Kith & Kin Wellness

05/06/2022

Infertility rates are on the rise, and it’s not just a woman’s issue. Roughly 12-15% of couples in the United States have trouble conceiving and over 50% of the time- there is a male fertility issue.

Many couples turn to fertility treatments to remedy this, but how much is that costing them?

Speaking purely of monetary cost: intrauterine insemination or IUI can cost anywhere from $500 - $4000 per cycle, egg freezing can cost from $15,000 - $20,000 per cycle, IVF can cost approximately $23,000 per round, and surrogacy can cost anywhere from $20,000 - $70,000 and up. This is before adding in doctors visits, specialist visit cost, prescription cost and the cost that you can’t place a number on, the mental and emotional cost of this process. For many, however, a successful outcome is worth the hardship.

What if there was another step you could take, before going down the very expensive route of fertility treatments. It may take a few more months, but you would have a chance to conceive naturally as well as improve overall health?

As Naturopathic Doctors, we don’t believe in “unexplained infertility.” We work hard to uncover the remedy the cause, so that you not only get pregnant, but ensure that the conditions are ideal for your developing child!

Read more about our approach and get your FREE preconception checklist via the link in bio!

04/26/2022

Hi! Dr. Masuda here, It’s been a month and a half of seeing the lovely patients here at Kith and Kin and I thought I should put a face to the name and introduce myself properly.

A few facts about me:
- I’ve lived equal amounts of time in San Diego, Ireland and Massachusetts. So, it’s safe to say if you ask me where I’m from you’ll probably get an “ummmmm….Ireland??” 🤷🏻‍♀️😂
- I toured with the Irish dance show Riverdance for a few years, so I am both fortunate and unfortunate to have friends spread out all over the world!
- I have two, beautiful, crazy, strong, hilarious girls that I had while I was in medical school. So really, who’s the crazy one?? 🤪
- I love to treat GI dysfunction, especially its connection to mental health!
- I also LOVE all things fertility, from preconception to postpartum and everything in between
- Lastly, my family and their health and happiness means more to me than I can put in words. I understand how it feels to be up in the middle of the night with sick kids (and partners) wondering what I can do to make them feel better. I hope to continue empowering my patients, and parents of patients, to be confident in helping themselves and their kids heal from whatever is ailing them❤️

I can’t wait to see some of you in our beautiful office and/or virtually!

Dr. M🌺

03/23/2022

Is your child dairy intolerant? Allergic? Or maybe you avoid for philosophical or other health reasons?

There are several reasons why a child may not be consuming dairy. If this is your child, it’s important to ensure they are getting in an alternative source of calcium!

Requirements:
✨Kids 1 to 3 years old need 700 mg of calcium a day.
✨Kids 4 to 8 years old need 1,000 mg of calcium a day.

If your child is not consuming dairy, check out our top non-dairy sources of calcium above 👆

Not consuming many of these foods either? It may be time to supplement!

Is your child dairy free? What is their favorite non-dairy source of calcium?

03/05/2022

🙌EXCITING NEWS! 🙌Kith and Kin Wellness has added a new doctor to the team!

🎉We couldn’t be more excited to introduce Dr. Masuda, our newest Pediatric and Perinatal Naturopathic Doctor at Kith and Kin Wellness.🎉

🙌Dr. Masuda is a wealth of knowledge and such lovely soul. We are so grateful to have her.

 ✨Dr. Masuda firmly believes that the key to healing is to understand the root cause of illness and the interconnectedness of mind, body and spirit. Her biggest passions lie with gastrointestinal dysfunction, infertility, preconception to postpartum care, and pediatric health. Dr. Masuda’s own experience with postpartum anxiety illuminated the gap in physical and mental support for new mothers from beginning of pregnancy to the much-needed self-care after birth. The lack of education, information, and support that she experienced as a new parent inspired Dr. Masuda to specialize in perinatal care.

✨While in medical school, Dr. Masuda began the transformative process of becoming a mother to two vivacious girls, all while juggling the full time schedule of being a student. It wasn’t until the birth of her own children that she fully recognized the link between proper pediatric care and postpartum mental health. Everyday we get more insight into what causes dysfunction and how we can catch it before it develops further. She believes in helping parents understand this information in order to empower them to have a hand in the health of their child.

To learn more about Dr. Masuda and book a consult or discovery call, visit the link in our bio! 👆

07/29/2019

BRAIN NUTRIENTS FOR KIDS: .aricalhoun loves supporting optimal childhood neurodevelopment. Below are her TOP 3 foods for developing brains:
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🐠 Wild Caught Salmon or Sardines: These fish are packed full of DHA and low in mercury. High concentrations of DHA are present in the cell membrane of brain. DHA is necessary for the growth and maturation of an infant’s brain. The accumulation of DHA in the child’s brain primarily occurs between 0-2 years of age, so do not miss this crucial time period!
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🥚 Eggs: eggs are high in many beneficial fat-soluble nutrients and b vitamins, but especially high in CHOLINE. The neurodevelopmental benefits of choline are realized before the baby is born, and mother’s intake of choline influences the development of the fetal brain. In childhood, choline is further responsible for neuron signaling, memory, and neurotransmitter production and metabolism.
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🐚 Oysters: Oysters are packed full of zinc and rich in iron. This is especially important, as breastmilk lacks both of these nutrients! Zinc deficiency can interfere with cognitive performance and negatively impact a child’s psychological wellbeing. While iron is crucially important for optimal blood flow and deficiencies have been associated with behavioral disorders. Oysters can be a tough sell, so other organic poultry and grass fed beef are also great options 🐄 🐔
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Have you venture to feed your child any of these nutrient packed foods? If so, how did it go?-

05/22/2019

05/16/2019

I’m not anti-vax. I’m anti enforcement of CDC schedule. We are individuals with individual risk factors, thus, NO schedule is right for everyone.
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“In the last decade, reports have accumulated on various autoimmune disorders, such as idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura, myopericarditis, primary ovarian failure, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), following vaccination.”
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“Molecular mimicry and bystander activation are reported as possible mechanisms by which vaccines can cause autoimmune reactions. The individuals who might be susceptible to develop these reactions could be especially not only those with previous post-vaccination phenomena and those with allergies but also in individuals who are prone to develop autoimmune diseases, such as those with a family history of autoimmunity or with known autoantibodies, and the genetic predisposed individuals.” PMID: 29021840

05/15/2019

Mental Health Awareness Month Continues... and I continue to feel compelled to share more about the underlying causes of Postpartum depression.

Today, I’d like to highlight the role your gut plays into postpartum depression!

Hormonal shifts during pregnancy result in inflammatory and immune changes that alter the gut microbiome (meaning the bugs in your gut shift during pregnancy). These changes within the microbiome insure that mama gains the appropriate weight and has optimal nutrient absorption to support the pregnancy. Unfortunately, these changes can also make mothers more susceptible to infections, troubles with high blood sugar, and postpartum depression!

We know that the gut and the brain are intimately linked! The gut produces 80% of the serotonin in our body! Serotonin is our happy hormone, so if the gut ain’t happy- we aren’t happy.

For mothers who are experiencing postpartum digestive upset and postpartum depression, I recommend further examining the gut with a stool panel!

Interested in knowing about other factors that play a role in postpartum depression? Check out my recent blog article (link in bio)

https://www.kithandkinwellness.com/new-blog/2019/5/14/9-factors-contributing-to-postpartum-depression

05/13/2019

Hey Mama, YOU matter.

If you’ve stopped your workouts, your self-care, your nutritious diet, or your health-care upon becoming a mama, I hear you. You feel such a sense of responsibility to nurture these children, love unconditionally, and do ALL the things! In the midst of it, you’ve lost a sense of yourself, you’ve left no space for your own nourishment, and you’ve become martyr to motherhood. Maybe you feeling drained, more cranky than typical, and potentially even a tad resentful?

Let’s take a deep breath…

A friend of mine, , shared with me this phrase- “Mothers are the central nervous system of the household.” What does this mean? This means that if Mama ain’t happy- ain’t nobody happy. It’s TRUE. As mother’s we orchestrate not only our family’s activities, but we play a huge role in our partner’s and our children’s feelings. You can’t pour from an empty cup, so let’s figure out how to fill it!

Mama, selfcare isn’t selfish… in fact, it’s the opposite. What are you going to do to refill that cup. I want to hear!👇👇👇
📸

05/13/2019

O U R A P P R O A C H

We go after the root cause. We listen, we dive into your history, we gather information, we look beyond the reference ranges, and then we choose from our giant toolbox of treatment modalities to not only HEAL, but to OPTIMIZE your health through an individualized treatment plan.

05/13/2019

Let’s talk Genetics! Genomic medicine has become increasingly more popular over the past five years. Each week, I get asked some sort of questions regarding genetics- to review a 23 and me, the impact of an MTHFR SNP, or if dementia is hereditable. It’s exciting to get an inside peak at the potential of our genes. BUT, what I must remind you, is your genetic information is JUST THAT - the “potential,” not your destiny.

The really cool thing about genes is that they can be turned on and turned off based on your lifestyle. Poor diet, smoking, stress, toxins may turn a bad gene on, while a whole foods diet, daily movement, clean water, and a balanced lifestyle may turn those bad genes off.

We’ve all been dealt a bad card, and for you, it may be an autoimmune disorder, high cholesterol, acne, or increased risk of dementia. This is not to discourage you or lead you to believe there is not hope. Actually, the opposite is true!

Disease will manifest in each of us differently BASED on our genetic potential. However, disease will not manifest in the midst of HEALTH. Disease occurs after a series of “triggers.” Epigeneitcs are so cool, because it gets us to focus on HEALTHY habits rather than the “curing” disease. You can’t box up disease and take it away, just like you can’t change your genome... but you can add so much health that there is no room for disease- and THAT, my friend, is the power of epigenetics.