Acupuncture has a profound effect on both mum and baby. I am so passionate about the importance of expectant mothers receiving acupuncture and reflexology during pregnancy. We have been treating pregnant women here at the Centre for over 10 years now, in that time it always amazes us how, generally speaking, our mums have a healthy, happy pregnancy, tending to go very close to their due dates. Acupuncture can be given at all stages of pregnancy. Reflexology is usually given after 12 weeks, although our Reflexologist specialises in Pregnancy and happily treats in the first trimester.
In Chinese Medicine there is a acu-point called “Beautiful Baby” Point, Kidney 9 (Zhubin) It is located on the Kidney channel, we use this point around 9 and again at around 15 weeks of pregnancy. In Chinese medicine the point is thought to calm the mind, tonify Blood and qi. We have found that this point really seems to bring a really happy baby into the world! How can Acupuncture & Reflexology help during pregnancy?
As I am writing this Blog I realise there are so many more benefits both acupuncture and reflexology can offer to mum and baby. At 36 weeks of pregnancy we usually treat our pregnant ladies more frequently getting their bodies ready for the big event! If you are expecting a baby and have never tried acupuncture or reflexology before, please do. Always make sure the practitioner has experience with treating pregnancy. Enjoy the wonderful benefits that both you and your growing baby will receive. Katie Murphy Lic AC MTCMCI
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Here at Clonmel Acupuncture & Therapy Centre we work with ingredients that work with your own cycle. In Chinese Medicine we like to use warm foods at this time of your cycle. This is the luteal phase of your cycle (after ovulation) and beta-carotene-rich foods are the important ingredient to include in your diet during this time. The corpus luteum (the ruptured ovarian follicle that produces progesterone to thicken the womb lining, close the cervix and maintain a pregnancy) contains a high level of beta-carotene. This nutrient is a powerful anti-oxidant that helps protect your cells from damage.
Here is one example of an ideal lunch or after work supper you can make really quickly. Ideal for those during the two week wait of an IVF/IUI cycle. Our Luteal Phase Fertility Soup is naturally quite sweet, due to the high content of orange vegetables, so fell free to add some celery or any other vegetable that you like. We try to use all organic ingredients, locally sourced if possible RECIPE:-
Place all the sliced veg, ginger, onion, garlic onto a shallow roasting tray, drizzle Olive Oil, herbs, season with salt and pepper sprinkle with turmeric, Bake in oven 180 centigrade/Gas mark 4 – 40mins or until tender and cooked through. Place cooked veg into sauce pan add stock, heat through, blend to a smooth soup, adding more stock if needed. Here you can add coconut milk for a richer taste. Season to taste and add more fresh herbs, we used fresh oregano; add toasted pumpkin seeds just before serving. This soup can be frozen, also is great for men, beta-carotene rich vegetable’s help protect sperm from free radical attack, rich in Vitamin A important for sperm maturation. So you can both enjoy this recipe! We tend to focus on the female when trying for a baby, this is possibly due to the fact that we have the menstrual cycle, as women we get used to our bodies monthly rhythms. So it’s us that tend to get checked out first.
However recent studies show that Male fertility is the cause of 35-40% of infertility in couples. Many of our patients find a stumbling block when we mention that we would like the man to get his semen analysis done. This is often the case when perhaps the woman wants to actively try for a baby, and the man is more laid back, and wanted to leave it a bit longer. It isn’t the most pleasurable thing to do, in a sterile room, in a fertility clinic. But communication is key here, make sure you as a couple want to take the next step, and if you have been actively trying for a baby for over a year if under 35, and 6 months if 36 plus, then it is vital to get a semen analysis done, along with blood tests for the woman, testing FSH & LH and progesterone. Here at Clonmel Acupuncture & Therapy Centre we have come up some of our top Super Duper Sperm creators!
Sperm cells take 11 weeks to mature in the testicles before they are ready for ejaculation. If you adjust your diet today, along with any of the other tips that apply to you, it will thus take three months for the better sperm to be ready for fertilisation. You must therefore keep eating the healthy diet and/ or taking supplements on an on-going basis – ideally until your partner is pregnant. Katie Murphy Lic Ac MTCMCI |
AuthorKatie Murphy Lic Ac MTCMCI Archives
July 2020
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