Once a woman’s IVF procedure is unsuccessful it is all too common for the IVF specialist to say that they do not know why the eggs did not take and the patient should try again. This is really not good medicine. An explanation needs to be sought after as to why IVF attempts are failing. In this situation I recommend Oriental Medicine Diagnosis & Treatment (Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine as it is commonly known).

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine have been studied in controlled trials and are confirmed to give remarkable results in increasing chances of conception. Acupuncture studies have concluded…

Anne, a 33 year old woman, presented after ten months of attempts to become pregnant via natural methods. Her general symptoms included insomnia, dizziness, poor memory, excessive tiredness, bloating and indigestion. Most of her menstrual periods involved heavy bleeding. Anne received four acupuncture treatments and a course of herbal medicine. She was sleeping much better after the first treatment and her dizziness and tiredness were gone after the second. After the third treatment Anne reported an increased vitality, describing herself as becoming unusually outspoken, engaging in intense emotional dialogues and experiencing empowering dreams. The four treatments took place over two…

Researchers discovered that women and men respond very differently to working long hours. When stressed, women tend to eat more unhealthy snacks, drink more caffeine, smoke more and exercise less. The researchers emphasized the importance of adhering to a balanced diet. However, they did not have solutions for women who use food to help them deal with stress. A simple acupressure technique may be that solution.

Women have been using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to address the effects of stress, and to curb emotional eating for more than a decade. It involves fingertip tapping on select acupressure points while focusing…

It's 4pm, the day is nearing an end, and you are feeling a little tired and in need of a sweet treat. Sound familiar? So what can you do about the sweet cravings? Here are 6 simple things you can do to help take control over the cravings:

1. Eat a low GI diet. This slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream and prevents rapid insulin surges. It keeps you feeling full for longer and prevents a rapid rise and fall in blood sugar levels.

2. Get more chromium. Chromium is a trace mineral required for insulin to…

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a common hormonal and metabolic disorder. Its name implies the presence of many small cysts on the ovaries, however, a woman can still have the condition without having any cysts. The cysts themselves are just one of the many symptoms that can occur, along with acne, hirsutism (excess hair), hair loss, irregular cycles and fertility problems, weight gain or trouble losing weight, sugar cravings, fatigue, mood swings, skin tags, and dark patches of skin around the armpits or skin folds.

If not managed, PCOS can lead to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure…

Depression can be beaten but not in my opinion by medical drugs.

When I started in Clinical Practice some twenty-one years ago, I might see one new patient a week with depression. It is not uncommon for me now to see ten new patients a week who are on anti-depressant medication and looking for a way out because they are unhappy with results, and even unhappier with the side-effects of the drugs they are taking. I think we can draw a valid parallel between people on anti-depressants and children taking dexamphetamines as a method of controlling hyperactivity. Just because…

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a complex hormonal and metabolic disorder affecting women, causing symptoms such as weight gain, excess hair, acne, scalp hair loss, fertility problems, mood swings, skin tags, and an increased risk of diabetes. There are many myths surrounding PCOS., so let’s set some of them straight!

MYTH 1: If you are overweight you will just have to put up with it because there is nothing you can do.

WRONG! If you have PCOS and you are overweight, it can be more challenging to lose weight than the 'average' person, but it is certainly not impossible. The…

My name is Emma, I am 14 years old. Every month, I have terrible periods; the pain is so bad that I have to stay in bed for 2 or 3 days with a hot water bottle on my tummy. I take Mercyndol. I don’t want to go to school, anyway, because I bleed so much, with these horrible clots, that I am terrified of having an accident. So, I end up missing one week of school every month. I have been put on the pill, but it’s not helping much, and I don’t like it.

Emma has endometriosis.…

Migraines, fatigue, mood swings, cramps, backache, and irritability are just some of the conditions that women battle with every month seeing their menstrual period as just one more of the hurdles that they must deal with as a woman. Many women grow up believing that it is normal to experience heavy blood loss, painful headaches, debilitating cramps, and a fear striken partner. They should just struggle through it like many women before them. Alternatively they may have started taking the oral contraceptive pill from an early age to control acne, heavy periods or strong pain. However, the pill is not…

There is more to weight loss than just diet and exercise. Factors like allergies, hormones, stress, and polycystic ovaries can reduce the efficiency of your metabolism and prevent or slow down weight loss.

Are food allergies making you gain weight?
Bloating, fatigue, itchy skin and sinus problems are just some of the unpleasant symptoms of food allergies. But did you know allergies might also be slowing down your metabolism, causing weight gain and even preventing fat loss?
Food allergies occur when a food triggers an immune reaction in your body. Your body then goes into protection…

“If there was a drug that could shorten labour by an average of two hours; reduce the likelihood of caesarian by half; decrease the need for artificial pain relief; increase a labouring woman’s sense of relaxation, comfort, confidence and overall satisfaction; and promote positive feelings that promote bonding of the mother, baby and father …. It would be unethical not to offer it.” 1

This quote really got my attention. It comes from a Medical Doctor named John H. Kennell.

The substance he is referring to is out there. It’s not a drug. There are no nasty side-effects. It’s getting…

Real causes of facial lines and wrinkles. To the western mind, beauty is thought in terms of cosmetics and make up art. Yet the health of the skin significantly reflects the body’s internal condition. The skin is the body’s largest organ and not only protects but also detoxifies it. A wrinkled face shows a mind and a body wrought with stress. Obesity shows a body already compromised with toxins. Eruptions shows a body crying for help.

Historically, typical ‘facial toning’ devices have been developed on the erroneous premise that facial wrinkles were caused by muscles that were too loose and…

Do you suffer from fluid retention & swelling?

Have you heard about deep lymphatic therapy? It's a recently developed, scientifically based treatment that really makes a difference. The deep lymphatic system is specifically stimulated by energy flow generated by various types of bio-energetic tools, effectviely clearing congestion that can occur in any part of it. Clients are shown how to decrease toxic intake and eat foods that may help them feel better.

Many people may not know about the lymphatic system. It's as important as the blood circulation and is probably responsible for 90% of fluid return in the…

PCOS is now recognised to be a metabolic syndrome which may include hyperinsulinaemia, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, and possibly cardiac disease, as well as the more conventionally recognised increase in androgen levels, cosmetic problems such as acne and excess hair, anovulation, infertility, endometrial cancer and obesity.

Symptoms
Menstrual irregularities – cycles shorter than 21 days or longer than 35 days
Hyperandrogenism – hirsutism, acne, male pattern baldness
Overweight – mainly central weight gain around stomach
Infertility – anovulation and/or dysfunctional uterine bleeding
Lack of a regular cycle – no period evident at all

Diagnostic Criteria
Polycystic ovary syndrome is diagnosed if…

Do you have feelings of anxiety, depression, insomnia, irritability, fatigue?
Suffer from weight gain, bloating, irregular periods, headaches, fluid retention?
Put up with cravings, constipation, skin problems, low libido or mood swings?

IT COULD SIMPLY BE YOUR HORMONES ARE OUT OF WACK!
How many of you have experienced the symptoms above and felt like a hypochondriac,silently wondering am I falling apart or going mad? I am here to tell you, you’re not falling apart and you’re definitely NOT mad! What all of these symptoms have in common is that they are signs of hormonal imbalance. You are not alone. Many…