Journal Tag: birth preparation

Counselling for Fertility

Counselling for Fertility - Written by Suzanne Hurley, Perinatal Counsellor

Counselling for Fertility is an important aspect to consider for your Fertility journey. When fertility plans are interrupted or delayed it can cause great distress with feelings of helplessness and eventually hopelessness. My clients often decide that it just shouldn’t be this hard and maybe it is their fate to be childless. An incredibly painful conclusion as you can imagine.

When does counselling for fertility begin?

I can begin my work with you at any stage of the fertility pathway. Sometimes it is following a pregnancy loss, which then complicates how one feels about the next pregnancy. Or you may have been trying to conceive for some time and fear may set in that pregnancy may not happen. You may be at the point at which you have been informed you will need fertility assistance and as such may be struggling with this new identity of needing IVF.  Or you may have made many attempts with IVF and may be left feeling drained emotionally, mentally, and physically. Addressing the grief of what has and or is happening is fundamental to the work that I do to help you through these times.

How to make your way forwards

Acknowledging what this all means is vital to establishing a plan of what next. The impact of the whole experience can be extremely profound on work, health, relationships, family and mental health. Often those people facing these challenges have been running on empty for a long time, putting other life plans on hold to chase the elusive goal of wanting their baby yesterday. It can be heartbreaking, tender work that my personal and professional experience allows me some insight into the rocky terrain to navigate together with you. The life you may now be living may have been intended as a short term change to get the outcome you wanted, however adversity may have struck and now you may feel like you’re stuck, with your life on hold for too long, perhaps even devoid of pleasure. 

Finding your centre

Often this life is lived silently, in the shadows of others’ joys and celebrations of their own fertility successes. Sisters, colleagues and friends all seem to competently become pregnant and have the babies so yearned for. Self-esteem plummets, anxiety symptoms bring a sense of panic and the exhaustion of grief brings depression. I am often met by a person barely hanging onto life, so scared to pause and reflect lest the only opportunity they have to conceive will pass them by. This is often nothing like the ideal most of us aspire to for starting a family.

The task is no small one for either of us. A task too big for one person alone and best advised held in the warmth of company.  We build a care team and soon we find a path that embraces greater wholeness, joy, laughter, purpose, and clarity about what is needed and awareness of what is harmful. We develop strategies to walk through the treacherous forest of others’ seemingly blossoming fertility at every turn and find a quieter, kinder, position to begin to thrive once again.

For more support, Suzanne Hurley, Perinatal Counsellor, is available for consultations at Fertile Ground Health Group or you can make an appointment for a phone or video session for your convenience. Learn more about Suzanne.

MA’s July 2021 love letter

July 2021 Love Letter

Welcome to MA’s July 2021 Love Letter. We’ve been receiving MA’s monthly love letters from The Melbourne Apothecary since the beginning of 2020. These letters contain links to a variety of life enhancing freebies that our fabulous practitioners are constantly creating to help you cope during COVID and beyond.

The letters are also a fantastic and charismatic resource that share all the goings on within both The MA and Fertile Ground. So we thought we’d best share them with you here so that you can join in and receive the monthly intel from our delightful and ever wisdomous MA. Please enjoy.

Hello hello,

I hope this July 2021 love letter finds you healthy, warm and feeling loved. Word on my MA vine is that there are 2 wonderful projects beginning to blossom in our town. I would love to invite you to be a part of either one in whatever capacity you like.

These projects really align with my desire to help to enrich our community, enhance collaboration, and support sustainability (because as I’m sure you’re aware, there is no Planet B).

Project 1 – Brilliantly Upcycled Beautiful Baby Apparel
(or BUBBA for short)

This is an initiative brought to you by the wonderful minds of the Fertile Ground Health Group team. The way it works is that everyone is welcome to bring in and donate any beautiful baby apparel that they no longer need (for newborns – apparel to suit up to 12 month old babies). This apparel will all then be available for any patients of Fertile Ground to take and use for their budding family.

This is an opportunity for you to either share apparel you no longer need, or receive lovely new baby apparel with and from people who not only share your health values but have also likely shared some similar struggles as you too.

By being a part of this initiative in any way you will be contributing not only to a circular economy (less waste), but also to rampant happiness on all sides.

If you would like to donate baby apparel, please drop it into the reception team at Fertile Ground when you’re next nearby. Feel free to write a little love note to accompany your clothes – we will be sure to pass it on.  And if you’d like to pick up free upcycled baby apparel for your growing family, please ask at Fertile Ground’s reception when you’re next in too.

Project 2 – Shared Holistic Health Library

You may have noticed the gorgeous library of health, fertility and self help books that lives on the wall of the upstairs waiting room at Fertile Ground. 

Did you know that it’s a shared library? Meaning – you are most welcome to take a book or two, read them and bring them back/keep them when you’re done. You’re also welcome to add any health / fertility / pregnancy / baby / self help related books you have at home that you wish to recirculate into the community. Take a wander through the Holistic Health Library next time you’re in.

Love & Snowflakes

Your MA 💕

MA’s love letters – June 2021

MA Love Letter June 2021

We’ve been receiving MA’s monthly love letters from The Melbourne Apothecary since the beginning of 2020. These letters contain links to a variety of life enhancing freebies that our fabulous practitioners are constantly creating to help you cope during COVID and beyond.

The letters are also a fantastic and charismatic resource that share all the goings on within both The MA and Fertile Ground. So we thought we’d best share them with you here so that you can join in and receive the monthly intel from our delightful and ever wisdomous MA. Please enjoy.

Hello and a wonderful crisp sunny June to you!

I feel really thrilled to write to you this month (ahem – I feel thrilled every month actually because I just LOVE connecting with you about my favourite thing – health 🥳 ). I have 3 fabulous things to share.

Free preconception series
Firstly, this month Sage King, one of our expert fertility Naturopaths, has put together a 6 part article series designed to help you navigate your fertility journey and create your Fertility Plan. And what a wealth of information this is. I have had the privilege of sneak peeking a couple of Sage’s articles and I can tell you they are off ⚓️ the ⚓️ hook ⚓️ with information about options to proceed and succeed when creating your healthy family 💕

The way Sage writes is so comprehensive AND YET so digestible and clear. Find out more about what this series covers and then go ahead and register to receive all the freebies.

👉Sign up here for the Free Preconception series

World Environment Day
Saturday the 5th of June is World Environment Day 💕 🌏 💕 This day is designed to encourage awareness and action for the protection of the environment – which is SO glorious!🦚🐍🦧🦩🦥🕸🦜🐊🦓🦔🦙🐇🦕

I recently watched David Attenborough’s latest film, ‘A Life on This Planet’. It was completely motivating and deeply eye opening  👀  beyond the level that my plant farming, naturopathic, chemically free, environment loving eyes have been opened before…

The result? We started a Sustainability Action Group at Fertile Ground and The MA – SAG for short (because SAGging is what my heart ♥ does when I think of the health of our planet and what will happen if we, personally and as a community, don’t take greater responsibility for our daily actions that contribute to the devastation of this world).

Fertile Ground and The Melbourne Apothecary already have deep values of sustainability and supporting climate action ✨ 🌏 💓 however after watching this film📽we stirred into even greater action to identify all the ways that we must DO BETTER in the clinic – our revised mission being helping people to make healthy babies — AND a healthy planet for them to live on!

So please see our MA instagram posts to check out what we’re identifying and changing in the clinic to do better ourselves, and perhaps you’ll find some motivation and inspiration therefor things you can do at home to help healthify the planet even more too♥️

Food cravings?
The third thing I want to touch on is food cravings. It’s lockdown again here in Melbourne, and if you’re a person you are likely feeling emotions about that.😧😪😶😡😩🤨🧐🤯

Many of us use food as an emotional buffer🧀🌭🍕🥖🍔🥞🍫🍷

When things get a bit emotionally intense (hello the last 1+ years of COVID…)it’s a good idea to get some support around healthy eating ESPECIALLY if you know that you have a relationship with food that you’d like to change for the better, or one that becomes topsy turvy during stress.

Read this bang on article from Jane Holland, our MA holistic nutritionist, all about diving under the surface of food cravings. Remember that Jane is available for free 10 minute consults to you if you want to connect with her and find out how you can begin to create a healthier relationship with your food.

Read Food Cravings – what are you really craving? With Nutritionist, Jane Holland

Love & Wooly Jackets
Your MA💕

What’s Your Fertility Plan?

Your Fertility Plan with Sage King from Fertile Ground Health Group

It can be quite overwhelming for any individual or couple to decide if their family plan includes children, let alone go one step further and reach out for support to optimise or facilitate fertility. These decisions can be even more complex for those who fall outside of the mainstream heteronormative, coupled, gender binary. 

Fertility plan – where to start?

Knowing when you want to have children is key to where you can choose to start on this journey. Does your family plan include children within the next 3-12 months? Did you know that preconception care takes a minimum of three months to positively influence reproductive health,  including egg quality? 

One of our expert fertility naturopaths, Sage King, has written a 6-part series to help individuals and couples of all gender identities and sexual orientations confidently navigate their fertility journey and create their own fertility plan. This series is inclusive of everything from preconception pathology screening, naturopathic preconception considerations, how to enhance your fertility naturally, to egg freezing, intrauterine insemination (IU) and In vitro fertilisation (IVF). Sage will be taking a deep-dive in how you can optimise your fertility outcomes.

What you’ll learn in this free 6-part article series

Part One: Identify Your Unique & Individual Needs

  • Individual considerations
  • Couple considerations
  • Sperm donor considerations

Part Two: Do You Need Preconception Screening?

  • Understanding your optimal preconception window
  • GP preconception screening
  • Your functional preconception assessment options
  • Naturopathic preconception considerations
  • PCOS, Endometriosis and the impacts on fertility

Part Three: Enhance Your Fertility Naturally

  • Eating for your fertility
  • Exercising for your fertility
  • Stress management
  • Enhancing sleep quality for your fertility
  • Endocrine disrupting chemicals and why you should avoid them

Part Four: Is Egg Freezing for You?

  • Age and egg freezing – what’s the go?
  • Understanding the egg freezing process
  • How to access Naturopathic support for egg freezing

Part Five: What is IUI & do I qualify?

  • What is intrauterine insemination?
  • Is IUI for you?
  • Natural vs. medicated cycle
  • Importance of collaborative care
  • Naturopathic support options for IUI

Part Six: Your Guide to IVF

  • What is IVF?
  • Is IVF for you?
  • Importance of collaborative care
  • Naturopathic support options for IVF

Are you single? In a couple? Do you wish to use your own eggs, or do you want to carry using your partner’s eggs, or vice versa? Do you have a known sperm donor, or will you use clinic-recruited donor sperm? Perhaps a child is not in your short-term plans but you wish to freeze your eggs for peace of mind down the track – there is great information here for you too. 

Register to receive notification as each article in this 6 part series is released. Sage is dedicated to helping you identify your unique and individual needs, as well as to provide you with the information you need to feel more informed, more confident on how to best navigate your situation, and most importantly helping you feel fully supported on your fertility journey.

Bonus Preconception Q&As with Sage online

Get your questions answered by joining our closed Create a Fertile Life Facebook group. Submit your questions in this group and Sage will answer.

Build your best healthy pregnancy diet

Freya Lawler Healthy Pregnancy Diet Fertile Ground Health Group
How do you build your best healthy pregnancy diet?

In this article I will share with you our top non-negotiable recommendations.  At Fertile Ground health Group, we believe in educating patients on their fertility journey with the most up to date and relevant research when it comes to making healthy babies.

This type of education involves jumping ahead of the curve in regards to current preconception and fertility dietary guidelines. There is often a wide gap when it comes to emerging research making its way into public policy; therefore our job is to merge the two and share the most up-to date nutritional and dietary information available. At the core of our philosophy on prenatal care is ensuring that every mother is educated on the nutritional foundations of a growing a healthy, thriving baby.

It is now more commonly understood that most conditions occurring in adulthood originate in foetal life. This evidence highlights the importance of following an optimal prenatal diet to not only set the stage for the health of your growing baby and your personal pregnancy, but it holds a strong influence on the health outcomes of future generations. By making evidence-based food choices and becoming familiar with real wholefoods, you will provide an excellent basis for great pregnancy nutrition.

Our top dietary tips during pregnancy include

Eat small, regular meals

The notion of ‘eating for two’ has been largely disproven in literature, when in fact there is only a modest increase in caloric requirements during pregnancy. Smaller meals and snacks benefit a pregnant mother in a number of ways; they balance blood sugar, providing your growing baby with a consistent stream of nutrients, prevent nausea, heartburn and reflux whilst keeping energy levels balanced.

Enjoy high quality proteins and fats

Ensuring meals are rich in quality protein and fats rather than being high in refined carbohydrates will keep you fuller for longer, reducing unwanted energy dips and preventing the incidence of overeating. Our advice is to keep snacks at arms reach at all times to ensure you’re eating regularly. Wholegrain crackers, vegetable sticks, dips and a handful of nuts are all excellent options to keep available at all times.The key is to prioritise high quality foods wherever your budget allows.

Choose grass fed and free range over grain fed and conventionally raised meat and poultry. Healthy fats to include are small fish rich in essential fatty acids, nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil and avocados. We understand it’s important to allow yourself some dietary flexibility during your first trimester when you may be suffering from morning sickness and food aversions are prominent. After this period, the above recommendations should form an essential basis of your prenatal dietary requirements, reflecting a wholefood, non-processed Mediterranean style diet.

Avoid sugar and processed foods and adopt a lower GI way of eating 

Evidence shows that increased sugar and processed food consumption during pregnancy may contribute to increased gestational weight gain and the development of pregnancy complications, including gestational diabetes, preeclampsia and preterm birth. To mitigate this, our suggestion is to move away from foods that offer empty calories and little nutritional value. Swap processed bread, white pasta and sweets for more nutrient dense options such as wholegrain sourdough, pulse pastas, legumes, whole grains, full fat yoghurt and seasonal fruits.

Whilst these recommendations are an essential part of any pregnant mothers daily nutrition, we suggest ensuring foods rich in vitamin A, folate, iodine, iron, choline and B12 are consumed regularly and supplemented where necessary. In addition to this, conventional dietary guidelines are designed for women who are healthy and nutritionally replete. Therefore, individual prenatal nutrient requirements may differ from woman to woman. Seeking guidance from an experienced health provider can be beneficial in assessing your unique nutritional needs.​

Written by Freya Lawler

Freya Lawler, Naturopath and Functional Nutritionist at The Melbourne Apothecary, is passionate about food. She believes that in order to optimise your health from the ground up, you must begin with your diet. She loves to identify simple ways to make a huge difference in your health, through optimising your diet and creating tailored nutritional plans. Whether it be for supporting your pregnancy, balancing your hormones, clearing your skin or improving your digestion – Freya can guide you back to your best health through functional nutrition. 

Learn more about Freya

Free Resources

Springtime In Mind

Springtime in Mind - Suzanne Hurley
Spring and fertility go hand in hand.

By holding springtime in mind as a time of new growth and new life we can harness its vitality. We can get in and hug it close.  I have found myself witnessing my daughters’ raising a newborn lamb after his mother died during his birth. Witnessing him being loved and cared for as he gains strength and recovers from pneumonia has filled me with delight. He provides the perfect container for my daughters to manage their struggles with COVID restrictions dampening their wings, in getting on with the business of taking flight away from the parental gaze. He has provided a structure of feeding times, nappy changing (yes he wears nappies with a hole for his tail) and cuddles. They have also had to figure out how to house him once he is able to be left outside in a little paddock with shelter for protection.

Extending the love you have to a willing recipient is never time lost, but rather the stuff OF you and the life you create. Extending the love you give to include yourself is too often overlooked. It is a gift we love to give but too often fail to receive. Accepting the need to love ourselves somehow is always the last priority that we just never seem to get back to. As I say to my clients it is a discipline that requires your consideration and requires skill building. It is a constant endeavour, also never lost, but it will fade if not fed and watered and fertilised. Just like our lamb.

The idea of fertility is varied and many to different people and life circumstances.

It can be a time of regrouping with new energy for latent projects including our own fertility, be it reproductive fertility, new experiences, wealth creation, new ideas and passions created or reinvigorated. It is a time to uncurl, albeit slowly if needed, from the nestled cocoon of Winter where we have rested our energies and made room for inactivity and quietude, perhaps more so this year than any other. Have a think about how you want to get down and hug in close to your own fertile mind. Care for a lamb, a new baby, nurture your eggs, build a nest, bud forth an idea, spring into life.

Spring is a time of opportunity new and renewed. Seek out the evidence of the fertile season. Spend time in your garden to see the rich green of new leaves, the buds of maples amid the bursts of ideas that spring to mind as you mindfully wander your surroundings. Reap what you sow and do not bypass yourself. Spend time with your goals, your dreams no matter how fanciful, get real with your budget and imagine the life you seek and how to get there. If you can’t spring into life, just walk or crawl, one foot in front of the other, one day at a time and allow the seasonal vitality to be absorbed through your skin, your cells and your imagination. Set your gaze at different distances, near, middle and far and align your ideas with achievable actions at each pinpoint. Join with others, team up, mentor in. Make it sow.

Written by Suzanne Hurley

Suzanne is a Perinatal & Fertility Counsellor at Fertile Ground Health Group. She is available for telehealth consultations to support you through COVID. Learn more more about Suzanne here.

Movement with AbunDance

Movement with AbunDance - Katy Woods
Why AbunDance?

I have always been a fan of moving. I dance when I’m happy, stressed, blissfully confused. I dance out the whole rainbow spectrum of emotion that moves through my body. Free flowing movement gets what is on the inside, out.

When I move, my feelings and thoughts become more tangible, malleable almost. There, in movement, I can choose to literally shape my thoughts and feelings, or purely bear witness to them. To me this shapes potent self connection. This kind of communication to self (and to others beyond words) is aaaaaDictive, extraordinarily humbling and honestly, necessary.

Please, do what you came to do in this life, and dance.

In my youth dancing was an activity like any other sport. So I danced. I grew my foundation, I delighted, I performed. However, the more I craved new ways of moving the more I understood I had only dipped my young toes into the pond of possibility.

There is a Story. Creativity. Connection.

These aspects of movement – they are an ocean. I will always be grateful for my greatest teacher and friend, Kirsty Lee, who nurtured these aspects of dance in my forming years as it has guided much of the joy in my life. I grew my practice, diversified, experimented, listened, watched, felt, made contemporary works, joined contact jams, fused disciplines, spoke for artist circles, trained and performed internationally … and in all that I came to know what I wanted to share – I wanted to facilitate this profoundly connective movement in others.

And so I began facilitating. The more I taught, the deeper I too understood, felt and connected with myself and others. I have a fond memory of directing a dancework named THREADS – this was a site specific performance that considered how a thread could imbue memory, attitude and relationship.

By night I would gather with my gaggle of wonderful movement loving women inside a friendly and eccentric Op-shop in town. Here I explored ideas, created tasks, collaborated and blended together a string of thought in movement (occasionally interrupted by a frenzy of op-shop treasure hunting, of course). It was a space and project where the process was joy and the product was a bonus.

The pure juice of creativity is in the process; it’s in the making and the maintaining. It’s playful, vulnerable and thrilling.

Now, bringing all of this experience, play and creativity together I have created AbunDance.

Abundance is a series of dance workshops that uses grounded contemporary technique, curiosity, improvisation and wholesome conditioning to fuel the sense of embodied feminine.

I offer this series exclusively to Fertile Ground and The Melbourne Apothecary, to the mothers and the mothers to be, to join me in opening to, generating and maintaining your sense of feminine sensual movement. This is about confidence. This is about play. This is about curiosity and moving even more into connection with your body and mind.

AbunDance is a community where you can nurture your capacity to connect, where you can develop a practice of dedication to yourself and all that you are as a woman.

Katy Woods is a professional dancer, group facilitator and dance teacher. She loves developing classes that initiate and sustain the love of movement for others.  to access her current class series – AbunDance. Katy is offering your first class for free.

Find out more and register here

Pelvic Girdle Pain

Pelvic Girdle Pain
Pelvic girdle pain. What is it and what can be done to help?

Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP) is a term given to describe the discomfort felt anywhere from the front of the pelvis (pubic symphysis) to the back of the pelvis (sacrum) and even around to the sides of the pelvis (hips).

During pregnancy 1 in 4 women will experience pelvic girdle pain due to changes the body will undergo in a relatively short period of time. This can occur at any stage of the pregnancy however, it is most commonly experienced in the second and third trimesters.

What causes Pelvic Girdle Pain?

Ligaments throughout the body stretch and soften to accommodate for the growing baby. When these ligaments relax our muscles are required to work extra hard which may result in pain. Additionally increases in load, changes in posture, centre of gravity, walking style and alterations in core function can contribute to pelvic girdle pain.

While some individuals accommodate well to these changes, experiencing limited or no pain, it can be debilitating for others and 7% of women will continue to suffer with this pain after their baby is born – requiring ongoing treatment.

Common symptoms

Sharp, stabbing or grabbing pain that is aggravated climbing up and down stairs, getting dressed/undressed, rolling over in bed, getting in and out of the car, extended periods standing, sitting or walking and pain on sexual intercourse.

Helpful tips

If you are experiencing pelvic girdle pain try these helpful hints:

  • Sleep with a pillow between your knees
  • Keep knees together when rolling in bed or getting in and out of car
  • Focus on maintaining good posture while standing and sitting. Avoid crossing your legs
  • Avoid heavy lifting (your joints are already under enough load), prolonged sitting, wearing heels, carrying uneven loads e.g. bag on shoulder or toddler on hip
  • Wear support bracing or garments such as tubigrip, SRC shorts or Serola belt

The specific tissues causing pain differs between individuals and it is best to seek professional advice from an osteopath with experience in this area for appropriate treatment.

Written by Nicole Cukierman

Nicole is Fertile Ground Health Group’s resident Osteopath. If you’re seeking treatment please feel welcome to book in with Nicole.

Pregnancy & Skin Changes

Pregnancy & Skin
Pregnancy & Skin – how are they related?

Pregnancy is an exciting journey, but may involve a set of new and frustrating skin challenges. The body undergoes a tremendous amount of change through pregnancy with more than 90% of women experiencing significant and complex skin changes. These changes may be desirable for some, but for others, pregnancy may trigger the onset or worsening of pigmentation, acne or eczema. 

Please understand that the tips included below are a general guide only. Each person requires individualised treatment as we’re all unique – so make sure you book in to get tailored advice before self prescribing as it may not suit your situation or health needs

Pigmentation

Hyperpigmentation (melasma) is one of the most common and early signs of pregnancy. High levels of Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone (MSH), oestrogen and progesterone are believed to be responsible for hyperpigmentation. Progesterone appears to increase oestrogen to signal melanin output, which stimulates pigmentary changes in the skin. This type of pigmentation is seen more in those with darker skin and hair. Melasma is said to be caused by stagnation of Liver energy, which effects the movement of qi and blood throughout the body. Acupuncture around the area of pigmentation is thought to help improve the flow of energy and blood, so that melasma are less pronounced in colour and size.

Tips – Protect the skin from sun exposure with physical sunscreens, as these reflect the heat away from the skin, which is good for a pregnancy-flushed face. Use a natural SPF 30+, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. For targeting localised brown spots, opt for Vitamin C. For safe exfoliation, use Lactic Acid or a gentle exfoliating enzyme mask to brighten the skin.

Avoid – Limit exposure to ultraviolet light. Topical formulations containing hydroquinone and tretinoin should be avoided in pregnancy, but may be added after pregnancy, or as advised by your doctor. 

Acne

Although some women experience improvements or no change in acne during pregnancy, a substantial number suffer acne flare ups during this time, which may also indicate a higher risk for similar flare ups during future pregnancies. A shift in hormones, specifically progesterone, estrogen and androgens, during pregnancy can stimulate the sebaceous and sweat glands, resulting in more perspiration and oilier skin triggering breakouts. Studies show hormone levels spike during the earliest stages of pregnancy and often again in the third trimester, which may explain the initial onset of hormonal breakouts and then another surge of acne toward the end of pregnancy and up until birth. Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, when combined with dietary and lifestyle modifications, may help to positively impact any skin changes, improve digestive function, reduce inflammation and redness, swelling and painful pimples, and bring your body into harmony.

Tips – Opt for oil regulating products such as niacinamide (B3) and bentonite clay spot treatment. Reduce acne triggering bacteria with zinc, topical probiotic/ferments, and antioxidants such as resveratrol and green tea.

Avoid – Concentrated salicylic acid formulations should not be used, as well as prescription and oral retinoids, and high strength topical retinoids. Always check the ingredients of your skin care for potential toxins.

Eczema

Atopic dermatitis, otherwise known as eczema, is another commonly seen skin condition that may be worsened through pregnancy. The reason for this is not well understood, but may be due to the effects of oestrogen on cellular responses in the immune system. Specifically, this involves a shift from cell-mediated immunity toward humoral immunity. Additionally, the high estrogen state of pregnancy stimulates mast cell activation and allergic responses. The relationships between skin, brain, and gut health and between eczema and the nervous system suggest an important role for acupuncture due to its known impact on calming nervous system hyperreactivity. 

Tips – Fish oils deliver anti-inflammatory omega 3s, which is great for skin inflammation and dryness of the skin. Probiotics containing lactobacillus rhamnosus are safe to use through pregnancy and helpful in atopic conditions. Mild gel/cream cleansers and products should be used, containing calming and soothing ingredients like Panthenol, chamomile and Licorice root. Barrier-building ingredients such as oats (Avena Sativa), sunflower seed extract and borage seed oil reduce irritation. 

Avoid – No hot showers or abrasive scrubs, as these will irritate the skin. Stay away from artificial fragrances and direct application of essential oils.

Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine

Because acupuncture sessions to improve skin conditions are focused on moving qi and blood, treatment will depend on your current health and stage of pregnancy. Sessions with me will mostly involve a combination of facial gua sha and sliding cupping to move lymph, increase blood circulation to the area, and encourage any skin changes to move towards skin healing, alongside constitutional and pregnancy support acupuncture, nutrition and lifestyle counselling.

Written by Holly Peyton-Smith

Holly Peyton-Smith is an Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine Medicine Practitioner at Fertile Ground Health Group.

If you’re suffering with a skin condition and seeking treatment, please feel welcome to make a booking with Holly.

References

https://medcraveonline.com/OGIJ/a-review-of-the-clinical-and-immunologic-effects-of-estrogen-on-atopic-dermatitis.html

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3114665/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26957383/

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4311336/

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2019/1907578/

What does your period tell you about your endometrial lining?

your period
The Chinese medicine take on the quality of your menstrual flow

As a woman, if you’ve ever had a Chinese medicine consultation, it is quite likely you’ve been questioned about the health of your endometrial lining and your period in some detail, even if you are not trying to conceive. We ask a lot of questions because every woman’s period gives us valuable insight into her overall health and these details inform our diagnosis and treatment. Your period reflects what has been happening in the previous weeks, months and years.  As we commence treatment, you may often notice positive changes in your menstrual flow, which give us valuable feedback that we are on the right track with your acupuncture and/or herbal treatment. Having a healthy period is always very important and is especially so if you are trying to conceive. 

Many of my clients are not used to observing their menstrual flow in such detail and may not know how to answer some of my questions. When I was a teenager, all I learned about my period was that it happened. The subject was taboo, only the essentials were discussed, and further information just wasn’t available. If you are the same, then it may take some months of observation to notice things you haven’t before. It is not uncommon that women return and tell me that their period is quite different to what they thought.

So, what do we want to know about your period?

Examples of some of the questions we may ask are:

  • How often do you change your pad or tampon (or menstrual cup or period undies)? 
  • How many days do you bleed for?
  • What colour is the blood? (Red, maroon, purple, black, brown, pink)
  • Is the viscosity like normal blood or is it thick and sticky or watery?
  • Are there any clots? If so, how big (specks, coin sizes, as big as your wrist)
  • Is there any pain? When does it start and finish? How strong? Where is it felt?
  • Does it stop and start?
  • Is there an odour?

What we are looking for are deviations from a healthy menstruation. It should flow easily, be pain free, be a fresh red colour and not contain clots, dark strands or mucous. There needs to be enough blood to reflect a lining of adequate thickness, but it must be healthy too. It should arrive without a lot of fuss, finish up neatly and not outstay it’s welcome. 

Prepare the garden bed

You may have heard the analogy of the garden bed. A strong healthy plant needs a quality nutritious soil that is free of weeds, rocks and clay. If we prepare the soil before we plant the seed, we have a greater chance of it taking root and growing big and strong. 

As a Doctor of Chinese medicine, my main therapeutic tools are herbs and acupuncture. Our herbs are prescribed as formulas containing multiple herbs chosen to suit your particular diagnosis. I mostly use soluble granulated herbs, although pills, tinctures and teas are not uncommon. All herbs are free from endangered species or unethically sourced products and are of the highest quality grade. Specific dietary guidance aimed at improving menstrual health may also be given. 

A Chinese medicine gynaecology or fertility consultation includes enquiring about your menstrual history and the details of your entire menstrual cycle, not just the period. We discuss your diet, digestion, lifestyle, work, stress and anxiety levels and any other health concerns or test results you may have. We use all this information alongside our traditional diagnostic techniques to inform our diagnosis and design your treatment plan. 

If you have been concerned about the health of your period, suffering every month with pain or heavy bleeding or have been having difficulty conceiving and are unsure what to do, then I would love to see you in clinic to discuss your concerns and possible treatment options. 

Written by Kim Riley

Kim Riley is available for one on one in person acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine consultations. You’re welcome to book in with Kim.