Link between Autism and Inflammation in Pregnancy

It has recently been reported that elevated CRP levels in the first and second trimester of pregnancy can be significantly associated with the risk of childhood autism.

CRP is a biochemical marker for inflammation in the body.

As taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatories in pregnancy is contraindicated then the use of safe herbal, nutritional medicines and acupuncture may assist in lowering this risk.  Ideally mum's and mum's-to-be address their immune systems before and during pregnancy.

The full article reported on Medscape can be viewed at the link below.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/804023?nlid=31284_1301&src=wnl_edit_dail&uac=124636DN

Cholesterol & Minerals: Relationship to Female Fertility

Balanced cholesterol is important for the synthesis of hormones including progesterone and estrogen.  Excess oestrogen is known to raise HDL cholesterol.  If the HDL is too high it can actually lower progesterone which can significantly impact fertility in women. 

Also, mineral imbalances specifically zinc/copper ratio can affect HDL/LDL ratios.  At Health & Fertility Matters we can provide Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis which can show the zinc to copper relationship.

A high Zinc to Copper ratio increases the production of progesterone while high Copper would indicate oestrogen dominance.

Research has shown that elevated HDL levels can be associated with lower progesterone and with the aid of Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis mineral imbalances can also confirm cholesterol and hormone imbalances.

To discuss your recent cholesterol tests or to enquire about Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis call our clinic today, 9344 4645

Couzin-Frankle, J. Mice prompt Look at cholesterol's Role in Female Fertility. Sci. 332, 2011.

Unexplained Infertility

I often get asked how Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs can help with fertility problems that aren't being solved by a western medical approach.

Chinese Medicine can offer an understanding of subtle imbalances that may interfere with fertility.  This assists those couples who fall into the category of unexplained infertility where current medical knowledge can't offer an explanation.

Examination of the different stages of a women's cycle allows a Chinese Medicine diagnosis of an individual. This is achieved through questioning and chart examination.  The following are just a few examples of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) diagnosis and how they relate to fertility.

Liver Qi Stagnation - can cause PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) or an imbalance in progesterone, estrogen and/or FSH.  The BBT (Basal Body Temperature) chart may show greater variance than 0.3 degrees in follicular phase (pre-ovulation) or luteal phase (post-ovulation).  Treatment is focused on regulating the energy flow in the Liver Meridian which can make the body's hormones come back into balance and optimise fertility.  This might give relief to symptoms such as irritability, bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, sleep disturbance and food cravings before the period.  

Blood Deficiency - can cause light or short periods or possibly no period, with BBT charts that may show no ovulation or long follicular phase.  By using acupuncture and blood tonic herbs the uterine lining can become thick and nourishing for successful implantation and nourishment of an embryo.  

Cold Uterus/Womb - can cause painful periods alleviated by heat, cold hands and feet, lower back pain, low libido. The BBT charts often show slow rising and/or early declining temperatures.  This can prevent conception by obstructing the channels causing blood to congeal and inhibit uterine circulation.  Treatment with moxa, acupuncture and herbs that specifically warm the uterus, assist with maintaining progesterone at satisfactory levels.  

Kidney Yang Deficiency - can cause aversion to cold, lethargy, low metabolic rate, frequent urination, prolonged menstrual cycle, back ache, dizziness.  These BBT charts mostly show failures in the luteal phase, with slow rising of temps, or luteal and/or follicular phase temps too low, or luteal phase too short.  The kidney yang can be boosted with acupuncture and herbs assisting with the right temperature and progesterone levels for an embryo to survive.

Many people have had success using acupuncture and chinese herbs for fertility problems and these are typical examples of how chart analysis and TCM can be combined to increase your fertility.

Machelle Boothroyd

Choosing the Right Path

If you are planning for a family or actively trying there are many options available to you that can improve your chances of conception both now and for the future.  Whether you are male or female, the health choices you make now will go a long way toward ensuring you have a greater likelihood of having a healthy child in your life.

At Health and Fertility Matters we will work with you to develop a health plan to ensure you have the best opportunity for success.  Whether you are healthy and simply want to optimise your chances; or perhaps you have concerns about your ability to conceive; or have been told you and/or your partner are sub-fertile, experience has shown us time and time again that you will achieve your best results when you have a multifactorial approach.

What does this mean?  Put simply it means utilise the best of what is available to you and do it all at once.  I often hear people say "I tried acupuncture" or "I took herbs once" or "I bought some vitamins but they are still in the cupboard".  This is like trying to lose weight by taking a supplement, without exercising or changing your diet.  It rarely works.  However, with the right guidance and planning if you bring everything together at once you greatly improve your chances of success.

So, what's available and what will yield the best results.  In the field of natural therapies there are some definite stand outs and they are Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture.  These therapies have demonstrated safety with years of traditional use and more recently there are many positive clinical trials to support their use.

For many years I have worked in clinics that offer a variety of health disciplines and have seen first hand where different systems of medicine succeed and fail.  I have no doubt the most positive results occur when acupuncture and herbal medicine are used in combination.

 At Health and Fertility Matters our Naturopaths and Acupuncturists are also traditional herbalists and will mix your herbs according to your needs.  During a consultation we will also provide you with dietary and lifestyle advice based on your individual needs.  Additionally we have the skills and training to provide you with the best advice on supplementation which is so important.  There are a lot of products available and your health needs are constantly changing.  Be certain you are getting the best guidance, management and quality supplementation to suit your changing health needs.

Ideally, we all want to conceive naturally, without fuss and extra expense.   However, with approximately 20% of the population discovering problems with their fertility, often all that is required is some health guidance, balancing and your committed proactive response.  In this case patience is definitely the virtue to optimising your goal of a healthy baby.

However, our approach is not limited to natural therapies.  We will work with any medical and allied health practitioners you may see to ensure all your health needs are met.  This includes IVF treatment because we understand how beneficial it can be to have the additional support when you are on assisted fertility programs.  Indeed, research has demonstrated that preconception healthcare and acupuncture may improve IVF outcomes.

Our team approach at Health and Fertility Matters means you have the best advice and support happening at the same time.  We will ensure you are healthy as well as fertile.  After all, we want to give you the best opportunity for success.

Deborah Cooper

The importance of thorough diagnosis and investigative tools

Hi! And welcome once again to HFM blogging.

It has been a while since we last posted, but we decided as a team that as we have so many years of clinical experience between us, with so many fabulous success stories and the latest research news that we should be more consistent with our postings.

At HFM we work closely together, sharing ideas and often working with the same patient to find the best possible solutions for their health and wellbeing.  It is not uncommon to have a Naturopath and Acupuncturist in the same room with a patient discussing the most apropriate herbs, diet, lifestyle choices and acupuncture protocol based on both western and eastern philosophies.

Because of our mutual respect and team philosophy we have decided to blog in a series with a chosen monthly topic, weekly postings from a different practitioner with a progressive and interesting perspective from each.

This month we have chosen to discuss the importance of thorough diagnosis and choosing and utilising the most appropriate investigative tools and testing to assist with the most specific treatment protocols.

Firstly and importantly, we would like to clarify that at Health and Fertility Matters and as our name suggests, we are not solely concerned about fertility.  We ask the question "What matters most to you?".  In response our focus is firstly on health and that with balance in this area so many of our dreams and aspirations can follow, including fertility.

When it comes to health and fertility problems we assist you to be proactive in your healing process.  We help and support you find your best healing pathway whether that be through treatment with herbs, diet, nutrition, homoeopathy, acupuncture and reflexology.

We help and support you in finding your best modality for treatment.  We can also offer and suggest important investigative testing which can assist us to be more accurate in our diagnosis, help fine tune treatment and allow you to be proactive and more confident in your care.

Some of the investigations we suggest and utilise include:

• EIS (Electro Interstitial Scanning) an amazing,  
  bioimpedence body scanning machine that
  reveals normal, under or overactive cellular activity.
• Iridology
• Allergy Profiles
• IgG-Elisa (Enzyme Immuno-Sorbent Assay)
• Candida Testing
• Coeliac Testing
• Blood Testing
• Ultrasound/Hy-Co-Sy
• Zinc status
• Functional Digestive Profiles
• Acid/Alkaline Testing
• Blood PressureAura Soma
• Pulse Diagnosis
• Tongue and Nail Diagnosis
• Basal Body Temperature
• Hair Analysis for heavy metal and mineral status

It is evident that we like to draw from the best and most informative functional testing available whether strictly medical or traditional.  We are also interested in viewing any of your recent medical or pathology results.

Machelle Boothroyd, Deborah Cooper, Qi Ding, Francesca Hillman and I love our work, respect each other and truly care about the wellbeing of those who seek our expertise.

Thank you for your trust.

Vicki Turner

Next, Deborah Cooper will be discussing more about a multifactoral approach to healing, choosing the right path and how at HFM we assist in "taking away the fear".