Prenatal Acupuncture: 1st Trimester

Pregnant womanI’m excited to give you the first in a series of posts about how acupuncture can help women have an easier, healthier pregnancy. The series will be divided by trimester and which issues acupuncture can address in each.

The first trimester is a very exciting time but for some women can be the most difficult. Morning sickness, fatigue, a lowered immune system (resulting in more colds) and heartburn are common discomforts of early pregnancy. In addition, women who suffer from migraines or depression may be faced with the decision to stop medications. These are all situations where acupuncture can help. Read more

Acupuncture for Athletes

RunnersAcupuncture is a safe, effective method of treating pain and soreness from athletic endeavors. In my office I most frequently see things like plantar fasciitis and IT Band pain, but have also successfully treated shin splints and aided patients recovering from surgeries such as ACL reconstruction. Thermal imaging has shown acupuncture decreases inflammation, doppler ultrasound shows that it increases blood flow to needled areas, and neuroimaging studies show that it decreases brain activity involved in registering pain and increases brain activity involved in healing. I love treating sports injuries because patients are able to see results from the treatments so quickly and are able to stay active and pain-free. Studies have also found that acupuncture causes your muscles to release a substance called adenosine, which stimulates tissue repair and decreases inflammation. It also releases endorphins, which are your body’s natural pain relievers. Read more

Why you should avoid NSAIDs while TTC

If you are someone who reaches for over the counter pain relievers occasionally, you should know that they very well may be impacting your ability to ovulate normally. This is a little-known fertility fact: taking NSAIDs (such as Advil, Motrin, aspirin, Excedrin and Aleve) has been shown to cause LUFS, or luteinizing unruptured follicule syndrome.  This just means that the egg matures in the ovary but doesn’t get released even though it is ready. The other possibility with taking NSAIDs is that the egg’s release is delayed- by on average 5 days, during which it continues to grow. This “over-ripens” the egg, making its quality less than ideal. One study also showed decreased progesterone levels- which is important for proper implantation and lining development. Read more

Ask the Expert: Cornell Fertility Specialist Dr. David Reichman

When you were younger, you spent a lot of time and energy trying NOT to get pregnant.  But now that the time is right, what if it’s not happening as quickly as you hoped? Or what if you are in your mid- thirties and still haven’t met Mr. or Mrs. Right, or this just isn’t the time for a baby?

This is where a fertility specialist called a Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE) comes in. I’m excited to have had the chance to interview Dr. David Reichman of The Center for Reproductive Medicine at Weill Cornell’s Tribeca office. Dr. Reichman not only has an impressive bio (click here to read), but strikes me as a warm and compassionate person who is genuinely excited about his work and cares about his patients. He wants his patients to understand their treatments- so much so, that Dr. Reichman has a flat screen TV connected to his office’s computer in order to pull up pictures and diagrams, more effectively explaining procedures, medications and statistics (I know I always learn more easily with pictures).  Why don’t all doctors do that? Read more

“On Waiting”- a guest post by Dr Shara Brofman, Psy.D.

Pregnancy testOn Waiting

By Shara M. Brofman, Psy.D.

Preparing for the arrival of a child involves a lot of waiting. Waiting at the doctor’s office. Waiting for the little line on the at-home test. Waiting on the blood work and the numbers. Waiting for the first ultrasounds. Waiting to learn the sex. Waiting to reach full-term. Waiting for labor to start. Waiting to hear the cry. Or, waiting on the adoption papers. Waiting to see if the agency or donor or carrier will come through. Waiting to learn how many eggs were retrieved. How many embryos will be okay to transfer. How many will stay put. Holding our breath while we wait. Read more