Exercise is vital for optimal health and wellness in our lives. It is important to consider how this can change during our life cycle, not only our monthly cycle but also when planning to start your family, while you’re pregnant, during the postpartum phase, and menopause cycles of life. Whether you have just decided to begin trying to conceive, or you are receiving care for infertility, or using reproductive assisted technology to become pregnant appropriate exercise is very important. In this blog we will discuss how Traditional Chinese Medicine views fertility and how to support this process to support your journey to conception.

According to the Huang Di Nei Jing, the ancient Chinese medical text that is the foundation of oriental medicine written over 3,000 years ago, “for conception to occur, there are certain requirements, namely, strong Kidney qi, the arrival of Tian Gui [regular periods], Chong and Ren are open and flourishing, and Yin-Yang connection.” This means that once a woman has a regular and balanced menstrual cycle, sufficient blood, energy, bodily fluids, and a strong constitution she may become pregnant. This balance is deeply affected by the choices we make everyday, this includes the type of exercise we choose to do, the foods we eat, our sleep, mindfulness activities, and stress we experience daily.

What does healthy exercise for promoting fertility look like?

You may have seen specific classes particularly dedicated to pregnant women where you work out, maybe at your gym, yoga studio, or pilates studio. Just as it is important for pregnant women to be cautious of over exerting their bodies, it is just as important for women to consider the intensity of their work out when trying to conceive. Because sufficient qi and blood is required for conception and intense workouts consume yin fluids, qi, and blood, we must adapt the type of exercise we choose to do. For example, running, bikram yoga, cross fit, HIIT workouts to name a few all require a lot of energy and will cause you to sweat excessively and deplete your energy and body fluids. This is just the energy and resources your body needs to become pregnant and to provide for your growing baby.

The best types of exercise when trying to become pregnant include gentle yoga, yin yoga, pilates, walking, and low impact training without allowing your body to become overly fatigued or sweating too much. Limit activity to around 30 minutes a day. Always remember to make sure your doctor has approved your activity if you are receiving fertility care from a licensed practitioner and that the exercise instructor is aware of your goal. This will keep your keep your qi in check, your Chong meridian flowing with blood free from stagnation or obstruction, and your yin and yang in balance.

So enjoy yourself exercising, just do it properly.

A miscarriage takes an emotional, spiritual and physical toll on a woman’s body.  It is a painful and difficult process for everyone who experiences it and because many women feel they are unable to share the heartbreak openly, they experience this difficult process privately, compounding the grief. However, a woman blessed with a strong support system in place, a supportive partner, compassionate family members or closest friends will ultimately fare better.

How does acupuncture support you through the grief process?  Acupuncture can help to ease the emotional pain associated with miscarriage as well as support your reproductive health in future pregnancies.  In Chinese medicine the lungs represent the emotion of grief.  Have you noticed during times of grieving you may have experienced symptoms such as shortness of breath, an asthma attack or even sinus problems? Bowel changes may also show up. The digestive system is impacted because the lung has a strong relationship with the large intestine, representing difficulty ‘letting go’, thus, constipation.  Not only can your acupuncturist support you through this process physically, by supporting the lungs and large intestine (metal element), treating the physical symptom helps to alleviate some of the emotional pain associated with miscarriage.

 
Acupuncture will also work to support your kidneys through their strong relationship with reproductive health to achieve a healthy pregnancy in the future.  Additionally, allowing your body to rest during this time is incredibly important as your body begins to heal after suffering a miscarriage.  Nourishing your body with warm foods and gentle exercise such as qigong or yin yoga are other steps which will allow your menstrual cycle to regulate afterward. This will help make you feel whole again, and know that you can reach out for the help you need.

Optimal nutrition during pregnancy is of the utmost importance for both you and your baby and it can be challenging to wade through all the advice and different opinions out there.  Whether the advice is coming from your OB, midwife, doula, acupuncturist, friends, or even your own mom. At the end of the day, you know yourself best; trust your intuition and educate yourself as well to lead you in the right direction.

Your body is hard at work providing for the baby, who needs specific nutrients for every phase of growth and development. He or she is completely dependent upon you, the expectant mother, to provide every one of them. In fact, the impact of food on fetal development and growth can hardly be overstated. Of all the many choices we are faced with each day, what we choose to put in our mouths is the foundation of health and wellness. So choose a vibrant and colorful diet to give your body what it needs to thrive and function optimally.

Chinese medicine offers a helpful perspective when choosing the right foods to eat. In this tradition, food is categorized by nature, flavor, temperature and its impact on the qi and blood.

There are 5 flavors: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and pungent; some foods contain more than one flavor. Foods can also be hot, cold, warm, or neutral, or the temperature can be modified by cooking, for example steamed veggies are considered more warm than raw.  Flavors even have energetic properties; for example bitter is draining, sour is astringent or drying, pungent is warming, salty is cooling, and sweet can be nourishing or cooling.

I encourage my patients to introduce warming and/or moistening foods during the cooler months because they help to “stoke the digestive fire.” As the weather cools down and we crave comfort foods, our body is telling us to provide it with warmer dishes. It’s a lot of work for your body to digest a cold smoothie in the morning which is a popular breakfast choice. It can often lead to dampness causing loose stools or abdominal pain. I also encourage patients to avoid too many spicy, bitter, or pungent foods, especially in the third trimester as they can stimulate the unwelcome discomfort of heartburn.

May I strongly suggest that you consider an organic diet? Our bodies are bombarded with chemicals hiding around every corner these days, whether it be from pollution, skin care products, or household cleaning products. An organic diet can help alleviate some of these common stressors we encounter daily.

Other key components to healthy eating include:

• Eating a filling breakfast upon waking
• Avoiding large meals at night
• Eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day
• Drinking plenty of water to avoid constipation or dehydration.

There are a number of ways that food can be helpful during pregnancy and the postpartum time.  Here are examples of just a few:

Promotion of milk production: Aduki beans or boiled peanuts

Combating morning sickness: Ginger tea

Alleviation of hemorrhoids or constipation: Bananas or honey

My personal favorite to nourish the spleen and stomach: Congee, or rice porridge (see recipe below)

There are many other ways that a Chinese medical perspective on nutrition can help alleviate common pregnancy discomforts and promote vitality and wellness.  In my practice I incorporate food suggestions along with acupuncture and herbal treatments that are tailored for each individual that I work with.

Most importantly, seek balance; that is the essence of Chinese medicine. Eat a variety of whole foods, and not too much of any one thing.  Your pregnancy is a beautiful season of life. Enjoy it!

Congee (Chinese Rice Porridge)

This is a warm, comforting, easy-to-digest dish that came be made to suit anyone’s taste.  A traditional combination is to use chicken stock, adding fresh ginger during cooking and scallions and soy sauce when it’s served.  Both vegetables and fruits (dried or fresh) can be added, along with spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, or garlic.  Take this basic recipe and run with it!

8 Cups of water or stock/broth

1 Cup long-grain rice
Add both rice and water/stock/broth to a pot and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to a simmer and cover partially (lid cocked).  Cook for 1 ½ – 2 hours.  Stir frequently during the last 30 minutes of cooking to avoid sticking.  Finished congee should be the consistency of oatmeal.  It will thicken as it cools.  Some warm water can be added if congee becomes too thick.

At this point in winter we are all craving warm, nourishing, comfort food, and it’s easy to want to reach for something that may be more comforting than nourishing, (cue mac and cheese).  But this is the perfect time to make some delicious bone broth that fits both comforting and nourishing!  You have probably heard of it from your friend, neighbor and health care practitioner; or maybe you have seen it in a magazine of famous celebs touting the amazing benefits it’s had on their health.

If you have wondered exactly what bone broth is or how it differs from regular stock you have come to the right place, and maybe you have wondered if it really stacks up to all it’s wonderful claims and whether or not it’s safe during pregnancy.  Did you know that bone broth is great to support your immune function and safe during pregnancy.  In fact, due to it’s mineral rich quality it’s great to help build your baby’s bones and keeps your own stores from becoming depleted, especially after delivery.  It can also promote more calcium rich milk for breastfeeding.

Bone broth is made by simmering bones from cow, chicken, or turkey bones.  It is simmered for 12-18 hours to encourage the release of minerals and collagen rich gelatin from the bone.  Whereas regular stock is simmered for only 45 minutes to 4 hours.  It is found to be high in minerals our bodies need, like glycine and proline, and rich in protein.  It is also great to help boost collagen production to help our muscles, skin, and joints.  It has been reported to strengthen and heal the digestive tract.  Many people suffering from autoimmune diseases have found it incredibly healing due to its anti-inflammatory benefits.  As I said above, it is great to support a healthy immune system and replenish the loss of minerals after giving birth.  And due to its rich collagen and gelatin profile it can help to restore or tighten loose skin.  

Many complaints during the first trimester are related to nausea, bone broth is easily digested and calming for the stomach, helping provide you with the proper nutrients needed for the initial stages of pregnancy.  Bone broth also contains glucosamine and chondroitin, which are great nutrients for joint health.  This will not only alleviate pregnancy related soreness and discomfort but will also help you strengthen joint health after delivery during recovery.  And it will assist in your baby’s joint formation.  

After learning all the benefits, I decided to try my own hand at making bone broth, which involved a few (ahem. . . maybe more than a few) mishaps.  These included buying too few bones, spilling it all over the counter top, which was a greasy oily MESS!, and the crock pot turning off in the middle of the night multiple times (blerg).  I loved that I was involved in making my own broth, adding it to recipes, and drinking it on it’s own was a nice addition.  I use it as a base for immune boosting soups  made in all seasons.  My husband and I are HUGE soup fans of all tastes and flavors.  And as a sufferer of digestive problems, I did notice that my digestion started to improve and that my energy seemed more stable on days following indulging in bone broth.  

So next time you’re reaching for something warm and comforting give bone broth a try!  The benefits are huge and it’s so easy to make.  You have several options, the quickest way is done in a pressure cooker, but if you’re like me and don’t have one just lying around, try a slow cooker or for an even slower method. . . requiring more patience, the stove top.  Below are the recipes and other health benefits for both pressure cooker and slow cooker.  

I would love to hear how bone broth has impacted your health!  

Bone Broth Benefits:

• Great for nutrient absorption, bone broth is a great source of bioavailable nutrients making it easy to absorb.  It’s amino acid structure and high gelatin content make it soothing and healing for the gut.
• It supports hair, skin, nails, and joints due to its collagen content
• It contains glucosamine, chondroitin, sulphates and other compounds to support joint health.
• It provides the amino acids needed for collagen production.
• It contains several essential amino acids that are difficult to get from diet alone, for example Proline, Glycine, Arginine, and Glutamine.
• It decreases nausea during pregnancy
• It helps to replenish minerals lost during birth and supports breastfeeding for mom and baby with calcium rich milk
• It assists with gut and immune health

Bone Broth can be cooked in a slow cooker, on the stove, or in a pressure cooker.  When choosing bones it is best to choose ones that are grass fed and/or pastured.

Pressure Cooker Recipe:

   Time:  3 hours

   Ingredients:    

          Water

           Beef, chicken, or pork bones (beef knuckle bones are great

           Apple Cider Vinegar

           Bay leaf

   Directions:  

            Step 1.  Fill pressure cooker to fill line, add bay leaf and a splash of apple cider vinegar.  (Vinegar is necessary here to help draw out the minerals from the bones)

        Step 2.  Place as many bones as you can fit in your pot, this will help with providing consistent gelatin formation.

        Step 3.  Let the pressure cooker cook at high pressure for 3 hours, when finished let depressurize naturally and strain the liquid into a large container or small mason jars to be put in the fridge.  Here you may pick out any still intact bones for later use, discard the bones that have turned to mush.  

   *Lasts for 1 to 2 weeks in the fridge

Intact bones may be reused for additional batch, however it is important to include new bones with the used intact bones to provide the best flavor and nutrient dense broth.

Slow Cooker Recipe:

   Time:  12-18 hours

   Ingredients:  Water

   Beef, chicken, or pork bones (beef knuckle bones are great!)

           Apple Cider Vinegar

   Bay leaf

   Directions:

   Step 1.  Fill the slow cooker with bones until about ¾ full.

   Step 2.  Add water to cover completely, add a splash of apple cider vinegar and bay leaf.

       Step 3.  Set slow cooker to low and cook for 12-18 hours.  The color of the broth should look mahogany and smell great.  Cooking times may vary, it is best to gauge it on the color and flavor of the broth.