Categories > Nutrition

Exciting announcement!

We are collaborating with Alberta Reproductive Centre (ARC) to offer Whole Person CARE Guidance.

At ARC, they understand the importance of personalized and comprehensive support throughout the emotional and medical process of your fertility journey.

That is why we have teamed up with them to offer fertility care including the following services to all ARC patients.

Introducing WFH’s Alda Ngo, the ARC Whole Person CARE (Coordinator and Reproductive Education) Guide: your Compassionate Coordinator on the Path to Parenthood at ARC.

Embarking on the journey to parenthood can be both exciting and challenging. At ARC, they understand that fertility care is not just a medical process; it is also deeply personal and emotional. That is why they are proud to introduce a dedicated Whole Person CARE Guide, a compassionate coordinator committed to supporting you every step of the way.

Together, ARC and WFH recognize that growing your family is a profoundly meaningful human experience. We are also aware that trying to create a healthy pregnancy can bring up challenging thoughts & emotions, as well as a sense of loss of control.

We want to nurture your sense of agency throughout the process, because we see that you should be in charge of your fertility journey.

Your Personal Advocate:

As your personal advocate and liaison at ARC, Alda brings a wealth of experience and a genuine commitment to holistic fertility care. She will ensure that your journey to parenthood is physically supported and emotionally empowered.

Alda is not just a guide; she is your trusted advocate throughout your fertility journey.

Comprehensive Support Tailored to Your Needs:

The Whole Person CARE Guide goes beyond the traditional role. Alda will help you identify your fertility wellness goals as well as explore & navigate all the additional care options that are available to you.  

Tailored Key Services offered by our Whole Person CARE Guide at ARC:

1. Personalized Care Plan: She will work with you to create a personalized fertility plan that addresses all aspects of your unique fertility wellness needs & goals.
2. Information & Education: She will provide clear information about fertility treatments, procedures, and potential challenges, to ensure you are well-informed and empowered to make confident decisions.
3. Wellness Integration: She will provide you with information about curated supportive service options that are accessible to you. For example: counselling, acupuncture, Registered Dietitian, support groups, mindfulness, massage & yoga.
4. Coordination of Care: She will serve as a liaison between you and your holistic medical team, streamlining communication and ensuring a seamless experience throughout your fertility treatment process.
5. Empowering Emotional Support: She will offer a compassionate ear, ensuring you feel heard and supported, while helping you navigate your treatment plan options to create a positive experience.

How to Book

If you are a patient at ARC, please call the front desk at (587) 442-0461 to book a FREE appointment with your Whole Person CARE Guide.

With cold season just around the corner, it’s time to fortify our defences against those pesky colds and flus. Did you know that Oil of Oregano can help you prepare for this upcoming winter?

A 2017 study published in the National Library of Medicine discusses how oil of Oregano is packed with incredible benefits for our immune system! Here are some highlights:

Immune Support

Oil of Oregano contains powerful compounds like carvacrol and thymol that have been shown to boost our immune response, helping us fight off those seasonal bugs with greater ease.

Antioxidant Rich

Oil of Oregano is loaded with antioxidants that help protect our body from oxidative stress, keeping us feeling our best year-round. ✨

Anti-Inflammatory

Say goodbye to that annoying cold-induced inflammation! Oil of Oregano has anti-inflammatory properties that can help soothe sore throats and irritated airways.

Antibacterial & Antiviral

Oil of Oregano’s natural antibacterial and antiviral properties make it an excellent ally in the battle against common cold and flu viruses.

How to Incorporate it into Your Routine:

You can add a few drops of Oil of Oregano tincture to a glass of water daily.
It’s also available in capsule form for convenience.

An optimized immune system is your best defence during the cold season, and Oil of Oregano can be a fantastic addition to your wellness toolkit.

Feel free to contact us for more information on how we can support you through cold and flu season!

References

PMID: 28071000

Autumn is characterized by the external decline of nature and, in many climates, by drying and cooling. The natural movement pattern of autumn is directed inward. Yang energy decreases, the small yin appears, and the energies of the body gather on the inside. Foods with downbearing movement and sour flavor (apple) support “inner” composure and serenity in the body.

Recommended Autumn Foods

Mildly acrid and energetically warm foods that compensate for the onset of external cold such as oats, millet, corn, rice, carrots, leeks, radishes, cauliflower, beef, lamb.

For inner cold, shivering, and the beginning of a cold, the acrid flavors of garlic, cinnamon, chili, ginger, and onions stimulate qi circulation and rapidly bring defensive energy to the surface.

For external dampness, warm, dry foods should be used to support the center burner (millet, rice) and the lungs (acrid spices to drive away dampness and phlegm disorders).

If dryness predominates, moistening foods (pear, tofu, peanuts) should be utilized.

Avoid:

Fatty, oily foods, and cool or cold dairy products, which burden the spleen and cause dampness and phlegm disorders (bronchitis, sinusitis), especially during wet weather.

Contact us for more information on how we can support you on your health journey with Chinese Medicine.

Source:

Chinese Nutrition Therapy: Dietetics in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) by Jörg Kastner

Summer is the season of the big yang and is characterized by the fire phase and summer heat. Heat feeds on body fluids and harms yin. It is recommended to take in predominately cooling, dampness- providing foods (yin food) to disperse heat and build up body fluids.

The bitter flavour corresponds to the fire phase, and mostly bitter–cool as well as bitter–cold foods in moderation should be consumed during the hot season.

Recommended Summer Foods:

Fruit or fruit juices:

Apple, lemon, kiwi, melon, orange, pear, pineapple, tangerine

Cooling foods:

Cucumber, Belgian endive hearts, spinach, tomato, as well as more raw foods, salads, yogurt, wheat, barley, black or even better green tea, mineral water, wheat beer, mussels, rabbit

Foods to Avoid during Summer:

Dry and energetically hot foods such as coffee and acrid spices. Also avoid ice-cold foods and beverages and ice cream, because they abruptly block the stomach’s digestive energy.

In the view of Chinese medicine, children have a physiologically weak center burner until they are about eight years old. They are especially sensitive to cold foods and beverages.

Tip:

The Chinese have recommended green tea as an ideal beverage during summer heat for centuries. “It disperses summer heat and can expel toxins, cool the heart fire, calm the mind, remove heat from liver and gallbladder, and relieve stomach and lung.”

Contact us to book a free 15-minute discovery call to find out more ways Chinese Medicine can support your health journey!

Source: Chinese Nutrition Therapy: Dietetics in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) by Jörg Kastner

Spring is the season of the beginning small yang and is characterized by growth, movement, and expansion.

After winter, the body’s qi energy begins to flow strongly again and seeks to expand freely. Food during this season should supplement qi energy, allowing it to course freely, and support Chinese medicine spleen and liver functional systems.

Recommended Spring Foods:

Mildly warming foods with upward movement: Fennel, rice, buckwheat; possibly pungent flavours (garlic, paprika, ginger) in case of accumulated dampness left over from the colder months.

Sour flavours, because they stabilize liver yin energy and can regulate upbearing liver yang.

Foods from the wood phase, green in colour with neutral, cool, or warm energy: Green tea, spinach, celery, a little more raw foods and sprouts.

Wind is often the dominating seasonal factor during spring and causes recurring external wind disorders (like colds & flus), which can be balanced with the mildly pungent flavours of green onions and ginger.

Foods to Avoid During Spring:

The following foods can block Liver Qi energy:

Energetically hot and fatty foods
Excess sour flavours

Tip:

🌱 Choose foods that are local and in season!

Source: Chinese Nutrition Therapy: Dietetics in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) by Jörg Kastner

Contact us to find out more about how we can support you on your wellness journey!

Mindful eating is an ancient Chinese medicine secret to optimal health & longevity. We believe that it’s a shame to eat healthy food if the body is unable to absorb nutrients properly.

Today’s scientists agree that if we’re able to slow down & be present with food, we can benefit more from what we eat.

Mindful eating is about appreciating food rather than restricting it. It involves being present with our food to decrease stress.

Mindful Eating Decreases Stress & Increases Absorption

Studies confirm that stress negatively affects our digestion by disrupting GI tract movement, absorption, inflammation & bacterial counts. Stress can also lead to many digestive disorders.

We live such fast-paced lives, eating becomes an auto-pilot activity. We tend to multi-task as we eat – while working or driving, surfing the internet, or checking for text messages. Our minds are busy doing one thing, while our bodies are doing another thing.

Research shows that avoiding distraction while eating increases the body’s absorptive capacity. Being present with the flavours & textures of our food rather than multi-tasking while eating allows the body to focus its attention on digesting.

Here are some mindful eating tips:  

• Be intentional – try to choose a location that is meant for eating when you eat.

• Simply eat. Avoid multi-tasking while you’re eating.

• Chew thoroughly. Make sure each bite is well-chewed before swallowing it. Aim for 25-30 bites.

• Place your fork or spoon down in between bites as you chew.

• Pay attention to the colour, texture, aroma & flavours of the first 5 bites of a meal.

• Try to feel grateful for your food. Studies have shown that feeling gratitude also decreases depression.

• Please enjoy your food!

Mindfulness Programs

Did you know that research shows mindfulness-based programs for fertility decrease emotional distress & increase resilience? We know what a roller coaster it can be.

Join us for our next Online Mindfulness for Fertility program beginning January 30^th  

Find more info and registration at mindfulnessforfertility.com

References

• PMID: 28900385
• PMID: 3582919
• PMID: 27786519
• PMID: 23809500

In honour of National Breastfeeding Week, we want to acknowledge the immense journey of breast & chest feeding mamas and parents.

However you feed your baby is best, and for National Breastfeeding Week we see you and acknowledge what an important job it is.

The journey of breast/chest feeding can be fraught with difficulties, especially in the beginning. One of the most common sentiments of new parents is that they wish they would have known how challenging this part of parenting can be.

Keeping your brand new family member fed for 24 hours of the day is more than a full time job. I usually tell my patients that during this time, their only job is to keep baby nourished while everyone else nourishes them.

I recommend that my patients get supremely comfy, get a good series of books on a Kindle or Kobo (think easy to hold with one hand), very large water bottles full of water and electrolytes, tons of one handed, nutritious snacks, and to simply surrender to the special slowness of this stage of life.

Another thing that I recommend to all of my patients is that they have an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant on their team. I also urge my patients that if something is feeling wrong – such as pain or lack of milk supply – to not wait to give their lactation consultant a call. IBCLC’s are experts on all things breastfeeding and have the knowledge to make a major impact on a family’s nursing journey.

Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine, Acupuncture and Moxibustion can also be very helpful in the early days for the following issues:

♡ clogged ducts

♡ mastitis

♡ low supply

♡ candida infections

♡ Raynaud’s of the nipples

If you would like to learn more about how we can help you with your journey, contact us for a free 15 minute consultation.

photo: @joinpartum @kashafierceeee

SATURDAY, APRIL 30
2 – 4PM MDT

FREE ONLINE EVENT:

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PCRM

Are you Trying To Conceive?

#1in6 people struggle with fertility in Canada.

April 24 – 30 is Canadian Infertility Awareness Week – an opportunity to honour and empower those struggling with infertility.

Join us for this free online event to de-stigmatize infertility and to support you as you navigate your fertility journey.

Join the Whole Family Health Fertility Wellness Specialist Team, in collaboration with Dr. Caitlin Dunne from Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine (PCRM) for this informative and empowering online event.

This event is open to anyone who would like to attend.

Saturday, April 30th
2 – 4pm MDT

To Register:
info@wholefamilyhealth.ca
780-756-7736

EVENT PRESENTERS:

NAVIGATING INFERTILITY TREATMENTS & BUSTING COMMON MYTHS ABOUT IVF

Dr. Caitlin Dunne
Co-Clinical Director of PCRM, Reproductive Endocrinologist

Dr. Dunne will speak to fertility treatment options and help to debunk common myths about IVF. She will also be available for a Q&A to answer your questions about fertility treatment.

INFERTILITY & STRESS

Dr. Alda Ngo
WFH Co-owner, Registered Dr of TCM & Acupuncturist, Fellow of the ABORM, Co-Director of MindfulnessForFertility.com

Dr. Alda will discuss infertility stress and share some accessible tools and resources that will help to decrease stress and cortisol to increase resilience on your fertility journey.

NATURAL LIFESTYLE FACTORS

Christina Pistotnik
WFH Co-owner, Registered Acupuncturist, Fellow of the ABORM

Christina will share some natural and simple lifestyle factors that you can incorporate to support your overall wellness and fertility health.

ACUPRESSURE FOR FERTILITY

Catherine Woodlock
WFH Registered Acupuncturist

Catherine will share some acupressure points you can use at home to help improve circulation, manage hormonal symptoms and support your fertility.

MASSAGE FOR REPRODUCTIVE WELLNESS

Candice Cole
WFH Registered Massage Therapist

Candice will share self-massage techniques you can use at home to help you relax and alleviate tension build-up.

FERTILE FOODS – 5 NUTRITIONAL TIPS FOR FERTILITY

Kathryn Simmons Flynn
WFH Certified Nutrition Consultant, Founder of FertileFoods.com, Author of Cooking For Fertility and Co-author of The Fertile Secret

Kathryn will share her 5 top nutritional tips for nourishing fertility.

To Register:
info@wholefamilyhealth.ca
780-756-7736

I have been seeing a number of patients in the clinic recently that have had issues in the past with their Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) because their uterine (endometrial) lining has not been thick enough for embryo implantation. The optimal uterine lining is at least 8 mm in thickness and has a three-layer (trilaminar) appearance. 

To help support the growth of your endometrial lining, I tend to advise on supplements, diet, acupuncture treatments, and of course following the advice of your Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE). Your RE follows a protocol that they deem will yield the highest success and therefore it is important to trust and follow their advice. 

Supplements and Medication 

When it comes to medications and supplements to help support the growth of the endometrium, I tend to site a pilot study that was published in the Journal of Fertility and Sterility (1). This study compares Vitamin E, L-Arginine, and Sildenafil Citrate (Viagra) in 61 women with thin endometrial lining (less than 8mm) and a high radial artery-resistance index (RA-RI) . Radial artery-resistance is associated with lower pregnancy outcomes. 

The study found that vitamin E improved endometrial thickness in 52% and RA-RI in 72% of participants. L-arginine improved endometrial thickness in 67% and RA-RI in 89% of participants. Sildenafil citrate (Viagra) improved thickness and RA-RI in 92% of participants. The control group (no medication) improved in both parameters in 10% of participants.  

It is important to speak to a practitioner about dosages of Vitamin E and L-arginine. If Sildenafil citrate is something that you wanted to explore you would have to talk to your RE about this, because they would need to write a prescription. 

Diet

I know it might seem like a no-brainer to eat a healthy and balanced diet to help with good blood flow and overall health, but did you know that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) also places importance on eating warm foods?

This includes eating foods that are cooked and not raw. The thought behind this is that a warming diet builds the body’s energy and blood to have the strength to conceive and carry a pregnancy full term. It also helps focus energy and blood circulation on the lower abdomen where reproductive organs reside.

With this in mind, I suggest making a big batch of bone broth and drinking 1 cup of this warm liquid every day for 2-4 weeks leading up to your transfer. Bone broth is high in nutrients, minerals, and collagen that can support the body on a blood level.

Another suggestion that is completely anecdotal but also yummy is drinking 1 cup of pure pomegranate juice per day for 2-4 weeks.  

Acupuncture

Acupuncture has the potential to support the uterine lining because it increases blood flow to the reproductive organs, and it can help to reduce central sympathetic tone and this may lower uterine contractions at the time of embryo transfer. When the uterus is calmer at the time of embryo transfer this has the possibility of a better embryo placement. 

A small study done on central sympathetic tone showed that electroacupuncture did reduce the pulsatility index of those who had greater than 3 (2). Having a pulsatility index of 3 or higher at the time of transfer tends to have a less likely chance of a live birth (3). 

Another small pilot study published in Fertility and Sterility evaluating combining electro acupuncture and Sildenafil on the endometrial lining thickness showed positive results (4). This study provided evidence that combining these two treatments resulted in endometrial lining thickness of greater than 9 mm in all participants who could not reach greater than 8 mm in previous cycles and these positive results included one patient whose lining did not exceed 5 mm previously.

Contact us to find out more about how we can support you with acupuncture and lifestyle support for uterine lining assistance and/or to book an appointment with our wonderful practitioners!

Image http://basiabanda.pl/

References

1. PMID: 19200982
2. PMID: 8671446
3. PMID: 9363232
4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.01.203

Dr. Alda Ngo had the pleasure of joining a roundtable on Real Talk With Ryan Jespersen, one of Canada’s most popular live talk show/ podcasts.

Dr. Alda was joined by 3 other people intimate with the infertility journey, Ryan Jespersen himself sharing about his own experience.

A wonderful and meaningful conversation on infertility from the inside, the thoughts, emotions, the logistics, finances and a little bit of science.

Here’s the write-up:

It’s Canadian Infertility Awareness Week, so we check in with Dr. Alda Ngo, Kristina Melia, and Linda Hoang. What new options exist for Canadians hoping to start a family, what are some of the most significant barriers they’ll face, and what proactive steps can people take to improve their chances?

Join us for our free virtual CIAW event: Infertility During A Pandemic. Sunday, April 25th 2-330pm MT as we team up with Dr. Caitlin Dunne from PCRM and 3 courageous fertility patients who share their stories. Contact us for more info and to register.

If you’d like to learn more about how we can support you on your fertility journey, book a Free 15-minute Phone Consultation with one of our fertility specialists.