Chicken Bone Broth for a stockpot
Ingredients:
1 Organic Chicken
2cm knob ginger chopped, 2 cloves garlic
2 carrots, 4 celery sticks chopped
1 red onion (optional)
6 cups water
Parsley, Chilli (optional)
Pepper & salt to season
Lemon juice
Method:
Brown the onion, carrots, and celery in a pan until onion is soft.
Place Organic chicken whole into a stockpot. Cover with the Water & throw in ginger, garlic, celery, carrots & onion.
Bring to the boil and low the heat to a simmer for 1hr.
It’s ready when you pick up a leg that the meat pulls away from the bone. Please make sure the meat is cooked properly.
De-bone & de-skin the chicken. Put the meat back into the soup.
Season with Salt, pepper, a small handful of parsley and Chilli if desired, for more of a punch.
Just before serving squeeze fresh lemon juice into the pot. Serve with sourdough bread.
Fertility
4 Reasons Bone Broth is Gold for Your Fertility
by admin on June 30, 2016 Comments Off on 4 Reasons Bone Broth is Gold for Your FertilityIf there’s one things that walks out the door with the Fertility Acupuncture clients I’m seeing, its this link to a recipe for Bone Broth. Bone Broth is a golden oldie that has come back into fashion with all this talk about the Paleo Diet, but over the ages, many cultures around the world agree about the benefits of bone broth for health. Here we take a look at Traditional Chinese Medicine’s view on Bone Broth and benefits for fertility.
read moreThe Business of IVF
by admin on June 23, 2016 Comments Off on The Business of IVFA recent investigation into IVF Clinics by the Australian Media has highlighted the IVF Clinics and their marketing strategies. Do they make too many promises? Is it considered misleading, once you look at the statistics? For all the emotive language, imagery and some couple’s unwavering commitment to their fertility plans, can the marketing and business of IVF be taking advantage of people? The Australian Competitor and Consumer Commission (ACCC) are taking a closer look.
read more35 Tips Towards Better Fertility
by admin on May 23, 2016 Comments Off on 35 Tips Towards Better FertilityFor those who want a checklist to scan through for ideas they might not have considered or tried to improve their fertility, this blogpost is for you. Its not an exhaustive list, nor in any particular order. Look at this a good beginning for some fertility basics that look at managing your stress & lifestyle as well as nutrition and balancing your hormones.
read moreTrying to Conceive Tips – Traditional Chinese Medicine
by admin on May 2, 2016 Comments Off on Trying to Conceive Tips – Traditional Chinese MedicineWe have discussed Kidney Jing and its importance, previously in this article. Particularly with conception, Kidney Jing is essential. So lets take a look at some Trying To Conceive Tips that will help you preserve the Kidney Jing you have.
read moreBeginning your Fertility Journey
by admin on April 19, 2016 Comments Off on Beginning your Fertility JourneyStarting trying to conceive can be a conscious decision or not. There are many reasons why NOW is the time to begin that fertility journey – career, age, the right relationship, or just pure hormonal cluckiness. Many women have expectations of conceiving right away. But what if it doesn’t happen immediately?
read moreMaking Babies Review
by admin on April 16, 2016 Comments Off on Making Babies ReviewA good solid resource for couples trying to conceive, Making Babies is a go-to-guide for fertility.
In my clinic I have 2 copies of Making Babies that are constantly on loan to clients to help them demystify their bodies and discover what their real fertility issues are, whether they’re using IVF or not. Here I’ll give you a taste of the pearls of wisdom inside this book and how to use it to your best advantage.
read moreGrief after Miscarriage
by admin on March 29, 2016 Comments Off on Grief after MiscarriageMiscarriage can be a trying and challenging time for couples. There is no ‘one way’ for navigating their path through an experience like this. In this article I have interviewed Tina Bakalla, a Demartini Facilitator, about Grief and Loss after Miscarriage to get her perspective on the issue and any useful information on how to cope.
read moreEmbryo Transfer Acupuncture
by admin on March 13, 2016 Comments Off on Embryo Transfer AcupunctureIf you’re undergoing IVF, did you know you can receive Acupuncture to support your Embryo Transfer? Its called Embryo Transfer Acupuncture.
Studies show that for clinical trial groups that have a pregnancy success rate of less than 35%, Embryo Transfer Acupuncture definitely has benefits. So what’s involved? And what benefits does Acupuncture provide for women doing an Embryo Transfer?
read moreThe Emotions & Infertility
by admin on February 3, 2016 Comments Off on The Emotions & InfertilityA diagnosis of unexplained Infertility can be an emotional rollercoaster. Fear, Uncertainty, anger, grief and helplessness can be some of the emotions women might feel. From a Chinese Medicine perspective, these emotions can absolutely influence the flow of qi, general energy levels, menstrual cycles and hinder the fertility journey further.
In Chinese Medicine, the organs said to be affected most by stress is the Liver, Kidneys and Heart. The Heart is said to “house the Shen” or Spirit.
Here’s some definitions of Heart-Shen to help give you a better understanding – as this is a Chinese language term, its often not simply defined in one sentence!
Shen Means… | And Therefore influences… |
Spirit | your Vitality |
Mind | your Thoughts & Memories, mental faculties |
Mental Health & Vitality | your Clarity of mind |
Presence | your Alertness |
Consciousness | your Sleep/Wake cycles |
Human experience | Our lives |
Emotional intelligence | Our relationships around us |
In fertility Acupuncture, the Heart-Shen is very important:
- It controls and distributes blood
- Induces downward flow of menses
- It relates to sleep quality
- Can loosely be associated with the Hypothalamus/ Pituitary axis and is affected by Stress
Stress & The Hypothalamus.
The Hypothalamus receives signals from the central nervous system, amygdala (emotional response), Testes and Ovaries. It’s like the control centre for hormones – the ovaries and Testes take their instructions from the Hypothalamus in the Brain. So if Stress impacts the Nervous system and Brain, It impacts the hormones and can affect fertility rates- its a vicious cycle. Therapies like Acupuncture can help break the cycle of stress by managing it and nourishing the Heart-Shen energy.
And when Stress is enough that The Heart-Shen is not Happy:
- Emotional strain shuts people down (emotional walls, grief in private, lack of joy)
- Irregular ovulation & menstruation
- Which is a big problem when you’re trying to fall pregnant.
A healthy Heart = A healthy mind
Aspect of You | When its Healthy | When its Unhealthy |
Eyes | Clear eyes | Empty eyes, glazed, vacant expression |
Spirit | “Healthy, harmonious spiritedness” | “Spiritlessness” |
Thoughts | Clear thoughts | Excessive or muddled |
Shen Clarity | Breadth & depth of mind | Mental cloudiness, poor concentration & focus, forgetfulness, foggy head, |
Shen Awareness | Self awareness & aware of things outside of themselves | Unaware, denial, oblivious |
Shen Balance | Emotional response and recovery | Little or no emotional response or overreaction with no recovery |
Shen Power /Strength | Physical & mental strength and adequate rest at night | Mentally drained, Depression – sluggish or weak shen, Manic – overactive, requires less sleep and over animated |
Sleep | Sound sleep quality and quantity | Disrupted Sleep, Dream disturbed Sleep, Nightmares |
Here’s 7 things you can do to Nourish your Heart Qi:
- Get out in nature – hiking, swimming, walking, cycling
- Ground yourself – meditation, tai chi, yoga (Dru Yoga is specific for Heart energy, but all Yoga styles are beneficial)
- Connect with real people – spend one on one time with people that make you feel GOOD or energised. Social Media does not count!
- Laugh – watch funny movies with friends, go do something fun that makes you giggle or belly laugh
- Nurture yourself – good food, pampering (but this doesn’t have to be outward focused or about your appearance) Natural Therapy treatments such as Acupuncture, Massage or Kinesiology work a treat here!
- Creativity – do something creative, that excites you or energises you.
- Anything else that makes you feel GOOD – cuddle puppies, cuddle babies (if that works for you), random acts of kindness.
It’s healthy to express and unhealthy to repress. Who is part of your support network? If you’re not sure where to turn to air out your thoughts and feelings anonymously and you’re feeling really down, consider Beyond Blue or Lifeline. If you think you’re ok but still a bit in the dark about who to talk to, try this FREE Cheat Sheet on Figuring out Your Support Network. Download it now!
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