpo Roshi) “Meditation brings wisdom: lack of meditation leaves ignorance. (Buddha) There is a reason that all religious traditions involve some kind of meditation, prayer or [...]
When we were writing our book Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility,we found ourselves repeatedly stressing the importance of eating whole grains and a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. Here in America and in the UK, where I come from, we mostly eat refined grains because they are more convenient. [...]
I have an admission to make… At the YinOva Center we are not paragons of virtue. Patients visiting us for the first time sometimes imagine that we will be scarily macrobiotic women who will pour scorn on their efforts to take care of themselves. Nothing could be farther from the truth. We are all working-women [...]
This morning I have been exchanging emails with a patient who is newly pregnant. She and her husband have been trying to conceive for several years and they are thrilled to have finally achieved their goal. I am so happy for them and feel very privileged to have played a small part in their journey. [...]
I’ve been hearing from my patients about a vicious bout of viral gastroenteritis going around. Some people have thought they had food poisoning and one patient even rang to see if her herbs could be causing violent diarrhea and vomiting. I was able to assure her they weren’t. Last week it was my turn. My [...]
