Get your Kombucha on....

It is a strange smelling, weird looking drink but many say the benefits outweigh any doubts about drinking something that has floating gooey stuff in it.

It's called Kombucha and it's a tart sparkling fermented tea with roots in the Himalayas that began one hundred generations ago (although some debate that).

Ok, don't get grossed out...it is only fermented tea. Yes, fermented. But it's good, I swear! Although --- full disclosure -- not all agree.

But today I am going to do it...I am drinking the green one:

Don't get me wrong, I like my greens. I probably am more tolerant than the average person but still, it looks daunting. I am used to my kale, beet, cucumber, apple, lemon and carrot concoction I make in the morning...so this should be a breeze with its blue-green algae and spirulina!

Ok so here is the breakdown of what kombucha supporters say the benefits are of this ancient brew:

*Probiotics – healthy bacteria


*Alkalize the body – balances internal pH

*Detoxify the liver – happy liver = happy mood

*Increase metabolism – rev your internal engine

*Improve digestion – keep your system moving

*Rebuild connective tissue – helps with arthritis, gout, asthma, rheumatism

*Cancer prevention

*Alleviate constipation

*Boost energy – helps with chronic fatigue

*Reduce blood pressure

*Relieve headaches & migraines

*Reduce kidney stones

*High in antioxidants – destroy free-radicals that cause cancer

*High in polyphenols

*Improve eyesight

*Heal excema – can be applied topically to soften the skin

*Prevent artheriosclerosis

*Speed healing of ulcers – kills h.pylori on contact

*Help clear up candida & yeast infections

*Aid healthy cell regeneration

*Reduce gray hair

*Lower glucose levels – prevents spiking from eating

According to the Mayo Clinic, health benefits attributed to kombucha tea include stimulating the immune system, preventing cancer, and improving digestion and liver function. However, there's no scientific evidence to support these health claims.
There have, however, been reports of adverse effects such as stomach upset, infections and allergic reactions in kombucha tea drinkers. Kombucha tea is often brewed in homes under nonsterile conditions, making contamination likely. If ceramic pots are used for brewing, lead poisoning might be a concern — the acids in the tea may leach lead from the ceramic glaze.

So be careful if you are brewing at home!

If you want to check out many sides of the story read A Strange Brew May Be a Good Thing By Malia Wollan of the New York Times.

She quotes Dr. Andrew Weil, a doctor and leader in alternative health from his Web site: “I don’t recommend kombucha tea at all. I know of no scientific studies backing up the health claims made for it.”

 He goes on to warn of home brews contaminated with aspergillus, a toxin-producing fungus, and cautions pregnant women, the elderly, children and anyone with a compromised immune system against drinking it.


So do your homework first! As for me, I am happy with buying it at the store.

Off I go to drink the green machine....

The V-Steam....if you know what I mean

I am willing to try anything....and in the spirit of trying new things I am sharing a recipe with you, albeit an unconventional one.

It's a steam for your lady bits and it's quite soothing. So thank you to LC for sharing it with me.

The point, ladies, is to pull all the bad toxins from your uterus and help strengthen the lining of your uterus! In other words, it helps to get rid of the old blood and make room for the new! If you notice when you start your period it is very dark, that is left over from the previous month.

It's called the V-steam and it's just that time of the month for me to try it out again (I am feeling slightly blah so I know my lovely period is coming).

So I share it with you!

The "V-steam" directions!


Take 6-8 cups/handfuls of fresh herbs and steep in boiling water. Dried herbs work just as well.

Place about 3 cups of this "tea" into a small bowl and place it into the toilet bowl. The small bowl will sit in the toilet  and the water will cool it.

Make a skirt or tent and cover yourself as you sit on the toilet for 12 minutes. The steam will gently rise up in gentle, comfortable waves- very relaxing actually!
Word of caution!  Do NOT sit on anything that feels too hot! This is certainly not worth burning your privates over! It should feel relaxing. Repeat this twice in one sitting...and rest.

It's best to do it a few days before and after your period!

Happy Steaming!!

Stick a pin in it...

The hubby and I have been going to acupuncture for about a month now...I really like my acupuncturist...her energy is healing and soothing and you can tell how much she cares for her patients.

Beyond treating us for fertility reasons she is working on both our backs and my sinuses of course.

The ongoing battle of my nose continues...is it a food allergy? Is it amplified hay fever? Am I just snotty? I don't know at this point but I am going to try as many things as I can.

It has been well documented that acupuncture, when done in conjunction with an assisted reproduction technique, can increase your chance of success.

According to my acupuncturist at Art of Acupuncture, acupuncture increases infertility and IVF success by 40-60%.

Chinese medicine can help improve the success rate of IVF in a number of ways:

-Improve the function of the ovaries to produce better quality eggs

-Regulate the hormones to produce a larger number of follicles

-Increase blood flow to the uterus and increases the thickness of the uterine lining

-Relax the patient and decrease their stress

-Prevent the uterus form contracting

-Lessen the side effects of drugs used in IVF

-Strengthen the immune system

-Improve semen to create better quality and quantity of embryos

-Decrease chances of miscarriage

Approximately, four to six months prior to the IVF procedure (or without IVF), it is recommended that the patient receive acupuncture and herbal treatments to regulate the body’s functions and make IVF more successful. Sometimes after just four months, the patient regains a normal menstrual cycle and is able to become pregnant naturally.

After the Thanksgiving Feast...balancing the body

Here are some tips for balancing your blood sugar:

4 Top Ayurvedic Herbs for Balancing Blood Sugar

By Dr. Isaac Eliaz

 

Ayurveda refers to the traditional health and healing system of India. In Sanskrit, the word Ayurveda consists of the words ayus, meaning "longevity," and veda, meaning "science" – together meaning the "science of life." The core philosophy is guided by in-depth understanding of the five great elements as recognized by Ayurvedic teachings: air, space, fire, water, and earth. Achieving balance and order in connection with these elements is considered crucial to health and wellness on all levels of being - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

 

Click here to read more

 

 

EFT...it's emotional freedom baby, yeah!

Tap, tap tap it away....

The Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT is a form of psychological acupressure, based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments but without the use of needles.

Instead, tapping with the fingertips is used to input kinetic energy onto specific meridians on the head and chest while you think about your specific problem - whether it is a traumatic event, an addiction, pain, etc. -- and voice positive affirmations.


I've been doing ETF now for more than a month as I move along on this health and wellness journey that WILL end with a baby!!
It's been an interesting experience that I have been doing with my new doctor...a wellness consultant/chiropractor/therapist/nutritionist...he is a master of many trades. My naturopath, Dr. Pina, sent me along to my new doctor, Louis Vastola, cause she thinks I have some emotional elements going on that needed to be addressed...and she was right.

Since starting EFT and delving into all of this I feel like I am taking off some heavy backpacks filled with emotional stuff that has been dragging me down...like the fact that I feel like many of my friends were moving way ahead of me in life and I was getting left behind at the starting line.

It's funny bc the image in my head and how I have described it to friends was like a race and it seemed like me not "winning" was really bothering me. This realization is also a lesson in humility and about not always having to be the first, best and always right about things. I am open to many more possibilities now.

I was a runner in high school and was pretty good at it...i didn't realize how much I liked to compete until I joined track and field and won a bunch of races...it was all I wanted to do. I wanted to medal and even ended up breaking a school record for the 300M hurdles.

So when I looked at my life in recent years, losing my job and struggling to find a new one (thank god I have one now!), and trying to conceive, while my friends were having babies and those babies were having birthdays and they were moving on with their lives, I was at a loss.

I told Dr. V all about this at a recent visit and doing ETF with him about this issue made it roll off my back so much so that even when I talk about it, I can't even remember the feelings of sadness I had when I was feeling so left behind.

I seriously left that backpack at my doctor's office and walked out feeling lighter.

I know this may sound wishy, washy but I don't doubt the power the mind has over the body.
Things EFT can do:
--Remove Negative Emotions


--Reduce Food Cravings

--Reduce or Eliminate Pain

--Implement Positive Goals

There are other issues I am still dealing with that didn't end after the first round of tapping out the problem....like forgiveness. That's a hard one but when it comes up...I know have the tool to deal with it.

Below is a video on the points that you should tap and how to do it:



Happy Tapping!!

Vitamin D...not just for sun tanning

I can't believe I have been away from this blog for sooooo long! The summer was a blur but I am back in the saddle and more focused than ever on getting on the baby train.

I am going au-natural and sticking to my guns and keeping on the path to be heathier first and then see what comes after that.

I started to see a naturopath in May who put me on some supplements to tweak a couple of things she saw that were of concern in my blood work.

First, low vitamin D. There is so much out there about how low vitamin D levels are the root cause of SO many things. It is needed to produce sex hormones and also improves fertility rates, as well as reduces cancer risks, creates strong teeth and bones, and treats depression naturally.

Yale University School of Medicine conducted a study of 67 infertile women, where it was discovered that a mere 7% had normal Vitamin D levels. The remainder of the women either had insufficient levels of Vitamin D or they had clinical deficiency of Vitamin D in their bodies.


One of the researchers at Yale, Dr. Lubna Pal, who is also the Director of the Program for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) at the Yale Fertility Center, said:

“Of note, not a single patient with either ovulatory disturbance or polycystic ovary syndrome demonstrated normal Vitamin D levels; 39 per cent of those with ovulatory disturbance and 38 per cent of those with PCOS had serum 25OHD levels consistent with deficiency.”

“Given the pandemic of Vitamin D insufficiency, if indeed our observations are substantiated, aggressive repletion with Vitamin D may emerge as an alternative approach to facilitate ovulation resumption with minimal to no risk for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome or multiple pregnancies.”

Based on this study nearly 40% of the women who had ovulatory dysfunction also had a clinical deficiency in Vitamin D. So it goes to show how important Vitamin D is to a woman’s fertility.

I am taking 30,000 IUs of Vitamin D daily in liquid form and just dropping it in my morning juice. You can also get vitamin D by eating eggs, fatty fish, and dairy, as well as taking cod liver oil.

The Dirty Dozen...and Clean 15

Check it out ladies and gents....a list that will do you well!

The Environmental Working Group (yes, I heart them) is working to keep you healthy and your exposure to toxic pesticides down. So they have compiled a list of fruits and veggies with the highest levels of pesticides (which means you should go organic on those) and those with the least amounts of pesticides.

FYI:  Pesticides are toxic by design. They are created expressly to kill living organisms -- insects, plants, and fungi that are considered "pests." Many pesticides pose health dangers to people. These risks have been established by independent research scientists and physicians across the world.

As acknowledged by U.S. and international government agencies, different pesticides have been linked to a variety of health problems, including:

--brain and nervous system toxicity
--cancer
--hormone disruption [We don't like that term 'round here]!
--skin, eye and lung irritation



To view their comprehensive shopper's guide click here!

EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce


Dirty Dozen
Buy these organic
1 Apples
2 Celery
3 Strawberries
4 Peaches
5 Spinach
6 Nectarines– imported
7 Grapes – imported
8 Sweet bell peppers
9 Potatoes
10 Blueberries – domestic
11 Lettuce
12 Kale/collard greens

Clean 15
Lowest in Pesticide
1 Onions
2 Sweet Corn
3 Pineapples
4 Avocado
5 Asparagus
6 Sweet peas
7 Mangoes
8 Eggplant
9 Cantaloupe - domestic
10 Kiwi
11 Cabbage
12 Watermelon
13 Sweet potatoes
14 Grapefruit
15 Mushrooms

Be safe...in the sun

I have written about this before so it's just a little update for your viewing pleasure (Check out my previous post). When you are in the sun you should be protected in more ways than one.

You put on sunscreen to protect your delicate skin (the largest organ in your body) from harmful rays that can cause cancer but you really need to know what you are putting on your skin to protect it.

In today's news, the FDA unveiled new rules about sunscreen claims (after thinking about for some 33 years), that will go into effect in a year and specify with sunscreens protect against the two most dangerous types of sun radiation, UVB and UVA. The rules will also ban sunscreen manufacturers from claiming waterproof and sweatproof products because most are -- wait for it -- FALSE!

Its nice to see the FDA FINALLY get on board about this. To read the full story click here.

Even while the FDA was taking its good old time looking into sunscreens, The Environmental Working Group, was already ahead of the game and working hard to bring you good, solid information and research on sunscreens, among other things.

The EWG called the FDA's proposed rules "Too little and VERY late" stating:

The federal Food and Drug Administration’s new sunscreen rules, released today after nearly 33 years of deliberations, fall short.


“FDA's action offers some noticeable improvements for consumers, such as limiting misleading claims” said David Andrews, Ph.D, a senior scientist with Environmental Working Group. “However, it is clear that FDA caved to industry and weakened its safety standards. Its earlier draft proposed stronger health protections.”

According to Andrews, the agency’s final rule for UVA protection has been substantially watered down from a draft circulated in 2007.

But never fear, the EWG has a very comprehensive list of sunscreens and their health score cards, citing the best and worst of the bunch! Check it out here.

Summertime....Child, your living's easy

A little nod to my girl Janis Joplin and my favorite summertime song...

Just trying to take it easy and focus on having fun and going to the beach as much as possible!! Also per my doctor's instructions, we are having "fun" sex and not the kind where I have to schedule it and then lay with a pillow under my butt for 20 mins. So far, so good!

Our appointment at the naturopath last month went well but the follow-up appointment this month should really give us a firm plan to stick to. What I like most about taking this route is that her first priority is getting us to a better level of health overall and then working on getting pregnant. I am fine with that and would like to ease back into all of this!


FERTILITY MASSAGE

Her first homework assignment for me, which was AWESOME, was getting a fertility massage (See my previous post on the Mayan fertility massage). It was a full body one and it was fabulous!! The point was to see where my uterus was sitting...well that little lady appears to be tilted toward my sacrum (tailbone) and that's not the normal place for it. My periods always start off dark, meaning that some is left over from my last one. That old lining can build up in your uterus and then the new lining will build on top of that...in some cases it could lead to the embryo having trouble implanting. Who knew?

One thing about having fertility issues is that you really find out how your body works. So my massage therapist worked on me for an hour and half then asked me to do some things at home to get the "old" stuff out of my uterus and allow for a new, fresh lining.

The timing of the massage should should be a week before the start of a new cycle, (I am scheduled to get my second one this Saturday). The point is to flush out the old stuff so if we are actively trying to get pregnant while I am getting these massages then it will just flush out the embryo. So, like I said, just fun times with no stress for now!

She did warn me that I could be overly emotional (more than usual) during the time leading up to the first day of my cycle and she was right...PMS was a bitch that week!


CASTOR OIL PACKS

My uterus is the focus for now so I am also putting castor oil packs on my abdomen every night, with heat, for about 15-20 mins. It pulls the toxins from the uterus and helps to move my uterus it back into its rightful place. My mom told me years ago to use castor oil packs for my cramps....it's definitely helping my cramps now, so there is something to these holistic remedies!

One thing to note when doing the pack, use heat from a water bottle or one of those pillows with the seeds that you put into your microwave, DO NOT use a heating pad. I am not sure why but that was per my doctors instructions. Also castor oil packs are useful for lots of non-fertility related things so check out the links below!

Here are directions on making a castor oil pack, or you can buy disposable ones from Edgar Caycee here.

Off we go...

The hubz and I have been on an extended break, as you know, from really trying with this whole baby thing. But today we are getting serious...one small step at a time. We are heading to the naturopath and getting our fertility work up today!

I am excited but also a little frazzled...I want to stay in the moment and not get 500 steps ahead. I mean I do already have a baby shower planned, schools picked out, summer vacations planned, etc, etc...ok so I need to slowwwwwww down.

So step one, drive to the doctor. I'll figure out the next step as it is happening :)

Recently I got a text message from a friend who is dealing with infertility and is in the process of her own plan and treatment. As she was recently leaving the doctor's office, which she was called to unexpectedly, she put on happy music and forced herself to laugh and smile....and she was feeling good!

So to keep things light and happy....with lots of laughter. Below is a video for your viewing pleasure and mine. Since studies have shown that laughing increases your chances of conceiving, here is something to help you through your day! (Laughter may increase probability of IVF pregnancy, study finds: read it here)

For all of my Long Islanders...

Daily Show -- Long Island Wants to Secede

Or check this one out too....
Click here

(sorry I couldn't get this video to embed!)

The (wheat) grass is always greener...

The grass is getting high and I am chopping it down. My cats are also eating it and I am juicing it!

So get your green on and check out the benefits of the grass...and I am not talking about the kind you smoke :)

Wheatgrass Juice is one of the best sources of living chlorophyll available and it is safe for gluten-free diets. I was doing a bit a research and there are some message boards that say that wheatgrass can help lower FSH levels....but aside from that, check out the other benefits below:



•A physical and mental sense of well-being


•More energy and better sleep

•Stronger immune system

•Detoxification on a cellular level

•Reduced inflammation in the entire body

•Lessened appetite cravings

•Increased mental clarity

•Steadier nerves

•Improved eyesight and night vision

•You suddenly start accomplishing more every day

•Actively engaging in and enjoying activities you had been dreading in the past

•Visually seeing results via live blood cell analysis such as the unclumping of oxygen-carrying red blood cells

Wheatgrass helps to alkaline your body....most of us have an acidic-ridden body and disease breeds on acid...so how about you harvest some at home. All you needs is a shot.

Benefits of Chlorophyll

There are several reasons why green foods are considered as blood-building foods because of the similarity in structures of the two colored pigments, the red heme and the green chlorophyll. Here are the lists of health benefits we can get from chlorophyll.

1. Chlorophyll is the best aid in gastrointestinal problems.
Refined, low fiber and and animal fats contribute to major diseases start in the colon. Gastrointestinal problems can be best treated by improving the digestion and assimilation. Among those natural nutrients that heal the intestinal track, green vegetables high in chlorophyll content aid in loosening and cleansing the colon.

2. Chlorophyll Promote formation of hemoglobin and red blood cells.
Hemoglobin is the iron-containing substance that provides red blood cells their red pigment and transports oxygen to the body tissues. In fact, we may not realize that our blood is composed of 75% of hemoglobin. If the central atom of blood is iron, how chlorophyll helps in the formation of red blood cells? As we digested green food, the magnesium helps in rebuilding and replenishing the red blood cells which is responsible for boosting our energy.

3. Chlorophyll treats bad breath.
Bad breath is caused by oral bacteria that reside in a person’s mouth and it excretes odiferous waste products. The sulfur compounds of waste products usually lie at the root of breath odor problems. With the double action of chlorophyll, it acts as deodorizer that eliminates bad odor and reduces the stringent smell of urine, infected wounds and feces.

4. Detoxify toxins that cause cancer.
Researches found that the damaged genes caused by carcinogen substances can be prevented by chlorophyllin, a derivative of chlorophyll wherein the magnesium is removed and replaced with copper. It reduces the binding of carcinogen from foods like cooked meat products that damage the DNA and other organs of the body particularly the liver.

5. Beneficial in assimilating calcium and other heavy minerals.
Chlorophyll is very easy to absorb and assimilate. It is so amazing how it gets into the bloodstream so fast with the least amount of digestion that saves more vital energy. Not only that, cataract cases which is same as an arthritic formation, the hard calcium has come out of solution and becomes milky so that patients cannot see clearly with their cataract condition. Again, chlorophyll can assimilate calcium and balance other trace minerals to rebuild, replace, and exchange with the new tissue.

6. Chlorophyll fights infections.
It is the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds contain Vitamin A, C and E that are responsible to reduce inflammation. In connection to this, the healing aspects of chlorophyll were reported in 1940 by Dr. Benjamin Gruskin. With this vitro experiments, it showed that chlorophyll possess bacteriostic property that kill harmful bacteria.Moreover, the antiseptic properties of chlorophyll have the ability to kill germs by strengthening the tissues.

I bought my kit here. You also need a hand-crank juicer for wheatgrass which you can also get at the same place!

So cheers to some green-goodness and to your health!

Food Coloring...Not as pretty as you think.

This story is not that surprising, is it? I mean you've read that red coloring comes from ground up beetles, haven't you? Makes you think twice about eating those red M&Ms.

I know you may have just finished eating lunch but here is some info for your afternoon delight....


     F.D.A. Panel to Consider Warnings for Artificial Food   
     Colorings

By GARDINER HARRIS

Published: March 29, 2011

WASHINGTON — After staunchly defending the safety of artificial food colorings, the federal government is for the first time publicly reassessing whether foods like Jell-O, Lucky Charms cereal and Minute Maid Lemonade should carry warnings that the bright artificial colorings in them worsen behavior problems like hyperactivity in some children.

          Read the full story here

Hello Stranger...Support Groups, Immunity and Lots More

Yes, it's been a while but I have lots to chat about!

First, I went to my first infertility support group on March 18 and I met a group of amazing women. Meeting people who are going through a similar situation makes you feel less lonely. There is definitely a bond there that is hard to explain but even though I only just met these woman once, I know I could call on any of them for support.

Everyone had a different story but the struggles were mostly the same. I had never talked that much about infertility and my issues. I would definitely recommend trying to find a group and checking it out! I found my local group by searching the Resolve website. There is a tab for "Services and Support" where you can search for a group in your area, either one led by a professional or a peer-led group, which is free to attend. I went to a peer-led group meeting and will certainly be at future meetings!

After the meeting my husband and I talked a lot about our situation and we have pushed up the date of when we would be returning to the serious business of trying to conceive. We have been on an extended break and were going to start things up again with doctors, etc in August but have opted for May, at least to get started with a Naturopath doctor.

We are set to meet Dr. Pina as Inner Source Natural Health for a fertility work up on May 10, which happens to be Mother's Day! It is a two-hour visit with both partners and you leave with a plan in hand. She combines natural medicine like herbs, vitamins, etc with acupuncture and changes to your diet.

We want to get started on getting our bodies in gear and then we will move onto the RE doctor, if need be, sometime in the summer when/if we need to. I am happy with this plan...I like easing back into this on a natural path first and then seeing what lies ahead after that.

IMMUNITY AND INFERTILITY

A few things have been coming up about my immunity levels that I need to get checked. Something keeps pointing me in that direction as the reason why we have yet to conceive.

First, my doctor at the Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine did a test and determined that my Natural Killer Cells were at a very high level, meaning that my body could be rejecting an embryo as a foreign object. Check out my post from a year-ago here.

Second, I've had pain/weakness in my left wrist for well over 2 years and it has not gotten any better. I've had an MRI and it shows fluid build-up in my wrist. The doctor I went to see at the time (a hand/wrist specialist) was no help and just said I should stop doing yoga. Well I did and it didn't help. I had to see another hand specialist for a sprained finger on the other hand and I asked about the pain in my wrist. he said the Xrays, etc look great so he suggested I get tested for auto-immune diseases. I have an appt on Monday to see a doctor for some blood work.

After getting all that info, my mother-in-law was watching a local news channel on Long island and saw a report from a homeopathic doctor. Dr. Garry D'Brant, about adrenal glands and infertility. He suggested that the adrenal glad is often overlooked when doctors are diagnosing infertility. They mostly opt to check the thyroid instead. Adrenal glands can also be impacted by immune issues.

With that said, I will be looking into all of this over the next couple of months with some help from the medical/holistic community!

IN LOVING MEMORY...

In January I lost my grandmother, Julia, who lived a very full life to 91 years old. She was someone I could always talk to and lean on throughout my life. She was the first close person to me who died and although I am happy that she is no longer suffering, I miss her and talk to her often. So here is a tribute to my Grammy G!

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but Really loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get all loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

--Excerpt from The Velveteen Rabbit  by Margery Williams

Support Groups Double Your Chance of Conceiving: Harvard Medical School

 There is power in numbers and the same can be said when it comes to infertility. A new study by Harvard University's medical school found that support groups can more than double the chances of conceiving for women.

"This information is incredibly encouraging in terms of the importance of emotional support," said Linda Applegarth of the Cohen-Perelman Center for Reproductive Medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell.

Applegarth told "Today" that the benefits of support groups are significant for those trying to conceive.

"Not only are you getting emotional support, you're also getting appropriate information about where to go to get good treatment," she said.

For more information about peer-led and professionally-led support groups in your area, check out Resolve for ones in your state.

Arvigo Maya Fertility Massage: Working Wonders

Time for a belly rub! If you are willing to try anything, take a stab at this one:

Arvigo Maya Massage is an abdominal massage for the reproductive and digestive systems that has been practiced for thousands of years. The non-invasive technique helps guide the internal reproductive organs into their proper position and relieve tension in the diaphragm since organs that have shifted have restricted flow of blood, lymph nerve and chi.

This technique was developed by Dr. Rosita Arvigo, who moved to Belize from the US in 1981 and worked as a naprapathic doctor (a branch of chiropractic care). She met one of the last of the traditional Maya shaman, Don Elijio Panti and was taken on as his apprentice. (Panit passed away in 1996 at the age of 103).


As with any other natural healing, Arvigo Techniques seek to restore the body to its natural balance. Though the techniques are shown to have positive results for gynecological and gastrointestinal issues, the main results have been a boost to fertility.


According to Dr. Arvigo's website, the work is best known for the correction of the prolapsed, fallen, or tilted uterus and for the prevention and treatment of benign prostate enlargement in men, and for relief of many common digestive disorders.

Benefits for Women
Normally the uterus leans slightly over the bladder in the center of the pelvis, about one and a half inches above the pubic bone. It is held in this position by muscles, the vaginal wall and ligaments that attach it to the back, front, and sides of the pelvis. Uterine ligaments are made to stretch to accommodate a growing fetus inside and to move freely when the bladder or bowel is full. The ligaments and muscles can weaken and loosen, causing the uterus to fall downward, forward, backward or to either side.

A uterus in any of these positions is called tilted or prolapsed. Modern medicine has little or nothing to offer women with this problem. Options may include using the birth control pill, muscle relaxants, or surgery and women are generally told, "your uterus is tipped, but that is normal and don't worry about it." Yet women have a laundry list of physical and emotional symptoms that can be addressed and prevented with these simple, noninvasive massage techniques. When reproductive organs shift, they can constrict normal flow of blood and lymph, and disrupt nerve connections. Just a few extra ounces sitting on blood and lymph vessels can cause havoc throughout the different systems in the body. By shifting the uterus back into place, homeostasis, or the natural balance of the body, is restored in the pelvic area and the surrounding organs. Toxins are flushed and nutrients that help to tone tissue and balance hormones are restored to normal order. This is essential for healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

Old adhesions from invasive treatments to the pelvic and abdominal area, including fibroid tumors, endometriosis, and cesarean delivery are diminished when addressed by uterine massage. In addition, digestion, urinary and bladder problems can be helped.

Check out Dr. Arvigo's site for more info. She also has a link to practitioners in your area here.

 I found out about this therapy from an article my mom sent me from Oprah.com. Daphne Oz (daughter of  -- you guessed it -- Dr. Mehmet Oz), wrote about her experience with the massage. You can read that story here.

New Year, New Day!

A year-ago this month I was in a "starting fresh" mood. I was ready to make more life changes in hopes of getting pregnant and having a baby with the only man I would ever want to do that with. I started the year talking about a detox plan and cutting gluten from my diet. Not much changed on that front, still no baby.

But a year later, I am mentally OK and that, ladies and gents, proved to be the biggest challenge of 2010. I started that year without a full-time job after the financial sector crumbled, along with my job. But things got better and I finally got a new job that brought me into a fairly new sector where I met new people, and I like what I am doing. I knew that changing my focus from trying to get pregnant to just living each day and focusing on my marriage would be hard, and holy shit did it suck. But, I am finally in a place where trying to conceive isn't the only damn thing on my mind.

Guys always joke about how trying to get pregnant is fun bc of all of the practicing  you get to do. Yes, at first it's totally fun. Then after a while, not so much. One of my friend's husbands said to my husband, you must be like a porn star. Yes, if porn is like this:
Me: "I am ovulating"
The Hubz: "Oh Ok"
Me: "I am tired, can we do it now"
Hubz: "Ok"
Several minutes later...
Me: "Hand me those pillows so I can prop my butt up"
Hubz: "Ok. I going to go change my teams" (if your husband plays fantasy football/baseball you know what I am talking about :)

Needless to say we are NOT in that place anymore - thank god. But keep in mind, I have been on an extended break from trying to get pregnant --  in terms of using any methods of intervention with a doctor or holistic health professional. I am not sure if I needed this time to get my sanity back, or if I am fooling myself. The future holds all of the cards and I am not sure if I have a full house or not.

One thing I do know is that I have become more comfortable with not having kids than I thought I would. I cherish my uninterrupted sleep and ability to do whatever I want, when I want. That is part of being in a moment and being in my marriage, instead of being in the future of my marriage.

I was reading another infertility blog today and the writer was so insightful. You can tell she is getting to a place of maturity and dealing with life that takes some people two lifetimes to get to. But she is doing it with class and style. This couple is choosing Plan C - life without a child after struggling with infertility and IVF.

In her year-in-review post she wrote that her biggest achievement of 2010 was surviving infertility with her marriage and sanity in tact.  I second that achievement, which pretty much sums up my 2010. If you are reading this and are in the depths of despair with all that comes with infertility, things will get better, no matter what choice you make or stage you are at.

Here's to growing and evolving some more in 2011!

xoxo

What's in the bottle? Not all water is created equal!

The purest of pure may not be so clear-cut when it comes to bottled water. The Environmental Working Group is always doing its best to keep consumers aware and companies liable for their products.

Released last week was the EWG's 2011 Water Scorecard, which breaks down companies with the best and worst rating for being transparent with where they source their water and how it's filtered.

EWG said companies that sell bottled water, which costs up to 1,900 times more than tap water, are keeping secrets about where the water comes from, if and how it is purified and if testing has revealed any contaminants.

Of 173 unique bottled water products surveyed by EWG, 18 percent of bottled waters fail to list the source, and 32 percent disclose nothing about the treatment or purity of the water. Much of the marketing nonsense that drew ridicule last year can still be found on a number of labels, EWG said.


EWG recommends that you drink filtered tap water. You'll save money, drink water that’s purer than tap water and help solve the global glut of plastic bottles.


The top performers -- products with the "best" labels and received a "B" rating -- were:
Gerber pure purified water
Nestle Pure Life Purified Water
Penta Ultra-Purified Water

Topping the "C" rating with "better" labels were:
Walgreens Pure Drinking Water
Acqua Panna Natural Spring Water
Alhambra Crystal-Fresh Purified Water

Products that fell into the "murky label" category with a "D" rating included:
365 Everyday Value Spring Water (The brand sold at Whole Foods)
Aquafina Purified Drinking Water
Deer Park
Kirkland
Poland Spring
S. Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water
Volvic

Products with the "murkiest" labels and given an "F" rating included:
Stop & Shop Acadia
(Walgreens) Drinking Water
Archer Farms
Ciao Acqua
Crystal Geyser
CVS Gold Emblem
Eco Choice
Ethos Water
Glacia
Trader Joe's
Voss
Wegmans Spring Water
Whole Foods Italian Still Mineral Water

From the "Other" Side

When I am in the bubble of infertility, I never think that anyone else is thinking about my problem. But what I've come to learn recently is that it's not just about me (duh!). I know that a lot of my family and friends are pulling for me but I didn't know the full extent.

I have a super sister-in-law who is thoughtful and sincere and just plain awesome! She lost her father suddenly a few years ago. I cannot imagine the pain associated with losing a loved one so suddenly and I think about my sister-in-law and her dad often.

From time-to-time her father has visited her in her dreams. One dream in particular was more than a year ago when my sister-in-law was wondering if I was pregnant or would ever get pregnant. She told me that her father told her in the dream that I wasn't pregnant but I would be -- the timing just wasn't right.

Fast forward to present time and my sister-in-law found a medium (yes, a psychic) and asked for a reading. She asked the medium to speak to her father and ask him about my chances of getting pregnant. I have to stop here for a second to say that my sister-in-law could be asking her dad a ton of other things about herself and her immediate family but she asked about me...this is what makes her so special <3.

The medium sent her reply in an email and told my sister-in-law that basically I am not ovulating at the time that I think I am and should be attempting to conceive at an entirely different time of the month than what I have been doing.

Below are excerpts from the medium: (her words are in parenthesis and my sister-in-law's father's answers are in quotes as relayed through the medium)

(I ask if he can tell us anything about why Alison cannot get pregnant after all the years of trying and testing, etc.)

"She ovulates more at the beginning of the cycle--the hormones don't seem to be indicating this--she needs to focus more on the beginning of the cycle--not so much into the middle."

(Do you think she will be able to get pregnant)

"I do believe that if she focuses on what I'm telling her she will be able to achieve this. She should resume her natural hormonal cycle and follow the advice I have given. It's often the simple things that seem so unclear to people--the doctors focus on looking for major things and often neglect the natural rhythms of life. There are no other physical challenges that I know of."

(What can Alison do to help herself)

"She needs to be still in her mind--stress and worry won't help this situation. She needs to return to her own natural cycle--using procedures and natural means to alter the hormones is fine, but the cycle will then continue to keep fluctuating based upon what she is doing at the time--let it settle into it's own pattern once again so that she can pinpoint ovulation. Sometimes it is not good to go against your own natural construct--everyone is different and forcing her body to follow the same pattern as others will not work for her."

(Are you able to tell us a more specific time that she ovulates)

"Very soon after the menstrual cycle--she should focus on this time--perhaps even before it is completed. This would not be the norm, yet for her it is."

(Can you tell if Alison will become pregnant)

"This may take some months of trying, but I do believe this will be achieved."

Lots of love to SMC and her Dad! xoxo

For more information on the medium, JoAnne DelVecchio, click here.