Sleep Deprivation and Obesity in Children

Here is an article emphasizing the importance of regular bedtimes and uninterrupted sleep for children (ages 4-10). Nine to 10 hours is the goal, with at least six and a half hours of deep sleep. It would be interesting to see how this information applies to adults.

The recommended sleep duration for children is nine to ten hours; however, the study followed 308 healthy children (aged four to ten) and found not only that a large portion did not meet that sleep goal, but many had erratic sleep issues. The lack of a long, deep sleep (durations of about 6.5 hours) and/or irregular sleep patterns were associated with altered levels of insulin, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and C-reactive protein (an indication of inflammation and cardiovascular risk).

Sleep deficit effects more than just your waistline. It can be detrimental to your ability to remain alert and attentive, and affect performance. It has been found that people who have slept fewer than six hours a night were more likely to develop a condition that precedes diabetes, increases the risk of high blood pressure and can lead to depression.

In Chinese Medicine, sleep problems in children often are found to relate to digestive distress and are treated with gentle herbs to support the digestion and calm the heart, leading to less worry and deeper sleep. These treatments work equally well for adults, though herbs for reducing stress and anxiety are frequently necessary as well.

Byron Russell

After A Miscarriage...

Experiencing a miscarriage, particularly later in the pregnancy, can be emotionally devastating, but here is some interesting research from a British Medical Journal report, encouraging women who experience a miscarriage to get pregnant again quickly.

From the LA Times:

After a miscarriage, the time a woman should wait before trying for another pregnancy is controversial. Some practitioners believe that there should be no wait time; the World Health Organization encourages women to wait at least six months.

A study published online Thursday in the British Medical Journal reports that women who conceive within six months of their miscarriage have the best chance of having a healthy, successful pregnancy.

The study looked at data for more than 30,000 women who attended Scottish hospitals between 1981 and 2000. All of the women had had a miscarriage in their first pregnancy before getting pregnant again. The women were divided into five categories based on the interval between the miscarriage and subsequent pregnancy: less than six months, 6-12 months, 12-18 months, 18-24 months, and more than 24 months.

The scientists found that women who conceived again within six months were less likely to have a caesarean section, preterm delivery (defined as birth before 36 weeks) or an infant of low birth weight (less than 5.5 lbs), compared with women in the other categories.

They were 66% less likely to have a miscarriage than women who waited six to 12 months to conceive, 48% less likely to have an ectopic pregnancy (in which the pregnancy occurs outside of the womb), 43% less likely to terminate their pregnancy and 70% less likely to have a stillbirth.

The longer the interval between miscarriage and subsequent pregnancy, the greater the risks were seen to be.

The authors wrote in their paper that “women who conceive within six months of an initial miscarriage have the best outcomes and lowest complication rates in their subsequent pregnancy.” Perhaps, they suggested, this is because women who become pregnant soon after a miscarriage are more motivated to stick to health-related behavior to ensure the success of their next pregnancy.

Byron Russell

Pregnancy Weight And Childhood Obesity Linked

A report from RedOrbit. The importance of this study is the link between obesity late in life and weight at birth, meaning that excessive weight gain during pregnancy puts the child at higher risk of obesity (and associated health risks) later in life. This highlights the necessity of a healthy diet during pregnancy -- and before conception.

A new study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health has discovered a link between the weight gain of pregnant mothers and the risk of obesity in their children.

In a population-based study, Dr. David S. Ludwig of Children's Hospital in Boston and Columbia University economics professor Janet Currie looked at all known births in the states of Michigan and New Jersey from 1989 through 2003.

According to their findings, which were published in the August 5 edition of The Lancet, expectant mothers who gained 50-pounds during their pregnancies were twice as likely to have a high birthweight infant as those who only gained 20.

For purposes of the study, high birthweight was defined as anything over 8 pounds, 13 ounces.

Furthermore, in their research, Ludwig and Currie "found that if the same woman gained roughly double the weight during one pregnancy compared with another, her baby was on average half a pound, or 200 grams, heavier than its sibling, a large difference for newborns," according Shirley S. Wang of the Wall Street Journal."

"The more weight the women gained, the higher the risk of having a high-birth-weight baby," Wang also noted in a Thursday article. "Women who gained more than 52 pounds, for instance, were 2.3 times as likely to have a high-birthweight baby as women who gained 18 to 22 pounds, within the recommended range of gain for overweight women."

"In view of the apparent association between birthweight and adult weight, obesity prevention efforts targeted at women during pregnancy might be beneficial for offspring," the researchers write in the 'Interpretation' section of their paper's summary.

"Research is urgently needed into how to help women of reproductive age attain and maintain a healthy weight before and during pregnancy," Dr. Neal Halfon and Dr. Michael Lu of the University of California's Center for Healthier Children Families Communities wrote in an article accompanying the research paper. "With a growing focus on preconceptional health, there is an opportunity to develop effective interventions to help women conceive at a healthier weight."

Byron Russell

Acupressure Effective for Relieving Morning Sickness

This study shows the effectiveness of stimulation of the acupuncture point Neiguan (P6) for preventing morning sickness and vomiting during pregnancy. Neiguan is located on the inner wrist, about 2 finger-widths above the wrist crease toward the elbow. Acupuncture treatments on a number of points (St36, Liv3, Sp9, LI4) is even more effective, but acupressure on the wrist is something you can try at home.

From PubMed:

Morning sickness control in early pregnancy by Neiguan point acupressure.

de Aloysio D, Penacchioni P.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bologna University, Italy.
Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the antiemetic effect of acupressure at the Neiguan point. METHODS: Sixty women in early pregnancy were entered into a randomized, double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled trial. During a 12-day period, organized in four steps of 3 days each, the women were divided into two homogeneous groups to test the effectiveness of unilateral and bilateral acupressure. RESULTS: Use of acupressure resulted in a significantly lower frequency of morning sickness compared with placebo treatment. More than a 60% positive effect was found with unilateral and bilateral acupressure, compared with an approximately 30% positive effect of placebo acupressure. Changing from unilateral to bilateral pressure on the Neiguan point caused no significant statistical difference. No noteworthy side effects occurred. CONCLUSION: Acupressure on the Neiguan point relieves morning sickness

Byron Russell, LAc

Dr. Andrew Weil on Acupuncture for Fertility

Here is an excerpt from a brief article written by the very well-known Dr. Andrew Weil on the benefits of acupuncture for many different health conditions.

Acupuncture is not just about needles, but is a comprehensive traditional therapy focused on correcting imbalances of energy flow throughout the body. It can be employed effectively for a wide variety of conditions:

* Gynecologic disorders and infertility (it has demonstrated clinical success when used in conjunction with in-vitro fertilization)
* Emotional disorders such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder
* Digestive complaints, including nausea, vomiting, and irritable bowel syndrome
* Pain syndromes due to an injury or associated with chronic degenerative diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis
* Neurological problems like migraines or Parkinson's disease
* Respiratory conditions, including sinusitis and asthma
* Fatigue or low energy
* Addictions
* Chronic lower back pain

It can also be used as a rehabilitation strategy for individuals who suffered a stroke, can help control chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and can help promote overall wellbeing.

Byron Russell, LAc

Dr. Andrew Weil on Acupuncture for Fertility

Here is an excerpt from a brief article written by the very well-known Dr. Andrew Weil on the benefits of acupuncture for many different health conditions.

Acupuncture is not just about needles, but is a comprehensive traditional therapy focused on correcting imbalances of energy flow throughout the body. It can be employed effectively for a wide variety of conditions:

* Gynecologic disorders and infertility (it has demonstrated clinical success when used in conjunction with in-vitro fertilization)
* Emotional disorders such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder
* Digestive complaints, including nausea, vomiting, and irritable bowel syndrome
* Pain syndromes due to an injury or associated with chronic degenerative diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis
* Neurological problems like migraines or Parkinson's disease
* Respiratory conditions, including sinusitis and asthma
* Fatigue or low energy
* Addictions
* Chronic lower back pain

It can also be used as a rehabilitation strategy for individuals who suffered a stroke, can help control chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and can help promote overall wellbeing.

Byron Russell, LAc

Acupuncture, diet and post-natal recovery

Although acupuncture treatments for fertility are pretty well-known now, and the benefits of this treatment are extremely well-researched, we hear less about post-partum acupuncture -- treatments for the new mother AFTER the baby is born. These treatments – combined with a healthy diet – are extremely important in helping the mother regain her strength and energy. I emphasize to all of my fertility patients that the goal isn’t simply to ‘get pregnant’, or even to deliver a healthy baby, but to do that and to be healthy enough to enjoy this new life and support your new family.

I recently completed a course on acupuncture and fertility, and here is an excerpt from the notes on that class, taught by Debra Betts a well-respected acupuncturist in New Zealand.

The Road to Recovery
Adequate rest to ensure complete recovery from childbirth is an important part of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Pregnancy can be challenging to the body, and labor certainly is. A basic idea in TCM is that it will take a woman at least a month to fully recover from childbirth, an idea not necessarily widespread in Western society. Though partners or relatives are usually available to help for a week or two, many new mothers are left to their own devices (and a newly busy and sleepless schedule) after that. The demands of modern society and the pressures of our work world often prevent partners from helping more, and prevent some Moms from feeling comfortable asking for more help.

It may be an appealing idea that “super moms” will be fit and ready for action within a week or two following birth, but this is not the reality for most women. While they may be able to cope, (and will be rewarded by plenty of verbal feedback on how well they are doing), several months later it is often hard to shake off the tiredness and exhaustion. Breast-feeding can exacerbate this situation, particularly if the new mother isn’t getting adequate nutrition.

Remembering that the ideal is a happy new Mom who is able to enjoy her new family duties, weekly acupuncture treatment starting from 2 weeks postpartum for a total of 3 weeks to promote stamina and an efficient recovery can be recommended. This is also a good time for evaluation for more serious problems that may result from a difficult labor or more severe exhaustion. Acupuncture can also be useful at this time to balance emotions, aid perineal healing and help with any breastfeeding problems.

There is also a long documented history in traditional Chinese medicine of women taking dietary remedies to encourage lactation and to promote their recovery from childbirth with an emphasis on building blood and energy. Specific foods are seen to be especially valuable, for example:

Foods that improve Qi (energy) include;
Oats, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, mushrooms (button and shitake), yams, dates, grapes, Kidney beans, tofu, beef, chicken, tuna, egg, jasmine tea and spices such as; basil, cinnamon, clove, dill, fennel, ginger, nutmeg, rosemary, and thyme.

Foods to build blood include;
Corn, beetroot, all dark leafy greens, mushrooms, apricots, avocados, dates, kidney beans, sesame seeds, chicken, mussels, eggs and soy milk as well as the obvious iron rich foods such as red meat and spinach.

Byron Russell

Acupuncture for Fertility

Here is a small summary of the use of acupuncture for fertility issues from Acupuncture.com, October 2009. I was particularly struck by the comment on a study from the British Medical Journal showing nearly twice as many live births for IVF when acupuncture is added.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can be used in combination with conventional reproductive medical care or as a primary treatment approach. Acupuncture can be effective for women taking fertility drugs or reproductive technology techniques (such as IVF or IUI). Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine can also be effective as a stand-alone approach to treat infertility for those not undergoing conventional medical treatment. Acupuncture helps to regulate hormonal activity, thus regulating menstruation, ovulation, and pregnancy. A recent study from the British Medical Journal found that among women who received acupuncture and IVF, the pregnancy rates were 65% higher and the rates of live births were nearly twice as high than among women who received IVF with sham acupuncture or no acupuncture.

Acupuncture helps to reduce stress and decrease the hypersympathetic nervous system response. Studies have shown that high stress levels decrease the likelihood of conceiving. Acupuncture has been shown to stimulate chemical changes within the uterine lining, thickening the endometrium, and preparing the uterus for implantation.

In men, acupuncture can improve sperm motility, volume and concentration as well as increase libido. From the perspective of Chinese medicine, optimum fertility enhancement would involve a course of treatments with the aim of nourishing the Kidney Essence and regulating the menstrual cycle as well as clearing any pathogens that may be interfering with the natural process of conception.

Byron Russell

Ancient Chinese Secret May Help Overcome Jet Lag and Insomnia

Many of my fertility patients have jobs that involve regular air travel -- and one of the issues of regular travel is stress, jetlag and insomnia.

Here is an article by Allison Neves on Tango Diva, a website for women travelers. In this article Allison interviews me about the use of Chinese Medicine for treatment of jetlag and discusses her treatment and results. The focus of the article is insomnia resulting specifically from jetlag, but the impact of the treatment is to reduce stress and normalize hormone levels and settle and ground the body. All these things are very important for improving fertility.

TangoDiva

As a travel writer, I find myself in and out of different time zones a handful of times each year. I’ve had my occasional bouts with jet lag and usually, within a day or so, all is right with the world and my internal time clock has acclimated. I’ve never experienced anything major when it comes to sleep issues until a trip to London last winter. During that time, I was stuck in what seemed to be a perpetual limbo of two full weeks of sleepless misery. Ever since that trip, my sleep has been an issue. I thought I had tried EVERYTHING… that is until a friend of mine mentioned acupuncture. I had tried acupuncture treatments in the past for facial rejuvenation and chronic neck pain. Both treatments were successful. But I guess it never occurred to me that this ancient Chinese secret just might be the cure to my current ailment.

In my relentless search for a few good Zzzzzzz’s, I enlisted the help of Byron Russell, a San Francisco-based acupuncturist who was not only enthusiastically referred to me by four different people but was also recently named one of the top three acupuncturists in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Chronicle. So, not too shabby, right?

continue reading

Byron Russell

Stress and Fertility

One of the best things you can do for yourself when dealing with problems in fertility is:

CUT DOWN on the STRESS in your life.

That, of course, is very easy for me to say -- and I say it a lot -- but getting rid of stress can be very hard to accomplish. So, I'd like to mention a few things that can help.

To start with, let's define what stress is. I get quite a few patients (very successful people with demanding jobs, who are well-organized, and who do strenuous exercise daily) who insist they they don't have stress. They don't feel stressed, at all, and they don't want to talk about it. Really, they do NOT want to talk about it.

For these people, the idea of being 'stressed' sounds like a criticism, a suggestion of incompetence -- and that isn't what I mean. Stress in TCM is a bodily reaction to the demands of life. So, someone who is very competent is actually likely to have and to handle more demands, and in a sense, to experience a more stressful life.

So, the first thing to realize is that "being stressed" is not a judgment about your life. Good events can cause stress. Excitement can be stressful. Winning the lottery can be stressful. Getting a promotion can be stressful. Strenuous exercise can be stressful. Any situation that involves change and adaption by your body can be seen as stress -- and it does affect your hormone levels and could affect your fertility.

In a way, that is good, because we want to affect your fertility positively -- through exercise, diet, meditation and attitude, as well as acupuncture and herbs.

What can you do to minimize the effects of a busy and demanding life? Here's an idea: try making space for a baby now. Pretend you already have a child. What do you give up in your life to make time for that? How do you change your work and socializing? Begin making those changes (cutting back) and then use your new free time to relax more, eat better, exercise slowly, and breath. Then take that calmer, more expansive attitude into the rest of your life.

Byron Russell