The moving target of an ideal birth.

Millennials (yep, I'm going there), are culturally perceived to be lazy, but more and more research is showing that people in this age group are working harder, spinning their wheels earlier and longer, than other generations (see facebook meme a-aaaaaa, as example).

We as a whole are out to improve the world. As the Harvard Business Review article below states, millennials do not value vacation time, often choosing the statement, "No one can do my work as well as I do" as a comment on why vacations are on the decline. Is this a deep seeded remnant of arrogance? Or, have we simply come to believe what we've been told: "Become the best, so that you can't be replaced."

Maybe I see this more than others because I am in a profession that is solidly planted in entrepreneurship. Burn out is for REAL in my world; it is an actual threat to the survive/thrive plan. So, what does this ideology have to do with birth?

We, you, they, whatever you want to read, are over-achievers. My people, my crowd, my soul sisters and brothers are the Hermione Grangers of the world. I fancy myself more of a Ron, but at the end of the day I'm intellectually one of the laziest of my friends....and I am a HARD worker. This lends itself to smart people with a lot of promise, burning out way too soon. They burn out because their soul kissing dreams are intangible. Words like "success" and "financial freedom" float around, just outside of grasp because they are indefinite. Here's where birth comes in.

Different organizations surrounding birth have created guidelines of what is acceptable in the progression of normal pregnancy, and this amplifies in birth. In pregnancy you should measure a certain way, blood pressure should stay within a certain range, blood and urine analysis should show markers of health, weight gain has its own parameters, and fetal heart rate has a window of acceptable findings. Any variance from these numbers will inevitably involve some element of intervention. Sometimes this intervention is mild, like bed rest. Other times, the end result is a shell shocked new mom with a 24 week gestation baby, or worse. This is in no way to insinuate that medical intervention is unnecessary. I am quite literally the product of medical technology; if not for NICU services, I most likely wouldn't be alive.

In birth, there are Bishop Scores, APGAR scores, statistical rates of advancement, and other markers that indicate necessary intervention. Here is the problem: time is changing these parameters. As overachievers we want to be perfect. Ne'er you mind the mom who smoked throughout her pregnancy in the 60's, moms now avoid flying due to radiation exposure and avoid deli meats all in an attempt to give their baby the best start possible. These moms and dads are changing their whole lives from the day of conception (or possible conception) out of love  to the be the best for their children as possible. This is parenting. This is love and sacrifice from day one. Healthcare professionals tend to want to focus on objective parameters, and that is great! Generally, though, we aim to impose the statistical norms and that takes the control out of mama and daddy's hands, and places them in an algorithm. I am a huge fan of Improvingbirth.org. I want the birth world to be over flowing with research! But at the end of the day, if a mom is comfortable birthing at home, she should, unless absolutely unavoidable circumstances arise, be at home. If a mom is comfortable in a hospital, with every monitor and doo-hicky attached to her, she should be there.

 We can not turn birth in to a race. We can't turn it into a talent show where someone loses. When we do that, competition and self-depreciation become the name of the game and no one, especially that new family unit, will benefit. No matter where a woman labors and delivers, when she meets the eyes of her little one, there should be no room for anything but absolute adulation. The target should be that look. The target is that smile, or sob, or throwing heads back, or hugs, or whatever, but it should be ideal in the eyes of mom and dad. Ideal doesn't mean without a hitch, it doesn't mean a baby born in the caul in a tranquil water birth, it doesn't mean sans stretch mark, it doesn't mean measuring exactly 35 cm at 35 weeks. It means, at the end of the day, Mom and dad (insert any birth partner and their relationship to mom), know that they have done what was best from their own knowledge base.




Harvard business Review article about the work-a-holic-millennials

The Guiding Principle

The guiding principle for all that I do is this: Your body is a self healing organism. Our existence depends on our ability to break down and create new cells, organs, and tissues (with the exception of a few) on a regular basis.

 This principle is dependent on a good communication between the central command, your brain, and the end organ. When everything is clearly heard and understood, the body is functioning at its peak, and this is what we would call health. Anything less than this ideal performance is not ok.

If the communication is compromised by a vertebral subluxation*, or misalignment, then those normal cycles of break down and creation are negatively impacted. When this happens your body is not able to do what it was designed to do, and chaos ensues.

Chiropractic restores order in that chaos, and supports your body's ability to regulate cell, tissue, and organ function on it's own.

When you come in to our office, unless we are old pals, we are looking at your life purely in the information provided from exams, tests, and story that you provide us; this means that as we move through your health and history we are painting a picture of what today looks like for your body. Often this painting gives us a glance at what we can expect from your health ten, or twenty years from now. It is my goal in practice to empower families to be as active and present with each other as possible, to build strong units that adapt to whatever life may throw at them. To me, this means making sure that mom and dad are set up to play, provide, and connect, and that baby is eating, pooping, sleeping, and growing to the best of their ability. Being a parent is basically like being an athlete,..except there's no off season...or sweet endorsement deals. Most notably; it is not easy all the time. Some phases are easier than others, some situations are easier than others. If we have that clear line of communication between the brain and the body and we have a little more of that organization in the chaos, then we have good foundation for that family to grow and develop like it was meant to.

I look forward to getting to know all of you a lot better as I not only re-integrate into the Central Coast culture, but also as I join the Beacon Clinic.


*More on this later :)

NFP vs. Fertility Awareness: Change your language to change the world.

I recently had the honor of speaking with a group of women that all brought different experiences and input on fertility and womanhood. Coming from a higher learning perspective on health and fertility, I was amazed at what I learned. Below are some of the high light take away points:

1. Just because you have said the same thing a million times does not mean that it should not be said a million and one times. My goals in practice are not to have women exclusively home birthing, breast feeding for 5 years, and having baby only touch fair trade organic grown and washed diapers. That's a nice dream, but that isn't reality. A woman delivers her baby, a woman (and partner) makes the decisions concerning the birth and parenting of her child. A woman needs to know what she wants and surround herself with people who will support those wants and desires. Sometimes that means a C-section. Sometimes that means 'sposies. It is not my goal to tell them how wrong they are; it is my goal to empower them to know that what they want is what they are capable of. 

2 . If you want to change the world, change your language. I didn't learn this at this event, but I said it. I wasnt the first person to say this, but it is my mantra concerning Chiropractic and up until this point it never occurred to me that NFP needs a language change. Let's break it down: Natural Family Planning. So, fertility is purely for families? And purely for families looking to manage the number of children they have? OH! No, no no. Fertility, as I have said before is the 7th vital sign! Women, and men for that matter, are fertile outside of marriage. For women, the menstrual cycle is an amazing insight to health. NFP (henceforth known as fertility awareness on this page) is something to be aware of years before sex is even an option. So, despite my beautiful business cards that tout my certification as an NFP instructor, I am a fertility awareness teacher, focusing on Marquette Method. 

3. Pea Salad is WAY tastier than it sounds :) 

I implore you to consider the ramifications of your words. The words we use today will impact how our children and future generations speak on these topics. Speak to your children about their bodies, and use the terms that you want them to use as adults. Teach them early that menstruation is more than just the sloughing of endometrial lining of their uterus. Don't let your children learn about fertility the same way you did. Fertility does not imply sexuality. Sexuality is a different conversation, possibly for a different time. 

What is the purpose of the Adjustment?

The vertebral subluxation is the result of emotional, chemical or physical trauma on the body. Our body has the amazing ability to heal. When you fall and scrape a knee, you do not bleed out and die. When you burn your tongue on dinner, the burn does not scar the same way the scrape on your knee may scar. In the womb, we start as a "morula", which looks much like a blackberry. From those cells we derive a stomach, a brain, and a toe nail. Those tissues differentiate by signals. Similarly our brains send signals throughout our bodies to achieve necessary tasks; like enzyme release for digestion, the feeling that you need to use the bathroom, all the way to conception of your children. The vertebral subluxation is when that signal from the brain to the body, or the body to the brain is altered. Most often, we have a little interference and that leads to the brain sending too much of a signal. This leads to problems like anxiety, difficulty digesting food, or even headaches. So, we know what the brain needs to do, we know what the body needs to do, and we know that the body and the brain need to communicate. If a vertebral subluxation alters the communication, we should find out what the cause of vertebral subluxation is, how it happens, and how chiropractic affects brain-body communication.

Vertebral subluxations are caused by trauma to the body. This can present in emotional, chemical or physical trauma. Emotional subluxations are often times repetitive in nature. For instance, lets say a child is told they are stupid at a very early age and over time poor grades are a reflection of the child's "stupidity". At a certain point rationality begs the question, is the child actually delayed? Or is the child propagating what was placed on them years before. These are subluxations in that they prevent the child from reaching their highest level of function. Chemical subluxations don't necessarily mean chemicals under the kitchen sink. Keep in mind that water is considered the most corrosive chemical on the planet. Chemical subluxations can be from subclinical allergies as well. Finally, physical trauma is the easiest connection to make to vertebral subluxation. There are two types of physical trauma; macro and micro. Macro trauma is the traditional means that brought a patient to the chiropractic waiting room; the car accident, the fall on the pavement, the major accident that led to immediate pain and discomfort. Micro trauma is the general wear and tear of every day life; the poor posture of someone who works in a chair all day, the long term effects of a runner who ran on sidewalks with driveways super imposed upon them. 

Regardless as to the initial cause, there is one key factor of all subluxation and that is inflammation. Inflammation is very popular right now in the context of nutrition. People as a whole are becoming more and more aware of inflammatory foods in their diet and now science is catching up, and letting us know what the long term effects of inflammatory foods. For centuries opera singers have been told to avoid milk before singing, and to sip lemon juice to clear the vocal cords before a performance. We now know that milk is a mucus stimulating food. On top of that, many people have milk allergies that not only increases mucus in the oral pharynx area of the body but also the mucosal cells of the lower digestive tract. When the body perceives a foreign body the body will attempt to one of 3 things; the body will attempt to flush it out (diarrhea, mucus, vomitting), the body will attempt to isolate the object (the body will round up the substance, and attack it with immune cells), or the body accepts it (this is rare without immune compromising medications: this is why people have to take immune suppressing drugs when they have an organ transplant.) 

The final note is that previously I've said, "when the body perceives...". This is significant because, while inflammation in digestion and in trauma is a fairly easy topic to understand, emotional trauma/stress is more difficult to grasp. The dominant hormone of emotional trauma is cortisol. This is our body's hormone that "keeps things rolling", as in, when your brain is trying to run away from a lion, cortisol is what gives you that boost of energy (adrenaline) to run away (feelings of fear, stress, anxiety increase the production of cortisol). Cortisol makes our body more sensitive to inflammation in the long term. Thus, the every day wear and tear on our bodies receives a similar inflammation response as a major accident. This "over response" leads to chronic inflammation which leads to dysfunction and ailment. The adjustment helps reduce inflammation, and stimulate hormone production that combats cortisol secretion. 

 

Building strong children AND repairing broken men

It takes a village right? It takes a village to raise a baby? It takes a village to build a community and it takes a unified voice to change the world. While changing the world is inevitable or impossible depending on your definition, my goal is to make sure my circles of mamas are empowered to make the decisions that work FOR them. My goal is to help women meet those goals by making sure their spine is unsubluxated and providing them information on what might be best for them. This is a big task! Most women you talk to have some aspect of their labor that was taken from them: something they didn't like: something that in the moment didn't seem like a big deal, but afterwards became a big deal. Fortunately, there are several organizations and individuals out there that agree with my goal and are also working to help women make the best labor and birth decisions for themselves.

Previously I've discussed the Chiropractic principle of time. Thank the forces that be, because it is unlikely a woman wakes up not pregnant and goes to bed that night having delivered a baby. We have time! Elephants have a 3 year gestation period.... Suddenly 40 weeks doesn't sound so bad does it? We have discussed subluxation within the complexity of time, but if time is a component of subluxation, why would a baby need to be adjusted? They are squishy, and tiny, and new, and markedly not very ossified. 

Well, I'd like you to welcome Andra Allcorn to the stage. She is in the village and she is one of the hardest working people I know. Below, Andra tackles the question, "If time is a component of subluxation, why would a baby need to be adjusted?". In my opinion the piece is articulate, emotional, and speaks a truth of that unified voice mentioned above. 

Time is a funny thing. I’ve been told time doesn’t exist – it’s a man-made construct. But so much of our understanding as human beings is centered around time. But if time is a component of subluxation, why would a baby need to be adjusted?

 

Depending on your beliefs surrounding when life begins, a human life can begin 40(ish) weeks prior to birth. That’s 280(ish) days that the little human is growing and changing at a rapid pace. From 2 microscopic cells to a 7(ish) lbbaby at birth, those 40(ish) weeks that momma is pregnant they are constantly growing and changing. Depending on the pregnancy, there can be many other influencing factors that could inhibit optimal cell growth and development, such as diet, or medications. In addition to those factors, the birth process can be a lengthy, stressful transition from inside the mother’s womb to the outside world. Most often you hear pregnant mommas say their one wish is for a healthy baby with 10 fingers and 10 toes. But if the means to connect your baby to their Innate Intelligence hours or weeks after coming into this world, wouldn’t you want to take advantage of that?

A mere 16 days after conception, the primitive beginnings of your nervous system start to form. Around 7 weeks, your brain, the command center of you starts to form. With the beginning of the central nervous system forming, the skeletal structure protecting the brain and spinal cord start to develop as well. Around 4 months, the baby is lengthening and strengthening those bones. During the 40(ish) week gestation period, your beautiful baby develops and builds more than 200 bones! They grow and grow and grow until they are ready to enter into the world as tiny little babies.

 

Through the transition from womb to real world, the baby’s skeleton is squeezing and twisting through the 4.3(ish)-inch-wide birth canal in a process so beautifully designed it can only be called miraculous. Adjusting to the real world after this transition can be just that, a transition. From the birthing process to learning to walk, the spine takes on a lot of force from the beginning. Specific chiropractic adjustments for infants, babies, and toddlers are gentle adjustments, using no more than the pressure you would put on your eyeball. The aim is to align the vertebrae of the spine so as to remove interference within the nervous system so that your little bundle of joy has the Innate Intelligence of their body flowing to every cell in their being. Vitalistic chiropractors focus on how the body functions, and provide adjustments that remove interference from day zero. 

                                     

Since we can’t deny that the progression of time is inevitable, just like death and taxes, wouldn’t it be wonderful to have all babies checked and adjusted, if necessary? As they continue to grow and develop into kidlets, tweens, teens, and beyond, having a nervous system free of interference will continue to serve them as they grow and grow and grow for the next 20+ years. 

 

Ketosis and Fertility; a marriage made in the blood stream

 Get ready for some citations!

Fertility is ever changing in the female body by design. I've had some men contest the idea of using Marquette method by saying, "This is too much stuff to remember!" To which I respond: You are the one that's fertile all the time! Thankfully that fertile window is established by your brilliantly designed significant other.

Simply put: Fertility is possible through the cooperation of estrogen and progesterone. There are many hormones that influence estrogen and progesterone, but ultimately those two hormones are responsible for "ripening" the egg, and creating a "nest" for a fertilized egg. 

Link number 1 below is a simplified version of how estrogen is stored in, and released from fat. Ketogenesis is a well-known state of fat loss or conversion (depending on the type of Keto), so therefore it becomes imperative to consider the implications of "rapid" fat loss on a person with high estrogen or progesterone. Over the years individuals with one sex hormone disorder or the other have noted the difficulty in weight loss, and then of course a feedback loop develops in which the person has an elevated sex hormone, and then weight causes more production of the hormone, and the sex hormone causes weight gain. 

"Evidence supporting an interrelationship between insulin and fertility exists (Gong 2002, Hunter et al. 2004) but the mechanistic actions of dysregulated insulin functioning at a physiological and cellular level as associated with obesity, remain obscure." ( Mitchell, et al, 2005--reference number 5).

So this means that there seems to be relationship between fertility an insulin, but the research isn't sure of the type of relationship. It is possible, from my perspective at least, if inflammation is triggered by sugar in the blood stream that insulin can not mediate, that that same inflammation may have negative consequences systemically.

There are many anecdotal stories of people ceasing ovulation in a ketogenic state. These stories are generally older, and based on some old research on athletic women. The fact is, that in the US obesity has become a larger and larger issue (punny, right?) Estrogen related issues are also more prominent than they were 60 years ago. What some recent studies are showing, is that women with a higher fat percentage, or women who have irregular ovulation can be helped with a ketogenic diet. So, will a ketogenic diet make you ovulate? Not necessarily. But a Keto diet can help regulate a cycle, thus making ovulation more predictable. The link below is thread on Reddit about ovulation and cycle regularity on Keto:

https://www.reddit.com/r/xxketo/comments/19a517/keto_regulates_ovulation/

**note that these comments are also anecdotal, but at present there is no accessible study available, so this is basically a anecdotal rebuttal to more anecdotes. :) 

1.The light description of Estrogen and Fat
2. Estrogen's relationship with body fat percentage
3. A REALLY good description of the estrogen/fat relationship (slightly more indepth than the livestrong article above)
4. A study suggesting that fat could be converted to estrogen through aromatization

5. http://www.reproduction-online.org/content/130/5/583.long

InCONCEIVABLE!!!!

Little known fact: I became an NFP instructor because I enjoy discussing sex.

**note: I am going to make every effort to make this post as professional as possible. There is a chance that some of the information shared here may not be appropriate for immature audiences.

Sex is weird. It's sort of like sleep; in that 1/3 of our lives is spent unconscious and no one bats an eye. Sex is this weird act where people like each other and penetration occurs. Obviously it's a pretty easy act to achieve, however as our relationships and culture change "with the times" it becomes less and less acceptable to connect with each other on an intimate level. Sex is inherently intimate, but with enough effort and disillusionment, it can be as mindless and heartless as you desire. 

Also, with medical advancements in the past 75 years there's been huge cultural shifts on sexual liberty in the form of hormonal birth control, condom availability, and more invasive/permanent contraceptive methodologies. These advancements all have benefits and drawbacks. I came to NFP because none of them were an option for me. 

So, what is NFP?

NFP stands for natural family planning. Natural family planning is a methodology of avoiding or attempting conception. NFP is sort of an umbrella term, in which there are approximately 13 methods available. If you are familiar with NFP, at this point you are probably thinking of the rhythm method, which is when you look at a calendar, and add 14 days to the first day of your menses, and abstain for 5 days before and one day after (this is a very rough summary). Today, there are many methods aside from the rhythm method. The cervical mucus methods were my gateway drug. I started there, and then a good friend recommended Marquette Method. I am a doctorate student, and I really, REALLY didn't want to have a baby in school. I needed some assurance if I was going to engage in sexual activity, that the likelihood of conception would be comparable to the methods mentioned above (birth control pills/condom usage). 

I could absolutely come at this topic from a place of fear, but intimacy (consenting) is not to be feared. So, yes, Marquette method is over 98% effective at avoiding or attaining conception, and that's great! But that's not the focus here.

Marquette method utilizes either the Clear Blue Easy Fertility monitor, or test strips (Wondfo) to detect luteinizing hormone.  Believe it or not, women are not constantly fertile! Most men are fertile constantly. Women are truly fertile for about 36 hours. When you combine the statistics that sperm can live in the reproductive organs of a woman for approximately 5 days,  a woman and man have a combined fertility window of 10 days (5 days before, 1 day of ovulation, and 24-36 hours after ovulation).

I am an avid fan of Marquette method, but I'm an avid fan of drinking water, why did I pursue the certification to teach other people about NFP? I should have mentioned this in my original post, but my goal as a Chiropractor (I am not a current licensed Chiropractor, I am an intern) is to empower women to make the best decisions for their health; specifically in the context of fertility, pregnancy, birth, and parenthood. The simple facts are: our bodies are ever changing, and ever accommodating to our environment (at least an unsubluxated one ;)). Blood analysis, or any lab work for that matter, is a snap shot in time. It is a single moment. Further more, I can't speak for what is being taught currently in schools, but when I was in school (and most of my clients), we were taught, "You can get pregnant at any time! So, you better not!" And now, we have an entire generation of women who either think or are being told by their medical professional that they are infertile. How many women do you know right now who have at some point in their lives have either thought or been told they were infertile? It is an epidemic! That thought process is literally the first step of disempowerment in parenthood. It perpetuates the idea that we are dependent on an outside redeemer to save us from our broken little bodies. One thing I appreciated about the Marquette method is that in their teachings they only refer to infertile couples when one or both partners has had a sterilizing procedure; everyone else is "sub-fertile", which implies that fertility is attainable. Obviously, it is necessary to point out that there are people who cannot conceive. However, estrogen dominance and the related diseases are NOT a deathwish for baby dreams.

Intimacy:

I won't even try to lie, I am absolutely tee-totally addicted to social media. It's not even the pretty kind where I post informative things and talk to beloved relatives that are far away. I scroll, sometimes for hours, and nothingness. One of my favorite phrases is, "It is common but not normal." That phrase definitely applies here. I doubt I am alone in my addiction, but it doesn't make it ok. Matter of fact aside from the current research on the implications of backlit electronic devices, the distraction of looking at the phone instead of the vast eyes of my husband is arguably a waste of time. 

Yet again, I think this is a cultural epidemic. So, how does my social media addiction relate to Marquette method? Easy: As mentioned above you do not have to have intimacy to have sex, but if you want to have sex and not get pregnant (or get pregnant), a certain amount of communication or cooperation is necessary. When I am instructing clients, I tell them that charting is not enough. I could sit with you and show you what each symbol and color means until we are both blue in the face, but the fact of the matter is, in the heat of the moment... You are going to need a sign. I recommend visual cues. I tell clients to buy a calendar, and as you chart (the paper/electronic charting is massively beneficial not only for correlating signs of fertility, but also for medical history), you should also mark the days on a wall sized calendar. Make it your own! Make symbols for "safe" days, and symbols for "unsafe" days. And then, there's no reading glasses or confusion, when you see the calendar with a giant [insert personalized symbol here] you know that you are good to go! Also, if you are using test strips or the monitor, the male partner can easily help interpret or read for you while you chart. It might take 20 seconds, but at the end of the day you are on the same page. These activities inherently bring consciousness to fertility, and as Dr. Fehring says, the 7th vital sign. 

If you have any questions feel free to contact me via the Google+ home page. I encourage conversation on this topic as one that is close to my heart and my purpose. 

Next up:  

Ketosis and Fertility; a marriage made in the blood stream

Some research for your viewing pleasure: 

1. Efficacy of Marquette method with correct and incorrect use
2. Getting started with Marquette Method