Alternative treatments for fertility; boosting fertility naturally.

Infertility, defined as the inability to conceive after a year or more of trying, affects about 10 percent of couples — 6.1 percent of women between the ages of 15-44 according to the CDC. While many TV shows have covered it as of late, mainstream media can have many people thinking that the only options could be IVF Surrogates due to high profile celebrity practices in the public eye. 

There are many ways couples can boost their fertility naturally including acupuncture, Chinese medicine, supplements, fertility yoga and others. Most couples like to explore some of these options before venturing into more expensive — and invasive — treatments. Here, we look at a few of the top natural fertility boosters:

From MNN

Acupuncture

In regard to fertility, the Eastern perspective looks for energetic imbalances, where energy is blocked and how to get energy to flow more freely. From a Western perspective, acupuncture improves fertility by increasing blood flow to the uterus, and that in turn can thicken the endometrial lining, which makes implantation easier. “There is definitely a balancing and regulating affect on hormones that can regulate ovulation and can relax the uterus and decrease uterine contractions that interfere with implantation,” says LeGendre.

 

Acupuncture releases beta-endorphins, and in addition to having a stress relieving affect, it has been show to improve all of your reproductive hormonal functions. So, not only does it soothe the sympathetic nervous system, but it has an effect on the entire nervous system.

Chinese medicine

In addition to needling, most acupuncturists also prescribe Chinese herbs in correlation with regulating hormones and balancing your menstrual cycle. Different formulas are given depending on what each woman’s specific issues are.

 

A study in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine found women receiving Chinese herbal treatments were twice as likely to get pregnant within a four-month period as those receiving conventional Western medical fertility drug treatment or IVF. LeGendre says it usually takes about three months of once weekly treatments and she often sees a pregnancy in the three- to six-month window.

 

LeGendre also recommends women’s male partners have treatment, as acupuncture and Chinese medicine can improve both sperm count and quality.

 

Fertility yoga

“We all know what it’s like when shoulders and neck get tight, so imagine all the structures in your body doing that because of the stress of trying to conceive,” says Jennifer Colletti, a master yoga teacher and Ayurveda yoga specialist at Fertile Grounding Yoga in Minneapolis.

 

Stress really hardens the body, so fertility yoga works on opening up the body with a lot of flow movements and breath work that can open the heart and uterus, or the low  belly area — the musculature and ligaments there. Colletti explains that when we stress, we round in and crunch into the fetal position, and so the heart and uterus are shutting those areas of the body off. The idea is to soften and open those areas with gentle poses. Of course, yoga is a relaxing, stress-relieving and restorative treatment, too.

 

Some of Colletti’s clients are undergoing ART (artificial reproductive therapy), and some aren’t. “The way I look at it is if we want children in our lives, we have to make space for them and when our lives are overwrought with stress, there is no space for babies, so I teach them to find space in their lives so they can invite babies in.” Fertility yoga opens up that space in both your mind and body. Colletti said she doesn’t boast the successes, but she sees many, many pregnancies.

 

Fertility-friendly lifestyle

Researchers have found that 83 percent of couples living a fertility-friendly lifestyle got pregnant within one year.  That includes:

• Stop smoking
• Avoid environmental toxins
• Get plenty of sleep
• Avoid alcohol
• Skip recreational drugs
• Eat healthy

“We tell men not to sit in a hot tub, not to work outdoors in prolonged warm temperatures, avoid tight undergarments, and avoid biking for long time periods, as warm temperatures can affect the production of sperm,” says Maher Abdallah, M.D. FACOG, an OB-GYN at American Reproductive Center in Costa Mesa, Calif.

 

Being overweight can also greatly reduce fertility, so diet and exercise is crucial.

 

Other natural treatment approaches

Other natural fertility treatments include chiropractic adjustments, hypnosis, and colored glasses that control melatonin production and may increase fertility by simulating approaching winter, the time of maximum fertility.

original article here: http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/alternative-therapies-for-fertility

New Study: Acupuncture, Massage, Yoga show results for Arthritis Treatments

Continuing study verifies results from acupuncture, massage, yoga, and tai chi on those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and low back pain. 

Reasearch from School of Medicine at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland: 

There isn’t much scientific proof that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) – from aromatherapy to reflexology – helps with the pain and disability associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), fibromyalgia and low back pain.

But based on the available evidence, researchers in the United Kingdom, who evaluated clinical studies on 21 CAM therapies for the four conditions, concluded that acupuncture, massage, yoga and tai chi work in some cases.

These findings don’t mean that other CAM therapies – defined by this report as any therapy that exists outside normal health care practices – aren’t effective. The researchers stress that, in many cases, there just weren’t enough high-quality data to fully evaluate the therapies. “Where there is no or little evidence, it is very difficult to judge,” says lead author of the report, Gareth Jones, PhD, a senior lecturer in epidemiology in the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.

The report is one of two published recently by Arthritis Research UK, a large medical-research organization. The other report rated supplements in the treatment of OA, RA and fibromyalgia.

Read more: 

New Aberdeen University Arthritis Study

Brian Jennings, NFL pro practices Yoga as part of his fitness.

"Some people do it with their health and some people don't," Jennings said. "My goal is to play as long as I can and finish the game as healthy as I can be."

 Jennings, a 12-year NFL veteran, has already carved his path to a long, healthy career. It helps that he is a long-snapper, on the field maybe a dozen times a game, the position minimizing the number of punishing hits he has taken.

But he also owes his health and career longevity to what he calls a "wellness lifestyle" that includes the practice of yoga as a major component.

 "The first time I did yoga, it just felt right to me," Jennings said.

Jennings' wellness lifestyle also include massages, chiropractic care, acupuncture, Chinese herbs, nutrition and supplements.

 "I do a lot of things that are considered alternative," Jennings said. "It's probably unusual being in a self-destructive business."

 Jennings is 36, with a durable NFL career that goes beyond the physical. Drafted by the 49ers back in 2000, he has survived four coaching changes, hundreds of new teammates and thousands of pages of new schemes and plays. His name is on the team's 10-year wall, next to legends such as Jerry Rice and Bryant Young.

Athletic Acupuncture: for Football Players, the treatment shows results.

Professional football players partake in a violent game, and as the season progresses, they spend more time in training rooms than on practice fields. They visit chiropractors and massage therapists, practice yoga, undergo electronic stimulation and nap in hyperbaric chambers. But in the last few years, there has been a significant uptick in the amount of professional athletes receiving Acupuncture as a treatment. 

From the New York Times: 

Acupuncturist Lisa Ripi, 46, travels at least 20 days each month during the season, treating 40 players on five teams (the Ripi Division: Jets, Giants, Steelers, Bengals and Dolphins). She flies to Miami on Sunday, Pittsburgh on Monday, New York on Tuesday, Cincinnati on Wednesday, back to Pittsburgh on Thursday and back to New York on Friday. She works 96 hours a week and naps mostly on airplanes. By Friday, even her assistant sends “hate texts,” Ripi said.

Players require individualized treatment. Steelers linebacker James Harrison takes more than 300 needles, and Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora begs for fewer than 40. Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis hates needles and grips the table as if under attack.

She spends roughly 12 hours each Thursday treating at least 10 players at Farrior’s house, where the Steelers hold their men’s “spa night” featuring acupuncture. Ripi cooks dinner for them, and they play cards while they wait turns. She starts with nose tackle Casey Hampton at 3:30 p.m. and finishes with Harrison roughly 12 hours later.

Ripi can tell the position each plays simply on the location of the pain: wide receiver (legs, shoulders), offensive lineman (elbows, back), quarterback (throwing shoulder), defensive lineman (back), running back (hamstring).

Steroids and Back Pain: Researchers Say Treatment is Over-prescribed

With the recent outbreak of tainted steroid compounds killing several due to meningitis, the over prescribed nature of steroid treatment for back pain comes under the magnifying glass... 

from the Dayton News

The New England Compounding Center certainly seems deserving of its current status as the prime culprit in a tragic outbreak that has killed 32 and sickened 438. The bottles of supposedly sterile steroid medication it shipped were reportedly so tainted that white fuzz could be seen floating in some vials.

But, experts say, the now notorious Compounding Center has a nationwide network of unwitting enablers and accomplices: There are the doctors who overprescribe an invasive back-pain therapy that, in studies, has not proved useful for many of the patients who get it. And there are the patients, living in an increasingly medicalized society, who want a quick fix for life's aches and pains.

The use of steroid injections to treat back pain has skyrocketed in the past 15 years -- out of proportion to growth in the number of patients with back pain, or the aging of the population. The frequency of steroid injections dispensed to Medicare patients rose 121 percent from 1997 to 2006. Washington state found that the use of back injections grew 12.6 percent between 2006 and 2009, at a cost to the state of $56 million. Some people received more than 10 shots a year.

The increase in treatment has not led to less pain over all, researchers say, and is a huge expense at a time of runaway health costs.

"There are lots of places doing lots of injections for conditions that haven't been shown to benefit," says Dr. Janna Friedly, a researcher at the University of Washington, who added, "Sadly, some of the patients who got meningitis were probably in that category -- they did not have conditions where steroid injections were indicated."

Studies are at best inconclusive about exactly which groups of back-pain patients are likely to benefit from steroid shots. Though some patients clearly get much-needed relief, health researchers are nearly unanimous that the treatment is vastly overused in the U.S.

But Dr. Laxmaiah Manchikanti, head of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, said the increasing number of spine injections was just part of "an exponential increase in all interventional techniques" and is a good thing, reflecting a better understanding of chronic pain and patients' demands for improved pain relief.

Though doctors are still arguing, most academic researchers say there is no evidence that steroid injections are useful in easing straightforward chronic low back pain. Professional guidelines say such shots should generally not be used for back pain that is less than four to six weeks old, which studies show almost always gets better with noninvasive treatments. Although many Medicare patients get spinal injections to treat a condition called spinal stenosis, a narrowing of spaces between bones of the spine, Friedly said, shots are not used for that condition in many European countries.

Spinal injections, which can cost between $600 and $2,500, including the fees for treatment rooms, have been fostered and promoted by the rising number of pain clinics and pain specialists - - mostly anesthesiologists and rehab doctors -- who invest in extra training to learn procedures like spinal injections.

"There used to be only a small number of people who did this, but that's gone way up, and reimbursement has gone up, too," says Scott Forseen, a doctor who studies the treatment of back pain at the Georgia Health Sciences University. The number of spinal injections given in any geographical area correlates better with the number of local specialists trained in the procedure rather than the amount of back pain, Friedly says.

The shots -- which may include a steroid and an anesthetic -- are often dispensed at for-profit pain clinics owned by the physicians holding the needle. "There's a lot of concern about perverse financial incentive," Friedly adds.

Kinnaird's clients got their injections at the St.

Outpatient Neurosurgery Clinic, a limited-liability corporation half owned by doctors, which occupied a floor of one of Nashville's major hospitals. It gave 5,000 injections a year, or about 20 each business day, and epidural steroid injections are listed on its website as its "top procedure."

Since guidelines for injections are being disputed among doctors' groups, it is hard in most cases to say if a particular patient should or should not have been offered an injection, says Marc Lip- ton, a Michigan attorney who is representing more than 20 patients with fungal meningitis. Though he believes that steroid shots are overused, he says many of the patients he represents were treated appropriately, for example, receiving an injection for pain from a herniated disc in an attempt to stave off back surgery. He and other lawyers are, for now, targeting the Compounding Center in product liability lawsuits.

But, says Forseen: "You have to use injections selectively, and selectivity has gone way down. In some places, people get injections because they've walked in the door."

Patients have proved eager consumers of the new medical offering, desirous of a quick cure rather than waiting the weeks or months for the normal healing process to occur.

Kinnaird, the lawyer, says, "If I hurt my back in the '70s, my doctor would say, 'Go to the beach; get a few beers; relax; you'll be fine.' Now if you hurt your back, you go to the doctor and right away there's an MRI, and they need to fix something. Maybe you should take an injection."

And steroid shots are not a cure-all, even for the conditions for which doctors agree an attempt is worthwhile: low back pain accompanied by signs of nerve injury like tingling or weakness in a leg. One-third of such patients will get better, one-third will show some improvement and some will show no improvement at all, Forseen said

When Oregon's Health Evidence Review Commission earlier this year explored narrowing reimbursement for injections to certain conditions, it got an earful of public comment from groups like the International Spine Intervention Society.

"Obviously they are not utilizing the literature correctly," said Manchikanti, adding that attempts to limit the shots were motivated in part by an effort to control costs and by competition from other medical specialties.

Private insurers vary considerably in coverage for the procedure, though some will pay after two weeks of back pain.

Back pain is, of course, a debilitating condition. And modern medicine has produced some miraculous cures. But from now on when doctors and patients are tempted to say "what's the harm in trying an injection" to dispense with a nagging back -- they will be more aware of just how big the risk can be.

Football players turn to Yoga, defy stereotypes.

Football players use yoga to defy stereotypes, increase flexibility

from the Red&Black newspaper 

Punter Collin Barber tries to shut out his mind when he’s on the field. There are no 200-pound athletes barreling toward him or 90,000 fans watching his every move. It’s just him, the ball and one goal. He enters a Zen-like trance — and that’s when all the yoga comes in handy.

Barber is a member of the first wave of Georgia football players who use team yoga sessions in their training regimen. Coaches made the classes available this summer, but popular demand kept them going throughout the regular season.

Different players use the lessons for different reasons. Some like the physical aspect, others are in it for the mental benefits. For lineman John Jenkins — the largest Bulldog, at 6-foot-3, 358 pounds — it’s just another way he defies stereotypes.

“My size can be deceiving to many people. I look like I can’t do certain things and then when they see me in action, they’re impressed,” Jenkins said. “Yoga, you get something out of it. Whether it’s a workout, whether you’re trying to increase your flexibility, whether you’re trying to be one with yourself. There’s always something to get out of yoga.”

Instructors meet the players at an indoor training facility near the practice field every Sunday night, put on a little mood music and lead a session with whoever wants to join in.

“The little guys, they were more flexible,” offensive lineman Mark Beard said. “It was kind of a disadvantage. … My knees don’t bend like their knees bend.”

Of course, not everyone is the type to enjoy an hour of breathing exercises and body contortions. Fewer players started attending once the season got underway. Sunday nights became one of the few opportunities they have to forget their responsibilities on the field and in the weight room.

“I walked by it one day and what they were doing looked like stuff I couldn’t do,” center David Andrews said. “They were standing on these blocks and bending over and putting their body in all these weird positions. And I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s not me.’”

But Jessi Schmale, a University group fitness specialist, says it’s not about what you can do, but doing what you can. Though her department has never taught yoga to football players, she has worked with other teams — like swimming and volleyball — that hold sessions during training.

“It is a good full body workout. Obviously, it’s not like running five miles. But it is a way for athletes to get a different kind of workout,” Schmale said. “For athletes who have been doing their sport for 15 years, this is an opportunity for them to add something new to their weekly regimen. I’m sure it’s a welcomed departure in many ways.”

Yoga strengthens the core, teaches breathing techniques, clears the mind and rehabs sore muscles — all of which benefits athletes on the field. But one of the biggest draws for players is increased flexibility.

“They do so much intensive lifting and muscle training, that everything kind of tightens up,” instructor Bill Cottrell said. “So it’s really good to have a balance to that. And yoga gives the balance because it un-stretches everything.”

The thought of future professional athletes rolling around on mats as they struggle to touch their toes is frightening to many athletes and hilarious to everyone else. But in the Georgia locker room, it’s no joke.

“It’s really exciting because yoga is being taken more seriously by athletes and the general population,” Schmale said. “It’s not something just to say, ‘Omm’ and just to relax and breathe. But it’s also another opportunity people are using to give themselves an edge athletically and help lengthen their muscles and strengthen their core.”

http://www.redandblack.com/sports/football-players-use-yoga-to-defy-stereotypes-increase-flexibility/article_dd2831ee-29e0-11e2-9ae9-0019bb30f31a.html

Are Facial "Yoga" Exercises Better Than Botox?

A new trend on an old concept, facial exercises are used to tone skin, and make a person more aware of the muscles in their face that act voluntarily, affecting lines and wrinkles. 

"Botox doesn’t last forever and skin creams are topical," warns facial yoga expert and author of 'Yoga Face' Annelise Hagen. "Neither fix what’s going on underneath the skin’s surface, such as loss of muscle tone and lack of oxygen. Doing regular facial exercises increases circulation and blood flow to the face, which has been proven to prolong the production of collagen and elastin."

Still skeptical? Annelise Hagen gives us the lowdown on facial yoga:  


1. It is better than Botox: "Botox is a quick fix, the benefits are temporary. It’s so obvious when you get it done and the risk of that is people may make the assumption you are doing it because you have low self-esteem. Facial yoga addresses the cause of the problem, such as loss of muscle tone, but all Botox will do is mask the symptoms."

2. Your facial muscles like doing their own thing:   "Facial muscles respond to exercise just like any other muscle, only they’re involuntary. They do what they want, when they want. Anything you feel or think registers on your face. Facial yoga teaches you to become aware of what your face is doing, because after years of scowling, thinking or frowning, small lines will have formed."

3. It gives your face a workout: “Some lines, such as forehead or pucker lines, form because of things your face is doing habitually, such as frowning or kissing. You can get rid of these by smoothing out and relaxing the face. Other lines, like the nasal labial fold that goes from the nose to the mouth, tend to caused by tension and the dragging down of gravity. The only way to get rid of these is to strengthen the muscles in that area. Contracting the muscle alone won’t work, you’ll need to apply fingertip pressure to the area so that the muscle is pushing against something. Don’t drag or pull with your fingers, simply offer a resistance point so that the muscle has something to work against."

4. The results are immediate: "A Botox jab smoothens the face because it effectively paralyzes the facial muscles. Relaxing your face does exaclty the same thing. As you go through the poses, you’re stimulating collagen and elastin production and increasing circulation to the facial area. This will make your face appear plumper and improve skin tone."

5. It helps relax and rejuvenate your face: "A lot of people don’t realize this but holding in tension anywhere from below the eye socket to the neck and collarbones will drag the face and it’s muscles down. Facial yoga releases the tension, eventually lifting the face."

6. You could even lose some wrinkles: "There are some very big muscles in our face (the zygomatic, the masseter and the mentalis) but by working them out and training them, we can actually change the way our face looks. We can help a droop become a lift, or at least be in neutral."

7. It allows you to age gracefully: "Everyone’s looks will fade. But doing regular facial exercises can help you look your best at any age and even lose a few years. If you’re impatient and want an expressionless face, go ahead and (try) turn back time with injections or surgery."

8. Overdo it will make you look like Arnold Schwarzenegger: "Your brow ridge will gets more prominent with age, so you don’t want to look overly built in the face. Unless you want the facial structure of Arnold Schwarzenegger that is. Doing a sequence of six to eight facial exercises for 10 minutes two to three times a week is more than enough." 

http://www.metro.us/newyork/life/article/1153547--facial-yoga-is-it-better-than-botox

Yoga / Qigong Could Decrease Costs & Sick Days For Those With Chronic Back Pain.

More and more data from studies show that Yoga, and other forms of physical theraputic activities like QiGong not only affect the quailty of life of a person suffering with chronic back pain, but also can financially affect the bottom line of work days and medical care.

People with chronic low back pain may want to try taking to the yoga mat to relieve their symptoms, a small new study suggests.

Researchers from the University of York in the United Kingdom found that back pain sufferers who participated in a group yoga program for 12 weeks had fewer medical costs and fewer missed days from work, compared with people who didn't participate in the yoga program.

"We welcome the fact that not only has yoga been found to help people manage their back pain, but that it is also cost effective, and results in fewer sick days," Alan Silman, medical director of Arthritis Research UK, which funded the study, said in a statement. "It is another option for people who are struggling to manage their condition, and one that encourages the move to self-management."

The Spine journal study included more than 300 people who experienced recurring back pain; half of them were assigned to the 12-week yoga program and also received standard medical care, while the other half only received standard medical care for their pain. (Standard medical care could mean anything from seeing a physiotherapist, to receiving prescription painkillers.)

The researchers found that each person was able to participate in the yoga intervention at a cost of less than 300 pounds ($472 in U.S. dollars). And people who participated in the yoga program also took fewer sick days from work than people who only received the standard care.

Yoga has been shown in past studies to aid in back pain relief. Researchers found that yoga classes or stretching classes helped people with chronic low back pain to manage their pain, compared with just using a "self-care" book, according to a 2011 study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

And "several other studies -- all smaller than ours -- have found that Iyengar yoga and general Hatha yoga are helpful for persons with back pain," study researcher Karen Sherman, Ph.D., of the Group Health Research Institute, earlier told HuffPost. "My guess is that any therapeutically-oriented style of yoga could be helpful to people with chronic back pain."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/19/back-pain-yoga_n_1790871.html