Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Babies Anyone?

Just a couple of days ago, Global News discussed the legal fight in order to have IVF (in-vitro fertilization) treatments funded by the provincial government. Fertility has become more of an issue as the age of marriage and family planning has increased over the years. In 2009, it is estimated that in Canada, over 22% of couples experience difficulty in conceiving; this statistic is an increase of over 6% compared to it was in 1992. Infertility is a medical term that does not necessarily mean that either partner is absolutely, and physiologically unable to have a child. It simply means that after at least one full year of engaging in unprotected sexual intercourse, a couple has been unsuccessful with becoming pregnant.

Infertility is a highly complex issue, as it involves all aspects of health. Conventional medicine would assess hormone levels of both partners, ovulation and sperm production. Medication is given for the purpose of correcting hormone levels and increase ovulation. If this does not yield any success, then IUI (intrauterine insemination) can be used, often in conjunction of medication to induce ovulation. If IUI does not lead to successful pregnancy, then IVF (in-vitro fertilization) is often attempted. While the success rate of IVF is much greater, many couples can still be unsuccessful after more than one attempt with the procedure, leaving them financially drained, and emotionally frustrated.
While the conventional procedures mentioned above do help many couples successfully start families, one great down side is that it is highly expensive. Couples can easily spend tens of thousands of dollars and still be disappointed. The good news is lifestyle changes can be made to ensure the health of your reproductive system so that the chance of successful conception is increased.
Begin with losing any excessive weight that you may have. For women, extra pounds translate into hormonal imbalance, which has a direct impact on your reproductive system. In order to achieve that, a well-balanced diet is key. Regular exercise helps to not only achieve a healthier body weight, but also it helps to de-stress as well. Many couples put a great deal of stress on themselves when trying to conceive, which in turn influences sex hormone levels thanks to increased levels of cortisol (the stress hormone). Because of this, effective methods to aid with stress management are also important, activities such as yoga and meditation are some examples.

Although the above has been mostly focused on what the woman can do, the male reproductive health is also important when it comes to fertility. The truth is, there are more treatment options available to issues pertaining to the female reproductive system than there is for men. So, it is even more important for the man to also ensure good overall health in order to maximize the couple’s chance of conceiving.

Both partners should do a cleanse about 3 months prior to attempting to have a baby. This would give the woman’s body a chance to achieve at least a couple of good menstrual cycles, and the man’s body enough time to make a whole new batch of sperms, which happens approximately once every 72 days.
In addition to lifestyle changes, herbal medicine is highly effective for the treatment of hormonal imbalance, while acupuncture has been found to regulate a women’s menstrual cycle with great success. The combination of lifestyle changes, herbal medicine, and acupuncture has shown great success with treatment female health concerns such as endometriosis, PCOS, and uterine fibroids.
Futhermore, acupuncture treatment prior to and after IVF treatment has been found to increase success rate of the procedure. Before spending tens of thousands of dollars on IVF, complimentary treatments such as acupuncture and herbal medicine are definitely worth a try.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Love Your Heart

February is heart health awareness month, the perfect opportunity to remind ourselves that the constantly hard-working muscle in the body may be in need of more TLC than we are providing.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada recently put a series of Make-Death-Wait advertisements, sending out a badly-needed message. Although heart disease has decreased by 25% over the last decade, it along with stroke is still the leading causes of death in Canada, taking a life every 7 minutes. Because of these statistics, heart disease and stroke cost our economy 20.9 billion dollars annually, as a result of decreased productivity, lost wages, and medical services and costs.

These alarming, and intimidating statistics can be changed drastically if each of us made small changes in our daily lives. This is not an overly optimistic statement, as the majority incidences of heart disease and strokes are preventable. Many people believe that if heart disease runs in the family, it means they will also suffer from these illnesses. While genetic inheritance can be a risk factor, it is certainly not the one and only determining factor. In fact, not only is heart disease and stroke largely preventable, physiological changes in the body such as cholesterol levels and atherosclerosis can reverse with the right lifestyle changes.

A study published over a decade ago, best known as the Ornish Study, found that by making lifestyle changes such as stopping smoking, increasing vegetables and decreasing fats from the diet and regular exercise, atherosclerotic lesions (plaque) have regressed by 82% compared to before these changes were implemented. It is important to point out that this dramatic change happened in just a year, and these patients were not treated using conventional medication.

Clearly the link between healthy lifestyle and the prevention and treatment of heart disease and stroke is not new. However, it is often neglected. While most of us understand the importance of heart disease prevention, many ignore it until it is too late. If you are think that you can afford to wait until you detect symptoms before you take action, then remember: the first noticeable symptom of heart disease is a heart attack, and possibly death.

It is never too early to prevent illnesses, it begins today, it begins now. How? A good place to start is to ensure that you get adequate sleep each night. Once you are well-rested, feeling more energized, you may be more motivated to make changes in other areas too, such as make a plan to stop smoking, start exercising on a regular basis, and examine your diet and find areas that need improvement. Lastly, but not least, good stress management is vital to protecting oneself from heart disease. The mechanism is simple, stress raises stress hormone such as cortisol and adrenaline in the body, which are hormones that, among other things, raise blood pressure, increase heart rate and blood sugar levels. These result in increased risks of not only heart disease but also diabetes.

This may sound like an overwhelming number of things that need to change, but remember that every little effort counts, and that every little change you do make, will have a greater impact than you may think.

Good luck and love your heart!