Nutrition and Fertility

Nutrition is often seen as something that expecting mothers emphasize most after conception, but it is just as important prior to conception! If a women is deficient in nutrients prior to conception then the baby could be at risk for less than optimal health. Ideally, one should begin their fertility diet six months prior to conception. The fertility diet is nutrient-dense and has certain do’s and don’t’s that you will want to follow as strictly as possible to optimize your results. This diet can help to regulate your cycle and allow mothers to become pregnant naturally.

What to Eat:

  • Raw, pastured dairy

  • Whole eggs, egg yolks (pastured)

  • Pastured meats with fat

  • Healthy fats: coconut oil, butter, tallow, lard

  • Leafy greens

  • Fruits and vegetables (preferably organic)

  • Properly prepared whole grains

  • Fermented foods

  • Water or pregnancy tea

What NOT to Eat:

  • Artificial sweetners

  • Preservatives

  • MSG

  • Vegetable oils, margarine

  • Canned/processed foods

  • Propylene glycol

Changes to diet can help to treat anovulation and other ovulatory disorders and help to regulate PCOS. If you’re having issues conceiving then making changes to your diet could be the answer. The food you eat today can impact the health of your egg 90 days from now, so feeding your body correctly is crucial!

Written by Jennifer Scanlon, student intern.

If you are struggling with infertility and you have not changed your diet then you need to start here!!  Dr. Iman will be taking appointments for infertility consultations and treatments starting summer/fall 2017.  Feel free to reach out now with concerns you may have.  Lets work together to prepare your body to conceive naturally!

Dry Needling

What is Dry Needling you ask! No, it is not acupuncture or in anyway like it other than the needles we use.  The technique of dry needling uses small sterile acupuncture needles that are placed directly into trigger points otherwise known as knots in your muscles!

Definition

Direct quote from Dr. David Fishkin. the man that introduced me to this technique and taught me how to safely perform dry needling on my patients.

"Myofascial trigger point dry needling (MFTrPDN) is a treatment to restore proper function to abnormally behaving muscles. Nodules, or knots, and tight bands that develop in the muscle create localized pain or send pain signals to other locations. The affected muscles become locked and cannot function normally, which restricts movement and causes chronic pain.

Nodules develop from overuse, trauma, poor posture, lack of exercise, sleep disturbances, vitamin deficiencies, joint arthritis or nerves compressed at the spine and other locations. These painful areas contain biochemicals that cause pain to the local nerves and decreased oxygen flow, or ischemia, which causes the muscle fibers to lock.

Of the many treatment methods applied to painful muscles, none are quite as effective – fast acting and long lasting – as MFTrPDN. It short-circuits the vicious pain cycle in a very direct way that other methods cannot accomplish. The muscle contracture releases to its normal length, circulation is improved, swelling receded and the pain-causing biochemicals disperse, eliminating their noxious effect on local nerves.

Dry needling utilizes sterile, thin monofilament needles, and relief is often rapid with a reduction in pain and improved function."

Who Benefits

I have used dry needling for a variety of conditions and symptoms.  I have found that migraine patients see great improvement and often complete resolution after dry needling and adjustments.  Athletes, of all variety from swimmers to crossfitters, powerlifters, golfers and so on experience great results with not only pain but range of motion and flexibility after a few sessions of dry needling.  Once a soon to be mom has reached full term during her pregnancy, dry needling can bring a great deal of relief to their low back discomfort.  This is just a short list of examples of the benefits of dry needling and who can benefit from the procedure.

What To Expect

You will be positioned in a comfortable position on the chiropractic table with the area being treated exposed only.  The area will then be wiped down with alcohol.  As stated early, the needles used are individually wrapped in sterile ackages.  Each needle is in its own separate clear plastic tube.  The needles will be inserted one at a time.  During the process you MAY feel a burning sensation or an achiness with possible radiating but in general the technique is very tolerable.  Once a few needles have been placed in position the general feedback is usually "This isn't as bad as I thought!"  The needles stay in 5-10 minutes before they are removed.  Each patient is given literature with all the possible and common symptoms that could come up and instructions for after care.  Drinking water is key to removing the toxins, that were released with the break down of the trigger points. from the system to prevent any soreness after!   

Most insurance companies cover the procedure!

 

Picking your Prenatal Wellness Team

If you are expecting a baby then you probably have a lot on your mind. While it is the most natural thing in the world, having a baby has become an industry of products and recommendations; and you may be feeling a little overwhelmed with all the choices. Unfortunately, no one can make those choices for you, but your Chiropractor can help you make informed decisions.

Your Doctor of Chiropractic

A properly functioning spine and nervous system is an important part of a wellness pregnancy. In addition to the noticeable changes your pregnancy will cause your body, pregnancy can also cause subtle changes in the musculoskeletal system; changes your Chiropractor is able to detect and correct.

The position of your growing baby will cause your center of gravity to shift and your spine will naturally alter itself to accommodate this change. As a result, you may experience low back and pelvic pain. The increase in hormones during pregnancy can also cause muscles, ligaments, cartilage and even bones to “soften” and become more pliable. Pelvic bones may even become displaced or fixated. Since your hips will need to spread to accommodate the delivery of your baby, fixated pelvic bones can lead to complications during delivery.

It's especially important during pregnancy for nerve impulses to flow from your brain to all the parts of your body. A slightly out-of-place vertebra can create nerve irritation, which can and will interfere with your body's communication system. By using special or modified techniques during your pregnancy, your Family Wellness Chiropractor can restore the function of your nervous system, improving your overall wellness and increasing your comfort during your pregnancy and delivery.

In fact, research has proven that:

  • 84% of pregnant women treated by Chiropractic care received profound relief from low back pain

  • Women who received Chiropractic care had nearly a 25% reduction in the average labor time verses the “generally accepted average labor time”

  • With women who had given birth in the past, that number rose to 33%

  • Postpartum pain was relieved in 90 of 120 moms that received regular Chiropractic care

During your pregnancy, your Doctor of Chiropractic can do the following:

  • Correct vertebral misalignment and relieve nerve interference with gentle adjustments.

  • Help ensure that pelvic bones are properly aligned, contributing to a shorter and easier delivery.

  • Re-establish the natural position and mobility of the joints.

  • Provide freedom from interference of normal nerve energy.

  • Decrease the likelihood of your fetus being in the wrong position during the last trimester

More than just a treatment for low back pain, many mothers have come to recognize the vital role that Chiropractic care plays in a healthy pregnancy, reporting back to their Chiropractors that regular spinal adjustments helped them feel healthier during their pregnancy, decreased morning sickness, facilitated shorter labor and delivery times, and increased an overall sense of well-being.

A Midwife or A Non-Invasive Ob/Gyn

The term natural childbirth has become subjective – it depends with whom you’re talking. A woman who delivered her baby vaginally in a hospital without the assistance of an epidural may claim to have chosen natural childbirth; but only the woman who had her baby at home with only a midwife and her family nearby would be telling the complete truth.

The term “natural childbirth” encompasses a variety of methods. In the Lamaze method, natural childbirth means the laboring woman consciously participates in the birth while medical techniques are applied freely as considered necessary.

The Bradley method focuses on avoiding pain medication but is open to medical intervention if necessary; but others do not consider it natural childbirth unless it occurs at home without any medical intervention.

Whatever your desire it’s important to make sure that your care provider is in agreement with your wishes. While the medical community claims that they will support your decisions the facts say otherwise.

Efforts have been made to educate and inform women about healthier deliveries since the 1970’s but, despite how it looks, the situation hasn’t changed:

  • Studies have shown that it’s possible to keep cesarean sections down to between 4% and 8% of deliveries and yet they’ve risen to almost 25%

  • Epidurals are being given during almost 75% of all deliveries

With medical personnel convinced that they’re doing the “right thing” it’s almost impossible to have natural childbirth in a hospital. That’s why so many women are choosing homebirths or birthing centers where their choice to have a natural childbirth will not only be accepted but encouraged.

Despite rumors to the contrary, home births are no more dangerous than a hospital birth; in reality, they may be safer since a home birth setting allows the care providers to engage in nutritionial and health education while eliminating exposure to anesthetics that interfere with neonatal neurological development, and to bacteria or viruses that flourish in a hospital. A home birth also means less disruption of bonding for the mother, baby and the rest of the family.

Before you make your delivery decision, ask your Family Wellness Chiropractor for a list of local midwives and non-invasive obstetrician/gynecologists. Explore your options and make an informed decision.

Doula or Dontcha?

The word “doula” is derived from the Greek word for the most important slave or servant in the household who helped the lady of the house with childbearing. Today, the word has come to refer to “a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth.”

If you are considering using a doula remember that an experienced doula:

  • Recognizes birth as a life experience that the mother will always remember

  • Stays by the side of the laboring woman through the entire labor and assists in preparing for and carrying out the parent’s plans for the birth

  • Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures, an objective viewpoint and assistance in getting the information an expectant mother needs to make good decisions

  • Perceives her role as one who nurtures and protects the woman's memory of her birth experience

With the recognition of their important contribution to the improved physical outcomes and emotional well being of mothers and infants, the acceptance of doulas in maternity care is growing rapidly.

In Summary

Pregnancy can be the most exciting time of your life, but concern about making the right decisions can tarnish the glow. Speak with your Doctor of Chiropractic today, if you’re pregnant or considering conceiving. Just as the decision to use a doula, midwife or OB/GYN can affect your overall childbirth experience, so can your nutrition, exercise and spinal health.

http://www.icpa4kids.org/research/chiropractic/pregnancy.htm