It’s National Endometriosis and Adenomyosis Awareness Month, so we should take a moment to consider these conditions and how they are often overlooked.

The common presentation for either condition usually includes very painful menstrual cycles, but you can still have this condition without those indicators. Many women are never diagnosed until they have difficulty conceiving. “Silent” endometriosis, or a mild form, is usually just accepted as normal menstrual pain and medicated or tolerated.

What then, is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a medical condition in which the tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus grows outside of it. It can be found on other pelvic organs, such as the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or the outer surface of the uterus, and other parts of the pelvis.

This condition can cause pain, heavy periods, and fertility issues.

Most people are simply unaware of what a vitamin is and its physiological importance.

A vitamin is the short form of the term “Vital Amine” which was coined about the discoveries of organic compounds and proteins that contained amine groups, which were deemed VITAL for metabolism and health.

What we think of today as vitamins are only a fraction of what was discovered and what is intended by the term.

The term "vital amine" refers to a type of organic compound known as a vitamin. Vitamins are essential nutrients that are required for the proper functioning of our bodies. "Vital amine" described the earliest discovered vitamins which were organic compounds containing an amine group.

Each year around this time people create unrealistic expectations for themselves and then suffer from low self-esteem when they don’t pull it off. It’s a negative reinforcement loop: creating unattainable goals and then confirming your low self-worth when you fail.

Let’s just stop doing it, okay?

Learn to set a few reasonable expectations, and work on them every day. Like, two or three things. Then, in a month or so, when you’re feeling good about having made this small progress, add one more thing to your list and build that new habit.

Small, simple steps over time lead to great success.

For those who aren’t keeping up, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled on a case regarding the accidental destruction of embryos. Despite previous courts dismissing the suit, the ASC ruled that cryopreserved embryos, (frozen embryos that may never even receive a transfer into a gestational carrier), are essentially children with the full rights of children who are walking the earth.

Although many people jump to agree with this, a drastic fight for logical reasoning is playing out now, in the courts and in the media. And the risk is potentially the failure of IVF treatments as we know it.

In 1978 the US government issued a new visual image of how Americans should eat, The Food Pyramid. A challenge to how most Americans were currently eating, the new food pyramid emphasized eating 6-10 servings of grain-based carbohydrate foods daily.

The new pyramid reduced salt and dietary fats to minimal levels and put them at the very top. Americans were told to stop consuming fat and instead fill their day with bread, cereals, popcorn, pasta, and all kinds of highly refined carbohydrate products.

This is the beginning of the obesity epidemic we see today. Not only that, but neurological disorders, brain diseases, hypertension, autoimmune illness, hormonal imbalance, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and most other epidemics we see today have skyrocketed since this incident.

When going to sit down with a fertility specialist for the first time, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and forget to ask the questions you’ve been wanting to. Here’s a quick list to help you prepare. Make notes that apply to you and your partner and take it with you to help guide the discussion.

Feeling heard and understood from the origin of the relationship helps build trust and respect, which prove to be vital to also feeling cared for by your physician and clinic.

Informed patients are good at self-advocating, so plan to speak up when you have the opportunity.

Time is your most precious asset. Spend it wisely.

If your biggest complaint is not enough time, then you probably need to recalibrate your time management. Not to fit more in and master multi-tasking, but rather to eliminate the time-wasting elements.

Scroll less. Watch less television. Declutter your house to eliminate time spent on organization and storage. Stop shopping for items you don’t need anyway. Stop researching.

Go make a snowman instead.

Your mind is your strongest muscle, train it well….

Sometimes fertility clinics will recommend that you follow a diet that is intended to reduce inflammation in the body, but unless they give you specifics you can go down a rabbit hole trying to decide which one will produce the desired result but also suit your needs. 

If your doctor recommends you try this approach, ask a few more questions to understand their wishes.  Be sure to understand the intended goals and desired effect, which leads to improved decision-making and an increased chance of sticking to the plan.  

You might only have 30 or so days to prepare for the next cycle or procedure, so rapid intervention might be the goal.  You might have three months and a doctor who wants you to focus on getting five to eight servings of fresh fruit and vegetables each day.  To achieve the desired outcome you should aim to clarify as much detail as you can and make a master list of goals.  

If a certain amount of weight loss is desired, make a note of it. Find other ways to monitor a reduction of inflammatory symptoms such as changes in your physical body like joint pain, skin rash or headaches.  Fill out a toxicity or inflammation questionnaire before you begin and keep your store.  Take the test again after each month of dietary changes and track your progress. 

Here’s a quick exploration of the most common diets for reducing inflammation.  

Am I the only person who love-hates the “New year, new you” schtick?

I love the promise of it, the romance of summing up where I am in life and then creating a new landing page for the next year. I love taking time to reflect on where I’ve come from and be proud of what I’ve accomplished. I love creating new goals.

But I hate the fact that it creates a false narrative that it all must begin RIGHT NOW. The suggestion that our timeline is arbitrary to the calendar year. And I hate that most endeavors take longer than the time we ourselves to achieve them and we quit before ever really getting anywhere.

I don’t like thinking of myself as the new me, like a pair of new shoes and we just toss the old ones. Starting over with a clean slate feels good but our old self informs our new self, so shouldn’t we carry it along?

Instead of new you, maybe focus on same you with new habits. Habits are what we are all trying to change, really. We want to eat healthier, be kinder, read more books or take over the internet. Whatever it is you want to change it requires shifting your habits to get there.

Every year, a few days before Christmas, comes the winter solstice, an astronomical event that marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. It occurs annually on December 21st or 22nd in the Northern Hemisphere and June 20th or 21st in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s a night of celebration, to give thanks for another year closing and the birth of a new one on the horizon. Although it isn’t marking the end of the calendar year, it marks the end of a season and the beginning of another.

In many cultures, the winter solstice represents the rebirth of the sun and the return of longer days. It symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness and is a symbol of hope and renewal. Many ancient civilizations celebrated festivals such as Saturnalia and Yule during this time.

In Chinese medicine, this represents the turning of yin to yang, a phase that happens each day and night, each year, and in nearly every phenomenon we know. TCM is all about phases, the progression from stillness to action, and the ebb and flow of life as days and years pass.

People tell you to “get some rest,” so you lye around and watch television, order takeout, and skip a social activity. Does that resolve your stress or boost your energy?

I recently discovered “The 7 Types of Rest” by Sandra Dalton-Smith, which illuminates how we still feel tired even after sleep, and how lying around being lazy doesn’t satisfy the kind of rejuvenation we are seeking.

Dalton-Smith explains that there are seven kinds of rest we require, and once we identify our need we can take action to pursue it. Or not, depending on how you look at it. Ha!

The Seven Types of Rest are: physical, mental, emotional, sensory, creative, social, and spiritual.

In today’s world of social media language, we have all learned about FOMO, or the Fear Of Missing Out. I have to admit, this one is pretty handy.

Fear of missing out has likely increased for most of us, since the rise of social media and the ability to make the most boring and uninspired events look larger than life. It’s amazing what an angle can do for a scene.

Personally, when I’m having the time of my life I’m unlikely to capture it on film. When I’m in the moment I just don’t think to stop and film. So many other people are taking pics and videos that I’m sure the posts will be made, and all I have to do is enjoy them. As a result, I’m rarely ever in photographs. HA! That’s part of my MO, I love anonymity.

I notice FOMO creeping in at times, but many other people suffer it constantly. The need to be present, be a part of it, (Whatever it is), be IN the photos, is too great to say no.

The downside is that constant busyness and social engagement are exhausting.

I saw a new acronym that we should jump on and make a trend. JOMO. Joy Of Missing Out.

Getting ready for an egg retrieval is a combination of hopeful anticipation, and dread for a potentially bad outcome. Like most other milestones of (in)fertility, you want good things to happen but know that there is no sure thing.

What steps can be taken to prepare for an egg retrieval that might improve your outcome? What steps can be taken to improve the way you feel each day as the looming event nears?

Let’s take a look at how Chinese Medicine views this process and find the small measures that makes it easier to get through.

So, what happens in an egg retrieval?

The holiday season is typically a time of joy, celebration, and togetherness. But for those of us navigating the ever changing landscape of infertility, it can also be a season of heightened emotions, stress, and sadness. The family gatherings, unsolicited questions, and baby-centric festivities can feel overwhelming and just - too much.

I’ll be honest - before infertility, the holidays were my favorite time of year. But now, knowing we’re approaching another Thanksgiving and Christmas without a baby to be thankful for or a pregnancy announcement to share, it’s another a holiday filled with anxiety and sadness.

My personal goal this year has been to redefine joy while on this rollercoaster. I’ve been journaling in preparation, and through that, I’ve created some personal strategies to help me cope and find moments of joy and peace. I thought I’d share that list with you today.

So, if you’re anything like me, I hope you know you're not alone, and that I’m here for you every step of the way. 🤍

Preparing the Palace is the Traditional Chinese medicine phrase that describes preparing for a pregnancy. Although the uterus is technically the palace, we expand this to include your body, heart, and mind.

Embracing this kind of language and approach puts humanity back into the experience, and encourages you to think of yourself as more than a person doing an embryo transfer. It invites you to think of yourself as a precious being that has so much to offer your intended baby, not just a gestational incubator.

When prepping for an embryo transfer you are constructing the prime luteal phase where the uterus is most hospitable. In TCM, we equate this to planting seeds in fertile soil. The ground must be soft and pliable, the temperature should be warm, and the moisture should be just enough. Under these conditions, a seed can sprout and an embryo can grow.

The language of Chinese medicine is flowery and romantic, yet practical and simple.

As an Acupuncture Physician, I have worked with hundreds of people in pain. As a specialist in Women’s health, many of them aren’t coming to me for knee and shoulder pain, they are coming in with complex pain of the pelvis and abdomen, lower back, uterus, ovaries, and bladder. They come with endometriosis, fibroids, uterine cysts, post-operative pain, pain from scars and adhesions, and undiagnosable, mystery pain.

Each of them has an emotional component, whether they know it or not. It’s not their job to know that their feelings, thoughts, and emotions can influence how they feel pain. It’s my job.

Procrastination & Catastrophizing: Tips and Tricks on How to Move Forward

If you spend any time in the IVF world of Instagram, you are familiar with the widely documented emotional perils. When looking for hope and support you often find new reasons to worry, tragedy, and heartache.  It is influential, but not always helpful.

Although it makes for good video content and can lend a dark humor perspective, some bad habits are propagated for consumption and lead you nowhere good.  Let’s look at two habits that aren’t inherently dangerous, but serve no purpose toward heart-centered decision-making or empowerment.

Procrastination and catastrophizing.  Alone they are problematic and together they are destructive.

What is procrastination and catastrophizing and how does it relate to IVF? Tap the link to read the blog…

Insulin resistance, or IR, is a tough metabolic condition that can contribute to weight gain, elevated blood sugar, inflammation, PCOS and other fertility challenges. For women with this condition, it often feels like a hormonal imbalance snowball effect, once it gets going it's hard to stop.

Success can be attributed to the daily habits and routines we adopt in our lives. Habit stacking is a powerful concept that can significantly impact personal growth and productivity. From small changes to meaningful transformations, these practices provide a framework for developing positive habits and eliminating destructive ones.

Ever since James Clear released his book “Atomic Habits,” people have applied his principles to lots of topics. Atomic habits are small, incremental changes that compound over time and ultimately lead to significant outcomes. He suggests that trying to tackle large projects all at once is overwhelming and often leads to failure or giving up.

Learning how to live life in a way that reduces persistent stress and decreases the adrenaline pump takes time, but making the decision to do so is often the first step in reversing the panic disorders the are plaguing us.