Posts Tagged ‘self-care’

I recently received permission to reprint a couple of information-rich articles written by Susun Weed. I’ve broken the article into smaller chunks, with a link to the entire article below. Enjoy!

Fertility After Forty, copyright 2000 by Susun S. Weed

Emotional Issues

Ambivalence about pregnancy and parenthood is normal and natural. But the older a woman gets, the more complicated her emotions about it may be. Add to her emotional soup pot strong opinions from family and friends, confusing information spread by the popular media, and fear-inducing pronouncements from “helpful” medical professionals, and that pot will be in danger of boiling over. Herewith then, some wise woman hints for keeping your cool in the midst of overt and covert confusion.

Contrary to current opinion, having children in your forties is ordinary and common worldwide. The Bible mentions several women having children in their fifties. What is unusual and unique to our time is having a first child in one’s forties. Our mothers, mothers, mothers were having their fifth or eighth or tenth child when they were in their forties, not their first. If people tell you it just isn’t done, close your eyes and call upon the spirit of your great, great, great, great grandmother, then smile and tell them it seems utterly ordinary to you.

Feeling tense and distressed about choosing or refusing motherhood? Motherwort tincture is my favorite calmative. A dose of 10-20 drops helps clear your mind, eases your tension, and assists you in discerning the best path to follow.

Bach flower remedies excel as helpers when you are feeling emotionally overwhelmed. Try:

• Aspen when you feel anxious, apprehensive, or afraid of the unknown.

• Mimulus when you are dwelling on a specific fear.

• Elm when you feel overwhelmed or inadequate.

• Red Chestnut when you are afraid for or worried about your baby to be.

• Rock Rose when you are trembling, shaking, or weeping from anxiety or fear.

Regular gentle massage or Reiki treatments not only help you calm your distress, they also guide you in creating a strong center that’s resistant to being pushed around by other people’s opinions. Massage and/or Reiki also help prepare your mind/body for a healthy pregnancy and a safe birth.

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Read about Susun Weed

I recently received permission to reprint a couple of information-rich articles written by Susun Weed. I’ve broken the articles into smaller chunks, with a link to the entire article below. Enjoy!

Fertility After Forty copyright 2000 by Susun S. Weed

Special Allies for Pregnant Women over Forty

The single most important herb for pregnant women over forty is comfrey (Symphytum uplandica hybrids). The leaves of the mature plant contain an abundance of constituents beneficial to mother and babe, including generous amounts of minerals, alantoin, proteins, and many vitamins. The minerals in comfrey help insure healthy nervous system growth; the fetus’s developing brain uses the proteins. And the alantoin helps the mother’s tissues become stretchy and elastic.

Aging can lead to increases stiffness and brittleness in bones and muscles, making pregnancy more arduous and painful, labor slower and more difficult, and injury more likely during birth. The hormones of pregnancy, which help soften and relax the pelvic tissues, may not be produced in adequate amounts. Comfrey comes to the rescue! Comfrey creates flexible and strong tissues throughout the body especially mucus surfaces (including intestines, uterus, bladder and vagina) the bones, the ligaments and tendons, and the skin.

Regular use of the leaf infusion, at least a quart a week, promotes a safe delivery by:

• strengthening uterine muscles and preparing them to work easily and well.

• strengthening perineal tissues so they become resistant to tearing.

• strengthening uterine ligaments so the uterus does not prolapse

• strengthening the bladder and increasing resistance to bacterial infection.

• strengthening the vagina and helping to promote an environment hostile to infection.

• providing easily assimilated minerals to prevent eclampsia and other complications.

• helping the bones of the pelvis flex and open during birth.

• increasing iron in the blood and thus forestalling post-partum hemorrhage.

I harvest the flowering stalks when they are fully formed; and I am careful to use the cultivated garden comfrey, which grows very tall and has purplish, pinkish, bluish flowers. I avoid wild comfrey which stays rather small, even when flowering, and has cream-colored, white, or yellowish flowers.

Some people feel that comfrey is not safe to use during pregnancy. Some people feel comfrey is not safe to use internally at all. I disagree. The roots of comfrey do contain compounds that are best avoided during pregnancy. (As do all parts of the wild plant.) In fact, I rarely use comfrey root because of the possibility of liver congestion, and I strongly caution those who have had hepatitis, chemotherapy, or alcohol problems to strictly avoid comfrey root. Yet even these people can benefit from use of comfrey leaf infusions.

Another important herbal ally for women over forty who desire a child is chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castii). It has been used in Africa and parts of Europe for several thousand years to discourage the male libido. In women, the effects seem to be the opposite! It may also be a fertility enhancer. Most importantly, chaste tree is a strengthening tonic for the pituitary gland, the master control gland for the endocrine system. Daily use of the tincture of the berries (1 dropperful/1 ml 2-3 times daily) had been shown to increase progesterone–the hormone of pregnancy–and luteinizing hormone–which promotes conception. Because it can lower prolactin levels, chaste tree is best discontinues during the last trimester of pregnancy.

Dong quai (Angelica sinensis) is not recommended for women over forty. In general, this herb promotes blood flow to the uterus and surrounding tissues. This can promote the growth of fibroids and increase the risk of post-partum hemorrhage. Ginger is a better warming tonic; motherwort is better at relieving pain; and raspberry is better at preparing the uterus for birth.

Read the full article

Read about Susun Weed

I recently received permission to reprint a couple of information-rich articles written by Susun Weed. I’ve broken the article into smaller chunks, with a link to the entire article below. Enjoy!

Fertility After Forty copyright 2000 by Susun S. Weed

Preventing Birth Defects

Boosting your nutritional status makes birth defects less of a worry. Women who drink 2-4 cups of stinging nettle infusion daily and eat cooked leafy greens as well as lettuce salads are getting the abundant folic acid, calcium, magnesium, and other minerals needed to create a healthy baby. (Tinctures, pills, and teas contain little or none of these important nutrients.)

Vitamin E is an especially critical nutrient for fertility after forty and freedom from birth defects. Freshly-ground wheat flour, cold-pressed oils, and nut butters are all good sources of vitamin E, as are stinging nettle infusion and most cooked seaweed, such as kelp. The man’s vitamin E level has as much, if not more, bearing on freedom from birth defects as does the woman’s vitamin E level.

Avoid heat, both of you. Hot tubs, even prolonged soaking in a hot bath, can cause temporary (up to several months) sterility in some men. In women, it can endanger the early embryo and trigger a miscarriage or birth defects.

Avoid drugs, both of you, including alcohol, tobacco, coffee, as well as over-the-counter drugs and prescription drugs (except those you absolutely need). Your liver needs to be strong and so do your kidneys, so you can conceive and gestate a child. Instead of alcohol, which damages the liver, drink herbal infusions or alcohol-free wine or beer. Instead of tobacco, which may contribute to birth defects and low birth weight, try smoking a little dried peppermint, or, better yet, go for a walk. Instead of coffee, which challenges the kidneys, you may wish to drink green tea or black tea, or try coffee substitutes, especially the one made with dandelion roots. Instead of drugs to ease everyday aches and pains, use the gentle herbal remedies in this book instead.

Read the full article

Read about Susun Weed

I recently received permission to reprint a couple of information-rich articles written by Susun Weed. I’ve broken the article into smaller chunks, with a link to the entire article below. Enjoy!

Fertility After Forty copyright 2000 by Susun S. Weed

Increasing Fertility; Insuring Conception

Increase your chances of conception by meditating. Cultivating a calm attitude, not surprisingly, enhances fertility. Even taking a quiet five minutes alone just for you, free of all responsibilities, can bring big results if done frequently enough.

Use lunaception to time your ovulation so you have the best odds of conceiving. It’s fine to have sex in the weeks before ovulation, especially if the sex is focused on the woman and her orgasm, but do save your best efforts for those three nights when your “moon” is full and bright and ready to frolic.

Orgasm on the part of the male is necessary for fertilization. The woman’s orgasm does increase the possibility of conception. Women who experience orgasm after their partner (up to 40 minutes after his ejaculation) have the very best chance of becoming pregnant.

Red clover is the single best remedy for women over forty who want to conceive but can’t — even if there are medical reasons for not conceiving such blocked tubes, diabetes, ovarian cysts, internal scaring, endometriosis. There are many heart-warming success stories I could share about red clover! But suffice to say, drinking 2-4 cups of the infusion of the dried blossoms (neither tincture nor tea nor pills will work for this application) seems to do wonders for fertility, no matter what your age.

Read the full article

Read about Susun Weed

I recently received permission to reprint a couple of information-rich articles written by Susun Weed. I’ve broken the article into smaller chunks, with a link to the entire article below. Enjoy!

Fertility After Forty

copyright 2000 by Susun S. Weed

The most fertile years of a woman’s life are those between 18 and 28. Even into the mid-thirties, it is usually fairly easy to conceive and carry a pregnancy to term. During these years the hormones that control ovulation, enhance conception, and ensure a healthy pregnancy are usually made easily and in generous quantities. And detrimental life-style choices have not had decades of repetition to create chronic problems. The previous section deals with disturbances to that pattern; and the section following deals with herbal ways to decrease or control the teeming fertility of the twenties and early thirties.

But more and more women are waiting until their late thirties, early forties, even late forties, to have children. Is this too late? Are these destined to have high-risk pregnancies? Will these children have more birth defects?

The answer to these questions — and others like them — is “no!” for wise women who enlist the help of green allies to increase fertility, insure conception, prevent birth defects, and promote a healthy pregnancy and an easy delivery.

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An article by guest blogger, Jennifer M. Carino, L.Ac., MSTC

Although called “morning sickness”, nausea during pregnancy can happen at anytime of day.  While it can start as early as 5 weeks, it might feel more active by week 6 and can continue through until week 12.  Symptoms of morning sickness can include:  nausea, reflux, indigestion, and burping.

According to Chinese Medicine, nausea is a form of “rebellious stomach qi”.  The Qi (energy) of the stomach and digestion should normally travel in a downward and outward motion.  When imbalanced, digestive qi rebels and moves upward.  Morning sickness is most common when the pregnant mother is hungry or at the end of the day when she might be fatigued or exhausted.

To avoid digestive upset try the following:

• Eat frequent meals that combine both protein and carbohydrates like baked tofu with brown rice, goat cheese with manna bread, or trail mix.

• Eat a small snack before bed to avoid waking with morning sickness.

• Eat just a few bites of food every 20 minutes.

• Drink 30 minutes after meals.

• After eating a major meal, take a short walk around the block.

• Do not go to bed full.

• If a you have a history of morning sickness from previous preganancies, begin taking vitamin B6 prior to your next pregnancy.

Please remember that while these symptoms are uncomfortable they are signs of a healthy pregnancy.  However, if you’ve tried the above suggestions and aren’t getting enough relief acupuncture treatments to redirect rebellious stomach qi can be especially helpful.  Treatments can include acupuncture, herbs and/or “gua sha” techniques.  Gua Sha is a from of scraping done with a tool made from jade, buffalo horn, plastic or even a porcelain soup spoon.  The beauty of these treatments is in their simplicity and fast acting relief.

And while acupuncture and herbs can be used to treat hyperemesis, please contact your obstetrician if you’re experiencing extreme vomiting and the inability to keep food down as this can be considered a prenatal emergency.

May you enjoy strong digestive health during your pregnancy!

Jennifer M. Carino, L.Ac., MSTCM practices in San Francisco, CA. To schedule an appointment with her or read more of her articles online, please visit www.jennifercarino.com.

I’ve just received a do-it-yourself recipe for a restorative, nourishing tonic that is wonderful for your kidneys and adrenals. While I am not a doctor, my understanding is that this formula is safe at any stage, including pregnancy, and is deeply nourishing for your body. It is also my understanding that the adrenals are KEY to our hormonal health, smooth menstrual cycles and also for menopausal health and comfort.

The acupuncturist who gave me this recipe told me that it’s called a “simple.” Susun Weed defines a simple as a preparation containing one herb. You can read more information from Susun about simples in this article.

I am enjoying my first day of the tonic after preparing it before bed last night. It’s sort of grassy tasting, and my plan is to drink this every day for 5 days, for two weeks. Want to join me? I’d love for you to try it and post your comments here.

Simple Medicine–Nettles Tonic

1 oz. Nettles (dried) – You can purchase your organic nettles at your local co-op or natural grocery store, often they sell them in bulk bags at a discount, you can just ask the person in charge of the bulk herbs section. You can also buy them from suppliers online. I bought a 16 oz. bag. My practitioner measured an ounce for me and it came out to be about one and a fourth or one and a half cups, loose and not pressed down when poured into the measuring cup.

Put your nettles into a quart canning jar and fill it with boiling water. Put the lid on and let sit for at least 4 hours. You can prepare this before you go to bed. In the morning, you will strain the liquid and drink some, refrigerating the remaining liquid to be enjoyed throughout the day.

My “dosage” is 2 cups every day for 5 days, for 2 weeks (I’ll take the weekend off).

Enjoy!

Did you know that if your adrenals are tired during pregnancy, that your baby’s adrenals will support you both during your third trimester? This will deplete your baby and have negative health implications for your precious child. Please make sure you are resourced and supported so that your adrenals are functioning well–for your health and pleasure as well as for baby’s.

Pregnancy is quite a stressor for many women. A common occurrence, however, is the woman who, upon reaching her third trimester of pregnancy, says that she all of a sudden “feels better than I have felt in years.” This is often the case when the first two trimesters were particularly difficult. The fetus’s adrenal glands mature to the point of being able to produce hormones at about the beginning of the third trimester.

If the mother is in the exhaustion stage of the GAS (adrenal function), it is not uncommon for the baby’s adrenals to try to make enough adrenal hormones for both the baby and the mother. The mother feels great. The baby’s adrenals are really supporting the mother’s adrenals. But the baby’s adrenal glands are being stressed before it is even born!

The results are doubly negative. The baby is born in a state of adrenal depletion and often exhibits symptoms of hypoadrenia. These symptoms may be varied, but two of the more common symptoms are allergies and recurrent infections. During chronic stress states, the thymus and other lymphatic structures atrophy, lowering the capabilities of the body’s immune mechanisms.

http://tuberose.com/Adrenal_Glands.html

I notice a big difference in my own body, especially my hormonal balance and ease of cycle when I drink this nourishing tea on a daily basis.  I purchase the herbs in bulk from the local co-op (I believe you can also order them online), I dump them all in a big mixing bowl to blend them, and then place them in my tea jar. I take a french press coffee maker and put a pinch to a handful of each of the herbs and pour in boiling water and let steep for a while, and drink the entire pot. I like the taste, too.

Nettles
Red Raspberry Leaf
Red Clover
Oat Straw
(And I add Rose Hips)

There is something about drinking home made herbal tea blends like this that really connects me to the Earth and my sense of being feminine.

There is a wealth of information on the internet and too many benefits to list here, including fertility enhancement, cycle regulating, menopause and PMS support/relief, breast health and bone density.  I know a few of you are trying to get pregnant and I highly recommend you check out all of these and in particular the Red Clover. Also for those of you experiencing any irregularities or pain in your cycle, this has really helped me and I recommend it.

Here is a tiny bit about these herbs as I understand them here: Nettles nourish the blood and regulate our cycle, Red Raspberry Leaf tones the uterus, balances hormones, and is vitamin and mineral rich, Red Clover increases fertility, contains the phyto-estrogen group isoflavones and many minerals, and Oat Straw is calcium and magnesium rich, helping with the bones and nervous system.This particular blend was recommended to me by Teresa Robertson, an intuitive and nurse-midwife who understands the needs of a woman’s body.

I know some of you are pregnant, and if you are do not use the red clover. The red clover will help you get pregnant but it is not good to use while pregnant. If you are pregnant, please check to make sure the rest is ok for you, I am not a doctor.

You may already have caught this wave–right brainers rule! I have been doing a LOT of brain integration work with my own brain over the last year. I had a series of brain/head injuries in my 20’s that caused some problems in my ability to sequence. And looking back, I think it also tipped me to right brain mode whereas prior to the accidents, I had predominantly been a left brain gal. In college I studied biochem, developmental biology including genetics, mind-body biology and psychology, as well as theology and psych and general bio. I have been so right brain focused in the last 10 years I can barely do math at a restaurant to calculate the tip, and I used to be a math whiz! I would say in both cases I was imbalanced–the first 20 years of my life too much left brain/masculine and the next 15-20 too much right brain/feminine.

So over the last year I started doing energy work to integrate, heal and regain more whole-mind functionality. It’s really made a difference in my ability to sequence and also has made a difference in my ability to navigate the balance of feminine/masculine associated ways of being/doing in my life and business. You probably guessed my business is driven by inspiration and spirit primarily, and I have had a lot of work to do to catch up on the business side of things. I am doing my best to create a business structure that is pleasurable for me and that serves you well, and am still learning.

I’ve noticed that many of the men who’ve come to me in particular receive some sort of brain integration session. We at least start with that in many cases. These men are often moving from primarily left-brain, analytical, scientific method type of thinking into embracing more of their allowing, being, and intuition aspects. It’s a shift that is required often in order for them to get from point A (where they are) to point B (where they desire to go). This is a trend I’m quite sure will continue as we move into fluid time and collaborative being.

While doing this brain integration work on myself, I was drawn to read two books in particular that I wish to share with you. I had more resonance with Jill Bolte Taylor’s book My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey, but the Dan Pink book A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future is great too. I loved Jill’s because it was very scientific and also very feminine. She basically had a stroke and because she is a neuroscientist, was able to recognize what was happening to her and articulated it. It’s absolutely fascinating.

While I was reading, I realized that a lot of the right-brained experiences she was describing were my normal mode of being. And I’m suspecting these kids coming in to have a bit of a different brain balance than we did or still do–or at least will be curious to watch this unfold with you and your kids. Let me know, OK?