Everyone needs more Rest and Relaxation theses days.

A group of trusted professionals is gathering at my office on

Sunday September 19th from 10AM to 2PM

to offer mini treatments AND a delicious organic lite meal, all at no cost to you!!

Participants will flow through a series of spa experiences including:

Massage, Acupuncture, Skin care, Pilates (light stretching), Chiropractic, Biofeedback, and Nutrition.We also will have presentations/discussions with a Reiki master, a wholistic MD and a Naturpathic doctor. All of this is followed by a scrumptious, light, organic meal.

Sign up for your spot now-slots are limited.

Ring Kristina Lentz at 415.455.0307

OR e-mail her at:

kristina@beyond-massage.net ]]> http://www.balancerestored.com/wp/?feed=rss2&p=166 http://www.balancerestored.com/wp/?p=164 http://www.balancerestored.com/wp/?p=164#comments Sat, 21 Aug 2010 21:57:56 +0000 admin http://www.balancerestored.com/wp/?p=164

by Karen Reynolds, L.Ac., M.S., R.N.

Welcome to Part III of the Thyroid Fertility Connection.

In Parts I & II, I discussed the typical signs and symptoms of Hashimoto’s

disease, hypothyroidism, the biophysiology of these instances, and some helpful lab tests used to evaluate your thyroid function.

This section will give you some practical nutritional and supplemental tips to support your thyroid function and in turn your fertility.

As I’ve noted in Parts I and II, one of the biggest, life long practices, which benefits your fertility health, your immune system and your thyroid health, is to cut gluten out of your diet. The amazing and wonderful thing about our modern world is there are so many quality, gluten-free alternatives easily available. One of my patients recently traveled to Nigeria and she even found gluten-free bakeries and alternatives there! Next time you are in a restaurant, ask if they have a gluten-free menu. You may be surprised to find that more and more establishments are providing gluten-free options. One local pizzeria in my town even has a gluten-free pie and gluten-free beer.

I love Tinkyada brown rice pastas. These products are readily available online and in most health food stores. The consistency and flavor is practically seamless compared with traditional wheat based pasta.

Next I want to discuss some basic and inexpensive supplements that benefit everyone not just women seeking to fall pregnant. However, if pregnancy is your goal, this is important.

A majority of today’s population is Vitamin D deficient. We tend to think of Vitamin D as necessary in the body for strong bones. This is true. However Vitamin D is vital for immune health, reducing inflammation, and helping to regulate how certain genes are activated or inactivated in the body. How does this affect you and your fertility?

As I discussed in Part I, Hashimoto’s disease of thyroid is an autoimmune disease.

Autoimmune issues of all types are greatly influenced by challenges to the immune system and levels of inflammation in the body. Having adequate Vitamin D in your body will temper autoimmune flares, support your immune system and help to lower inflammation. In essence it will allow your system to go about the business of baby making as opposed to putting out fires. Acupuncture, which is my specialty, is also known to reduce inflammation and improve immune status. Combining acupuncture with diet and life style changes greatly enhances your fertility.

In my acupuncture fertility practice, I routinely check and monitor Vitamin D levels. This is easy, inexpensive and vital for your health. The Vitamin D council recommends maintaining a serum Vitamin D level of 50-80ng/L and supplementing each day with 4,000-5,000 IU/day of cholecalciferol. Avoid ergocalciferol as studies show that it is not effective in raising Vitamin D levels. For more information, see www.vitamindcouncil.org.

Listed below are some foods naturally highest in Vitamin D. You can incorporate these selections into your daily diet to improve your Vitamin D intake.

Mushrooms, potatoes, spinach

Vitamin D fortified orange juice

Soymilk

Herring catfish, mollusks oysters, salmon, halibut

Col liver oil, sardine oil.

My recommendations for my patients diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease include

daily:

Vitamin D supplementation

Fish oils

Glutathione (topical cream)

Superoxide dismutase (topical cream)

Gluten-free diet

Note: You can also get vitamin D from sunshine. Twenty minutes in bright sunshine (without sunscreen) yields about 10,000 IU. However, if you are at high risk for skin cancer or have fair skin, this is not a good option. Check with your dermatologist for concerns about the sun’s harmful effects on the skin. I have found that most people don’t get enough sun exposure and require supplementation.

I have greatly enjoyed sharing this information and I look forward to providing you with future posts. In my acupuncture clinic, I specialize in the treatment of fertility of both men and women, women’s health, and functional endocrinology. More of my fertility patients have thyroid issues than those who do not; so this is a treatment passion of mine. Drawing from my 20 years of experience as an ICU RN, I make extensive use of lab testing. I also utilize acupuncture, antioxidants, dietary changes and nutritional supplementation to optimize health, wellness and vitality for the amazing women and men who I have the great honor to treat.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at:

kreynolds@balancerestored.com

Balance Restored Center for Integrative Medicine

600 Miller Avenue

Mill Valley, CA 94941

Ring: 415.381.8500 Ext. 4

See my blog for additional information:

http://karen-reynolds.com

This is an article I authored for the website OwningPink.com

http://www.owningpink.com/blogs/owning-pink/what-your-thought-mining-the-pinkie-subconscious. Owning Pink was founded by Dr. Lissa Rankin, MD- a wholistic Gynecologist with whom I have the great honor to work. She hosts a wealth of  information on Women’s health, getting your mojo back if might be lost, and scads of invaluable topics.

Are you familiar with this experience? Once upon a time when you were a fresh- faced pinkie, you had an unpleasant, toxic, embarrassing, or abusive experience, which led to a thought. The thought recurred and over time you took it in as truth. Do you know what is your unique thought? I didn’t truly, consciously know mine until recently.

The blind spots

The exquisite wiring and structure that comprises our brain is designed such that it executes our goals, even when we are directing it toward “goals” about which we are unconscious. What if your thought is: “Life is hard” ? What if your thought is: “No one listens to me” ? It’s sobering to think that those are the marching orders we can unknowingly give our brains and that in turn is what we create in our day-to-day lives. Ironically, even if you’ve gone through therapy, even if you meditate, even if you are the queen of self-help, you might not yet consciously know what is your formative thought.

What is incredible about our human pinkie brains is that it’s actually hard to mine down and discover that core thought. We all have blind spots just like the ones in our vehicles. They ride around with us and obstruct a portion of the view; but it’s ok overall because we can simply look around them. They are still present but we just don’t consciously see them. We humans are pretty creative and multi-talented organisms and we can adapt. Those blind spots make it impossible to uncover and deconstruct what is underneath, without help.

Drilling down to the driving thought

Recently, I was in a workshop hosted by a local company called Productive Learning and Leisure. I trotted into the workshop that day for what I thought was a business development course. Yes, it was indeed a business development workshop and it was so much more. The talent and compassion of the speaker, Betty Jo Waxman, awed me. She created a safe space filled with information, exercises, opportunities, non-judgment and humor. The ultimate learning came in her deft, kind drilling down to extract the driving thought for each person.

I have to confess that I myself was a big weanie, because I didn’t have the courage to work the conversational process live in front of my classmates. The respect and acknowledgement I feel for those who did is unending. It was through the observation of a woman who shares my same thought that I consciously got to the root of my brain’s marching orders.

This brings me to another powerful aspect of this excavation process. There is something pivotal about the group aspect and mining the subconscious. If you’ve ever listened to or read any of the work Eckhart Tolle, such as The New Earth, it is evident that our egos are clever, resistive, and ever active like psychotic Leprechauns skipping about to find gold. The ego or the subconscious zigs and zags to discover a path upon which it can execute its agenda. As humans we all share this phenomena: it is completing our agenda at all costs. Often we see that process at work more clearly in others as opposed to ourselves because we have that handy blind spot solidly soldered into place. This is how our brains work and actually it is not evil. It appears to be in place ultimately to protect us.

The brain fancies that it knows best for us. It intimately knows what has historically worked and protected. Therefore it fires up the blow torch to reinforce the metal seams securing that blind spot in place and off toward its original destination it goes.

Sharing the shift

When we are honest, open and quite literally out in the open, as within a group setting, there is a far more powerful shift. It is fruitful on a different level than what we might experience in a private session with a therapist or from individual counsel from an elder or spiritual advisor.

It was so freeing for people to give voice to their thought! The thoughts were varied and vast, such as:

I’m not worthy.

I don’t succeed.

I’m not smart enough.

Nothing works out for me.

My ideas are stupid.

It’s not safe.

I’m afraid.

I’m not liked or loved.

I’m not included.

The shift comes when each person identifies what is his or her thought and realizes that: it is just a thought. Yes, it is usually based upon some experience or set of experiences, which historically occurred. However in present time it’s a story, which no longer serves. I saw an enormously successful businesswoman come to terms with an “I’m not successful” story. It shook the room because we know her to rock the line of work in which she specializes. That is not a story; It’s a fact. The beauty and gift of the moment was her hauling that thought out of the shadows, acknowledging it for affording her protection earlier in life, and then reprogramming the new goal for her exquisite and amazing Pinkie brain.

The uplifting notion is that it is the lot being human to have this subconscious. It is the job of our subconscious to protect us and have our best interests at hand. That is its job and we can thank our subconscious for its fine work thus far… and go ahead and reprogram it with our new goals and desires. (My interview with Betty Jo on the topic here!)

My subconscious? June Cleaver.

It’s good to have some humor around the mining of that blasted subconscious too. I imagine my subconscious as sort of bizarro blend between a guardian angel hybridized with June Cleaver.

Contrary to typical fluffy, white, billowing romanticized depictions, angels are beings of fierce protection not to be crossed. I’ve encountered angels before and the experiences were not enshrouded by warm, fuzzy moments with a tinkling of fairy music in the background. They were not bad moments either, mind you. Intense is a gentle way of characterizing it, just like exploring the unconscious mind. The June Cleaver aspect is as far from my life as can be. The image of June is safe, sanitized, playing by the rules and in keeping with prudence. So I extend my sincere apologies to any angel out there who is likely bumming about being depicted in an apron and pumps. The reality is that we Own Pink as powerful conscious women who can direct our thoughts, lives, goals and aspirations.

What do you think? Can you uncover any of your subconscious blindspots? Are you clear on your driving thought? What does your subconscious look like?

Namaste, Pinkie world!

Be well,

Karen Reynolds, L.Ac., M.S., R.N.-Mill Valley, CA

kreynolds@balancerestored.com

Principles of Feng Shui talk about how organization of a home, office or any environment direclty impacts your health and well-being. In my acupuncture and Chinese herbal practice in Mill Valley, CA, I see the effects of disorganization in my patients’ lives daily.  I recently had the amazing opportunity to interview professional organizer and author, Toni Algren, for her wisdom in this realm.

KR: What kinds of changes do you see in your clients once they organize their homes and lives?

TA: I definitely see positive mental changes. The physical effects are obvious; but when somebody’s life isn’t in control, his or her mind isn’t in control. They are distracted. Physical clutter creates psychic clutter. A lot of clutter indicates indecision.

KR: Who are your typical clients?

TA: I work for a lot of small business owners. By that I mean even people with large households. They’ve got animals and children and bills and really: life is a business.

Most are entrepreneurs who don’t have support staff like they have in a big corporation; so they must work efficiently. They need to get systems in place and simplify the mundane chores so there’s time for fun stuff!

KR: Can you give me an example of streamlining something?

Instead of writing 50 checks a month and spending an afternoon doing it, I set people up so they spend 7 minutes with paying their bills online. If  people have a place for everything–and that usually includes the right filing system–they will save tons of time not looking for things.

Here’s a tip many of my clients have found invaluable: Get a spiral bound notebook and keep it on your desk. Write down literally everything that you need to do, notes to yourself, and calls to return as they come up during the day. The pages are bound together. The notebook is easy to transport with you and you can refer back to lists. I constantly refer back to my own notebooks—they are a wealth of information. People swear by that system.

The idea of having a clear place to work is really important. A cluttered desk or kitchen creates a cluttered mind. It’s bad for the soul. It’s distracting and people are negatively affected by visual clutter.  Part of my job is to get beneath the disorganization to see what underlies the clutter. Most people don’t have a filing system. As a result their papers are all over the place.

KR: What types of things are underutilized in a typical office?

TA: Well, filing cabinets are actually over-utilized. People do not purge enough.

The 80/20 rule applies: 80% is garbage and 20% is actually important enough to keep. We live in an age where many documents are accessible online, so why keep copies of things you can easily get if you need them? We get unclear about what is actually important. This is particularly key because so much is available over the Internet today.

KR: What are the most typical things that you see clients keeping that could be purged?

TA: Old maps, college textbooks, old medical information, old real estate rules.

old tax manuals. You don’t need to be a librarian anymore or to keep your dog food receipts or telephone books from 2004.

But let me answer your original question: What is under-utilized?Professional organizers–we are under-utilized. We do not have the emotional attachment to things so we can help people let go. We give our clients permission to let go of things and gently encourage them to do so.

KR: Do you sometimes feel like you are doing psychotherapy?

TA: Absolutely. Professional organizers are great because they don’t have the emotional baggage that is attached to belongings.  A professional organizer can coach a client about what is important to save—generally tax-related paper. Sentimental items are a whole other ball game!  In 25 years I’ve had so many clients. It’s common to go through belongings from first marriages or newly ended marriages. People need to feel the emotion, express it and then let go.

We also often act as sounding boards for the story associated with the belonging. [Toni picks up a paper coffee cup, cradling it in both hands.] ” I got this in Paris when I was 14 and it means something to me.”  OK, that’s the story. Now dump it. [Laughter]. No, seriously–if it’s important to you, then take a picture of it. Then get rid of it. Humor helps a lot.

KR: Do you find that once people have said the story out loud they are more likely to purge things?

TA: Oh yes.  After letting things go they see that all that stuff was really weighing them down.  Often clients get really into it all and say, “This feels so good!” or, “Let’s do one more closet or filing cabinet before you go.”

KR: What is the oddest thing that someone ever wanted to save?

TA: I have a client who is 89 years old and he has his all of his college textbooks, all of them….from the 1940’s.

KR: What are some of the biggest challenges in helping people to organize?

TA: Well, first of all they must be ready. The idea of giving someone two hours of an organizer’s time as a gift generally does not work because the recipient may not be ready. Once a wife gave her husband of gift of my time to help him organize his garage. He was not happy and insisted that he needed no help and didn’t want it… I wonder if they are still married.

I remember getting hired years ago by a woman for her husband. He hand wrote everything. He didn’town a computer at that point. His wife bought him a computer and said she just wanted to be able to “push a button” and everything would be taken care of.  So she obviously had some unrealistic expectations, too.  It has taken me years to organize these clients.  Now they both use a computer, but he is still not quite sure how to turn it on!

I have to remind clients that it takes more than 4 hours to undo years and years of clutter and accumulated paper and belongings! It does take an investment of time and money to clear out and organize.  I also urge people to hire an organizer before they move so they don’t end up schlepping unnecessary stuff to a new house.

There is a spiritual component to organizing, too.  Someone out there needs your stuff.  Put it out there in the universe and let it be used and appreciated.  Let go of more stuff and more will come to you. That is the way it works. What good are things just sitting in your closet,  garage or  kitchen cabinet?

A really good personal organizer should be a referral service for their clients.

I want to help my clients’ lives to work better.  If that means getting a plumber to fix a leaky faucet or calling an electrician to fix their office lighting that’s what I’ll get done. Whatever it takes to simplify a client’s life!

By the way: organizing is an ongoing process. Life changes and things change.

After people talk about their feelings around their stuff they say they feel 20 lbs lighter or love to go into heir office to work or love finding what they need. It is a feeling of completeness and empowerment when life is organized.

[Toni patting a stack of papers on my messy desk…]There will always be little messes. Can I help you with this pile? Life is messy!

KR: Is there a little mess somewhere even in your house?

TA: Of course!

Another useful tip is to have a pending folder. It holds things that are very short term, like the page from a catalogue with a confirmation number for something you ordered. What do you do with that piece of paper for a week until the item arrives? The pending folder is the perfect place to put something in a holding pattern.  It is not for long-term items like your financial future; it’s for the mundane things, like directions to a party or what attire is required.

KR: What would you say are the problematic areas of a house?

TA: Well, paper is almost everyone’s big fear.

The paperless society is not here and never will be.

KR: Thank you, Toni, for your tips and wisdom around this ongoing part of life. I’m going to go home and purge some filing cabinets!

If anyone wants to find out more information on Toni’s services,

please contact her at 415 444 5596, toniahlgren@comcast.net or www.clearlyorg.com. ]]> http://www.balancerestored.com/wp/?feed=rss2&p=157 http://www.balancerestored.com/wp/?p=155 http://www.balancerestored.com/wp/?p=155#comments Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:48:32 +0000 admin http://www.balancerestored.com/wp/?p=155

I want to share this valuable info on fitness classes from my amazing friend, Dot Spaet.

What is the biggest factor for success in any kind of fitness program?  The answer is at the end of this message.

Last chance to get a discount to Eliminate Back Pain for Good! I

Dot offered a discount for this 2 hour workshop and am extending it for 2 more days until July 12.

After Monday, July 12, it’s going up.

*  Feel your back pain diminish almost immediately.

*  Learn what stretches relieve discomfort.

*  Identify which of your muscles are pulling on your back.

This is a 2 hour workshop and will be both informative and interactive. Dot shows you exactly what it takes to lessen your back pain.

What past participants say:

I have been going to physical therapy for 9 months; afterwards, I am in more pain]. Literally, within 24 hours (after working with you), the really bad pain at the bottom of my spine was relieved. This is the best I’ve felt in 9 months. - Jaclyn D., San Rafael

Of all the classes I have ever taken I learned more from your back class than any doctor or physical therapist. – Mary W., Novato

Dot is a master teacher integrating the best of yoga and pilates stretches to help loosen/relax your entire body including back pain. My back and neck pain have improved greatly with her class and her individual care and recommendations. Do yourself a favor – work with Dot to release whatever pain you have. - Sharon M., San Rafael

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Pre-registration is REQUIRED.

These classes are popular; reserve your space today.

Date: Saturday, July 17 from 1-3 pm.

RSVP before July 12 to receive a discounted rate.

Location: 618 B Street, San Rafael at the San Rafael Community Center, next to Safeway.

Cost: Valued at $79 or more, specialàONLY $39 before July 12.  $49 after July 12.  Special for YOU:  bring a friend and each comes for half or $25!

If repeating, please come as my guest for FREE, i.e if you have taken any of my Back Care Workshops before.  Please RSVP to me if you are planning to repeat.

To register: Online at http://eplay.livelifelocally.com .  Click on Activities, Adult, Fitness, scroll down to Eliminate Back Pain for Good.

Phone:  Call San Rafael Community Center at 485-3333 or me, Dot Spaet, at 892-6605

Paypal:  to maridot@jps.net

Check:  payable to City of San Rafael, mailed to Dot Spaet, 385 San Marin Drive, Novato, CA  94945

The answer to the tip question:  The biggest factor in the success of any fitness program is …

consistency.  What this means is that 35 is greater than 60.  That is, you will make better progress working out 5 minutes each day (35 total minutes each week) than working out once a week for an hour (60 minutes).

Dot looks forward to helping you and your back feel terrific!

–

Dot Spaet

Fitness Consultant and Coach

Certified Personal Trainer, Yoga/Pilates Instructor

http://fitnessbydot.com/contact.htm

fitnessbydot@earthlink.net

415-892-6605

Where the best workout is the one you are willing to do!

WORKSHOPS

FITNESS/NUTRITION/WEIGHT LOSS WORKSHOP Intro. 1 day only. $49 per person

SO YOU WANT TO BE MORE FIT AND YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START?

Saturday August 14, 1:00-4:00 pm, Bring a friend and each pays half, only $25!

San Rafael Community Center, 618 B Street, call 485-3333

or register online at http://eplay.livelifelocally.com.

Click on Activities, then Adult, then Fitness.

ONGOING CLASSES

Beginning Pilates Class

Thursdays, 3:30-4:30 pm, 618 B Street, San Rafael Community Center, San Rafael

Drop in $15; 1 month $50; 2 months $95.

PILATES Classes at Terra Linda Rec Center: Call 485-3344 to register or register in class.

Classes are at 670 Del Ganado, take Freitas Parkway to Del Ganado

Monday, 7:00-8:15 pm, $95 for 8 week series, $15 drop-in.

YOGA Downtown San Rafael

Thursday, 12:00-1:00 pm

750 Lindaro, Room 225 upstairs. $15 drop-in.

]]> http://www.balancerestored.com/wp/?feed=rss2&p=152 http://www.balancerestored.com/wp/?p=149 http://www.balancerestored.com/wp/?p=149#comments Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:58:39 +0000 admin http://www.balancerestored.com/wp/?p=149

The Thyroid Fertility Connection and Hypothyroidism, Part II of III

by Karen Reynolds, L.Ac., M.S., R.N.

Thyroid hormones literally impact every cell of your body. It is no surprise that when your thyroid gland is stymied, getting pregnant can be more difficult. Unfortunately, thyroid dysfunction is a poorly understood health issue which directly impacts both male and female fertility. This article will give you some basics on the biology of hypothyroidism–the condition in which your thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough of certain important hormones–and why it impacts your ability to fall pregnant.

Many women have an understanding that sluggish thyroid function can manifest as extreme fatigue, feeling cold all of the time, and loss of scalp or eyebrow hair. However here are some additional significant signs and symptoms, which are less commonly discussed but are vital to your reproductive health.

Do you have any of these?

· Heartburn

· Bloating

· Gas

· Fatigue combined with cravings for starchy goods

· Mood swings

· Chronic constipation

· Slow digestion

· Diminished libido

· Difficulty losing weight

· Cholesterol elevations

Male specific signs and symptoms:

· Impotence

· Sperm production issues of unknown origin

Female specific signs and symptoms:

· Headaches, migraines, and/or depression occurring at mid-cycle

· Heavy or irregular menstrual bleeding

· Hot flashes/night sweats even though your FSH and Estradiol are within normal limits

· Uterine fibroids

· Uterine cysts

Heartburn, bloating, and gas: why do you have these and why does it make a difference in your fertility? The hormone gastrin is necessary to make Hydrochloric acid (HCl) in your stomach. You need HCl in order to kill parasites, prevent food poisoning and prime your lower gastrointestinal tract to complete the digestion of foods. Sometimes women think of stomach acid as a bad thing; but in reality an acidic environment is needed in the stomach for healthy digestion.

If you have hypothyroidism, the amount of gastrin your stomach makes is decreased. This leads to less efficient digestion and can show up as bloating, heartburn and gas.

Without adequate HCl the lower organs of digestion, such as the pancreas and gall bladder, are not adequately signaled to do their jobs. Evacuation of your bowels can slow down and this can lead to overgrowth of yeast and bacteria in your intestinal tract. All of these wrenches in the gears of digestion drastically impair the amount of nutrients absorbed by your body. Mal-absorption can lead to inflammation and infection. Low-grade intestinal infections are typically and easily overlooked. If this sequence of digestive patterns occurs, your body will focus its energies upon survival as opposed to baby making.

At the risk of sounding like biophysiology class topic, let’s talk about how your thyroid and liver function impacts your fertility. The liver is the largest organ of your thorax and is the powerhouse of processing and eliminating hormones, medications, environmental chemicals and food matter. You may be familiar with some laboratory levels drawn for assessing your thyroid. These can include, but are not limited to, the following: Triiodothyronine (T3) and Thyroxine (T4).

Your thyroid makes both T3 and T4. Roughly 93% of the hormones produced by your thyroid are T4. Roughly 7% of the hormones produced by your thyroid are T3.

The clincher is that your optimal cell functioning requires the T3 form. The conversion of T4 into T3 happens primarily in your liver and some conversion occurs in your intestinal tract too.

It makes great sense that if you liver is overwhelmed with other jobs of detoxification, or if your liver is not receiving enough T4 from your thyroid, or if there is an infectious process in your gut, your cells may not be getting the basic levels of thyroid hormones they need for optimal functioning. Remember your body’s rule of thumb is that it is most fertile when all other nutrient and energy producing processes are humming along in perfect order. It’s all connected.

So now that we’ve talked about mechanisms of action in your body, let’s talk about mechanisms of action for you to take to improve your fertility.

Get evaluated.

It is necessary to get a full metabolic blood chemistry panel work up and have it analyzed by a qualified MD, Endocrinologist or an Acupuncturist specializing in endocrine issues. I do such assessments daily in my clinical practice in Mill Valley, CA. Benefits an Acupuncturist can bring to you are multifaceted. For example, I can order lab work at significant discounts compared to unspecialized labs, community hospitals, large corporation labs, or HMO’s. Additionally, acupuncture has the ability to reduce stress hormones, detoxify, improve circulation and reduce inflammation.

Maintain stable blood sugar levels by eating breakfast, eliminating inflammatory foods, and eating every 2-3 hours. This is not just a message for diabetics. Erratic blood sugars cause a cascade of biophysiological events, which ultimately impact your fertility.

Eat breakfast. Your brain needs nutrition even if you do not feel hungry in the morning. If it’s difficult for you to eat in the mornings, begin by taking only several bites at time. It doesn’t matter if you nibble for an hour to get a breakfast portion consumed. An optimal breakfast has a high quality protein, a low-glycemic grain and a small amount of fat. Two fried eggs over quinoa with several slices of avocado is an ideal combination to stabilize blood sugar for hours. Cold, gluten-containing cereal is not your friend in fertility. Cold beverages, juices, and dairy are all items which dampen and challenge digestion.

Eliminate inflammatory food items from your diet-the main one being gluten. Even if you are not gluten sensitive, gluten is a highly inflammatory substance. It is like throwing gasoline on a fire. If you have inflammation in your system, there is already a fire burning. Help quench it by choosing gluten free selections such as rice, quinoa and potatoes.

Eat every 2-3 hours and make sure you have some protein with your snack. Always eat carbohydrates with some protein otherwise you’ll experience a spike in your blood sugar followed by a crash. If you after eating a portion of carbohydrates, you feel drowsy, fatigued, or you crave sweets immediately, you have gone over your personal carbohydrate tolerance. That is a crash. Experiment with smaller portions of carbohydrate and larger portions of protein.

Remember you have a glorious, wise human body and you have the power to educate yourself about your fertility and life choices!

Stay tuned for Part III of the Thyroid Fertility Connection!

Thank you, be well, and Namaste.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at:

kreynolds@balancerestored.com

Balance Restored Center for Integrative Medicine

600 Miller Avenue

Mill Valley, CA 94941

Ring: 415.381.8500 Ext. 4

See my blog for additional information: http://karen-reynolds.com

Interview with Betty Jo Waxman of Productive Learning and Leisure 07/02/10

KR: How long have you been with Productive Learning and Leisure?

BJW: I’ve been working with founders of Productive Learning and Leisure, LLC (PLL) for 28 years (www.productivelearning.com). Technically PLL came into being 18 years ago; we worked together in a previous company though.

KR: How did you come to do this work?

BJW: I started out as a participant and the work I did had a huge impact on me.  My preparation for being a trainer includes my own ongoing personal growth and thousands of conversations with people over the years. I’ve never stopped being a participant in workshops. Literally you could be sitting next to me in a PLL workshop.  Doing my own work helps me see my stuff and not think it’s yours when I’m having a conversation with you.

KR: I was so very inspired by my first workshop with you and with PLL. I want to share with readers how it differs from other modalities such as psychotherapy or business development courses. How would you describe PLL?

BJW: So let’s just talk this out.  If you are asking about a comparison as to how PLL is it different from therapy or, say, coaching, one of the most important differences is that our work is designed to help you discern things about yourself as they are happening in the moment.  The learning begins with you participating in an exercise in the workshop.  That experience triggers the learning that ensues. We may help you get a deeper understanding about your reaction, or maybe tie it to something that happened in your history. As we talk, as you look to answer questions we offer, you get the opportunity to bring awareness to the things that you do which are more often than not merely habits – habits that don’t always lead you to your ideal destination.

What is pivotal about PLL is that personal discoveries and awareness takes place in a group, which affects how your brain processes information. It’s different than if you told something just to your therapist or your coach because that is one person. Later you think wow, I didn’t just tell one person; I told a whole room of people and the whole room said:

“Nice! Go for it!” or “That’s how I feel too!”

The group setting is critical.  What you learn about yourself springs from interactions with other people in the room. While participating in an activity you experience your reactions to the situation.  Or your resistance to what you are being asked to do. Who irritates you? Who do you irritate? When it’s in real time it is invaluable for self-learning.

In that setting it’s also easier for me to see what you don’t see. We all have blind spots. I have blind spots. We’ve told ourselves some story so many times in our minds that we are not even aware that it’s just a story anymore.  The mind is a very underutilized and misused thing.

KR: How so?

BJW: Our brain is designed to go out there and achieve goals. But most people do not consciously direct that process. So they are habitually creating the same things over and over again. We can consciously use our brains to create something, but we can also give our brains instructions without really paying attention.

We assessed our life very early on, particularly the situations that were highly emotional for us, and come to conclusions. Those conclusions are identified as a goal by our mind, which then says, “I have my marching orders and I’m going!” Sometimes those goals are things like:

You can’t count on anybody.

Life is difficult.

No one listens to me.

The list goes on and on and really that message was an isolated incident, but the brain generalizes and applies it across the board.  We are fueled by emotions, and those conclusions were based on highly emotional events so they tend to have a lot of power

If we never deconstruct these thoughts and reconstruct them, the brain keeps meeting its goal. Then to us it seems like life is ongoing evidence that the story is true. It’s fascinating really, how our brains work.

KR: One thing that I found particularly inspiring when I did your workshop is that I remember being at a place in the day and thinking, “Damn it. I can not believe I’m coming back to this same underlying thought process, which I’ve looked at so many times. Do I ever get to be done with this? What I found uplifting was to hear you say that arriving back at that same old-same old is nothing to judge.  It is simply the brain doing its job really well. I still have the capacity to say thank you very much, brain, for attempting to protect me; but I am changing the goal construct now. What is pivotal is that we cannot see this whole picture by ourselves. We need help to dissect the thought process.

BJW: We can’t do it alone. A lot of people read “self-improvement” books. I read some of those books but they are theoretical. You learn more about the person who wrote the book than yourself. Books are not tailored to the individual.  For example in a workshop, I can ask you a question about your answer. You cannot get that by taking a test in a book. We can take it further and further to figure out your blind spot. By definition, I can’t see my blind spots. I can only see what I already know about myself. It creates a new awareness from the outside. It’s like pointing out to someone “Did you realize you walked right by something but did not see it?” We can never accurately see ourselves.

KR: I found it funny that I thought that old thought process was all tidy and stored away in some archived box, but lo’ and behold it’s back again.

BJW: Isn’t it funny. It’s like we believe it is on an external hard drive somewhere.

Sometimes getting the humor of it is really helpful. What if you had a party and said to those familiar thoughts and feelings: “Come on in. It’s so nice to see you again but this time you don’t have to stay so long.” With conscious work the old story does transform so that it comes back less frequently or has a shorter duration or is less intense and you no longer define yourself by it.

KR: What is your favorite workshop?

BJW: It’s always the one I am doing. It never fails to interest me. I’ve never led the same workshop twice. The people make it different every time. PLL has 3 entrée level workshops: Beyond Reasons, Your Networking Mindset and Mind in Business. There are 36 workshops on our schedule right now and some rotate throughout the year.

KR: Thank you Betty Jo for you time, expertise, and wisdom with this amazing work you do. My brain thanks you! ]]> http://www.balancerestored.com/wp/?feed=rss2&p=145 http://www.balancerestored.com/wp/?p=141 http://www.balancerestored.com/wp/?p=141#comments Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:47:30 +0000 admin http://www.balancerestored.com/wp/?p=141 UC Berkeley News reports

Exposure to flame retardants linked to changes in thyroid hormones

By Sarah Yang, Media Relations | 21 June 2010

BERKELEY — Pregnant women with higher blood levels of a common flame retardant had altered thyroid hormone levels, a result that could have implications for fetal health, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

A new study shows that PBDE flame retardants alter thyroid function in pregnant women.

“This is the first study with a sufficient sample size to evaluate the association between PBDE flame retardants and thyroid function in pregnant women,” said the study’s lead author, Jonathan Chevrier, a UC Berkeley researcher in epidemiology and in environmental health sciences. “Normal maternal thyroid hormone levels are essential for normal fetal growth and brain development, so our findings could have significant public health implications. These results suggest that a closer examination between PBDEs and these outcomes is needed.”

PBDEs, or polybrominated diphenyl ethers, are a class of organobromine compounds found in common household items such as carpets, textiles, foam furnishings, electronics and plastics. U.S. fire safety standards implemented in the 1970s led to increased use of PBDEs, which can leach out into the environment and accumulate in human fat cells.

Studies suggest that PBDEs can be found in the blood of up to 97 percent of U.S. residents, and at levels 20 times higher than those of people in Europe. Because of California’s flammability laws, residents in this state have some of the highest exposures to PBDEs in the world.

“Despite the prevalence of these flame retardants, there are few studies that have examined their impact on human health,” said the study’s principal investigator, Brenda Eskenazi, UC Berkeley professor of epidemiology and of maternal and child health. “Our results suggest that exposure to PBDE flame retardants may have unanticipated human health risks.”

The new study, to be published June 21 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, is the second study to come out this year from Eskenazi’s research group linking PBDEs to human health effects. Eskenazi was the principal investigator on the earlier study that found that women with higher exposures to flame retardants took longer to get pregnant.

In the new study, the researchers analyzed blood samples from 270 women taken around the end of their second trimester of pregnancy. The women in the study were part of a larger longitudinal study from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) that examines environmental exposures and reproductive health.

The researchers measured concentrations of 10 PBDE chemicals, two types of thyroxine (T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). They controlled for such factors as maternal smoking, alcohol and drug use, and exposure to lead and pesticides.

Analysis focused on the five PBDE chemicals that were detected most frequently and are components of a mixture called pentaBDE. The researchers found that a 10-fold increase in each of the PBDE chemicals was associated with decreases in TSH ranging from 10.9 percent to 18.7 percent. When the five PBDEs were analyzed together, a tenfold increase was linked to a 16.8 percent decrease in TSH.

The study did not find a statistically significant effect of PBDE concentrations on levels of T4. With one exception, all the women in the study with low TSH levels had normal free T4 levels, which corresponds to the definition of subclinical hyperthyroidism. The study found that odds of subclinical hyperthyroidism were increased 1.9 times for each tenfold increase in PBDE concentrations.

“Low TSH and normal T4 levels are an indication of subclinical hyperthyroidism, which is often the first step leading toward clinical hyperthyroidism,” said Chevrier. “Though the health effect of subclinical hyperthyroidism during pregnancy is not well understood, maternal clinical hyperthyroidism is linked to altered fetal neurodevelopment, increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth and intrauterine growth retardation.”Exactly how flame retardants influence TSH levels is unclear, the researchers said, but animal studies have shown that certain PBDEs can mimic thyroid hormones.

In addition to the commercial mixture pentaBDE, octaBDE and decaBDE have been developed for use as commercial flame retardants. PentaBDE and octaBDE have both been banned for use by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the European Union and eight U.S. states, including California, but they are still present in products made before 2004.

The production of decaBDE by major manufacturers is scheduled to be phased out in the United States by 2013. However, pentaBDE and decaBDE are being replaced by new brominated and chlorinated compounds whose impact on human health is not yet clear, the researchers noted.

Other co-authors of the study are Kim Harley and Asa Bradman, associate directors at the Center for Children’s Environmental Health Research at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health; Myriam Gharbi, a doctoral student at the Pasteur Institute in France; and Andreas Sjödin, chief of the Combustion Products and Persistent Pollutants Laboratory at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences and the University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States provided support for this research.