Five Seasons Women’s Wellness: Health and Wellness Blog

Full Story:  Acupuncture: your new sleep apnea treatment

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Try this!

Garlicky Grilled Chicken, Portobello, and Radicchio Salad

Chicken is warming, nourishing and promotes blood circulation.  Garlic is also warming and helps to promote circulation and digestion.  Portobello mushrooms are cleansing, and bitter radicchio helps promote digestion.

Perfect for a chilly Fall evening.

Would you put this into your body?  Your child’s body?

Video: Six Months of the Everlasting Happy Meal

Eating Well Magazine recently polled Facebook users to find the 5 most hated vegetables… and the winners were: Brussels sprouts, okra, eggplant, Lima beans and beets.

Check out their article for tips on how to make these veggies more palatable.  Full Article: Eating Well: How to love 5 of the most hated vegetables

Personally, Brussels sprouts are my favorite!  Just steam, then saute with a little butter and garlic.  Delish!

A recent Australian study demonstrated that acupuncture can produce significant changes in the brain.

10 study participants were given laser acupuncture at a series of points formulated to treat depression, while undergoing MRI imaging of the brain.  Changes in the “mood regulation” area of the brain were noted with the treatment.

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According to a newly published British study, women with greater stress levels may be less likely to conceive in any given cycle.

The Oxford Conception Study followed 274 British women 18 to 40 years old for six menstrual cycles or until they got pregnant.

Researchers measured their levels of alpha amylase and cortisol, two substances that serve as barometers of how the body reacts to physical or psychological stress, on day 6 of each cycle.

Scientists found that women with highest concentrations of alpha amylase were 12% less likely to conceive than women with the lowest.  Cortisol levels were not associated with the women’s chances of conceiving.

From the Chinese medicine perspective, stress effects the energy of the liver system (not to be confused with the liver organ from the Western medicine perspective), which is in charge of smoothing the flow of menstrual blood and energy throughout the body, and, to some extent, regulating hormones.

Stress disrupts the regulating function of the liver system, creating stagnation, often referred to as liver qi stagnation.

Liver qi stagnation can manifest in many different ways, including: PMS, painful periods, ovulatory pain and/or irritability, inconsistency of basal body temperatures, anovulation, irregular cycles, infertility, general irritability or emotional instability, headaches, upper body/ shoulder tenseness, etc..

Stagnation of liver qi can be treated using acupuncture and herbal medicine, as well as lifestyle adjustment.  Daily care must be taken to allow your mind and body to relax and decompress from stressful situations.

Nurture Yourself: List 10 easy things you can do to relax, de-stress and nurture yourself daily (examples: take a bath with incense and candles, take a quite walk in nature, relax in the sun, breathe deeply, write in a journal, create music/ art, hug yourself, hug your pets or partner, meditate, take time to reflect on your day):

1)__________________________________________________________________________________

2)__________________________________________________________________________________

3)__________________________________________________________________________________

4)__________________________________________________________________________________

5)__________________________________________________________________________________

6)__________________________________________________________________________________

7)__________________________________________________________________________________

8)__________________________________________________________________________________

9)__________________________________________________________________________________

10)_________________________________________________________________________________

Try doing at least one of these things every day for two weeks. How do you feel? What other things can you do to be more calm and centered?

Download the worksheet

Women who experience menstrual cramps appear more likely to have abnormal structural changes in the areas of the brain involved in regulating pain and emotion, according to a recent study conducted in Taiwan.

MRI scans showed that these structural changes lasted throughout the cycle, even during pain-free periods.

Dr. Cheng-Hao Tu of the National Yang-Ming University in Taipei and his colleagues enrolled 32 women with severe menstrual cramps and 32 control subjects without cramps for the study.

No significant differences were seen on MRI for total volume of the tissues in the brain known as gray matter between patients and controls, but numerous regional differences in gray matter were detected.

Particularly, changes in brain volume were noted in the hypothalamus, know for its role in regulating the menstrual cycle, and other areas of the brain know for regulating pain.

Similar studies of patients with chronic pain have shown that extended pain can lead to structural and functional alterations throughout the nervous system.

“Our results demonstrated that abnormal [gray matter] changes were present in [primary dysmenorrhea] patients even in the absence of pain. This shows that not only sustained pain but also cyclic occurring menstrual pain can result in longer lasting central changes,” the researchers concluded.

Studies have shown that acupuncture has a direct effect on brain function and structure; results from this new study suggest that acupuncture’s effect on the brain may play a role in its ability to reduce menstrual pain.

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