Blog
Eating for Endometriosis
What should I eat to help with my Endometriosis? If you typed this question into any search engine or social media site you will be inundated with numerous recommendations and products that all claim to have benefits. So what is the problem with this you ask? Not every woman experiences endometriosis in the same way, and therefore one specific diet will not work for everyone who has this condition. The strategy is often to decrease [...]
Endometriosis
Endometriosis affects an estimated 1 in 10 people around the world and can show up differently for each person affected by it. The symptoms can range from bloating and discomfort, chronic pelvic pain, pain with menstruation (dysmenorrhea), pain or cramping with intercourse, discomfort or pain with urination and bowel movements, to challenges with fertility. The severity and number of symptoms a person may experience may not be related to the size or proliferation of endometriotic [...]
Reflections on Gratitude and the Unexpected – by Dr.Ginevra Mills
Guest post by Dr. Ginevra Mills (Olive Fertility Victoria) I had the pleasure of meeting Stephanie a few months ago through a professional acquaintance who believed that her and I would work well together with our mutual passion for fertility care. She was not wrong, and since meeting, Stephanie and I have been in almost constant collaboration mode. I was intrigued by Stephanie’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course (MBSR) for infertility, and I decided to [...]
Reflecting on Resolutions
Stephanie was invited to write this guest post for the Olive Fertility Centre: As the holiday season winds down, one more holiday tradition remains: pondering those pesky New Year’s resolutions. It's interesting that this tradition continues when research says only 8% of people actually achieve them! One of the problems with resolutions is that they can create effort mode, obsession with outcomes & notions of success & failure. The hazard of expectations on specific outcomes [...]
Men’s Health 101: Getting to know your prostate
Hey guys, have you ever stopped to think about what kind of environment your prostate would like most? Probably not, right? Well, now is your chance and here are some suggestions to help optimize the environment where that organ calls home. Where is it and what does it do? The prostate organ is a gland that produces and secretes fluid to nourish and transport sperm. It is a part of the uro-genital system, functionally located [...]
Cultivating Gratitude
Stephanie was invited by Olive Fertility Centre to write this guest post for Thanksgiving... In a recent article by Dr. Richard J. Davidson, a neuroscientist and director of the Center for Healthy Minds, he notes that the psychological impact of “the pandemic has affirmed that it’s more important than ever to care for our own well-being.” How can we build resiliency despite our current circumstances and the challenges we might be facing? How can we [...]
The Power of Our Breath
Breath work is something I always keep my eye on, as I've seen time and again breathing doing wonders to help people rest and recover from life's stressors. So when James Nestor's book, Breath, came across my desk I couldn't help but dive in. It's a quick, yet thorough read on the history of breathing and how differing societies have used breath work to help those in need and to bring about focus in a crazy world. [...]
PCOS Awareness Month
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a complex hormonal and metabolic disorder affecting ovarian health. Insulin resistance, increased androgens and inflammation are the key factors perpetuating this cycle of hormone blockage between the ovaries and the brain. PCOS hormonal symptoms can vary and not all women will experience the same symptoms or imbalances. Age, weight, environment, genetics, epigenetics and lifestyle all play a role in the development and unique expression of this condition. It affects an [...]
Squat therapy
Most of us here in the West spend very little time squatting. Instead, we tend to slump into soft couches after spending most of our working day slumped in an office chair. Even if we're active, many of us have lost the ability to comfortably remain in the squat position (back straight, heels on ground, feet pointing forward with no arch collapse) for any length of time. So why is this a problem if we're [...]
Endometriosis and Acupuncture
Endometriosis is an issue for 5-15% of reproductive-age women and can result in chronic visceral pelvic pain and infertility. Acupuncture may be an effective treatment for pain relief associated with this condition and there is growing evidence suggesting the benefits of acupuncture in treating endometriosis. It is likely that endometriosis is caused by neuroplasticity (i.e., changes in the peripheral and central nervous system), predisposing those affected to other long-term pain disorders. Common therapies are pharmacological [...]