Beth and Tami

a blog by Tami Quinn, Pulling Down the Moon, August 27, 2010

Since our recent flood, my work space at Pulling Down the Moon has moved from an isolated back office in the old location to a desk in the midst of the open loft space of our temp location. As a result, I am interacting much more these days with the Moon’s therapeutic environment.

As we’ve written about in previous blogs, we consciously use sensory input, including soft lighting, aromatherapy and music, to elicit relaxation in our clients. Direct stimulation of the senses targets the most primitive part of the human brain (the limbic system) and can take us very quickly from a state of agitation into the physiological state of relaxation.

A Catchy ‘Tune’

While the light and scent definitely create a calming vibe, it’s actually the music I want to blog about today. Last weekend I found myself at home, humming strains of the music that had been playing in the background of my work week. Words, too, that I didn’t realize had registered in my mind came out my mouth. Surprisingly, the words I’d absorbed were not even English lyrics — they were the Sanskrit mantras that play in the background of a typical day at the Moon.

There are many definitions for the word “mantra.” The simplest is that mantra is a sound, word or series of sounds used to concentrate our attention, which is used in many spiritual practices, including prayer. When set to music or rhythm and articulated aloud, mantra becomes chanting (the word chant comes from the Latin “to sing”).

In his ground-breaking work The Relaxation Response, Dr. Herbert Benson included mantra repetition in his system for eliciting the relaxation response. Instead of Sanskrit, Benson suggested using any calming, resonant word (he suggested “one”) as a mental device to help anchor the mind. Silent repetition of the mantra on the exhaling breath, according to Benson, helped to slow breathing and short-circuit anxiety-provoking mental chatter. The yoga tradition goes one step further than Dr. Benson and teaches that the actual vibration and frequency of Sanskrit syllables can clear negative thought patterns and create deeper awareness in the practitioner.

Creating Peace and Well-Being

At the Moon we teach mantra in our classes as a meditation tool to help students break negative thought habits. But before my inadvertent mantra practice last weekend, I had not realized how mantra could be used more generally to create peace and wellbeing. Here is what I noticed:

1. The mantra that I brought home last weekend was “ong namo, guru dev namo,” which translates to “I call upon the divine wisdom.”
2. The mantra would arise spontaneously at times when my mind was resting, like when I was cleaning the kitchen, sitting on the beach and going for a walk.
3. When I was chanting, I was very present with my surroundings, not lost in thought.
4. Singing these chants aloud cleared my throat, chest and voice.
5. As I chanted, I did actually feel noticeably happy and lighter.
6. All of this was, I decided, a good thing.

Many people are put off by the concept of mantra for religious reasons or because they feel uncomfortable with words or phrases they do not understand. Yet there are many forms of mantra available to us: gospel songs that lift our spirits, sacred hymns from our place of spiritual worship, traditional yogic and Buddhist chants. The practice of mantra harks back to the old advice to “act the way you want to feel.” If you are trying to cultivate joy, peace and gratitude, sing songs of joy, peace and gratitude.

My experience with mantra at work has inspired me to find ways to fill my workplace, home space or commute with meaningful sounds ... and to sing them to my heart’s content.

a blog by Tami Quinn, Pulling Down the Moon, August 20, 2010

Last time we wrote a blog on how proper nutrition and some healthy lifestyle changes can assist with insomnia or other sleep disorders. This week we thought we’d share with you a yogi’s perspective on how to get a good night’s rest.

As you probably know by now, an increasing amount of evidence points to the importance of a good night’s sleep in the treatment of infertility. Poor sleep can lead to the disruption of hormones, a weakened immunity, a lower tolerance for stress and even depression. While some folks can pinpoint the reason for their sleeplessness, many of us cannot.

Since sleep is an important part of a holistic fertility program at Pulling Down the Moon, we thought we’d share additional tips, this time from a yoga perspective on how to get to sleep and stay asleep.

Drink Cherry Juice

Mom used to tell us that a glass of warm milk before bedtime would put us out like a light. Now, new research out of the University of Pennsylvania suggests that a glass of tart cherry juice in the morning and one at night can have modest but beneficial effects on sleep. It is believed that the naturally occurring melatonin in cherries might be the reason. Additionally, natural cherries are high in antioxidants, which make them a fertility friendly food. Just remember, if you plan to partake of this nectar, try to find one that does not have added sugar. Also, don’t drink too close to bedtime lest your bladder demand a wake-up call.

Yogi’s are big on cherries. In fact, some gurus suggest a periodic cleansing fast by decreasing food intake and increasing the consumption of natural cherries as a way to get the bowels moving and increase the intake of antioxidants into the system. Remember, anything relating to diet while TTC should be discussed with your doctor and supervised by a nutritionist.

Ritual to the Moon

Many of us have sleep onset issues due to the tossing and turning that comes with a full brain. This yoga technique can be used as part of your nightly ritual as a way to help clear the mind and bring about a sense of peace.

Get started by doing your usual nightly routine: put on your nightclothes, brush your teeth and do any other rituals you ordinarily do in preparation for sleep. Now, dim the lights, and put on some soft classical music. Climb into bed and prop yourself up with pillows so that you are sitting straight up in bed or leaning against your headboard. Begin dumping the contents of your brain onto an imaginary dry-erase board. Start by asking yourself what you did right today, then ask what you accomplished or what made you feel proud. Next think about those things that you could have done better or what you need to work on.

Remember, we are isolating our thoughts to those of the day. Forget about what happened last week or what might happen tomorrow. Let the thoughts flow onto your imaginary board. It is believed that emptying the contents of your mind before your sleep will help you stay asleep and be less affected by those middle of the night obsessions that can keep us all awake. Once you have spent five to 10 minutes data dumping, visualize erasing all those thoughts from your cosmic dry-erase board and go to sleep.

Breathe

While breathing may sound like an obvious necessity, certain yoga breathing techniques are specifically meant to calm the central nervous system and induce the relaxation response.

After performing Ritual to the Moon, lay down flat on your back, shut off all remaining lights and music and place one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Now inhale long, slow breaths to the count of five, then exhale slowly to the count of five. All breathing should be done through the nose and not through the mouth. Count to yourself as you inhale to the count of five, then count as you exhale. This rhythmic, equal part breathing should have you feeling relaxed and drowsy in no time at all.

Mantra

Yogis believe mantra is a powerful form of transformation. Try chanting either aloud or softly to yourself the mantra OM Shanti Shanti Shanti. Shanti is a Sanskrit word for “peace.”

Start by inhaling through your nose. As you exhale, say OM and allow the M to linger for a bit. Next, say Shanti by dragging out the “a” sound each time the word is repeated. You can say your mantra over and over or until you feel at peace enough to fall asleep.

Sleep on Your Right Side

It is interesting to know that at any given time during the day, either our left or our right nostril becomes the dominant nostril for breathing. How do you know which one is dominant for you? Simply close off one nostril at a time and see which one is easiest to breathe through. One will feel very open, while the other feels blocked.

Dominant nostrils change approximately every two hours. The right nostril breathes in more of an active, hot energy, while the left nostril brings in more cooling and passive energy. To induce sleep, left nostril breathing is recommended. You can do this by closing off the right nostril and only breathing through the left, or you can lay on your right side, which helps open up the left channel automatically.

Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra literally translates into “sleep of the Yogi.” This practice is believed to bring peace and relaxation to the entire body while programming the mind to let go and allow the gift of natural healing to occur within.

A big part of Yoga Nidra is setting an intention or San Culpa that we wish to bring from our consciousness into the physical world. This can be especially empowering for a woman trying to conceive as she looks to bring into her life the child she is meant to have. Pulling Down the Moon recommends the CD “Relax Into Greatness” by Rod Stryker as a wonderful Yoga Nidra bedtime tool.

While we do not suggest you perform all of these things every night, it is our recommendation that you try them all and see which ones work best for you. Once you have settled in with your own bedtime yogic routine, stick with it. In essence, you are reprogramming your mind and body and teaching it how to relax and sleep. This process takes time and a whole lot of self love. Let us know how you do and which techniques work best for you.

Happy snoozing!

a blog by Breea Johnson, MS, RD, LDN Pulling Down the Moon, July 28, 2010

After seeing many women with infertility at Pulling Down the Moon for nutrition counseling, it’s easy to start seeing a lot of common trends among my clients. One that I see quite frequently is insomnia, or having difficulty going to sleep and staying asleep. While stress, worry and an over-thinking mind can definitely make it difficult to sleep, there are many other more biochemical and physiological reasons that women can’t get some Zs. A few to consider are an elevated cortisol level, caffeine intake, poor diet and lack of exercise.

The Sleep Process

Let’s take a brief look at the process of sleep. For the lucky woman, when she begins to go to sleep her metabolism decreases and her heart rate slows. Her muscles relax, and her breathing becomes more regular. Some thoughts of the day may run through her mind, but within 15 to 30 minutes, lights are out and she is fast asleep.

Enter insomnia — a persistent difficulty falling and staying asleep. So what differs between the woman who can get an easy eight hours per night and the woman who can’t fall asleep (without medication) and when does, she wakes up every few hours tossing and turning?

Let’s discuss cortisol, the “anti-sleep hormone.” Cortisol is a hormone secreted from the adrenal cortex (the adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys and are in charge of releasing hormones such as cortisol, androgens, estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, ephinephrine, and norepinephrine also called adrenaline). Cortisol is typically released in the morning when blood glucose (sugar) drops. You open your eyes, get ready for the morning and feel hungry, so you eat breakfast. As the day goes on, your cortisol levels naturally decrease, and by 9 or 10 p.m. you are relaxed and ready to jump into bed and soon are fast asleep. And the cycle continues.

Too Much Cortisol

So, how does this cycle get out of whack?

The number one contributor is stress. Cortisol is triggered in stressful situations, so having constant stress can keep cortisol unnaturally elevated and contribute to insomnia. Another factor in altered cortisol levels is caffeine. Caffeine raises cortisol levels. So, while having one cup of Joe in the morning when your cortisol levels are already high may be okay, having a cup of coffee in the afternoon or evening can lead you to a restless night’s sleep. Having multiple cups of coffee (or any of the caffeinated beverage varieties) can continually trigger a cortisol response, which after a while can lead to adrenal fatigue or exhaustion.

Does your energy crash in the afternoon? Having blood sugar swings can also lead to altered cortisol levels because a high intake of carbohydrates (especially the processed ones) can lead to increased levels of insulin and cortisol, furthering your body’s natural sleep cycle out of sync. There are also specific nutrients that are beneficial for cortisol production and degradation. Magnesium, for one, helps to decrease cortisol levels and also helps to relax smooth muscles.

The Link to Fertility

What does this have to do with fertility? When the adrenal glands are over-worked from high stress and poor diet, hormones can easily become imbalanced. High levels of cortisol production can lead to low levels of other hormone production such as estrogen, progresterone, testosterone and DHEA. DHEA, which is inversely related to cortisol production, is an important steroid hormone that has been found to be beneficial for Decreased Ovarian Reserve (DOR). Additionally, high insulin levels can interfere with ovarian hormones, further complicating the process of reproduction. So, helping with insomnia may also benefit fertility.

If you struggle with insomnia and infertility, try these tips:

1. Have a plan to manage stress. Beyond watching TV and shopping, doing something daily to manage stress is pivotal in our society. Yoga, gardening, deep breathing, meditation, weekly massages, acupuncture, walking, bike riding, cooking, cleaning — whatever makes you feel happy and stress-free.

2. Make a rule not to eat anything with caffeine after 11 a.m. That includes coffee; black, green or white tea; iced tea; chocolate;energy drinks and soda. If you can, eliminate caffeine altogether.

3. Make time to sleep. Many people do not give themselves adequate time to sleep — pushing themselves to the brink of exhaustion. While you might not be sleeping for eight hours, give yourself at least eight hours to have time to sleep, and try jumping into an already made bed.

4. Exercise early. Consistent exercise helps reduce stress but exercise can actual increase cortisol levels, which if done after work may interfere with your ability to sleep. Try exercising before work or on your lunch break. Or, try a lower impact exercise like yoga in the evening.

5. Manage blood sugar. Eating regularly and making sure to get protein and healthy fats at every meal can be extremely beneficial for adrenal health, and lead to easier sleeping.

6. Eat lots of green leafy vegetables. These vital veggies are high in magnesium and help with muscle relaxation. Try kale, collard greens, spinach and Swiss Chard.

7. If you can’t sleep, try taking a Magnesium supplement (with at least 100 mg of magnesium) or take an Epsom Salt bath before retiring to bed. Epsom salts are made of magnesium and help muscle relaxation. PDtM carries MyoCalm, a magnesium-based supplement with herbs to help relaxation prior to sleeping.

For more information on insomnia, infertility and adrenal health, please contact Pulling Down the Moon to make an appointment with one of our Fertility Nutrition Specialists.

a blog by Beth Heller and Tami Quinn, Pulling Down the Moon, July 19, 2010

It’s very easy to eye-roll when someone tells you that deep breathing may good for your fertility. It sounds:

1) too simple to be true and
2) dangerously close to those polarizing words “just relax.”

Yet, there are strong scientifically-acknowledged reasons why breathing may be an important catalyst in the fertility process.

Two Types of Breathing

Essentially, scientists have determined that humans have two basic breathing patterns.

1) The first is “thoracic-dominant ventilation,” which is typically characterized by a rapid, irregular breathing rate and a low tidal volume (amount of air that is exchanged in a given cycle of breath). In the thoracic pattern, the abdominal muscles are rigid (think suck in your gut!) and the shoulders and chest muscles tend to be tense. When you watch someone use thoracic breathing, you can often even see their shoulders rise and fall with the breath.

2) The second breathing pattern, “abdominal-diaphragmatic ventilation,” a.k.a. “belly breath” has a slow, rhythmic respiration rate and a relatively large tidal volume. In the abdominal pattern the abdominal muscles are relaxed, and the belly moves outward on the inhale and relaxes back in on the exhale. You will not see shoulders move when someone is breathing into their belly. Each of these breathing patterns is associated with distinct physiological effects. The one we want to use to promote fertility is definitely the belly breath.

Slow, rhythmic abdominal breathing creates a rise in CO2 in the lung arterioles and, by consequence, the blood. This increased (but still normal) level of CO2 induces vascular relaxation, promotes blood flow to the brain, increases the excretion of acidic metabolites through the kidneys and increases the transfer of oxygen from hemoglobin to tissues. Thoracic breathing, on the other hand, works in the opposite manner, decreasing CO2 levels and causing constriction of blood flow in the heart and brain, and less oxygen transfer to the tissues. Since good blood flow and tissue oxygenation is important for fertility, these vascular actions are important. Using belly breath has also been shown to shift the hormonal milieu in the body from “fight or flight,” to “rest, digest and nest.”

Abdominal breathing also works for fertility on a mechanical level. When we relax the belly and breathe into the abdomen, our diaphragm muscle contracts downward. This action promotes the circulation of lymph resulting in improved clearance of metabolic waste. The movement also massages the liver, stomach, intestines and reproductive organs and stretches the connective tissue that surrounds the heart. When we release a belly breath, the upward motion of the muscle promotes the venous return of blood to the heart. Thoracic breathing, which is rapid and shallow, does not confer these benefits.

Take Time for Abdominal Breathing

So make sure you take a few minutes a day to focus on your breath. Identify your breathing pattern. Are your shoulders, back and neck rigid as you breathe? Is your belly moving? If you’re not using belly breath, try this exercise:

1) Sit in a straight-backed chair with your feet flat on the floor or lie down.
2) Place one hand on your belly.
3) Close your eyes and begin to breathe in and out through your nose.
4) Breathe deep into the abdomen, feeling your belly expand with the inhale.
5) As you exhale, feel the hand and the belly gently move back toward the spine.

Continue this breathing pattern for 5-10 minutes. It may be helpful to visualize a balloon behind the navel that you inflate with the in-breath, and empty with the out-breath. With practice this will become your habitual breathing pattern and you will reap the fertility benefits of relaxation, circulation and a serene mind.

Be present, be positive…breathe into your belly!

Peace, Beth

a blog by Beth Heller and Tami Quinn, Pulling Down the Moon, June 16, 2010

Last week, after moving for the third time in the past nine months due to a house renovation, I was feeling particularly sorry for myself. While I was busy birthing a new home and feeling exhausted by work, the move and the end of the school year, I re-read a charming novel I had picked up several years ago called The Alchemist.

The Alchemist is a fable, telling the story of a young boy, Santiago, who sets out into the world looking to find buried treasure in Egypt. Part of Santiago wants to find the treasure and part of him wants to return home to safety. A wise king convinces Santiago that his only real obligation in life is to follow his Personal Legend. As the story describes it, Personal Legend is the path one decides to take that fills their heart with enthusiasm and joy. It is the path of our dreams, that which we are born to do.

In yoga, we call it “dharma” and my guru always says that when we truly step into its path, the whole of the universe will conspire to assist us along our journey. I got to thinking about Personal Legends and dharma in the context of infertility.

As many of you know, I am a former fertility patient, who had convinced her husband early on in their marriage that we should move up the corporate ladder, have a nest egg, travel the world and buy our first house before having children. Then, of course, when we had trouble conceiving, I felt like my world was falling apart.

All the plans I had made for the future meant nothing if I couldn’t be a mom. I felt stuck, like my own Personal Legend was slipping away. If I was not to be a mom, what then would I be? How could I bring any value into the world when my perception of my future included children and that dream was escaping me? I vowed, at the time, that if I could ever help another woman through the painstaking emotional process of infertility, I would do it.

Guess what happened? The whole of the universe conspired in making me keep my promise through the creation of Pulling Down the Moon almost eight years ago.

Today, when I teach one of our yoga or Dealing with Disappointment classes, I hear the same thing from our students/fertility patients. Through weepy eyes and saddened hearts they express how lost and stuck they feel as their Personal Legends appear to be escaping them. Believe this when I tell you - and as my guru has told to me - each of us are born with one special thing we do better than anyone else on this planet, although sometimes we just don’t know it.

Purpose, Not Always Where It's Expected

The Chopra Center gave a great example of this during a weekend workshop I attended a few years back. The teacher put his students in a circle and gave them a dharma talk, expressing that each person was truly gifted with a unique talent. He told each student that they had to voice their one talent to the group before leaving for lunch.

Some knew right away, some had to think about it for a while, but one woman, in particular, was quite certain she had no Personal Legend. The teacher waited patiently for the woman to come up with something but she couldn’t. He waited, the other students waited, but the poor, talentless woman came up with nothing. Finally, after a long period of time, growling bellies and an increasingly impatient group, the woman said, “I’ve got it! Dogs love me. When I see a dog, no matter what kind, I start to scratch their bellies and they drop down on the ground in pure bliss.”

“Great,” said the teacher not knowing quite what to say about this odd information, so he dismissed everyone for lunch.

About a year later, the teacher received a letter from this student. “I want to thank you for helping me find my dharma," she wrote. "After I left your class, I went to a local animal shelter and have been rehabilitating dogs that are marked for extermination due to their temperament. I just start to scratch their bellies and little by little they start to trust me. We work together and then they get placed in permanent homes. I have already saved hundreds of animals.”

Finding Your Personal Legend

When we are struggling with infertility, we not only feel on shaky ground regarding our future as a parent, but we also start to question our very purpose on this planet and the role we are intended to play.

While in my own life I have been blessed with twins who have just turned 13 and being a mom is a huge part of my Personal Legend, had I not experienced infertility, I may not have found the path to creating Pulling Down the Moon which, on most days, gives me great joy and helps other women too.

So how do we know when we have found our Personal Legend? Here are four tell-tale signs:

1). It brings you great joy when you do it.

2). Time ceases to exist when you do it.

3). Your Personal Legend serves other beings.

4). You feel a bit of magic as you progress on the path. This is the universe smiling upon you.

So what’s your Personal Legend? Has the infertility journey brought you closer to your intended path?

Write your thoughts and comments here. No lunch until you do.

Tami Quinn/Swami Prajachandrananda

a blog by Beth Heller and Tami Quinn, Pulling Down the Moon, June 4, 2010

Is anyone else struggling with this oil spill?

Over the past few weeks, I’ve woken each morning to news of the ecological disaster on the Gulf Coast. It feels particularly close to home since I’m an ex-Alabamian who spent many childhood summer vacations on the pristine sugar-sand beaches of the “Redneck Riviera.” Old friends own and operate the shrimp boats now called in for damage control. On top of this, I’m deeply immersed in writing a new book that focuses on how the physical and mental environment in which we live may be contributing to our infertility. Taken together, it’s a pretty dismal soup and an overwhelming one at that!

Like most people, I feel much better when I feel I am taking concrete steps to make a difference in whatever is troubling me.

In my writing, I have turned my focus to our innate human ability to heal and transform ourselves and our surroundings. Diet, lifestyle, meditation, attitude are all tools we have at our disposal to combat toxic load and create vibrant health. I’m also a yogi, so I of course I also turn to yoga for help.

I’m very lucky, too, that my business partner Tami is a swami in the Kriya Yoga tradition. Kriya yoga is the “yoga of action” and teaches that we can use yoga to create, sustain and change circumstances for the better. When faced with challenges, especially those that feel beyond our control like infertility (or an oil spill), kriya yoga teaches that simple practices done with loving intention can literally heal us while healing the world.

Here are the practices Tami recommended to me when I shared my environmental angst:

Concrete Steps for Action

• This week, take one item that you are about to throw out and stop before you pitch it. Use that item three more times in three different ways before properly disposing of it in the ecologically correct way (recycle if it’s recyclable, etc.). Through this act you are extending the life of this object, adding to the life energy of the world.
• Use your own locomotion. Use “self-power” (bike, walk, rollerblade) for three trips where you would otherwise use fossil-fuel –powered vehicles.
• Align your spending with your values. Support a local farmer by shopping at a local market, buy earth-friendly cleaning products or rent a hybrid vehicle when you book your next rental car. Money is one form of life-energy in our society (along with love, compassion and nature) and sending that life-energy to sustainable and responsible producers is one way to re-energize our world.
• Don’t hide. Read the papers, sign the petitions and get involved. If you can’t make it to the Gulf, put your loving intention into a clean-up project in your town.

No action is too small to make a difference. Don’t let the immensity of a problem become your excuse for inaction.

Light one candle at a time . . . your own. Through these simple “kriyas,” we can heal ourselves and our world.

Do you have any to add? How are you coping with the spill?

Be present, be positive . . . . be a protector of our mother, the Earth.

Beth

a blog by Beth and Tami of Pulling Down the Moon, May 18, 2010

At our house we’ve even got a name for the team of carnivorous males that gather around the grill with cold beers and tongs while the meat cooks – the Torch Brothers. The bond between these brothers is not a tie of blood, but rather one of sizzling fat and grill tools. Apart from the “testosterone fumes” that drift in from the patio, I’ve always assumed these male bonding moments are harmless . . . . and someone besides me is doing the cooking. How could this be a bad thing?

Last week, headlines screamed about the extinction of the human male due to declining sperm quality. The issue is soon to be epidemic, sources say, due to environmental concerns, including the consumption of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), chemicals considered to be “genotoxic” (highly damaging to our genetic material). Studies have shown that higher levels of PAHs in the urine are associated with poor sperm quality and cancer in men.

Most PAHs arise from man-made sources – auto exhaust, chemical sludge, industrial plants, wood-burning stoves, oil contamination of surface water and smoke (forest fire, waste incineration and cigarettes) – that make their way into food chain through bio-accumulation.

Soil and crops grown near motorways have higher concentrations of PAHs. And, because PAHs are fat-soluble they are stored in the fat tissue of plants and animals. Grazing animals like poultry and cattle are particularly susceptible to PAHs since they consume both vegetation and particulate matter from the soil. PAH-contaminated soil also washes into rivers and oceans, where filtering animals such as mussels and oysters, become contaminated.

Unfortunately there’s another common way to create PAHs – and that’s on the barbie. Meat, including fish and poultry, but especially red meat, contains amino acids, sugars and a protein called creatinine that combine to form PAHs when they are heated to a very high temperature. Grilling is one of the few cooking techniques that create the kind of heat necessary for the formation of PAHs.

These are grim facts indeed, but perhaps the risk is overstated. A world without men (and a summer without burgers) is a bleak world indeed.

Is it possible to enjoy a cookout without endangering the health of our hubbies and future male children? As always, the key is moderation and intelligence (arguably not qualities found in high concentration in the Torch Brethren). So here is some important info to pass along to the boys out back:

Fertility-Friendly Grilling Tips

• Use moderation. Grilling once a week (with good grill techniques) is fine but not every night.

• Choose lean meats and trim excess fat from meat before it hits the grill.
  

• Avoid “flame-ups.” When fat drips onto hot coals, PAHs are formed and the resulting vapor is re-absorbed by the meat like a toxic steam bath.
  

• Discard charred meats. Where you see black and burnt, PAHs have been released and re-absorbed. I repeat, charred is a bad thing.
  

• Serve fresh, raw vegetables on the side of your grilled meal. The antioxidants in fresh vegetables combat DNA damage from PAHs.
  

• Top your burger with onions. At least one study in mice show that onions (especially red onions) contain a compound called quercetin that may protect sperm damage by PAHs. So add the onions…just don’t grill them.
  

• Avoid grilling cured meats that contain nitrates and liquid smoke products.
  

• Limit PAH consumption from other sources: Don’t smoke, wash the waxy surface of vegetables very thoroughly, if you burn wood in your fireplace make sure you’ve got good ventilation.

These simple measures can ensure sperm-friendly cookouts for your favorite men this summer. Go and enjoy!

Be present, be positive…be PAH-free!
Beth

a blog by Beth and Tami of Pulling Down the Moon, May 5. 2010

This week for our blog, I sat down with Karisa Garudi and let the video cameras roll!

Karisa is a licensed acupuncturist with our center in Rockville, MD, and she has really seen the benefits acupuncture can have for women who are TTC (on medication and off) and even those who were able to get pregnant but are suffering from depression.

Take a couple minutes to watch this video and learn a little more about how acupuncture works:

Whether having acupuncture releases your blocked energy (Traditional Chinese Medicine) or discharges endorphins (Western medicine), you may want to try it if you're feeling like there's a kink in your garden hose.

Tami

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by Breea Johnson, MS RD LDN, Pulling Down the Moon Nutritionist, April 23, 2010

It’s easy to gloss over ingredient labels. Names such as “potassium bromate” or “hydrolyzed wheat protein” make your eyes glaze over. But what is their purpose in food? Most people trust that they are just there as preservatives or to extend shelf life but have little impact on a person’s health.

As a nutritionist, I understand a lot of the ingredients at a different level – why they are in food and what purpose they serve was part of my education. And examining the potential ill effects they can have on human health was another part. As a result, one thing I always recommend to my clients is to reduce intake of preservatives and additives. As a general rule of thumb, I also recommend avoiding ingredients that you don’t understand as much as possible – because they can have a detrimental effect on your health.

The supplement industry (vitamin and minerals) is also very familiar to me. I search for supplements to help my clients maintain and regain optimal health – especially during the preconception and prenatal stages.

A lot of women who have never taken vitamins (or medication) in their whole life start taking a prenatal (usually at their doctor’s recommendation) as they decide they want to start trying to have a baby. Some women stop by their local drugstore, others get a prescription for one; others might head to the closest health food store and ask the sales clerk for a prenatal recommendation.

The other day, I picked up an advertisement for a pharmaceutical grade prenatal with DHA. I was surprised to see some of the “other ingredients” as “hydrogenated soybean oil,” “sodium aluminum silicate,” “FD&C Blue No 1,” “propylene glycol,” and “mono and diglycerides.” Why are all of these ingredients in your prenatal you ask?

Good question.

Many additives are used in similar ways to how they are used in food: as thickeners or stabilizers or as lubricants so the machines have an easier time “making” the supplements. Like the food industry, there are many additives that need not be included in the supplement (i.e. Blue No. 1) but are added for aesthetic or manufacturing reasons.

Remember the supplement industry is a “self-regulated” industry and supplement companies must decide whether to test individual batches for quality and hold themselves to high standards. No governmental agency tests supplements prior to distribution so it’s extremely important that you buy your supplements from a well-trusted company and remember, that like food, the less “extra” ingredients the better.

Here are some questions to consider when discerning quality in nutritional supplements:

o Is the manufacturer Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certified?

o Are products certified under the industry standards &/or certifications of one or more of the following? NNFA (National Nutritional Foods Association, NPA (National Products Association) NSF (National Sanitary Foundation), OTC (Over the Counter Drug GMPs), TGA (Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration) and the FDA Dietary Supplement Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs). By providing these significant assurances, the practitioner can rely on the safety, quality, effectiveness and guarantee of the products.

o Do they control or operate over 75% of their product manufacturing or are they contract manufactured? If so, do the contract manufacturers have the above certification?

o Do they run DBPCT's (double blind placebo controlled trials) on humans?

o Do they perform safety reviews and safety studies? Is there human efficacy data?

o Do they have a full time scientific staff and advisory board? What are the current credentials and background of these individuals?

o If the product is a meal replacement, is it an FDA-approved medical food (supported by 2 published peer reviewed journal studies and designed for use with a specific health condition) or a "functional food" (regular food supplemented with added nutritional component)?

o Are they USP certified for tablet/capsule disintegration time (under 45 minutes)?

o What kind of liability insurance do they have to protect practitioners, or if they are lay people distributing product - how are the consumers protected?

o Do they do third party independent assays (in addition to internal QA/QC) on raw materials pre and post-production? If so, will they provide such assays for quality and label claim?

o Do credentialed professionals, such as an “RD,” “ND,” or M.D. sell the product? If so, are they available to provide feedback on patient outcomes as a result of using the products?

At Pulling Down the Moon we do recommend nutritional supplements to our patients. We also strive to ensure that any supplement we recommend adheres to the above standards.

Think about it, nutritional supplements are supposed to support optimal health. Poor quality supplements may cost less, but we like to say the most expensive supplement is the one that doesn’t work due to poor quality ingredients. Even more troubling is a supplement that may contain toxic substances. A recent lawsuit filed in California against big name manufacturers (GNC, CVS, RiteAid and Solgar and others) has charged these manufacturers with selling fish oil contaminated with high levels of PCBs, toxic chemicals associated with infertility, birth defects and endocrine disruption.

Unfortunately, until there is a greater level of regulation, it will be up to you (and concerned nutritionists like me) to read labels and research the companies that make the nutritional supplements we put in our bodies.

We hope this information will help.

Be present, be positive…be proactive about what you put in your body!
Breea

a blog by Beth and Tami of Pulling Down the Moon, Apr. 16, 2010

I am addicted to lavender. While I’ve never been able to find clinical data to support this, it’s widely related in healing communities that chronic pain patients in lavender-colored rooms scented with lavender do much better than their counterparts. I do know that lavender essential oil helps me relax and when I sprinkle a bit on the DH, I believe he does become a bit more helpful . . .

But seriously, did you know the quickest way to relax is to use your senses?

By this point we’ve all heard about the Stress Response (sympathetic nervous system) and are, unfortunately, well-acquainted with its stomach-churning, heart-palpitating effects. We’re a bit less familiar with stress’ opposite – the Relaxation Response (parasympathetic nervous system). The Relaxation Response’s M.O. is “rest, digest and nest.” Instead of causing heart palpitations and butterflies, the Relaxation Response makes our heart and breathing rates slow. These two responses are closely related and their pre-historic origins provide essential clues about how to stop stress in its tracks.

Meet the limbic system. The limbic system is the area of the human brain located around and within the brain stem and is the oldest part of the human brain – so ancient that we can call it our “lizard brain” because it’s similar to brains of primitive animals like lizards and birds. Our lizard brain (marginally better than bird-brain, right?) has three main players:

Hypothalamus: Our hypothalamus is concerned with maintaining the status quo in the body and regulates hunger, thirst, sex drive, etc. The hypothalamus also regulates the autonomic nervous system (the Stress Response and the Relaxation Response) in response to input from the hippocampus and amygdale.

Hippocampus: The hippocampus takes short term memory and sensory input and cements it into long term memory.

Amygdala: This part of the limbic system rules the “umph” in our reaction toward stimuli. In experiments where the amygdale is removed, animals become indifferent to stimuli which might otherwise make the afraid or even sexually aroused.

These three parts of the limbic system work together to create a reaction to sensory input way before the big, fancy human “reasoning” part of our noggin can even figure out what’s happening. (Ever wonder why the smell of chocolate chip cookies makes your stomach growl? Why the sound of waves makes you want a pina colada? Why the smell of antiseptic can send you into a panic attack after a D&C? That’s the limbic system.)

Now that we know the limbic system controls stress and relaxation in response to sensory input, we can use the following practice to condition our body to relax:

For one week, set aside 15 minutes a day to breath quietly without any distraction. The next week, enjoy at least one sensory stimulus for five minutes prior to each relaxation session. With consistent practice, eventually just seeing, hearing or touching this sensory input will stimulate relaxation any time of the day.

Here are some relaxing sensory stimuli for each of the five traditional senses:

1. Smell: Using aromatherapy during relaxation sessions can create an association between relaxation and aroma. Calming scents include lavender, vanilla, ginger and sandalwood.

2. Hearing: Listening to calming music, particularly music without lyrics in your language, can be deeply soothing.

3. Sight: Relaxing in a beautiful environment or gazing at a sunset can be deeply calming. Even lava lamps, with their beautiful colors and hypnotic movement, can promote peace.

4. Taste: There’s a wonderful meditation where we see how long we can take to eat one raisin (or chocolate chip) while fully enjoying its texture, flavor and smell. Take time to mindfully enjoy one taste prior to your relaxation session.

5. Touch: Self-massage is a wonderful way to send the “all-clear” signal to your brain. Here’s a simple massage that can stimulate clarity and relaxation. Let your fingertips meet at the mid-line of the skull where the base of your skull meets your neck. Now, with gentle pressure massage the center line of the skull up and over the head towards the crown and finally the forehead.

Be present, be positive . . . be sense-ibly relaxed.

Beth