Lifes News: A Medicine

Newsletter about Chinese

for Women

Winter, 2008 Issue 5

Lifes News is a newsletter from Life Healing Life & Fertile Ground CHinese Medicine Clinics in Minneapolis, MN
Specializing in Womens Health & Fertility. It is Written by Nicole Lange & Kara Yorkhall. We hope you enjoy it!

small amount of fear is probably inevitable and may even

be helpful, fear verging on paranoia needs to be worked
through and addressed.

Guarding the nest:

suggestions for the first trimester

by Kara Yorkhall, Lic.Ac. MA.OM.

It may be reassuring for women in this situation to know

that Traditional Chinese Medicine is effective in treating
threatened miscarriage should vaginal bleeding, cramping
and a low back ache occur during pregnancy. We cant
stop a miscarriage that is occurring due to genetic abnormalities, but the use of acupuncture and herbs can often
times stop the bleeding and cramping if it is due to maternal factors. There are also some preventative things that
you can do to optimize your chances of having a successful first trimester-- so that you can embrace the things that
you can control and let go of the things that you cant.

Although experiencing miscarriage is devastating for any

woman, it may be particularly difficult for women who
have been struggling to get pregnant. If a woman has
fertility issues, she may have been waiting for a positive
pregnancy test for years, and once it finally happens the
fear of miscarriage can be more overwhelming and emotionally exhausting than the challenges of not being pregnant.
First of all, if you are reading this and you are pregnant,
relax, take a deep breath, congratulate yourself. You may
have made sacrifices of time, energy, and money, many
times foregoing what you wanted to eat or do to help you
achieve this pregnancy. Welcome that new baby (or babies) into the nest you have created in you.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Pregnancy loss due to maternal factors is often the result
of the same imbalances that were making it difficult to

If you are not pregnant, read on to discover helpful suggestions that you can incorporate during your luteal
phase when you are trying to encourage implantation and
the earliest stages of pregnancy.

In This Issue:
Guarding the nest 1 & 2
Easing the pain of ART Injections Pg 3

As an acupuncturist and practitioner of Traditional Chinese medicine specializing in fertility and pregnancy care
I rejoice in every new pregnancy, especially when the
couple has been battling fertility issues. However the
humbling statistic that 15-20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage during the first trimester keeps many of my patients from enjoying this time because they are terrified of
loosing the precious life inside of them. While some

Book Report: Thich Nhat Hanhs Angerwisdom for cooling the flames pg 3
Warming up to winter pg 4
Seasoned Cooking: LAMB WITH GINGER Pg 4
Ask the Acupuncturist pg 5
Mindfulness 101 Pg 5

conceive in the first place. Therefore if you were employing Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques such as acupuncture, herbs, breathing and Qigong techniques, dietary
therapy, and stress reduction practices to help you get
pregnant, continue with those practices! Of course you
will want to consult a professional herbalist or other
medical practitioner to discuss any herbal prescriptions
and review your case now that you are pregnant.
If you are newly pregnant, you want nothing more than to
protect the precious and vulnerable seed within you. You
want to create a warm, harmonious, calm and welcoming
environment in your body. The feelings and thoughts that
you experience are passed on to your baby, so taking care
of yourself emotionally, physically and spiritually is very
important right now. Now is an essential time to listen to
your body: rest when you are tired eat when you are hungry, cry or express your emotions in other ways when you
are sad or frustrated, connect with loved ones when you
are lonely. Now is not the time to tough it out- to exercise strenuously, to push yourself at work, to ignore your
feelings or your need for intimate connection. Your embryo will benefit from every moment that you can spend
in a calm and centered state.

Avoid strongly invigorating activities and substances.

Avoid shoulder rubs or deep tissue body work.
There are acupuncture points on the tops of the
shoulders that cause the Qi to descend. During
pregnancy we want to pull the Qi up, to keep the
baby inside.
Do not wear strong perfumes which are invigorating to the senses.

Here are some more Traditional Chinese Medicine suggestions for creating the stable and safe environment in
which a miscarriage is least likely to occur.

Avoid uncooked fresh ginger and dried ginger.

Ginger is often recommended as a remedy for
morning sickness but it important to make sure it
is sauteed or cooked. Otherwise its affect on the
body may be too strong.

Exercise Gently
Avoid any movement that causes your pelvic
muscles to contract strongly such as pilates, situps, or standing poses in yoga. Take stairs slowly
and avoid them if possible. Leisurely walking,
Qigong, or restorative yoga are good options.
Never exercise to the point of feeling tired.

If possible, avoid travel by air or by car on bumpy roads.

Exposing a pregnant body to the stress of flying
is not optimal for regulating the flow of Qi and
blood and protecting the embryo. The American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says
the safest time for a pregnant woman to travel is
during the second trimester (specifically 18
through 24 weeks). If you must fly, try to make
is a quick flight, get up and walk around every 30
minutes, and try to make the flight as stress-free
as possible.

Avoid extremes of heat and cold.

Do not eat spicy foods.
Avoid very cold foods such as frozen foods, iced
beverages, and a lot of raw foods. Let your diet
consist mostly of cooked foods that are easy to
digest.

While in the car be careful not to get jostled

around too much, so drive slowly over
bumps...and keep breathing deeply to keep oxygen flowing to your embryo.

Avoid baths, swimming pools, and hot tubs.

Take warm showers but do not linger in the
shower. Be sure to thoroughly dry your hair after
washing it.

It may be helpful to remember that half of all first trimester miscarriages are due to congenital defects and cannot
be avoided. That said, by working with a TCM practitioner and following the above suggestions for self-care you
can feel confident that you are doing what you can to
carry your embryo through this delicate time.

Take special care to bundle up warmly in the

cold winter months. Even in summer do not expose yourself to drafts, sit on cold surfaces, or get
chilled. Do not get overheated.
2

 Progesterone in sesame oil can be thick and difficult to

inject. Warming the oil to body temperature by placing
the vial in your bra* for 15 minutes helps thin the oil
and make it more comfortable to inject (*be sure to
thoroughly clean the rubber top with alcohol before you
draw the shot to avoid contamination).
Use small circular bandages or draw a chart and mark
where you did your last progesterone shot to help move
the site around (if you are doing these for several weeks
into pregnancy this can be a big help for your bottom!)
You may also want to ask your clinic if they offer Progesterone in Ethyl Oleate (instead of sesame oil). Ethyl
Oleate is much thinner and easier to inject/absorb.

Ouch!

Tips to lessen the

discomfort of ART
Shots

by Nicole Lange Lic.Ac. MAOM

Deciding to pursue assisted reproductive therapies (ARTs) such as inseminations and IVF
is filled with difficult choices and sacrifices. Still, a successful outcome can make it all worthwhile. Try the following tips to help make your injections a less painful
part of the process. Remember: always follow all steps
to insure clean needle standards, remove air and bubbles from syringes and always follow your clinics procedures carefully and ask if you are unsure whether a tip
is right for you.

Book Report: Taming Your Temper

I recently came across Thich Nhat Hanhs book
Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames. The title
was laid out on the cover so that the word ANGER
seemed to float on a background of tranquil blue. As
a human being struggling with tendencies towards
feeling angry and frustrated and as a person living in
turbulent and sometimes angry times I was compelled
to read on and to find out what I might learn from the
writings of this Buddhist monk and intriguing man.

Generally:
Insert and remove all needles at 90 degree angles
Massage the injection site* afterward to help your body
absorb the injection, move stagnation and prevent pain
(*do not massage injection sites when you are using
blood thinners like heparin or lovenox)
To reduce stagnation and increase absorption try using
heat locally or move the area (literally) by going for a
walk or doing light Qigong.
Ice can numb the nerves to decrease pain at injection,
but will also cause the blood flow to the area to stagnate, slowing absorption and increasing pain after the
injection is over. It is best to develop a good technique
for puncturing the skin and avoid ice when possible.
If you find injections with syringes painful (as opposed
to pre-made pens) ask your clinic if they can provide
you with larger gauge needles (larger gauge means
smaller needle size). This will mean the needle is less
painful going in, but will also require you to take longer
injecting the same amount of fluids (through the smaller
needle).

Imagine someone started your house on fire and you

saw them do it. Now, imagine what your response would
be. Would you run after them and let your house burn
down or would you try to put the fire out ?

Thich Nhat Hanh suggests that this is exactly the

situation when someone or something makes us angry. To run after the thing or person who set the fire
might make us feel temporarily justified but is ultimately unwise, has disastrous effects and does nothing for saving what might be saved. Instead, he suggests that readers tend to the fires in their lives and
the world. Pay attention to the flames and save all
that is important. But how?

Sub-Q injections:
Try different locations and move locations around from
day to day (some women prefer the hip, while others
find the lower abdomen more comfortable)
Some stimulation meds are known for stinging as they
are injected. Some women find that letting the needle
rest (sit out in the prepared pen/syringe) for 15 minutes prior to injecting help take the sting out.

Through mindfulness, breathing, walking,

embracing our anger, looking deeply into
the nature of our perceptions, and looking
deeply into the other person to realize their suffering
we might come to view our anger not as a fire, but
rather as a crying child who needs our attention and
care.

IM Injections:
If at all possible get assistance with these injections
Lie down and try to relax the muscle you will inject, the
more tense the muscle, the more resistance and pain.
Stretch the skin of the injection site slightly before needling it so the needle will puncture the skin quicker.

If these ideas intrigue you and you would like further

information I highly recommend you check out this
book! -Nicole

Warming up to winter

Seasoned Cooking:
Lamb with Ginger

By Kara Yorkhall, Lic.Ac., MaOM

The 21sr of December is always a notable day for me.

The winter solstice represents the deepest Yin--the
coldest and darkest time of the entire year. On this day
the balance tips and we begin to move towards the
warm, bright days of the Yang time, summer.

In traditional Chinese food therapy, foods are thought to

be inherently warm, neutral, or cool. These warming and
cooling properties are independent from the actual temperature the food is served. For example cooked lamb &
beef are thought to be warming while cooked chicken and
pork are cooling. Room temperature plums & cherries are
warming while room temperature pears and apples are
cooling. Ginger, pepper and cinnamon are warming while
cilantro, salt and mint are cooling.

This winter while staying in a rustic cabin in the woods

on one of the coldest weekends weve seen in years,
my friends and I marveled at how people survived in
these harsh conditions before the advent of central
heating. We concluded that people must have spent a
lot of time around the oven. The warmth and comfort
of of a cookstove was not just a way to cook food, but
probably also the central hub of family life.

When choosing foods, their warming and cooling effects

should be taken into consideration. Examples include:
choosing warming foods if you tend to be cold, choosing
cooling foods to avoid heatstroke, and choosing warming
foods in the cold winter months. The following recipe is
an example of this type of winter cooking:

Especially women wouldve found themselves bumping up against the oven all day, leaning over a steamy
pot of soup, stirring porridge, making bread, or heating
water for laundry. Upon returning to my south Minneapolis home I began to notice how in these modern
times, putting the oven in the center of my familys life
helps to anchor us, especially in this time of deepest
Yin.

1 1/2 lb. leg of lamb

1 T. fresh grated ginger
Juice of one lime
1 1/2 cup cashew nuts
2 sprigs fresh mint
1 T olive oil
S &P to taste
4-5 cups prepared Basmati rice

From the morning pot of congee or hot porridge to a

cup of tea before bed I appreciate how even my oven
adds a sense of warmth, rhythm and calm to my days.
There is something soothing about the rhythm of a
knife chopping, the sizzle of ginger and garlic in the
skillet, the vibrant colors of fresh vegetables, the
smells rising from the stove top and filling the house
with lovely aromas.

1. In a hot pan dry-fry the cashews until they are golden

2. Remove cashews from pan and chop roughly.
3. Cut lamb into small pieces
4. Heat oil over high heat in a pan then brown the meat
for 5-6 minutes.
5. Remove the lamb and season with S&P (keep warm).
6. Deglaze the pan with about 1/2 cup of water.
7. Add ginger to pan and leave to boil and reduce to almost dry. Scrape the juices from the bottom of the pan to
create a light gravy.
8. Put meat back into pan, cook in juices over high heat
for a couple more minutes (until lamb is done).
9. Serve over basmati rice and drizzle with lime juice and
sprinkle with cashews and chopped mint.

During times of stress or overwhelm, a cooking project

seems to create a sense of harmony. My stress seems
to dissipate as a beautiful meal appears. My creative
juices are flowing and my senses are enlivened. When
our environment is muted in whites and grays, frozen
and quiet, these bright moments bring joy to a winters
heart.

Serves 4: 15 min. prep, 10 min. cook, medium difficulty.

In our busy modern lives we tend to move outward, to

be working, shopping, doing, even as the seasons
change around us. This winter, try to to look inward.
Be home more. Find a warm spot. Cook Soup. Enjoy.

From Sofeminine.com

In seed time learn, in harvest teach,

in winter enjoy. ~William Blake
4

It makes perfect sense that women who were randomized

into two groups and then half of them were instructed to
drive to and from a place they had never been to get acupuncture (maybe never having had it before) from a complete strange might indeed cancel out any possible benefits by sheer stress alone.

Ask An Acupuncturist
If you have a question youd like answered please email it to
nicole@lifehealinglife.com
Dear Nicole,
Id heard that acupuncture the day of embryo transfer in
IVF has been shown to increase pregnancy rates, but now
Ive heard the opposite. Do you know which is true?
--Confused

Ultimately, I think this study could be helpful. It might be

used as an example of why it is important to realize that
stress is a very important factor and to make sure patients
are making their decisions on what is helpful for them
and not just what a study says.

There have been several peer reviewed western studies

that have aimed to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture treatments before and after embryo transfer.
While the first several studies (see Fertility & Sterility
2002, 2006) showed statistically significant improvements in clinical pregnancies and live births with acupuncture, a more recent study (2007) showed the opposite. Although I'm sure most western minded physicians
and patients would find this study alarming I hope I can
shed some light on why I do not.

Mindfulness 101: Naming Meditation

Try taking a walk and using as many
different adjectives as you can to
describe all that is around you. Use all
your senses. What can you smell, taste,
hear, see and touch?
Take the time to touch a few different things pick up
a stone, leaf, or feather you see along the way.

When I looked further into the study I noted that the

author of the study (Dr. LaTasha Craig) noted two things:
1) she acknowledge the fact that several other larger studies seemed to have findings that were quite the opposite
and acknowledged the need for further study and 2) she
stated that she believed the difference in pregnancy rates
in this latest study may have more to do with the stress of
having to drive to and from extra appointments than the
acupuncture itself (The previous studies did the acupuncture on site). I would also suggest that the stress of having
to find a clinic where one has never been and getting acupuncture from a stranger are additional stressors.

Take the time to feel the temperature of the air as

you breathe it in.
If your mind starts to wander, simply bring it back to
the moment and start all over.

If you have received this newsletter through a friend and would like to
be added to the mailing list or would like more information on treatments or classes please contact Nicole Lange or Kara Yorkhall

Her latter point makes a lot of sense from a traditional

Chinese medicine perspective and is already something I
am sure to discuss with my patients as they approach their
transfer date. I would never say everyone should have
acupuncture on the day of transfer, but rather discuss options, pros and cons and stress levels and suggest they
consider a wide range of options...no acupuncture at all,
house call acupuncture after, pre and post at my clinic,
pre and post at the fertility clinic (some do allow this),
just getting a treatment the day before and taking it easy
the day of... there are many many viable options and no
single one is right for every woman...no matter what a
study says!

The information in this newsletter is based on classical Chinese medical theory

and was written by board certified, licensed acupuncturists. It is intended for
use as general information and should not replace individual care or be used in
place of a medical diagnosis or specific treatment (by an acupuncturist or western medical doctor).

If indeed relaxing and listening to what is best on a

unique, holistic and personal level is what makes traditional Chinese medicine so powerful, and true traditional
Chinese medicine is based on taking into consideration all
that a woman is experiencing (both physically and emotionally) how could one thing be good for everyone!

Kara Yorkhall:
Fertile Ground Natural Care
2917 Bryant Avenue South Suite No. 5
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-308-7993
kara@fertilegroundnaturalcare.com
www.fertilegroundnaturalcare.com

Stock Photo Credits: istockphoto & microsoft clipart

Nicole Lange:
Life Healing Life Acupuncture for Womens
Health & Fertility
2917 Bryant Avenue South Suite No. 5
Minneapolis, MN 55408
nicole@lifehealinglife.com
www.lifehealinglife.com

' & 3 5 * - &
( 3 0 6 / %