I wrote this post last Memorial Day  -- and decided to re-publish it.  As high achievers, we can never receive enough encouragement to take a break!

Rest! It’s Memorial Day and I’m on my 4th glorious day of it!

Rest is a 4-letter-word in western culture. For high achievers, it often carries a heaping measure of guilt.

But Chinese Medicine sees rest as the necessary opposite of action—rest is yin to action’s yang. You have to recharge the battery or the device won’t work. You have to break between sets or your muscles will fail.

You have to have a time-out or your mind isn’t sharp, your body fatigues, your spirit starts wondering, “what’s the point?”

One of my mentors, intentional business guru/philanthropist Christine Comaford recently shared a Hawaiian surfing expression with me, “Don’t turn your back on the ocean.” That means, don’t pretend you are more powerful than the energy of Nature.

I love this! It is SO true! Most things that go wrong with us have at least something to do with us “turning our back” on the restorative powers within us. Whether that’s refusal to take a much needed time out from work, lack of commitment to nourishing food, unwillingness to value sleep, not finding forgiveness in our hearts for those we love….when we turn our back on natural law, things can get pretty overwhelming.

Rest isn’t for slackers. Rest is especially for those seeking to do extraordinary things in this Life!

Here’s a hokey acronym on rest I just made up right now while writing this blog:

Repair—downtime is when it all happens
Evaluate—perspective comes when you are off the playing field and sitting high up in the stands
Systems Off—rebooting begins by hitting the off switch and unplugging
Tune In—without the many distractions that the requirements of accomplishment impose, a sense of truer self and meaning emerges

So as I get ready for mountain bikes with my husband, having slept in ‘til 9 (4 days in a row!) and enjoyed a mind-relaxing hour of staring-into-nature meditation (just enjoying the wind blow and the birds talk over tea)…..I’m feeling mighty peaceful and deeply appreciative of a wonderful life…relaxed, recharged and ready to hit the ground running tomorrow!

  Speak with Elizabeth about Your Fertility Issues

Oprah is such a “force.”  Oprah.com featured an article on Maya Abdominal Massage (MAM) last year, and it continues to help women find out about this  women’s health and fertility Super-Secret! Not that it’s just for women. Maya Abdominal Massage boosts men’s fertility as well and can also address a great variety of other health concerns such as digestive problems and prostate health.

At Oriens, we place MAM in almost every Fertility, Women’s Health or Digestive Health care plan. I personally love to receive MAM, as I know I am not just having a relaxing and delicious massage, but am building my long term health with every session. It took me over a year to find an extraordinary Maya Abdominal Massage practitioner capable of handling the complex fertility issues and the complex health issues Oriens specializes in working with. Simone is a gift! You will feel blessed and welcomed, heard and helped. She is masterful and completely approachable all at the same time.

I thought the Oprah article did a great job of talking about what MAM is and what to expect in a session.

For those interested in MAM for fertility enhancement, read this blog posted at CNY Fertility in Rochester NY  by Erin McCullough—the MAM therapist there—that beautifully outlined how MAM enhances fertility, and gets very specific. So I thought I’d share her gems with you here!

“[Maya Abdominal Massage] is a modern adaptation of ancient Mayan healing techniques that adds modern knowledge of anatomy, physiology and herbology. Through noninvasive massage, this technique gently manipulates the muscles and connective tissue that hold the pelvic organs in place. The intention is to reposition the pelvic organs so that any blockages and congestion are removed. When blockages and congestion are resolved, the body can self-regulate, heal and regenerate. In addition, physiologically, there is increased blood flow, the functioning of the lymphatic system and nervous system are optimized, and life creating energy is maximized. Both female and male fertility can be enhanced by applying these massage techniques.
Specifically, Arvigo Maya Massage benefits fertility in the following ways:
FOR WOMEN:
1. Increases blood flow to the reproductive organs
2. Nourishes follicles with fresh blood supply and oxygen
3. Helps to break down scar tissue and adhesions
4. Helps cysts to dissolve
5. Helps to resolve blockages in the fallopian tubes
6. Re-aligns uterus, as in the case of a prolapsed or “tilted” uterus
7. Relieves stress and anxiety, releasing emotional blockages
8. Improves digestion and absorption of nutrients
9. Helps to regulate the menstrual cycle (addresses cramps, heavy bleeding, irregular cycles, reduces clotting)
10. Restores healthy menstrual flow in amenorrhea
11. Improves, tones and cleanses the uterine lining
12. Helps to prepare body to carry a healthy pregnancy, a key ingredient in the case of frequent miscarriage
FOR MEN:
1. Increases blood flow to the reproductive organs
2. Regulates enlarged prostate
3. Improves sperm (count, motility and morphology)
4. Improves digestion and absorption of nutrients

So just how do our pelvic organs become blocked and/or congested? Arvigo says 90% of women will have a misplaced or tipped uterus at some point in their lives. The causes include difficult labor and delivery with prolonged periods of pushing; poor professional care during pregnancy, labor and delivery; repeated pregnancies close together; falls to the sacrum; a career in aerobics or high impact sports and dancing; wearing high heel shoes; poor alignment of the pelvic bones with the spinal column; chronic muscle spasms around the hips, low back and sacrum; carrying young children on the hip for prolonged periods of time; rape, sexual abuse or incest at any time in life; chronic constipation; running or working on cement surfaces with improper foot support; and errors committed during surgery that cut through uterine ligaments. Any of these can damage, tear or overstretch uterine ligaments, thereby prohibiting them from properly supporting the uterus and causing it to eventually fall down (inferior), backward (retro), forward (antero), or causing it to shift either to the left or right side of the pelvic floor.”

When reproductive organs shift out of proper position, they can constrict normal flow of blood, lymph and nerve connections. Just a few extra ounces sitting on delicate blood and lymph vessels can cause havoc throughout the different systems of the body. For women, by gently shifting the uterus back into place, homeostasis (or the natural internal balance of the body) is brought back to the pelvic area and surrounding organs. Toxins are flushed and nutrients that help to tone tissue and balance hormones are restored to normal order. This is essential for conception. Old adhesions from invasive treatments to the pelvic and abdominal area, are diminished gradually and safely when addressed by uterine massage.

For men, the massage also addresses and prevents a congested or swollen prostate by maintaining proper blood supply and fluid drainage, thereby preventing swelling and inflammation.

When to Receive Arvigo Maya Abdominal Massage:
For best results, start ATMAM 90 days before beginning ART and commit to a minimum of one treatment per month from ATMAM practitioner in conjunction with a self-care routine at home. Men can receive ATMAM anytime but women have special considerations depending on the time of the cycle, ART treatments and contraceptives.

Special instructions for women:
Receive MAM after period and before ovulation, trigger shot or retrieval. If you are in the process of doing a donor cycle then you can have an abdominal massage anytime before transfer. In the case where you are taking birth control pills due to cysts, you can receive ATMAM anytime, which may help to resolve your cysts very quickly.”

To Schedule Maya Abdominal Massage:  212.213.5785 or info@oriensliving.com to gain advice on whether MAM would help you.

Did you catch this easy-reading Wall Street Journal article when it came out?  “Decoding an Ancient Therapy”:  It moves from Qi (pronounced chee), the Chinese Medicine word for life force (that bioelectric energy that animates us) to brain scans, and draws attention to  how modern biomedicine is illuminating the concepts that have underpinned acupuncture for thousands of years!


Try Acupuncture--it does, in fact, work!

Call or email Oriens to see if acupuncture could help you!  212-213-5785; info@oriensliving.com

  Speak privately with Elizabeth about your Women's Health & Hormone needs.

“It’s all in your head.” Only recently, this was not uncommon thinking and the professional medical response to women suffering from the hormone instability natural to the decade or more prior to menopause.

Even now we see patients being given anti-depressants first and questions asked later. Sometimes she is offered birth control pills. But many women in their 30’s and 40’s either don’t want to be on medication or they are hoping to conceive.

Just as we think of puberty as the ramp UP to hormone stability and peak fertility, peri-menopause is the ramp DOWN. We've spiraled around for a second run on the same issues: cycle changes, mood swings, wired-tired, insomnia, concentration issues, acne, anatomical changes, body image issues, attention span shifts, metabolism & weight changes and more.

And, just like in puberty, with all of these changes we're invited to deep pondering and reflection…another opportunity to ask, “Who am I? What do I want in my life? How do I want to DO my life? What turns me on? What isn’t working for me?”

If the menopausal years are the Driver’s Seat—you’ve cracked your career and are enjoying the privileges, or you are making a career change that expresses your talent and interest more authentically, you know who you are, your self-expression is full, you’ve made some money, your kids are independent—then the decade or so leading up is your Learner’s Permit.

You’re in a maturity transition.  :)

This is a natural stage of life. The physical changes in your cycle, energy, cognition and other aspects of your health are NOT just about aging. They are largely about – and can largely be controlled by—your attention to yourself!

In these years we tend to be gunning hard. We’re full throttle professionally; we’ve earned our place. We’re multi-tasking like sorceresses—family, career, aging parents, children, pets, household. And very often we’ve depended on will-power and the regenerative mojo of youth to sustain the pace!

But now the piper needs a payment. And while it may seem like an inconvenience after so many years of doing as we pleased, she’s not exacting a very high price. But default on your payment at your peril!!!

To enjoy the abundance of this time of life and minimize or ELIMINATE many of the symptoms, we need to pay attention to our bodies through nutrition, exercise, sleep. We need to make alone time for introspection to ask those key questions. We need to prioritize and attend to ourselves! “Work smarter not harder”—genius and true.  And for goodness sakes, we need to lighten up and PLAY more.

There is SO much you can do to have an easier and much more enjoyable hormone transition! Talk to us! Get off the hormone roller coaster!

Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine, Maya Abdominal Massage, Nutrition, Counseling and Yoga – every single one of these has been changing women’s lives for thousands of years.

You’re hitting your prime! . . . Enjoy it!

Call or email Oriens to find out how You can be supported through your transition!
212-213-5785 or info@oriensliving.com

Check out this Israeli study of 219 IVF procedures....36% of women visited by a medical clown got pregnant, versus only 20% in the control group! 

Read about Oriens Fertility Enhancement Programs

  

Interesting study published in the British Journal of Obstetrics finds acupuncture may be effective at reducing the pain and discomfort experienced by women who are going through their menstrual period. Researchers evaluated 27 studies that included over 3,000 participating women. From these, the they concluded that there is "promising evidence" concerning the viability of acupuncture in treating menstrual pain.

 “The Kyung Hee Medical Center research team that conducted the study found that patients who underwent acupuncture treatment experienced a greater reduction in pain than did those who relied on drug treatments. They were unable to verify, however, whether or not the treatment actually affects women's nervous systems when providing relief.”

Separately, research was published in the journal, Brain Research, verifying that acupuncture treatments legitimately work neurally to deactivate the portions of the brain that process feelings of pain. Their scientific analysis gives tangible credence to what many already recognize as a reality concerning the effectiveness of acupuncture. Their study will also likely increase the acceptance of acupuncture as a viable treatment among mainstream medical professionals.”

Try Acupuncture if you are experiencing painful periods. Or give us a call to explain your situation and learn if acupuncture could help!  212-213-5785

Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, is a group of symptoms that start one to two weeks before your period. Most women have at least some symptoms of PMS, and the symptoms go away after their periods start. In recent literature it is noted that as many as 80% of women experience some form of PMS at some time or another. 30-40% of these women have PMS severe enough to interfere with their day to day lives!

One reason why Traditional Chinese medicine is so beneficial in treating symptoms of PMS is because the therapy involved focuses on treating the root of the problem rather then just the present symptoms. Because most of the symptoms related to PMS are subjective many Western practitioners are at a loss when it comes to treating PMS and are quick to prescribe medications or recommend over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen, aspirin or naproxen.

Please be aware that  you do not need to be experiencing this pain and discomfort every month! When the symptoms of PMS are reduced or eliminated, women feel more energetic -- physically, mentally, emotionally and creatively.

Some of the symptoms related to PMS include but are not limited to:
Abdominal bloating and cramps, breast tenderness & swelling, mood changes (irritability, frustration, depression, anxiety), acne, back pain, fatigue, food cravings, headaches, insomnia, joint pain, water retention, dizziness.

Please read an Oriens article we hope you'll find useful.

 Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment: Treating the Root

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs have been widely and successfully used to treat PMS.
The symptoms of PMS may defer from woman to woman; what is unique and special about TCM treatments are that the variations in each woman's condition are acknowledged. Most women respond very well to acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatment in combination with dietary changes, exercise, and working on their emotional well being.

In traditional Chinese medicine, groups of symptoms, or syndromes, are typically classified into patterns that involve the internal organs and/or energy pathways of the body. The major organ systems that are primarily involved in the PMS pattern differentiation are the Liver, Heart, Spleen and Kidney

Liver Qi Stagnation pattern: Emotional stress is one of the main contributors to the Liver Qi Stagnation pattern of PMS. Other clinical manifestations include headache, breast tenderness, depression, irritability, and a feeling of distention or pain under the rib cage.

Heart Blood Deficiency pattern: Chronic illness or excessive menstrual blood loss contributes to Heart Blood Deficiency pattern of PMS. Other clinical symptoms include: Heart palpitations, dizziness, insomnia, emotional upset, speaking incoherently, sadness, fatigue/sluggishness, poor memory and dull-pale complexion.

Spleen Qi or Yang Deficiency pattern: Poor diet and emotional stresses are the main causes for Spleen qi and yang deficiency pattern of PMS. Clinical manifestations include: feeling weak and lethargic, edema of the lower body, easily able to bruise, bearing down sensation of the abdomen/ uterus, pale face, shallow breathing, loose stools.

Kidney Qi or Yang Deficiency pattern:
A pattern of menstrual disorders with Kidney Yang Deficiency will often include back soreness before and during menstruation, fatigue, watery menstrual blood, diarrhea just before menstruation, cramps after menstruation begins, ringing in the ears, or a feeling of cold in the body.

*It is important to note that most women have more then one pattern diagnosis as the cause of their PMS symptoms, therefore you may have symptoms from one or all patterns described above.

Come into the clinic 1-2 times per week for acupuncture.  If you like, we  will also prescribe a  Chinese herbal formula for you to take as well. To effectively treat the root cause of the PMS, it takes approximately three menstrual cycles. Some women will see a reduction in their symptoms right away while others it may take a longer period of time. Stress levels, lifestyle, and general health are important factors involved in response time.

I’m Dutch, German and Irish— so how could I not be a potato freak?  I like them roasted and scalloped, baked, mashed and stuffed, au gratin, steamed, grated, parboiled, plain and in any sauce served.  And of course, as chips and fries.

My dad likes to joke that if I’m ever autopsied, they’ll find chips.

Segue to my professional life in women’s health….gynecology and reproductive health, fertility, body image, eating issues and women’s identity concerns, aging. 

I once had a dream that I was lying on a gurney outside an operating room in a hospital with hundreds of IV’s leading out of my arm transporting my blood into the OR where women were giving birth and having miraculous recoveries.  This doctor comes out of the OR and says, “I need a sample of your blood. I want to know what’s in it that’s making all these women well.”  So he comes back with his report and shows it to me and tells me my bloodwork is perfect except for one thing:  I’m high in potatoes.

My husband loves this dream. He says it’s my conscience playing with me when I’m overboard on the chips.  He says I hold my chip bag like its gold bullion, protecting it lest anyone try to wrest it from me.

So what if chips and fries have evil hydrogenated oils, which are not only carcinogens but contribute to neurodegeneration—both of which relate to arachidonic acid metabolism and tumor initiation.  Once you know anything about fried food, it’s kind of hard to choose it on the menu.  And Did I mention artery clogging?

I’m good with the fries. It’s the chips that undo me.  Even if you can dismiss the hidden health risks from your mind in a chip-fever, there’s still what I call the “butt-enhancing” effect.   Potatoes are in the same category as pasta and bread:  in the mouth, straight to the thighs.

So as my incredible assistant – Liz—and I were trying to assuage our guilt around this afternoon’s butt-enhancing, cancer risking, artery clogging, brain degenerating snack, she turned to me and said, “We’ll just have to take the karmic view, it might be killing us now, but we’ll live again.”

Belly laughs between us.

At Oriens we layer the 80/20 rule with the Pleasure Principle when it comes to food.  80 percent of the time you make choices that build your health and a super solid foundation that can’t be rocked by anything you do with that other 20 percent.  The Pleasure Principle states that food and eating should be enjoyable…pleasure is a nutrient.  So when Kathryn Flynn builds the Oriens Weight Optimization programs or her Hormone Balance meal plans, or develops any kind of Nutrition protocol for our clients, she’s always making sure you will LOVE your food.

For me, potatoes are here to stay…and are a staple on my 20% list.  Yum!

Elizabeth Carpenter, MS, L.Ac., CEFP, Founder and Director of Oriens

PS:  Although I am a big advocate of 80/20 – remember what the 80 really means. Attend to your nutrition, and exercise, and choose a lifestyle that reduces stress and  entertains all the feelings and identity shifts around this issue and this time of one’s life.  (At Oriens, we always feature the Big 4 of self care: Nutrition, Acupuncture, MAM, and Spiritual Counseling.) And LOVE the 20 – it’s a vital part of THIS amazing life!

About Elizabeth Carpenter:  I maintain an ongoing dialogue with collaborators, mentors and role models in my commitment to women’s health and women’s issues. Specialties: Patient Evaluation & Program Planning, Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine, Bowen Therapy, Natural Facelift Alternatives

Enjoy Maya Abdominal Massage, PreNatal massage and more with Simone!


Ever since an early age I was drawn to water. A beautiful abundant river ran on the back of our house and we daily splash on the water and people wash their clothes, women did dishes and so I lived in the semi-paradise small town where everything was so abundant and organic, no plastic bottles, no worries with tomorrow just freely leaving daily what life brought to us.

Later on in my life, while in high-school in the big city, I would reflect on this state of beauty and nature and tears would come out of my eyes, for the river I knew no longer existed and it was being polluted with a tire company and pesticides for farmers and cattle farming.

I have been thinking a lot about the amount of synthetic estrogen that has been thrown in our waters and consequently our bodies, and my question is how are we going to be able to maintain a balance in progesterone to be able to create, a fertile body --- will avoiding these chemicals, once infertility is diagnosed, make much difference? Who can say?

Let’s raise our consciousness to the fact that the cause is not only one problem, there are several. I have been meditating on clean water this week, and when I say clean I mean not plastic bottled water which contains bisphenol A or BPA’s which are suspected of causing breast and prostrate cancer, diabetes, hyperactivity and other serious disorders in laboratory animals.

If you want to avoid these chemicals in your plastic water bottles, look for and avoid the number 7, usually found within the recycle symbol. The "number 7" plastics contain BPA. This chemical mimics estrogen in the human body, scientists say.

An article in the British Telegraph newspaper, Infertility: Handle With Care, implies that these chemicals are the cause of a number of health problems, including infertility. While the article itself makes clear that the scientists are "suspicious" but can't prove its effect, the chart at the end of the article makes it seem like there's no doubt these chemicals are to blame to a number of heath problems, including infertility and miscarriage, in mice... mice -- not people. Genetically mice are actually very close to people, which is why researchers use them. Our intake of these chemicals is far below what the mice were purposely fed, in large quantities.
www.keepitorganic.org/category/packaging-concerns/bisphenol-a-bpa.

As a preventive matter lets keep our bodies and planet clean from so many pollutants. Eat live, pesticide-free food, grown with clean water.

With love,
Simone


World Water Day The international observance of World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED).

“There is enough water for human need, but not for human greed.”
– Mahatama Ghandi