From the website of Diana Stobo, raw foods advocate and chef.
This salad looks fantastic, and immediately made me think of my mama-wanna-be clients. If you’re working on nurturing your fertility, what better way than with a delicious and nutritious Aphrodisiac Salad? And of course it would make a healthy meal for everyone else too–men and women alike–with or without near-term pregnancy aspirations. The balance of healthy fats, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber is certainly impressive, but that’s merely a bonus, as I’m certain this salad tastes fantastic! I’ve added a salad-a-day to my own diet and wellness plan, and will absolutely be making this one very soon. Bon appetite!
The blog Well + Good NYC is kicking off a Fertility Week with a post on fertility-enhancing acupuncture. The post features Jill Blakeway who was mentioned here previously in the post Fertile Mamas Resource: NYC Acupuncturists, and is also referenced by Dr. Sami David, in this fantastic 3-part video series about fertility. For all you mamas working on your fertility mojo, I hope you find some good resources here!
Don't worry, acupuncture doesn't hurt. The needles are teeny tiny.
If you are interested in using Chinese medicine herbs, and acupuncture to optimize your fertility, here are some recommendations for practitioners in NYC who specialize in women’s health:
Sara Frohlich, MSc, LAc, is in private practice as a licensed acupuncturist and certified herbalist. She also does some doula work and is just an all around lovely, knowledgeable woman. I was the doula for one of her clients and it made for a wonderful partnership! By the by, to support everyone’s healthy new year, Sara is offering 20% off one acupuncture treatment through January 31st. I think that’s a pretty good reason to get your chi in check asap!
Erin Hessel, MSc, LAc, is the Director of Gynecological Health at the Berkeley Center for Reproductive Wellness and Women’s Health. Like Sara, she also has experience as a labor support doula. I haven’t yet met Erin in person, but have had some great professional interactions with her and am impressed with her work.
I do not know Jill Blakeway, MSc, LAc, but she is mentioned in the interview of Dr. Sami David that was previously posted, and co-authored the book Making Babies.
Did you use acupuncture along your fertile mama journey? Tell us about it!
Dr. Sami David preformed New York’s first IVF treatment, and now says there is often a better way
If you have a menstrual cycle, you should have this book. I was shocked when I realized how much both I and my girlfriends didn't actually know about our cycles.
In this 3-part video series from Julie Menin’s Give and Take, Dr. Sami David shares a ton of critical information for future mamas, as well as clinicians concerned about fertility. Some of the points that I most appreciated include:
The need for clinicians to be dedicated diagnosticians–it is becoming a tragically lost art
Real stories that highlight the fact that there is often hope for mamas who have been told there isn’t any
How silent infections can get in the way of getting pregnant, and the need to treat the couple to effectively clear them up
Discussion of sperm health–sperm quality and quantity has diminished significantly over the last couple of decades
Acknowledgement of environmental contributers to suboptimal fertility
The value of blending the best of East and West in healthcare
Mention of Guaifenesin–the primary ingredient in Naturade’s Herbal Expec and Robitussin–for improving cervical mucus. This is a great tip I first read about in Toni Weschler’s Taking Charge of Your Fertility, a must have book for everyone with a menstrual cycle (the book is in the HDNYC Store under “Books: Women’s Health” and Herbal Expec is under Products: For Sexual Health and Fertility).
I had a wonderful paradigm shift a few months ago when I read that true infertility is incredibly rare, and what most couples are dealing with can be more accurately characterized as suboptimal infertility. This differentiation is important for a few reasons. First of all, it is often simply more accurate. As you will see in the interview, many people who are told they are infertile do in fact achieve pregnancy. Secondly, the mind-body connection is real–as is the placebo effect–and “optimizing one’s fertility” is a whole different mindset than “struggling with infertility.”
I hope you will join me in shifting the dialog from infertility to suboptimal fertility. It really changes the tenor of the dialogue, and I believe will have a positive effect on the bodies, minds, and spirits of anyone looking to invite a pregnancy into their lives. On that note, let me know what you think of the videos, and here’s wishing you great success in your fertility optimization!
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Holistic Doula NYC was founded by holistic RN, doula, and former labor and delivery nurse Andrea Crossman. HDNYC offers holistic health care consultations, labor doula support, and childbirth education classes for holistic mamas-to-be and mama-wanna-bes.
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