04/13/2022
For the curious at heartā¦
If youāve decided itās time to start preparing your body to support a pregnancy, here are some easy tips from the lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine to help you be the healthiest vessel.
1) Keep your feet warm! In TCM, we make a diagnosis based on a 5 element system with an organ associated with each element. The meridian for the three significant organ systems we work with all have meridians that start on your feet. When your feet are cold, it travels up the meridian into the womb. And we all know that babies like to be kept cozy and warm!
2) Take a prenatal vitamin (obviously this is a no brainer) and Traditional Chinese Medicine! Thereās so much research on Chinese medicine and egg quality/inflammation. Taking vitamins and a herbal supplement 3 months before you start trying is the most ideal time. Why? In order to treat a developing follicle from the beginning of its development to the day itās released at ovulation, takes 3 full months, not just one. This can be said for proper s***m development as well, so get your make partner on some vitamins as well if youāre in a heterosexual situation.
3) Eat cooked/warm foods + drinks, not raw foods. Ditch the smoothies and salads for the time being. Why? Raw food is harder for your digestive system to break down. Cooking your food is a great way to improve your digestion and fully absorb the nutrients you are eating, which makes properly nourished blood⦠which directly effects the health of all of our tissues ā including developing follicles and the endometrial lining.
4) Get acupuncture, do Qi Gong, do yoga, meditate, calm the mind. Acupuncture works to reduce cortisol levels and release endorphins which takes your body out of fight or flight. Clinical studies have shown when you stress populations of mice, they stop mating because from an evolutionary standpoint, itās better for their colony if they donāt have pregnant females during times of hardship. Weāre not much different ā so try to minimize stress as much as you can. Take a weekly acu-time out to reconnect with your body and breathe.