Natural Pregnancy

Did you know the health of the Mother’s egg and Father’s sperm determines the health of the baby. Sperm take 2.5 months to re-generate so couples should begin pre-conception care at least 3 months before conceiving. A detoxification is highly recommended.

‘TIME’ magazine published an article titled; ‘How the first nine months shape the rest of your life’ by Annie Murphy Paul; http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2021065,00.html. Definitely worth a read.

Deficiencies / Imbalances in the mother, can affect the baby’s brain development. ie. Subclinical hypothyroid; low iodine, low vitamin D, low calcium etc.

Women can determine their most fertile days using a very simple and effective charting method; easier and more accurate than temperature charting.

Fertility can also be enhanced with certain herbs, vitamins, minerals, stress reduction techniques, reiki, diet and lifestyle factors.

Stress is one of the main factors women don’t conceive, so it’s important to address stress levels. Herbal medicine, nutritional supplements such as magnesium, reiki, yoga, meditation, art therapy, massage, hypnotherapy are all great at helping manage stress.

A study conducted at Hartford Hospital, Connecticut, USA, in 2000, showed that reiki used during pregnancy on a regular basis; reduced stress and anxiety by 94%, pain during pregnancy by 78% and nausea and morning sickness by 80% after reiki sessions. The study also showed that reiki improved a pregnant woman’s quality of sleep by 86%.

Natural therapies can also help support women emotionally during IVF. ‘5o% of women undergoing assisted fertility treatment, rate it as the most stressful experience of their life’ Cwikel J, Gidron Y, Sheiner E. Psychological interactions with infertility among women. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. Dec. 2004.

During labour, hypnotherapy is a very useful tool for stress and pain management.

Post Birth; Herbal medicine and nutritional supplements can be given to help tone the uterus, increase breast milk production, and reduce the likelihood of suffering from post natal depression.

New Years Resolutions!

How are you going with New Year’s resolutions?
 
Why are changes so hard to implement in our lives, even small changes?? I have sworn off alcohol for 6 weeks and I am finding it very difficult! The reason is because my nightly glass of wine has become a habit. Trying to change a habit/behaviour with our conscious mind is very difficult and requires immense willpower! This is why people find it so hard to give up smoking; it’s more difficult to give up the ‘habit’ of smoking, than to wean off the nicotine. I heard Dr. Andrew Rochford on the radio the other day saying a habit takes 66 days to change/implement. 

So what to do? Change my habit with Hypnotherapy and change the taste of wine into something I find unpalatable using an NLP Swish Pattern. The reason Hypnotherapy and NLP are so effective at changing unwanted habits/behaviours is because they tap into the unconscious mind where habits and behaviours are stored.
 
Other important points in eradicating unwanted behaviours are; finding a strong motivator and future pacing potential scenarios which may challange your new resolution. For example, a future scenario where my abstinence from alcohol may be challenged is an ‘Australia Day’ celebration. So to future pace this event; I would imagine the future event in my mind, work out potential obstacles in my mind and devise an action plan to minimise the potential of ‘falling off the wagon’. Another important point is to find a replacement that you enjoy; so for me it would be a non-alcoholic drink; mineral water with lemon.

I am giving up alcohol as part of a Detox programme. A detox is a great way to lose weight, regenerate the liver, clear the skin and reduce digestive issues such as bloating and cramps.
 
It is important to seek advice from a healthcare practitioner when embarking on a detox, as it is a very complex chemical process in the body. I also advice against store bought packages, esp. ’The Lemon Detox Diet’. Check out the below detox tips to get you started.

Detox Tips

1. Eat/Drink Your Greens

2. NO alcohol, coffee, sugar, dairy, processsed/packaged foods

3. Take Herbal Tincture to cleanse blood, lymphatics & regenerate liver

4. Drink more water. Add lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, spirulina or chlorella

5. Ensure elimination channels in body are active:
- Lungs; Deep Breathing- Skin; Toxins are excreted through sweating- sauna, exercise. Bath; Epsom Salt, Baking Soda & Fresh Ginger (1 Tablespoon).

- Lymphatics; Exercise esp. jogging, yoga & mini-trampolene and Dry Skin Brushing

- Bowels – Moving 2-3 times per day- fibre, water, exercise, Magnesium, Herbal Tinture

- Kidneys – Drink more water. Add lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, spirulina or chlorella

Caution- Do not detox if pregnant or breastfeeding

Naturopathic Travel Tips

The below Naturopathic travel essentials are for people flying somewhere tropical, however most apply to overseas trips in general.

Bon voyage!

Pre-Flight

• Boost Immune System prior to trip; herbs, probiotics, vitamin C, zinc
• Start taking Multi Vitamin with high vitamin B’s (B1 helps keep mosquitos away)

Pack

• Probiotics ie. Ethical Nutrients ‘Travel Bug’  or Colostrum (Travelan)
• Ginger tablets- travel sickness & indigestion
• Tiger balm or Lavender essential oil – apply a few drops to bites & stings,  Headaches-massage small amount back neck & temples
• Aloe Vera gel- sunburn (can add  a few drops of Lavender oil)
• Electrolyte powder satchets ie, gastrolyte
• Garlic capsules ie. ‘Kyolic’
• Multi vitamin/minerals or Multi B vitamins
• Hand sanitizer ie. http://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/SANITIZER.htm

Recommend transferring anything in glass bottles to plastic containers, or wrap clothes around bottles to minimise breakage.

Flight

• Keep hydrated – moist mucous membranes are body’s 1^st line of defence
• Bring your own food- protein bars, nuts/seeds, fruit, rice/corn crackers
•  Bach ‘Rescue Remedy’ or Bush Flowers ‘Travel Essence’

Holiday

• Always try and eat local fruit, honey & yoghurt- will keep immune system up
• Drink hot water with lemon, honey and ginger – also good for immune
• If you plan on partying; Saint Mary’s Thistle herb, Zinc, Multi B’s / Multi Vitamin, fresh coconut juice– before & after
• Avoid panadol – adds to stress on liver