Podcasts about arvigo therapy

Shining a Light on Fertility: Laser Therapy with Anne Marie Jensen   In this episode of the Conscious Fertility podcast, Anne Marie Jensen delves into the use of low-level laser therapy, or photobiomodulation, for fertility enhancement. She shares insightful experiences and success stories from her practice, highlighting the impact of laser therapy on blood circulation, inflammation regulation, and scar tissue treatment in the context of fertility. Through clinical chart review, she explores the frequency and duration of low level laser treatments for optimal results in improving reproductive health. Anne Marie's unique approach combines manual therapy techniques with laser therapy to address scar tissue, pelvic inflammation, and overall reproductive health challenges. By focusing on the five flows—including blood circulation, venous flow, lymph flow, energetic flow, and nerve innovation—she provides a holistic framework for enhancing fertility through laser therapy. Key takeaways: ●      Low-level laser therapy improves fertility by enhancing blood circulation, reducing inflammation, and treating scar tissue. ●      Anne Marie recommends 2-3 laser treatments per week, aligned with the menstrual cycle. ●      Laser therapy benefits age-related infertility, scar tissue, and pelvic inflammation. ●      Combining laser and manual therapies offers comprehensive fertility care. ●      Anne Marie's clinical chart review showed successful fertility improvements with multiple laser therapy cycles.   Anne Marie Jensen Bio:  Anne Marie Jansen is a physiotherapist specializing in fertility. Since 2007, she has focused on gathering knowledge and skills to perform fertility-promoting physiotherapy in Denmark. She is trained in the Mojzisova Method, Arvigo Therapy, Mercier Therapy, Fertility Massage, the Aviva Method, and various methods of treating scar tissue and pelvic/spinal cord injuries. Anne Marie Jansen has found a clear connection between fertility and issues such as cycle pain, back pain, pelvic or hip pain, scar tissue, reduced mobility, posture asymmetries, digestive problems, sedentary lifestyle, overweight, underweight, and stress. She recommends preparing the body for a future pregnancy by addressing these physical and mental challenges, whether one is trying to conceive naturally or with medical assistance. Her specialty is helping individuals achieve healthier fertility.   Where To Find Anne Marie Jensen:  -       Website: https://www.sundfertilitet.dk/in-english -       Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sundfertilitet/ -       Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sundfertilitet/ -       Book “Fertility and Physical Therapy” : https://www.sundfertilitet.dk/kopi-af-about     How to connect to Lorne Brown online and in person (Vancouver, BC)   Acubalance.ca book virtual or in person conscious work sessions with Dr. Lorne Brown Lornebrown.com   Conscious hacks and tools to optimize your fertility by Dr. Lorne Brown: https://acubalance.ca/conscious-work/     Download a free copy of the Acubalance Fertility Diet & Recipes and a copy of the ebook 5 Ways to Maximize Your Chances of Getting Pregnant from Acubalance.ca   Connect with Lorne and the podcast on Instagram: @acubalancewellnesscentre @conscious_fertility_podcast @lorne_brown_official     DISCLAIMER: By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use it as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others. This podcast offers information to help the listener cooperate with physicians, mental health professionals or other healthcare providers in a mutual quest for optimal well-being. We advise listeners to carefully review and understand the ideas presented, and to consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having. Under no circumstances shall Acubalance, any guests or contributors to the Conscious Fertility podcast, or any employees, associates, or affiliates of Acubalance be responsible for damages arising from the use of the podcast.      

Rosita Arvigo, is a Doctor of Naprapathy, ethnobotanist, spiritual healer, author of 8 books on traditional healing of Central America, and she is the founder of The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy® & the Arvigo Institute. Donna Zubrod is a nationally certified, North Carolina Licensed Massage & Bodywork Therapist, a DONA certified Birth Doula, and a certified practitioner and teacher of The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy®. Her practice, Seven Generations Massage & Birth, offers support towards positive reproductive and digestive health experiences and outcomes from menarche, throughout the childbearing years, to menopause and beyond. She helps couples with fertility challenges to successfully conceive and nurtured expectant mothers during pregnancy through postpartum. In today's episode I share a special interview with both Dr. Arvigo and Donna. We focus on abdominal therapy for fertility and period pain, and how it differs from conventional medical treatments. Today's episode is sponsored by the Fertility Awareness Mastery Online Self-Study Course.  The most in-depth and comprehensive online fertility awareness self-study program available. Click here to join now! Topics discussed in today's episode: What is The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy®? The process of Arvigo® Therapy How you need proper hemodynamics to find homeostasis within the body What inspired Donna to conduct her observational study on measuring the affects of Arvigo® Therapy on the menstrual cycle parameter Some of the factors she had the 10 participants track during their cycles How Donna measured the effects for each participant Why goal of the study was to see if abdominal therapy had any effects on the menstrual cycle Was ovulation confirmed during the study? The importance of self-care by the participants during the study Did the participants have less painful period during the study? What were some of the results that stood out to Donna? How does abdominal therapy potentially improve mucus production or luteal phase length? How can Arvigo® bring women with extreme menstrual pain back to a normal cycle The importance of getting informed and being an active participant in your health Connect with Dr. Rosita Arvigo & Donna Zubrod: You can connect with Dr. Arvigo on her website and on the Arvigo®Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy website. You can connect with Donna on her Website, and on her Facebook. Resources mentioned: You Can Do It! Doulas Workshop FFP 050 | Journeys in Healing | Arvigo® Therapy for Fertility and Pregnancy | Donna Zubrod & Diane MacDonald FFP 018 | Arvigo Abdominal Therapy | Vaginal Steaming | Traditional Maya healing for Fertility and Menstrual Cycle Irregularities| Dr Rosita Arvigo The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles & Optimize Your Fertility (Book) | Lisa Hendrickson-Jack Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook Fertility Awareness Mastery Online Self-Study Program Related podcasts & blog posts: FFP 202 | Vaginal Steaming for Period Problems | Steamy Chick | Keli Garza FFP 067 | Healthy Menstruation | Fertility Awareness | Fertility Massage Therapy | Rachel Eyre FFP 050 | Journeys in Healing | Arvigo® Therapy for Fertility and Pregnancy | Donna Zubrod & Diane MacDonald FFP 018 | Arvigo Abdominal Therapy | Vaginal Steaming | Traditional Maya healing for Fertility and Menstrual Cycle Irregularities| Dr Rosita Arvigo Join the community! Follow Fertility Friday on Instagram! Subscribe to the Fertility Friday Podcast in Apple Podcasts! Music Credit: Intro/Outro music Produced by J-Gantic A Special Thank You to Our Show Sponsors: Fertility Friday | Fertility Awareness Programs This episode is sponsored by my Fertility Awareness Programs! Master Fertility Awareness and take a deep dive into your cycles and how they relate to your overall health! Click here to apply now! Fertility Awareness Mastery Mentorship Program (FAMM) This episode is sponsored by FAMM! Are you a women's health practitioner looking for a solid way to incorporate comprehensive fertility awareness chart analysis into your practice? If yes, FAMM is the program you've been waiting for. Click here to apply now!

Fertility Yoga- What, How, Why with Erin McCollough In episode #156 of The Hormone P.U.Z.Z.L.E Podcast, our guest Erin McCollough talks about Fertility Yoga- What, How, Why. More about Erin McCollough: Erin McCollough is the Founder of Fertile Hope Yoga®, the world's first online fertility yoga studio allowing women to practice from the comfort of their living room floor. For the last 15 years,  Erin has been leading the industry with her mind & body fertility programs that she started at CNY Fertility Center owned by Dr. Robert Kiltz. She's the Co-Creator of The Fertile Secret book and has helped thousands of women reach out and hold their baby after they had been told they could never get pregnant. She calls upon her 25 years of training and practice in the healing arts: yoga teacher trainings, licensed massage therapy, Reiki certified, Doula trained, myofascial release, Arvigo Therapy certified to name a few and uses the modalities to change how women approach motherhood. Erin is also a certified coach, NLP & EFT practitioner and hypnotherapist. When she's not actively helping women become pregnant or traveling to educate at fertility conferences, you'll find her hiking or at a softball field watching her daughter play. Thank you for listening! Follow Erin on Instagram: @fertilehopeyoga Follow Coach Kela on Instagram: @kela_healthcoach Get your FREE Fertility Meal Plan: https://coachkela.com/ For sponsorship opportunities, email HPS Media at podcast@coachkela.com.

Midwife Elena Rosa shares with Michelle the history and benefits of Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy in this special replay episode. Together they discuss how each person's reproductive journey is their own, how the state of fight or flight affects the body, the connection between the heart and the uterus, deep healing, and following the lead of your heart.   "And just thinking about the grief and what we're told how we're supposed to be as women, what we're supposed to accept, what we're supposed to receive, what we're not allowed to stand up for, what we're not allowed to make boundaries for. You know, what we allow to happen to us because we feel like we're powerless. … But just processing what boundaries we're encouraged to have, but we're not encouraged to have. Like we're not allowed to speak up for ourselves. Like what we allow into our space, what is forced into our space. What is what we're allowed to grieve over. You know, there's so many things that we hold onto in our bodies."—Elena RosaAbout Elena Rosa:Elena is a practicing licensed midwife, an Advanced Arvigo Practitioner, and a retired licensed massage therapist based in Central Florida. As a woman of Puerto Rican descent who has lived throughout the Northeast and Southern regions of the US, Elena sees herself as a US citizen by birth, but a global citizen by responsibility.Elena feels there is no more profound challenge than the mastery of self. The pursuit of the limitless is one of personal growth and spirituality…cultivating self-care, self-awareness, and self-love. Elena had an interest in indigenous medicine since childhood. Elena has sought out personal mentors from North and South American traditions and Tibetan Buddhism. Having participated in countless prayer and meditation ceremonies and her own deep work has provided humility, depth, space for healing herself and others, and an ongoing practice of peacemaking.Most of all, she is the proud mother of a sweet girl who has taught her more about what her body and her heart are capable of than anyone she has ever met. Pregnancy, labor, and motherhood have brought no shortage of lessons in accepting all expected and unexpected challenges. What these experiences taught her is that she is an informed woman who knows her body, and she has all the information she needs to make the right decision for her and her child. This affirming gift is Elena's wish for every family she serves. Connect with Elena Rosa:Website:  https://mykindredmidwife.com/Tree Of Life Birth Center: https://www.tolbirth.com/Facebook:   Elena RosaResources:https://arvigotherapy.com/

So last week I took you guys through the ways in which inflammation, gut health and hormone levels can increase bloating in the lead up to your period. This week I want to give you some tools to actually alleviate that bloating, now you know why it's happening. I'm going to give you two types of tools, one set to deal with in the moment of bloating and another set for which are long-term strategies to help you to address the root cause.  So, let's start with the tools you can use in the moment. Many of these tools I'm about to share are based on my training with world leading SIBO doctor, Dr Allison Siebecker. I'm using her doses, which are safe and effective and if you'd like a reference for these doses, they are actually available on her website, under handouts, in a handout called Symptomatic Relief Guide. So these doses are available publicly, you don't need a prescription for them, but always consult your doctor before starting new supplements.    1.  Number one is using a prokinetic. A prokinetic is either a pharmaceutical drug or natural supplement which improves gut motility in the small intestine, so it increases transit time in the small intestine and also stimulates the migrating motor complex in the small intestine, which is the wave like motion that clears bacteria from food out of the small intestine and into the large intestine. When the migrating motor complex is slowed, this is when we are at risk of developing SIBO and one study actually found that 100% of participants with endometriosis had gut motility dysfunction. A prokinetic doesn't stimulate a bowel movement by the way, so it's not a laxative. It doesn't get to work on your large intestine, but on your small intestine, so it's essentially aiding you to digest and move your food into the large intestine, and to clear gas and bacteria out of the small intestine too.  To stimulate the migrating motor complex, we can use a prokinetic at night, but for bloating, you can take it during the day, and this will support healthy transit time of gas accumulating in the small intestine. This can be really helpful in the second half of our cycle, when progesterone is naturally causing things to slow down!   So the two natural supplements you could try are ginger and STW5, which is also known as iberogast. For ginger, there are many different prokinetic formulas and I've put some of the best ones in the show notes, and you would just take the label dose, twice a day, one to two hours after meals or as needed, just be sure not to exceed the recommended dose on the label or to exceed 2000mg of ginger per day.  STW5 is a tincture, and you would take 20 drops with meals as or as and when needed.  I do just want to caution here that some of the ginger formulations can cause ginger burn, which is like a hot burning sensation in the diaphragm area, so if you have acid reflux this may not be the best option for you. You can normally get rid of the feeling through drinking water, but some formulations are less ‘ginger burn' causing and I've highlighted which ones in the show notes. Ginger, being a spice, can also irritate bladder symptoms if you have interstitial cystitis, so this is something to consider and normally, I find the formulas which cause less ginger burn, cause less bladder problems. Secondly, because STW5 also contains alcohol, I find this to also irritate the bladder in people with interstitial cystitis, so just be cautious with these two and experiment until you find a formula that works for you. Finally, if you experience pain with prokinetics, it's normally due to motility actually starting to get to work, which can cause muscle contractions at first, but if the pain is severe or persistent, it may be that you have an obstruction or adhesions disrupting the motility flow and working against it. If that's the case, stop using and see a visceral manipulation therapist who can access your gut for adhesions and obstructions.   2.  Peppermint oil Next up is peppermint oil. Peppermint oil is actually a smooth muscle relaxant and is great for abdominal pain, if you get pain with your bloating and generally, it's really wonderful for pretty much all IBS symptoms. Recent research has shown its effectiveness in multiple symptoms of IBS, so this is a great option if you have IBS issues frequently with endo and in the lead up to your period.   So, you could of course try the tea, and some people do find that to be effective, but generally, peppermint oil tends to be stronger. If you wanted to go for tea, I would make sure it's strong for it to work! For capsules, you want enteric coated peppermint oil, which are capsules that have a coating on them which protects them from stomach acid, so that the peppermint is released lower down in the intestines where we want it. You would just follow the label dose and take as needed, though you could take them every day during the second half of your cycle as the effects are stronger when taken consistently.  However, if you have acid reflux, peppermint may not be the best option for you as it can sometimes cause acid reflux. Another possible side effect is nausea. You could test yourself on one dose and see how you respond of course and take it from there, but if you're prone to acid reflux or nausea, you might want to consider some of the others. If you do want to give peppermint a go, pills are less likely to cause acid reflux or nausea as opposed to peppermint tea or say, a tincture.  Lastly, peppermint oil can slightly slow down motility, so if you are noticing sluggish motility already due to progesterone in the second half of your cycle, either use one of the other options or if you really want to take peppermint oil, also take a prokinetic.  Oddly, if you have interstitial cystitis, it appears peppermint oil may help or it may actually irritate. There's some research going on at the moment, specifically on peppermint oil for the treatment of interstitial cystitis, and some practitioners advise using the tea, etc. whereas I've heard others warn against it. Personally, applying topical peppermint oil helps with my interstitial cystitis pain, and this would be because it's a smooth muscle relaxant, so it's calming down any contractions and cramping, but if I drink the tea, I find it causes a burning feeling inside my bladder, so I think you'll have to see how you respond personally, but I'm very curious to find out the outcome of this study!   3.  Number three is activated charcoal. Activated charcoal absorbs gas, so is really helpful for any bloating which is being causing by gut issues during the second half of our cycle.  You can take activated charcoal in supplement or powder form, you would just mix the powder into water, as and when needed, but you do need to ensure that you're taking it at least 30 minutes before a meal and an hour after a meal, because it doesn't just absorb gas, it absorbs nutrients too! This would be the same for supplements. You don't want to be spending money on lovely supplements for the charcoal to be absorbing it all! You can take up to 1000mg per dose or just follow the label dose, and you can do so four times a day, spacing the doses out by at least two hours, just don't exceed more than 4 grams of charcoal a day. Lastly, charcoal can sometimes cause constipation, so of course, we don't want to worsen that if you already struggling with sluggish bowels in the second half of your cycle. If you are, then you can take magnesium in addition, which I'll share in the next point.    4.  Magnesium Whilst magnesium won't directly help with your bloating, it is great for constipation, so if this is one of the root causes of your bloating in the second half of your cycle, magnesium is a good tool to aid with this.  Magnesium is also a nutrient that most of us are deficient in and gets used up with chronic stress and during menstruation, and when we're low in magnesium it can worsen PMS, pain, and fatigue so this is a great supplement for endometriosis.  The best options for constipation would be citrate or oxide, and I personally prefer oxide for anyone with interstitial cystitis, as the magnesium citrate can be irritating to the bladder for some.  You can take between 500mg to 1000mg in the evening, at bedtime, and it's best to start at a lower dose, like 500mg, to see how you react to it, as if you take too much you may get diarrhea. The aim is to have a bowel movement come the morning, so that's the sign you want to know it's working and normally, it takes about 2-3 days to get to work, so be patient. If you don't have a bowel movement in this time, move up to a higher dose. Often, 1000mg is the dose most people find works for them, however, as I said, you can go higher, you just can't exceed 2000mg and you need to ensure you're increasing your dose slowly.  Finally, make sure you take your dose two hours after food because otherwise this can interfere with the effects.  Hopefully, by supporting your gut to keep to a healthy flow during the second half of your cycle, you'll experience lessened bloating as waste and gas isn't hanging around for so long.    5.   Number five is abdominal massage and for the purposes of bloating you could use either the I Love You massage or Arvigo Therapy, both of these you can do at home by yourself. Additionally, these massages are great for constipation and sluggish motility, so if you're noticing those to be an issue in the second half of your cycle, I would recommend trying one of these. They also put your body into the rest and digest state, so if you're working on trying to calm your nervous system down so your pain decreases over time (which I've been talking about a lot recently over on Instagram), then these are a great addition to your routine. You don't need to do both, one or the other is fine, however, if you want the added benefit of adhesion release and better periods and less endo pain, Arvigo Massage is the way to go. The I Love You massage is a simple massage where you literally trace the letters ‘I', ‘L' and ‘U' over your intestines repeatedly. There are free YouTube videos on how to do this and I've linked to one in the show notes.  With Arvigo Therapy, you first need to be taught how to do it on yourself by a practitioner. The sessions are usually pretty affordable and can be taught in about 30-45 minutes, after which you don't need to pay for anyone more sessions, you can just start performing the massage on yourself. I've linked to a wonderful practitioner in the show notes and to the practitioner directory.  You can do these massages daily, and I personally recommend using them in the evenings before bed, which is when the migrating motor complex really gets to work and as these help to stimulate it, they'll give your motility a nice boost overnight. Of course, if you're feeling bloated in the moment and want some instant relief, if you feel like it's not painful to do, you could perform these massages when needed. Both of them take just 10-15 minutes at the most, so they're quick to do.     6.  Number six is a slightly different one and that's lymphatic drainage. We're not addressing the bloating directly but more the water retention and fluid build-up in the body, which could in turn help to reduce the bloating, depending on whether your bloating is coming from water retention or from fermentation in the gut.  So the lymph system is a collection of vessels that run like a map across the body, under the skin and around organs. They are connected to lymph nodes which can be found in places like your armpits and groin, they're the small shaped bumps you feel when you're unwell. The lymph vessels contain fluid that collects waste products, toxins, bacteria, viruses, etc. from around the body. These products are then delivered to the lymph nodes, which attack any pathogens (baddies), and this is usually when the swelling occurs if you have a really active infection - that's why you'll get raised bumps under your arms when you have a virus for example. Once the most harmful pathogens have been killed off, these toxins, waste products and dead bacteria are sent to the liver and kidneys through the blood stream, where they'll eventually be filtered out of the body. What's important to note here is that the lymph system cannot transport waste on its own - the fluid begins flowing with assistance from movement, such as massage or exercise and if we don't assist it, it can stagnate, like a stream that's become blocked.  Helping to get the lymph system moving will help to shift any build-up of excess fluid and water retention, and it can help to get rid of the excess LPS which may be circulating in our blood stream before menstruation and would certainly be adding to our inflammation levels.  There are multiple ways to get lymph fluid moving, but two lovely self-care methods you could try are dry brushing before your shower and then using a sort of lymphatic drainage paddle after your shower on your skin.  So before your shower, you would use a dry body brush and starting at your ankles, brush upwards in short bursts, going over them same area three to five times before moving to the next section of your leg. The brush strokes should be fairly firm, and short, so say from your ankle to mid-calf and then from mid-calf to your knee. You would work your way up your legs, bum, torso, all moving up towards your heart, and then you would go to your arms, starting at your wrists, and working your way up to your shoulders. The process should take about 5-7 minutes.  Then you can jump in the shower, and you can totally stop here if you like. A body brush is about £10, so it's a nice and affordable option.  If you want to add another layer, you can get a lymphatic drainage body tool, which looks a bit like a paddle and is made of wood. I think it originates from the gua sha technique. You would essentially follow the exact same pattern you took with the body brush, but this time more lightly, it can be very gentle, and you would apply oil first, so you don't pull your skin. I tend to use coconut oil and my paddle was £18 from Amazon. I've linked to it so you know the kind of thing you're looking for. Now of course, this process is most effective when done every day but honestly, I struggle to fit it in, so you could try a couple of times a week or whatever works for you!   7.     Number seven is taking an anti-inflammatory supplement. Now as we discussed last week, I don't think the swelling and bloating is purely down to inflammation alone, but it certainly plays a role as inflammation is building as progesterone lowers and prostaglandins are slowly being released in the uterus to prepare for menstruation from ovulation, providing you're not pregnant. So as we have higher levels of prostaglandins already, having endo, it'll most certainly be helpful to lower these.  Now to be clear, these are not root cause fixes, I'll move onto those in a moment, these are to help you to start feeling better in the short-term, but I just want to remind you that anti-inflammatory supplementation is not enough to get chronic inflammation down, we need to get to the root causes, but they can certainly help!  So in terms of anti-inflammatories, you could use supplements like magnesium, ginger, curcumin or fish oil and all of these have their own unique benefits, so my recommendation is to go back and listen to my episodes on supplements, so episodes 130 and 131. Then you can pick one or two that are best suited to you, and when taken consistently, should really help with your period pain too!   So that's the symptomatic relief part of the podcast, but now let's move onto addressing these root causes. Now what I'm giving you is the simple first steps, not the whole protocol for each of these because that would just be a lot!    1.   Number one is to start balancing your hormones, and one of the key ways we can do this is through ensuring we have balanced blood sugar levels, as having dysregulated blood sugar can cause elevated oestrogen levels and low progesterone. So this is really the key place I start with when balancing hormones with my clients.  And the process is pretty simple, though it takes some getting used to and practice, and it's simply ensuring you have protein, fibre, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates with each meal. This is because if we just have a plate full of refined carbohydrates like white rice or white pasta, we're going to get a surge of glucose in the blood (which is what carbs break down into in the gut) and that will elevate our blood sugar levels and that then creates a cascade of negative effects on our inflammation levels, hormones, and energy production. The same goes for a plate full of brown rice and starchy veg or just rice and veg – yes, these foods are healthy, but they're also rich in carbohydrates with nothing to minimise the effects on our blood sugar.  First off, we need to choose complex carbohydrates in contrast to refined. Refined carbs break down quickly and easily in the gut, flooding the system with glucose very quickly. These are processed foods such as bread, pasta, fries, crisps, cakes and pizza. In contrast, complex carbohydrates break down over a period of time, providing the body with sustained glucose release, and these include vegetables, starchy root veggies like sweet potato and parsnips, fruits, beans and whole grains. Now whole grains really depend on the individual, for some people they break down slowly, for others, they break down quickly and cause a blood sugar surge, so it's really about how you feel on them as an personally. And we always want to pair these complex carbohydrates with protein and fat, because they help to slow down the release of glucose to the blood. Fibre also does the same, but providing you have enough vegetables, you should be getting fibre from there, as well as from foods like beans and whole grains.  In terms of ratio, to balance your blood sugar the ideal ratio is having 50% of your plate covered with low starchy veggies like broccoli and asparagus for example. 25% of your plate should be a protein source, and the final 25% is split between fat and complex carbohydrates. So we're looking at about two tablespoons or two golf ball sizes portions of fat and a serving of more starchy complex carbohydrates like sweet potato, root veggies or quinoa.  Now depending on your activity levels, you may need more or less starchy carbs – this is very individual, so you need to adjust your serving to what feels best for you. If you're still hungry after a meal, or finding yourself having blood sugar crashes, try increasing the protein or fat intake first, but if your carb content is very low, increase your carbs, whether that's from low starchy veggies or in fact you find you just need a bit of extra starch from sweet potato, for example. In the show notes, I have linked to a great diagram demonstrating what this could look like. But just to give you an idea, you might have half a plate full of a salad of rocket and spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, red onions, and asparagus, with a piece of salmon, then say half a small avocado and a serving of quinoa, adjusting the grain serving to the size you personally need.  So, this is where I would begin with balancing your hormones. If this feels triggering for you because it's food related, addressing your gut health will also support your hormones, as well managing your stress levels with stress relief tactics and supporting your detoxification processes. All of my episodes on oestrogen dominance and hormone imbalances cover various areas to address when healing your hormones, so you can have a listen to those if you'd like a different option, or if you get to grips with blood sugar and want to move onto the next step.  And you could practice this over the course of a month and see what happens with your bloating. I do recommend that this is kept up going forward, not just for bloating but for keeping endo at bay, for healthy hormones, sustained energy, lowered inflammation and to prevent the onset of chronic diseases, which blood sugar dysregulation has been linked to.  If you want to learn more about blood sugar, I cover it in multiple episodes, and I've linked to them in the show notes, or you can read my book or take my course, when it comes out again in a few weeks. And of course, if you want a step-by-step protocol for balancing your hormones, my course includes that and you can get on the waiting list now, so you'll be the first to hear when it launches. Again, the link is in my show notes.   2.  Number two is to start repairing the gut. Now this is a more complex one and tends to take time, and of course if there's a condition like SIBO, that will eventually need treating. But we can start with some small steps, that really, we use with everyone to see whether they respond to these changes, and these are the basic foundations of good gut health.   You can listen to my episode Understanding the Endo Belly Part 1 for full protocol of what we call ‘first line therapies', which like I said are these foundational pieces, and you can implement them over the course of a few months, but to get you started, you can try one or two of these options here.  The first would be to eat 30 different plant foods a week. Your good microbiome needs an array of different plant foods, fibres, and nutrients in order to survive and thrive, and to actually ensure the health of your intestines. In fact, your good gut bacteria take certain plant fibres and turn them into key food for our intestinal cells, which helps to keep the gut wall strong. So eating an array of different plant foods will not only help to start creating a healthy microbiome, it'll also help the process along of repairing leaky gut.  Now I know for those with IBS, when they think about eating more plant foods it can be scary, because the fibre can often aggravate symptoms, but this is different. This is literally about eating any type of plant food – so olive oil counts, coconut oil counts, spices count, fresh herbs count, seeds count and nuts and veggies and fruits, and wholegrains and beans! Yes there's a lot of options and they all count. And it's actually pretty easy to get in 30 different foods when you consider this wide array of ingredients you have to work with. You know between the elemental diets I've been on the low histamine bi phasic diet, and honestly, I don't think there's a diet more restrictive than this and especially in terms of fibre and carbohydrate content, it's much more restrictive than the low FODMAP diet, and I was still able to reach 30 different plant foods. So basically, work with the foods you're allowed to eat if you're on a specialist diet, and if you're stuck, work with a nutritionist or check out gut health blogs for recipe recommendations. Secondly, if you can, I would also begin reducing your intake of sugar. Now I don't mean fruit. I mean added sugar, like maple syrup, honey, caster sugar, coconut sugar, corn syrup, rice syrup, added fructose, that kind of thing. Sugar actually feeds an unhealthy microbiome and inflames the gut, and changes the composition of the gut microbiome, leading to leaky gut. And of course, we want to heal the gut lining and create a nice balance of healthy bacteria in the gut.  I know this is a big step for a lot of people, so it may just be that you start slowly. Maybe you start reducing the sugar you add to your coffee by a quarter of a teaspoon for the first week, and then move to half and so on. Or maybe you start snacking on dark chocolate with a lower sugar content than a standard milk chocolate bar in the afternoon. Whatever it is, choose a method that's manageable and sustainable for you.  And again, I would implement this over a month, to observe the changes. You could start with adding the plant foods the first month, and then start lowering sugar the next, or you could do it all in one go, and you could combine these methods with the blood sugar balancing or you could implement them month by month separately. It's really up to you. Now again, these are just two of the strategies and there is generally more to be done with healing the gut, but you might notice that these bring you significant relief. If they don't, then don't panic, this is just the beginning and normally I don't expect to see complete resolution with my clients at this stage. So what I recommend is that you have a listen to my Understanding The Endo Belly episode, which I've linked in the show notes, and you can continue to layer some extra first line therapies on top of these methods,.  If neither of these options that I've shared appeal to you because they're food specific, then that episode will provide you with some other options, like chewing properly, mindful eating and stress management. Or if you want to dive deeper, my course walks you through a step-by-step gut healing protocol, so again, you can get on the waiting list for that if you'd like to.   3.  Okay, so number three is all about lowering inflammation. And normally, in functional medicine, we would begin with food, as this is one of the quickest ways to lower inflammation.  Now there is a specific protocol for lowering inflammation with nutrition, which I would normally implement over a month with a client, but again, I am just giving you the foundations first to get started. If you want to dive deeper, you can listen to my episode with Dr Jessica Drummond, which I've linked in the show notes, I have countless articles on anti-inflammatory nutrition, and I've linked to one or two of those in the show notes as well, or you can read my book or sign up to the course for an exact step by step guide. So to start, one of the most powerful things we can do nutritionally to lower inflammation is to eat an abundance of colourful fruit and vegetables a day.  Specifically, we're aiming for eight servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit. Now I understand that for those of you with IBS, this might be hard on your stomach at first and it may take some time to build up to this amount of fibre, so start slowly. However, a SIBO diet or low FODMAP diet shouldn't prevent you from getting in this amount of fruit and veg a day, you may not be able to get in a whole serving, which is 80g, because of the portion size limitations with the low FODMAP diet, but if you aim for variety, you should be able to get in eight different veggies. For example, 1 small red pepper, one medium carrot, one cup of cabbage, four sprouts, one cup of broccoli, 2 cups of spinach, 1 cup of spaghetti squash and half a cup of beetroot are all FODMAP friendly. That's eight right there! And you've got some green, yellow, red, purple and orange in terms of colour, and that's really key to lowering inflammation because the more different colours you have, the more variety of antioxidants you have, and it's these wonderful plant nutrients that lower inflammation. So you're aiming for lots of different colours but with a nice emphasis on dark leafy greens, and working your way up to eight servings of veg and two servings of fruit. Again, do this slowly if you have stomach troubles on a regular basis and if you have gut health issues like SIBO or another condition, you may need to heal that first before you can tolerate that many servings of veg. But just get up to what you can tolerate and what makes you feel good. And in the beginning, if your stomach is sensitive, start with well-cooked and pureed or mashed fruits and veggies. So for example, have a smoothie for breakfast, and a roasted veg salad for lunch, and a soup for dinner, for example. Basically, we're trying to take some of the digestion work out of it for your stomach, so it can predominately focus on extracting those lovely nutrients. So ideally, we're working on adding more colour and more fruit and veg to start with, and practice that over the space of a month again, and see how your bloating and swelling does, and see how your PMS and period responds too. Now in the beginning, as your body adjusts to this added fibre, you may find yourself more bloated, and that's why it's important to build up slowly and to focus on well-cooked or broken-down foods, so your body gets used to it. For example, don't go from two servings of veg a day to eight! Start with an extra serving for a few days or a week, and then move up to another serving. And of course, have those bloating relief remedies to hand as well to help you through and listen to your body. If you need to adjust or reduce the amount of veg you're consuming, do so but don't just assume you can't eat veg, it may be about the serving size, how it's cooked or the type of veg, so experiment! Now if this feels triggering because it's food related, another way to lower inflammation is by getting enough sleep. Sleep deprivation is one the key causes of inflammation, so instead of working on your food, you could start here. Now of course, if you have insomnia, sleep can be a difficult area to master and again, this is about taking it step by step and in stages, and there's really a whole sleep hygiene protocol we could go through, depending on the type of insomnia you're struggling with. But let's start with the basic step of giving yourself a nine-hour window to sleep. There is no argument, we all need at least seven and a half to eight hours sleep a night, without that, there are significant changes in our health, and it can make manging endo much more difficult because it can worsen pain, inflammation, and hormonal imbalances.  Now as someone who struggles with sleep, I want to say to you not to let this panic you, and really just to allow yourself to work on your sleep, with kindness, not beating yourself up if you're not at eight hours yet.  Giving yourself a nine-hour window allows your body time to fall into a deep sleep and actually get eight hours of solid sleep, rather than seven hours or even less. And this nine-hour window shouldn't include reading or scrolling or watching TV, this is literally lights out, eyes closed time and ideally, this nine-hour window should take place across the same period of time every night, so for example, from 10.30pm to 7.30am.  The reason we do this is because your body has an internal clock, and this clock lets it know when to release our waking hormone, cortisol, to wake us up, and when to release our sleep hormone, melatonin, to help us get to sleep. When we have erratic hours or inconsistent sleep patterns, the body doesn't know when to produce these hormones, so we can find ourselves wide awake at 1am and super groggy at 9am. The body relies on rhythm to create its essential processes, and so it needs us to follow regular rhythms in order to function.  Now of course, there will be some nights when you just can't sleep, or it's a friend's birthday, or your child is up sick all night, and that's just life! So don't beat yourself up about it, but on the whole, try to get this regular nine-hour window in. I understand if you have a baby, this is probably not possible, so come back to this when you have your nights back but otherwise, see if you can begin working on this slowly but gradually.  It will probably take some time to adjust, it'll probably take moving around your schedule, and discipline and practice, but eventually your body should find its routine and start feeling sleepy around this time. The hardest bit for many, is us actually having the will power to put this in place and I can tell you, as someone who has a habit of working late, it is a daily practice, one I don't always do so well at, but one I am always coming back to.  If your sleep issues are really extensive, then it to me sounds like your HPA axis is probably off. I'm going to do a podcast on this soon, but I also have a whole module on this and sleep hygiene in my course, so if you want more guidance and a roadmap for addressing this, you can of course join the waiting list. So that's our three strategies for beginning to address these root causes, and if we're taking the first suggestions rather than the alternatives I've provided, it'll look like:  ·       Eating protein, fat, fibre and complex carbs at every meal ·       Eating 30 different types of plant foods a week ·       Reducing sugar ·       Eating 8 portions of colourful veggies and two portions of colourful fruits a day (or building up to that). So that's four steps, and you could work on one step a week, so by the end of the month you're at all four, or you could work on one step per month, and observe where you are in four months. Choose to do it however you feel is best. And remember, that these are foundational steps, they may not totally resolve your PMS bloating, but they're a step in the right direction and you can choose to keep going forward with some of the other strategies I've mentioned for continued improvement. And just so you don't drive yourself crazy, I want to remind you that it is natural for us to be a little more bloated and perhaps a tiny little puffier before our periods, but these symptoms shouldn't be extensive and shouldn't be affecting our daily lives. So, if you can get down to a place where these symptoms feel minimal and manageable, don't drive yourself crazy trying to get a perfectly flat stomach the day before your period, as it might not be totally possible. I really hope this episode has helped you and been informative! If you find it useful, please share it with others who might benefit and please do let me know and reach out on Instagram.  I'd love to hear how you get on! Remember to consult your doctor when making changes to your diet or supplement regime.  Listen and subscribe on your favourite player or listen directly/download MP3 here or just listen below! Let's get social! Come say hello on Instagram or sign up to my newsletter. This episode is sponsored by my free guide ‘A Natural Pain Relief Tool Kit for Endometriosis'. This four page guide includes evidence based and effective remedies which you can use at home to reduce your pain with endo. Download your copy here. My course, Live and Thrive with Endo is opening for enrolment again soon. Join the waiting list now to access early bird pricing and special bonuses. Sign up here. My cookbook This EndoLife, It Starts with Breakfast is out now! Get 28 anti-inflammatory, hormone friendly recipes for living and thriving with endometriosis. Order your copy here. If you feel like you need more support with managing endometriosis, you can join Your EndoLife Coaching Programme. A 1-to-1 three month health and life coaching programme to help you thrive with endometriosis. To find out more about the programme and to discuss whether it could be right for you, email me at hello@thisendolife.com or visit my website. This episode is sponsored by The Pod Farm. Learn all about how to start your own podcast with the complete course from The Pod Farm. Aimed at beginners, this course takes a simple and straightforward approach to planning, equipment buying, setting up, recording, editing and hosting your own podcast. With hours of audio and video materials, and downloadable guides and useful links, this multimedia approach aims to have something for every kind of learner. From now until April 15, newsletter subscribers get 20% off the course price. Visit www.thepodfarm.com to enroll or find out more This episode is sponsored by BeYou. Soothe period cramps the natural way with these 100% natural and discreet menthol and eucalyptus oil stick on patches and CBD range. Click here to find out more and to shop: https://beyouonline.co.uk Show Notes  Dr Siebecker's dosages https://www.siboinfo.com/uploads/5/4/8/4/5484269/sibo_symptomatic_relief_suggestions_jan_2020.pdf Prokinetics Vita Aid Prokine Pure Encapsulations Motil Pro (in my experience, I found this caused a lot of ginger burn) Integrative Therapeutics ​Motility Activator​  (better for IC/ginger burn) Enzyme Science  ​GI Motility Complex (better for IC/ginger burn) Priority One ​SIBO-MMC Invivo Clinical ​Bio.Me.Kinetic​ (I find this to be better for IC/ginger burn) Gut motility https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9660426/ Peppermint oil https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30654773/ I Love You Massage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTOkKVlBHzk Arvigo Therapy https://www.thisendolife.com/this-endolife-podcast-episodes/arvigo-massage-for-endometriosis https://www.arvigotherapy.com/team-members Lymphatic drainage tool https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07V7GJW1W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Supplements https://www.thisendolife.com/this-endolife-podcast-episodes/2021/4/17/supplements-shown-to-target-endometriosis https://www.thisendolife.com/this-endolife-podcast-episodes/supplements-for-period-pain-menstrual-symptoms Blood sugar https://ameliafreer.com/2020/01/10/build-healthy-plate-from-scratch/ https://endometriosis.net/living/diet-sugar https://www.thisendolife.com/this-endolife-podcast-episodes/reduce-fatigue-endometriosis-symptoms-and-oestrogen-dominance Course waiting list https://mailchi.mp/thisendolife.com/wait-list First Line Therapies https://www.thisendolife.com/this-endolife-podcast-episodes/-the-endometriosis-belly Sugar and gut health https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7284805/ Anti-inflammatory nutrition https://endometriosis.net/living/diet-antioxidants https://endometriosisnews.com/2020/07/23/primary-pillars-healing/ https://endometriosisnews.com/2020/08/13/nutritional-changes-endo/ https://endometriosisnews.com/2020/09/03/easy-meals-anti-inflammatory-diet/ https://endometriosisnews.com/2019/11/21/snack-healthy-suggestions/ https://www.thisendolife.com/this-endolife-podcast-episodes/outsmart-endometriosis-dr-jessica-drummond Sleep https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181009135845.htm https://endometriosisnews.com/2020/09/17/5-ways-sleep-deprivaton-affects-endometriosis/

As some of you may know, I’m doing a lot of work at present to free up my pelvic area from adhesions and tightness caused by pulled fascia and a tight pelvic floor, which in physio speak is a hypertonic pelvic floor. So I thought  this would be a great time to talk about some strategies you can bring into your daily life to help loosen adhesions and a frozen pelvis. Transcript: I’ve talked about adhesions and fascia before, but let’s do a quick recap of what adhesions and fascia are.  So fascia is a thin sheet of tissue made from collagen that sits beneath your skin and holds your organs and muscles in place. It also surrounds all the organs, nerves, blood vessels, etc. Fascia surrounding the body is like a bed sheet, if you pinch it or one end, the rest will wrinkle. So what can happen when we’ve had surgery is that these incisions create puckering and scarring in the fascia, which ends up tightening the fascia and pulling it in other directions. Fascia can also become distorted from inflammation, injuries and muscular problems like pelvic floor dysfunction. Adhesions are a form of scar tissue. They are web-like structures and bands of collagen that grow in response to injury and trauma, to ‘knit’ back together a wounded area and as part of the healing process from infection and inflammation. Collagen strands bond together to protect the damaged area to allow healing to occur in a safe and isolated environment, and if an infection is present, they protect the rest of the body by preventing the spread.  Adhesions occur in nearly all cases of abdominal surgery, the results vary from study to study but one large and long study found that between 55% to 100% of women who had pelvic surgery developed adhesions, and up to 90% of people who had major abdominal surgery - so something like a caesarean - developed adhesions. So, if you’ve had one or more surgeries for endo, it’s very likely that you have some adhesions.  Adhesions can also form from inflammation, which we know occurs in those of us with endo due to the lesions and can occur in those of us with SIBO, because the body sees it as an infection. Again, as you probably know by now, research has shown that up to 80% of us with endo may have SIBO, so this could be an additional cause of your adhesions and frozen pelvis. It’s also worth noting here that adhesions can actually cause SIBO too, because they prevent the normal flow of gut.   So, what can we do about it? Thankfully, there are numerous ways to loosen adhesions and free up a frozen pelvis, and as a result, lower the pain and other challenges associated with them. So let’s dive in to my top 8 strategies. This list isn’t exhaustive by any means, and you don’t need to do them all! Just pick those that feel the most helpful for you and suit your lifestyle and budget.    1. Foam Rolling Number one is foam rolling, which is an effective and affordable at home strategy which you can use every day if you’d like to! With foam rolling, we’re really looking at loosening the fascia rather than working on the adhesions directly. As I said earlier, fascia can get tight, pulled, puckered, and wrinkled, and if it’s experiencing it in one place, it can affect other areas in the body.  Foam rolling helps to release a distorted fascia and is when we literally use a long foam cylinder to roll back and forth across various areas of our body. With foam rolling for endo or other pelvic pain issues, we’re not just rolling back and forth on our pelvis, we’re rolling across our hips, bums, back, upper back and legs.  In the show notes I have linked to videos on how to do this, by physiotherapist Dr. Nicole Cozean. You can order foam rollers from Amazon for about £11 and in the beginning, I would suggest starting gently with a soft roller that’s smooth, especially if you’ve experiencing a lot of pain. Now with all of these methods, listen to your body. Some discomfort is normal when we’re working with releasing facia and adhesions, but if it’s really painful, ease up and go lightly or if it doesn’t feel right at all, appreciate that this may not be the right approach for you at first.  In an ideal world, we’d use these strategies under the guidance of a physiotherapist, but I know that’s not always an affordable option for everyone, so carefully watch the tutorials and if you’d like to do some further research to be really comfortable, I suggest reading Know Your Endo by Jessica Murnane, as she interviews Heba Shaheed, who I’ve had on the podcast before as well, and they talk about foam rolling extensively in the book.   2.   Visceral Manipulation  Next up is visceral manipulation, which honestly, if you can afford it, I really believe is worth a try! Visceral manipulation is a form of organ massage which was designed by physiotherapist Jean-Pierre Barral with the particular intention to free up organs from adhesions and other structural issues that are restricting them. Organs are supposed to be able to expand and move gently as our body moves, and glide smoothly over muscles and nerves as we go about our day. When adhesions or some kind of other structural problem is keeping them stuck, that’s when we can experience pain and organ dysfunction.  Visceral manipulation is very effective for releasing these organs and loosening adhesions and I’ve seen some incredible results with my clients. What I will caution here is that it can feel quite intense and aggressive at times, and if your pelvis is very stuck, you may be better off starting more gently with a different type of massage like some kind of womb massage such as the one I’m going to suggest in the next point.  If you’re going to try visceral manipulation, make sure you’re comfortable with your therapist and be very clear with them about the pain or discomfort you experience within the session, so they know when to ease up or when to stop working on an area if it feels too much. I can tell you from personal experience that gritting your teeth and baring it does not always end well!  Other greats forms of organ/abdominal massage include Mercier Therapy and Clear Passage. Clear Passage is really the holy grail with lots of research behind it for endo and SIBO, but it’s incredibly expensive, so you may be better off trying the other techniques first. However, I do highly recommend it if you can afford it!  I’ve linked in the show notes how to find practitioners for all of these that I’ve just mentioned.   3.  Arvigo Massage Third on our list is Arvigo Therapy, which is a form of abdominal massage that is much more gentle than the ones I just mentioned previously. The benefit of Arvigo Therapy is that you only need one session, which can be done over Zoom, to learn it from a therapist, and then you can just practice it daily at home every evening.  Now in my conversation with Tara Ghosh, who is an Arvigo Therapist and actually taught me personally, she shares that whilst Arvigo Therapy doesn’t directly loosen adhesions like visceral manipulation does, it does encourage circulation to the area and helps to relax the muscles and organs in the area, which can then have the indirect effect of loosening a frozen pelvis. However, I have seen some articles by therapists claiming it can loosen adhesions, perhaps they mean indirectly or perhaps there are differing opinions, but you can listen to the interview with Tara in episode 127 to learn more.  I highly recommend working with Tara because she’s just the loveliest person, and you can reach out to her directly via the details she shared in the interview (and I’ll put her Instagram in the show notes) but if you want to find another therapist, I’ve linked to the directory in the show notes. I’m pretty sure Tara sees clients from all over the world.   4.  Breaking up your time sitting down Number four is all about breaking up the time you spend sitting down at your desk, specifically by using a standing desk and by taking regular breaks.  Now, there’s been a lot of debate and controversy over this in the past few days. You may have seen in my stories I posted about my standing desk, which I use at varying intervals during the day, alternating between sitting and standing. I do this because my own physios and my colleagues, many of who are pelvic floor physios and my pelvic pain training, have always taught me that sitting for long periods of time without a break can worsen pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms through shortening and weaking the muscles in the area and restricting blood flow.  My understanding was that sitting down for long periods of time without breaks shortens the muscles in the front of our hips and pelvis, which means when we stand, walk or do anything else that isn’t sitting, we have restricted movement, tension, tightness and are more likely to experience pain. And if we have adhesions in the area, sitting down for long periods of time lessens the opportunity to stretch them and release them, making their hold on our organs stronger and tighter. However, I had quite an strongly worded message form a physio informing me that this simply isn’t true and that muscles don’t shorten or lengthen, which absolutely threw me. So I went away and spoke to some colleagues and they all said that yes, muscles shorten and that sitting for prolonged periods of time causes this and can worsen pelvic floor issues. So I was quite confused!  I wanted to dig a bit deeper to understand why this physio said they don’t and I think what it boils down to is terminology, and oversimplification to make physio language easy for patients to understand. From what I gather through my own research and conversations is that the muscles don’t actually change length, but they lose their ability to stretch so they become restricted. Here’s how one of the PTs I spoke to put it.  Martha Spalding, Circle of Health Physical Therapy, CA: “Muscle length stays the same so no, they don’t elongate but they can be contracted, weak in both eccentric and concentric contractions, strained, sprained, torn and severed. Ligaments can be overstretched and they can have laxity, which is common during pregnancy and some people just have genetic ligamentous laxity. Prolonged sitting is stressful on the entire spine and pelvic floor as it is a prolonged static position in weight bearing on the pelvis. The pelvis is generally rotated posteriorly. Depending on the muscles, you can determine the stress component in the sitting position. This prolonged position does impact the fascial slings which can become restricted.” So to help understand this better, eccentric contraction means when muscle length increases from tension during a movement, like a stretch. In contrast, concentric contraction is when a muscle shortens and tenses in order to bear weight and counteract resistance, so think about lifting a dumbbell in a bicep curl. So in short, the ability to perform these contractions can become weaker. Laxity is defined as ‘looseness of muscle’, but I wouldn’t say this would be occurring here, it’s just an example she’s providing to demonstrate how muscles change.   After these conversations, the physio who originally contacted me also replied to say that sitting all day without any movement would cause joint and muscle stiffness, but she was also very clear to state that there are no detrimental effects on the pelvis with sitting.  So clearly there are some cross overs here, but also some differing of opinions. As I’m not a physio, I can’t really give you a definite answer so I’m providing you with the information I have gained and also what I have learned in my own time in training and working with physios. To my knowledge, yes, sitting without breaks and movement can have an impact, but I’ll leave it to you to decide.  My practice is to alternate between sitting and standing throughout the day, as I feel comfortable. When I start to feel tired and my legs need a break, I sit down, and when I feel like I’ve been sitting for long enough, I stand. And every 30 minutes to an hour of sitting at my desk working, I get up and do some form of movement, usually it’s a couple of minutes of rebounding, stretching, walking around the house or a few minutes of exercise and literally it’s just like 3 to 5 minutes. Now I appreciate that if you have chronic pelvic pain and a weak core from pelvic floor dysfunction and from living with chronic pain, that using a standing desk can be difficult to do. So I suggest starting when only you’re ready with smaller periods of time to build up the strength in the core and to also have a cushioned mat under your feet or cushioned slippers to soften the impact. If you need to first spend some time just practicing taking breaks with gentle movement to build up your strength, or if you need to do some physio first or work on pain alleviation, do that first. This is just an option and you have to do what feels right for you – don’t rush into using a standing desk just because I’ve talked about it today, make sure it’s the right choice for you.  If you do buy a standing desk, you should also be swapping your positions when you’re standing up, so you’re not just constantly bearing down on your joints. I’ve linked to a helpful article in the show notes on different positions to adopt and how to stand in a healthy way when using a standing desk. There’s now mounting information on the health risks of sitting for long periods of time without breaks or movement, including heightened inflammation, which you guys know is super important for us to keep on top of, so if you’re employed by a company, they really shouldn’t be surprised by you asking for a standing desk. And in fact, it should fall under reasonable adjustments to help make you feel more comfortable when living with endometriosis. If you have trouble getting your company to agree, I suggest having a listen to my interviews with Vickie Williams and Clare from See Her Thrive, which are both about your rights as an employee with endometriosis in the workplace. If you’re curious to learn more about the health considerations and research behind prolonged sitting, I’ve linked to a couple of articles in the show notes. If you’re self-employed like I am, you can easily order a standing desk online. Prices range dramatically from whole desks which adjust to become either a seated or standing desk at about £1000 or cardboard desk toppers that you just put on top of your desk, and that you rest your keyboard and computer or laptop on, and these are around £15.  If you’re not quite ready for a standing desk or you’d like something extra to support your pelvis further when sitting, it’s best to take a quick break from sitting every 30 minutes if possible. I recently spoke to Rachal Dutton, The Period Whisperer, and she suggested getting up and doing hip circles both clockwise and anticlockwise for a minute or so or doing cat cow stretches whilst still in your chair. There are tonnes of movements you can do whilst seated to give your pelvis a quick break, so if you’d like more options, do some extra research until you find some that suit you!  To bring this unusually controversial tip to an end, I want to reassure you that if you need to sit down or lay down regularly, it’s okay. The key really is about trying to add in healthy movement as and when your health allows, and to take frequent short breaks from the sitting position, again as and when your health allows. I understand that there are days when all you can do is stay curled up, I’ve been there too! But on the days when you feel stronger, consider some small movements like rotating your hips or a quick cat cow to break things up a bit.    5.  Pelvic floor stretches You knew I was going to go there. Pelvic floor physio stretches are essential, in my opinion, to loosening adhesions and freeing up a frozen pelvis. Of course, in an ideal world, we’d all go to pelvic floor physiotherapists who can give us tailored stretches to do daily at home, but that’s not an option for some people on smaller incomes. So if that’s you, you’ll be pleased to know that there are so many pelvic floor stretches for endo and chronic pelvic pain available online and in books.  I’ve linked to videos, articles and books in the show notes for you to choose from, and all of these are designed by professional and specialised women’s health pelvic floor physiotherapists. What I will say is to listen to your body here. If you’re experiencing pain, or you have a strong reaction, ease up or try a different stretch – you may be currently too tight or ‘frozen’ in the pelvic area to attempt certain stretches for the time being, so start slower and allow some space and flexibility to build before attempting those pain triggering ones again. You could add these in during your day, as part of your break from sitting, or in the morning as a way to wake your body up, or in the evening to help you to wind down. Whatever it is, find a time that suits you and don’t worry, you don’t have to spend half an hour on this! Ten or even five minutes is fine! Just start and try to get them in as often as possible, daily if you can – but don’t stress if you can’t!  Now of course, I don’t know your personal circumstances, so if stretching isn’t the right choice for you right now, don’t worry, try something else from this list that is.   6.  Proteolytic enzymes  Alright, number six is proteolytic enzymes. Proteolytic enzymes are enzymes which break down proteins into amino acids. Proteolytic enzymes, when used for healing, help to reduce inflammation post-surgery and aid in clearing waste products from the wound site, and help to reduce adhesion formation. This is because of course, the building blocks of tissue are proteins!  However, because they reduce adhesion formation, there is the risk that if there is an infection at the site of the wound, that it could spread, as adhesions play a role in isolating infection sites from the rest of the body. This is rare but has been known to happen. Another thing to note is that the research is limited, with most of the research being in oral surgery or sports related injuries. The only study we have on enzymes for endo specifically is one we use commonly at IWHI and that’s Wobenzyme. Wobenzyme was shown to reduce pain and inflammation post-surgery and inhibit the formation of new blood vessels, reducing the chances of further endo development and adhesion formation.  The dose used in the study was the label dose for 40-60 days pre-op and then 60 days post op. You need to take Wobenzyme away from food, otherwise the enzymes will just be used for digestion.  Now most of the studies on adhesion formation are conducted pre and post-op, so I really can’t say whether they’d make a difference if you surgery was five years ago for example, my instinct is that they wouldn’t aid with the adhesions but they might help with inflammation.    7.  Castor oil  So number seven is castor oil and this one is also a little controversial, so I’ll provide you with the info and you can make your own decision about it.  I know countless leading women’s health practitioners who use castor oil to soften and break down adhesions and who experience great success with it with their clients. However, it’s generally considered that more research needs to be done, though there is research on castor oil’s abilities to lower inflammation, reduce symptoms of constipation, improve circulation, and stimulate muscle relaxation.  You may have heard Arvigo Therapist Tara Ghosh break it down in my interview with her. She explained that castor oil actually triggers the immune system, due to some of its chemical components, however, on responding to the call and finding no poison to clear, the immune system goes about utilising its tools on repairing and healing the pelvic area, which in turn helps to break down and clear adhesions. She also emphasises that the lowering of inflammation and improving of blood flow to the area, thanks to castor oil, is part of how this process works.  She’s not the only fan either. I had a conversation about castor oil with my colleagues and so many of them used castor oil packs to break down adhesions, and Nicole Jardim is a fan of using them for endometriosis and period pain.  So if you want to learn how to make your own castor oil pack and how and when to safely use them, I advise listening to my interview with Tara who has a really quick and easy method as opposed to the often messy and sticky traditional approach!   8.  Heat Therapy Last up is heat therapy. Yet another controversial one.  Heat therapy is often used by practitioners to help loosen fascia, muscles and break down adhesions. I recently spoke to Rachel Dutton who strongly recommended it to me to help with the lower right side of my pelvis, which is really stuck and isn’t responding well to body work therapy because it’s just too frozen and so I need to start with a gentler approach. She explained to me that heat therapy stimulates blood flow, which as a result helps to break down scar tissue and suggested this as one of the first options I should try.  Additionally, increased blood flow will allow the muscles to relax as more oxygen is delivered and so any muscles which were contracting due to restricted access to oxygen, which is common when you have a tight, bunched up pelvis, can start to loosen and become more mobile. There’s also research showing how heat therapy can prevent adhesions from building up so much after injury. Unfortunately PubMed was down at the time of writing this, so I haven’t got a tonne of studies to stick in the show notes but I’ve put in a few articles and one or two studies, and of course you can do some of your own research as well. So now the controversy comes in. Some sources, but not many, claim that heat can loosen adhesions and fascia and then as they cool, they stiffen up again, and become stiffer than before. I dug into this further and honestly, I couldn’t really decipher how they sources came to that conclusion, and I spoke to multiple colleagues about this who were equally as baffled and looked at the articles with me, and didn’t really feel the claims were fully supported.  However, one research paper does discuss the rebound phenomenon, where the positive effects of heat therapy are actually only present for 20-30 minutes. So for 20 to 30 minutes, blood vessel dilate and blood flow increases, but afterwards, the blood vessels actually start to constrict again, preventing blood flow, so this is definitely worth taking into consideration.  After I raised this to my colleagues, they all agreed that they only use heat therapy for 20 to 30 minutes in terms of hot water bottles, normally applied alongside castor oil packs and perhaps alongside a massage therapy treatment. They were also very keen to stress that they never use boiling water in a hot water bottle, only warm water. However, I’m curious about whether we can go a step further than hot water bottles. For a long time now, I’ve been very interested in the research behind infrared therapy, which has been shown to heal muscle injury, tissue damage and lower inflammation. For this reason, I’ve been really curious about infrared sauna belts and infrared heat pads for my chronic bladder pain, because they have so many benefits, but I just haven’t bought one yet as I’m spending so much on SIBO healing. The prices that I have seen range between £50 and £60, so not that expensive, but for some of us a hot water bottle is the more affordable choice.  So whilst I can be sure about the theory that adhesions and muscles get worse after heat therapy, clinically, heat therapy seems to achieve remarkable results, especially when combined with castor oil packs and massage. Of course, if you’re going to use hot water bottles, just keep it to less than 30 minutes and don’t use water straight off the boil. I think a wonderful way to try heat therapy is to use heat 30 minutes prior to a home massage, like Arvigo Therapy, to relax and soften the muscles so they’re more pliable and open to movement and stretch.  So I hope that has given you some ideas to help you soften your fascia, loosen adhesions and release a frozen pelvis. Remember, what works for one may not work for another, always listen to your body and be guided by what it’s telling you and ideally, consult a practitioner if you can afford to do so.  I would love to hear which strategies you try and how you get on! Please remember I am not a physiotherapist or a masseuse. This information comes from my training as a health coach, my conversations and interviews with leading pelvic floor physios and my experiences a patient. This podcast is here for educational purposes only. Let's get social! Come say hello on Instagram or sign up to my newsletter. This episode is sponsored by my free guide ‘A Natural Pain Relief Tool Kit for Endometriosis’. This four page guide includes evidence based and effective remedies which you can use at home to reduce your pain with endo. Download your copy here. My cookbook This EndoLife, It Starts with Breakfast is out now! Get 28 anti-inflammatory, hormone friendly recipes for living and thriving with endometriosis. Order your copy here. If you feel like you need more support with managing endometriosis, you can join Your EndoLife Coaching Programme. A 1-to-1 three month health and life coaching programme to help you thrive with endometriosis. To find out more about the programme and to discuss whether it could be right for you, email me at hello@thisendolife.com or visit my website. This episode is sponsored by The Pod Farm. Learn all about how to start your own podcast with the complete course from The Pod Farm. Aimed at beginners, this course takes a simple and straightforward approach to planning, equipment buying, setting up, recording, editing and hosting your own podcast. With hours of audio and video materials, and downloadable guides and useful links, this multimedia approach aims to have something for every kind of learner. From now until April 15, newsletter subscribers get 20% off the course price. Visit www.thepodfarm.com to enroll or find out more This episode is sponsored by BeYou. Soothe period cramps the natural way with these 100% natural and discreet menthol and eucalyptus oil stick on patches and CBD range. Click here to find out more and to shop: https://beyouonline.co.uk Show Notes Adhesions https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11528133/   Foam Rolling https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJOzcFS6fGE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umTObqSYay0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6cR3knKFIA   Visceral Manipulation https://www.iahp.com/pages/search/index.php https://clearpassage.com https://www.merciertherapy.com (You currently need to email them directly for a referral)   Arvigo Therapy https://www.arvigotherapy.com/team-members   Sitting https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005 https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/why-sitting-too-much-is-bad-for-us/ https://www.startstanding.org/standing-desks/10-standing-desk-mistakes/#positions   Stretching https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXigFK5hLLF82uZ72jzTvmg/videos https://www.harpercollins.com/products/beating-endo-iris-kerin-orbuch-mdamy-stein-dpt?variant=32903931691042 https://thepelvicexpert.com/blog/6-simple-exercises-to-ease-endometriosis/   Heat Therapy https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31115522/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6214933/ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/300270473_Superficial_Heat_and_Cold_Applications_in_the_Treatment_of_Knee_Osteoarthritis   Castor Oil https://nicolejardim.com/castor-oil/      

This week as part of my IG Live series for Endo Awareness Month I chatted with my friend and colleague Tara Ghosh to learn all about the benefits of Arvigo Therapy for endometriosis, bloating, constipation, adhesions and SIBO. Tara is a wonderful Arvigo Therapist and wellness consultant dedicated to supporting people with periods to improve their health through accessible and simple at-home strategies. In this conversation we discuss... The origins of Arvigo Therapy. How Arvigo Therapy works and how it benefits the body. How and why Arvigo Therapy can help with endometriosis pain. How Arvigo therapy can help you reduce IBS and SIBO symptoms that often accompany endo such as bloating, constipation and nausea. How Arvigo Therapy differs from visceral manipulation and whether Arvigo massage can help with adhesions or a ‘frozen pelvis’ How to work with Tara and learn Arvigo Therapy to practice at home! I really hope you enjoy this conversation and find it as fascinating as I did! Listen and subscribe on all podcast players, listen directly/download MP3 here or just listen below! Let's get social! Come say hello on Instagram or sign up to my newsletter. This episode is sponsored by my free guide ‘A Natural Pain Relief Tool Kit for Endometriosis’. This four page guide includes evidence based and effective remedies which you can use at home to reduce your pain with endo. Download your copy here. My cookbook This EndoLife, It Starts with Breakfast is out now! Get 28 anti-inflammatory, hormone friendly recipes for living and thriving with endometriosis. Order your copy here. If you feel like you need more support with managing endometriosis, you can join Your EndoLife Coaching Programme. A 1-to-1 three month health and life coaching programme to help you thrive with endometriosis. To find out more about the programme and to discuss whether it could be right for you, email me at hello@thisendolife.com or visit my website. This episode is sponsored by The Pod Farm. Learn all about how to start your own podcast with the complete course from The Pod Farm. Aimed at beginners, this course takes a simple and straightforward approach to planning, equipment buying, setting up, recording, editing and hosting your own podcast. With hours of audio and video materials, and downloadable guides and useful links, this multimedia approach aims to have something for every kind of learner. From now until April 15, newsletter subscribers get 20% off the course price. Visit www.thepodfarm.com to enroll or find out more This episode is sponsored by BeYou. Soothe period cramps the natural way with these 100% natural and discreet menthol and eucalyptus oil stick on patches and CBD range. Click here to find out more and to shop: https://beyouonline.co.uk   Show Notes https://www.arvigotherapy.com Tara’s Instagram: @_taraghosh_

Erin McCollough joins Kelsey on the podcast to discuss how Yoga can change the modality of how women approach motherhood. One of the best parts of this conversation is the way that Erin speaks about how yoga can be more than just a fitness tool. She discusses how you can use yoga in a variety of different ways that can benefit your overall mindset.  Erin is the Founder of Fertile Hope Yoga, the world's first online fertility yoga studio allowing women to practice from the comfort of their living room floor. For more than a decade, Erin has been leading the industry with her in-person yoga fertility program at the CNY Fertility Center owned by Dr. Robert Kiltz. She's the Co-Creator of The Fertile Secret book and has helped thousands of women reach out and hold their baby after they had been told they could never get pregnant. She calls upon her 20 years of training and practice in the healing arts: yoga teacher training, licensed massage therapy, Reiki certified, Doula trained, myofascial release, Arvigo Therapy certified to name a few, and uses the modalities to change how women approach motherhood. Instagram/Facebook: @fetilehopeyoga https://www.instagram.com/fertilehopeyoga/ Website: www.fertilehopeyoga.com

The belly is the power center within our body. There are over 100 million nerve endings in the belly alone. Yet, when you stop and think.  When was the last time you touched your belly? When was the last time you had it massaged? Or just allowed someone to touch the softness of your belly without resistance? Tune in to today’s episode with Dr. Christine Matheson to learn more about why it’s so important to tune into our belly {and our jaw!} in order to unlock your ultimate vitality and unravel the nervous tension often held there. Dr. Christine Matheson, ND is a licensed naturopathic doctor (since 2001), Arvigo® Therapy Practitioner, and a certified Kundalini yoga instructor who helps women have better belly health by transforming their gut, gynecological pelvic, and fertility health with an emphasis on powerful self-care strategies through one on one consultations and online group programs. She is one of the first ND's in Canada to have worked in a hospital setting at the former Women's Pelvic Centre at Women's College Hospital. Her signature 'Belly Be Well' © Program combines individualized naturopathic care with the unique benefits of Arvigo®Therapy (an external massage technique to align and decongest the abdominal and pelvic organs).  In this episode, you’ll learn: Christine’s own belly story that led her to where she is today More about Arvigo Techniques of Mayan Abdominal Therapy About the courage it takes to be vulnerable and release tension in the belly The relationship between tension in the jaw and the pelvic floor How you can begin to think about how your belly is feeling More about the Naturopathic Medicine approach to healthcare Links mentioned in this episode: Christine’s Website Follow Christine on Instagram and Facebook FREE GIFT - Top 6 Starter Tips to Get Your Belly Well Blog on Pelvic Health & Jaw Tension Learn more about her Belly Be Well Healthy Gut Vital Reset program Learn more about her Belly Be Well Flowing Fertility Formula Workshop Join my 10x Immunity & De-Stress program! -- Only $47 for a limited time!

Erin McCollough is Founder of Fertile Hope Yoga, the world’s first online fertility yoga studio allowing women to practice from the comfort of their living room floor. For more than a decade, Erin has been leading the industry with her in-person yoga fertility program at the CNY Fertility Center. She is the Co-Creator of The Fertile Secret book and has helped thousands of women reach out and hold their baby after they had been told they could never get pregnant. She calls upon her 20 years of training and practice in the healing arts: yoga teacher trainings, licensed massage therapy, Reiki certified, Doula trained, myofascial release, Arvigo Therapy certified to name a few and uses the modalities to change how women approach motherhood .     For more information about Michelle, visit www.thewholesomelotus.com For information on the Wholesome Fertility Method online program visit www.thewholesomefertilitymethod.com

Listen in as midwife Elena Rosa shares with Michelle the history and benefits of Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy. Together they discuss how each person's reproductive journey is their own, how the state of fight or flight affects the body, the connection between the heart and the uterus, deep healing, and following the lead of your heart. "And just thinking about the grief and what we're told how we're supposed to be as women, what we're supposed to accept, what we're supposed to receive, what we're not allowed to stand up for, what we're not allowed to make boundaries for. You know, what we allow to happen to us because we feel like we're powerless. … But just processing what boundaries we're encouraged to have, but we're not encouraged to have. Like we're not allowed to speak up for ourselves. Like what we allow into our space, what is forced into our space. What is what we are allowed to grieve over. You know, there's so many things that we hold onto in our bodies."—Elena Rosa About Elena Rosa, LM:Elena is a practicing licensed midwife, an Advanced Arvigo Practitioner, and a retired licensed massage therapist based in Central Florida. As a woman of Puerto Rican descent who has lived throughout the Northeast and Southern regions of the US, Elena sees herself as a US citizen by birth, but a global citizen by responsibility.Elena feels there is no more profound challenge than the mastery of self. The pursuit of the limitless is one of personal growth and spirituality…cultivating self-care, self-awareness, and self-love. Elena had an interest in indigenous medicine since childhood. Elena has sought out personal mentors from North and South American traditions and Tibetan Buddhism. Having participated in countless prayer and meditation ceremonies and her own deep work has provided humility, depth, space for healing herself and others, and an ongoing practice of peacemaking.Most of all, she is the proud mother of a sweet girl who has taught her more about what her body and her heart are capable of than anyone she has ever met. Pregnancy, labor, and motherhood have brought no shortage of lessons in accepting all expected and unexpected challenges. What these experiences taught her is that she is an informed woman who knows her body, and she has all the information she needs to make the right decision for her and her child. This affirming gift is Elena's wish for every family she serves. Connect with Elena Rosa:Website:  https://mykindredmidwife.com/Facebook:   Elena RosaResources:https://arvigotherapy.com/ Connect with Michelle Smith:Website:  BirthEaseServices.comFacebook:   Birth Ease,   The Birth Ease Podcast,  Birth Ease Baby Loss SupportInstagram:    @birtheasemichellesmith,  @birtheaselossssupportYouTube:    Birth EaseLinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle SmithPinterest:  Birth EaseShow:  Birth Ease

What is your relationship with your fertility? In today’s political climate with reproductive rights, women should empower themselves with knowledge of their body and understand their choices. Today we have Katinka Locascio joining us to discuss the fertility awareness method, which helps women understand their fertility in a natural, evidence-based way. Whether you are looking to prevent pregnancy or you want to get pregnant, understanding this method gets you one step closer to your goals. Katinka holds a license in Massage Therapy and has trained in numerous disciplines including Osteopathic Manual Therapy, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Arvigo® Therapy, Labor support and Fertility Awareness. She is the founder of Earth + Sky Healing Arts, a wellness center in NYC that strives to help people live to their fullest potential while staying rooted in the wisdom of the body. Connect with her at http://www.earthsky.dreamhosters.com/

Welcome to another episode of The Hormone Heartbeat Podcast! This next series of episodes will focus on fertility and provide some insight into this complicated journey that 1 in 8 couples experience. Starting the series off is today's Guest Genieve Seigel Genevieve Siegel is a Holistic Fertility Empowerment Expert and creator of the Gen-Touch Holistic Fertility Method™. She empowers strong ambitious souls who are having challenges trying to conceive, and helps them to feel calm, confident and in control of their fertility journey. She has a special passion for empowering women, globally, so they can be their whole and happy self again. In today's episode, we are talking about holistic healing, including Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy® and how it is essential as part of your self-love and self-care practice for your fertility journey. Episode summary: Genevieve's holistic healing journey and what lead her to Arvigo® Therapy What does holistic healing mean What is the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy® The 5 systems of flow in the body History of Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy® What to expect from a session Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy® and its effect on the Menstrual cycle How the position of your uterus affects your menstrual cycle What is the meaning of brown blood before or after your menses Storing emotions in your uterus and what that means for your fertility and reproductive health What conditions are Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy® best suited for Can this therapy benefit woman who have had a hysterectomy Is a tipped uterus normal and how it can be the cause of unexplained infertility What is a normal and healthy period How to learn Arvigo® Therapy for self-care Working remotely What is the meaning of self-care Using your intuition for your fertility What you need to know about your fertility journey and supportive tips Reframe on conception and egg meeting sperm (Check out HHPE6 about Birth Prints ) Masculine and Feminine energy NLP for fertility (Check out HHPE4 about how to rewire your brain with NLP) Fertility mindset tips Manifesting good and bad thoughts Resources referenced in the episode: Gen-Touch Holistic Fertility™ Relaxation and Fertility Enhancement video and Chakra Balancing Meditation with Astral Music Connect with Genevieve Siegel: Email: gen@gentouchmassage.com | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GenTouchHolisticFertility | Instagram: @genevievet.siegel | Website: www.gentouchmassageandholistictherapy.com www.healthyuterus.com www.utathecuterus.wordpress.com Please send all inquiries and suggestions, including topics you'd like to see covered on the podcast to thehormoneheartbeatpodcast@gmail.com If you'd like to be a guest on the show and you think you'd be a good fit, please reach out!

Rosita Arvigo, is a Doctor of Naprapathy, ethnobotanist, spiritual healer, author of 8 books on traditional healing of Central America, and she is the founder of The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy® & the Arvigo Institute. Donna Zubrod is a nationally certified, North Carolina Licensed Massage & Bodywork Therapist, a DONA certified Birth Doula, and a certified practitioner and teacher of the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy. Her practice, Seven Generations Massage & Birth, offers support towards positive reproductive and digestive health experiences and outcomes from menarche, throughout the childbearing years, to menopause and beyond. She helps couples with fertility challenges to successfully conceive and nurtured expectant mothers during pregnancy through postpartum. In today’s episode I share a special interview with both Dr. Arvigo and Donna. We focus on abdominal therapy for fertility and period pain, and how it differs from conventional medical treatments. Today’s episode is sponsored by the Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook. The first fully customizable paper charting workbook of its kind, available in both Fahrenheit and Celsius editions. Click here to grab your copy today! Today’s episode is sponsored by The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles & Optimize Your Fertility. The Fifth Vital Sign is available for purchase on Amazon. Exciting news!! The audiobook is finally here! Listen to The Fifth Vital Sign for FREE when you sign up for a 30 day free trial with Audible. Click here to download now.   Topics discussed in today's episode: What is The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy®? The process of Arvigo® Therapy How you need proper hemodynamics to find homeostasis within the body What inspired Donna to conduct her observational study on measuring the affects of Arvigo® Therapy on the menstrual cycle parameter  Some of the factors she had the 10 participants track during their cycles How Donna measured the effects for each participant Why goal of the study was to see if abdominal therapy had any effects on the menstrual cycle Was ovulation confirmed during the study? The importance of self-care by the participants during the study Did the participants have less painful period during the study? What were some of the results that stood out to Donna? How does abdominal therapy potentially improve mucus production or luteal phase length? How can Arvigo® bring women with extreme menstrual pain back to a normal cycle The importance of getting informed and being an active participant in your health Connect with Dr. Rosita Arvigo & Donna Zubrod: You can connect with Dr. Arvigo on her website and on the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy website.   You can connect with Donna on her Website, and on Facebook.   Resources mentioned: You Can Do It! Doulas Workshop FFP 050 | Journeys in Healing | Arvigo® Therapy for Fertility and Pregnancy | Donna Zubrod & Diane MacDonald FFP 018 | Arvigo Abdominal Therapy | Vaginal Steaming | Traditional Maya healing for Fertility and Menstrual Cycle Irregularities| Dr Rosita Arvigo Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook Fertility Awareness Mastery Online Self-Study Program The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles & Optimize your Fertility | Audiobook | Lisa Hendrickson-Jack The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles & Optimize Your Fertility (Book) | Lisa Hendrickson-Jack Get The First chapter of The Fifth Vital Sign for FREE | thefifthvitalsignbook.com Related podcasts & blog posts: FFP 257 | Mercier Therapy for Pelvic Pain and Infertility | Dr. Jennifer Mercier, ND, PhD FFP 248 | Abdominal Therapy for Fertility, Conception, and Emotional Healing | Andrea Thompson FFP 202 | Vaginal Steaming for Period Problems | Steamy Chick | Keli Garza FFP 067 | Healthy Menstruation | Fertility Awareness | Fertility Massage Therapy | Rachel Eyre FFP 050 | Journeys in Healing | Arvigo® Therapy for Fertility and Pregnancy | Donna Zubrod & Diane MacDonald FFP 018 | Arvigo Abdominal Therapy | Vaginal Steaming | Traditional Maya healing for Fertility and Menstrual Cycle Irregularities| Dr Rosita Arvigo   Join the community! Find us in the Fertility Friday Facebook Group. Subscribe to the Fertility Friday Podcast in Apple Podcasts! Music Credit: Intro/Outro music Produced by J-Gantic   A Special Thank You to Our Show Sponsor: The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles & Optimize Your Fertility This episode is sponsored by my new book The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles & Optimize Your Fertility. Click here to buy now. Fertility Friday | Fertility Awareness Programs This episode is sponsored by my Fertility Awareness Programs! Master Fertility Awareness and take a deep dive into your cycles and how they relate to your overall health! Click here to apply now!  

Painful periods, infertility, endometriosis, PCOS, fibroids, polyps, prolapse, incontinence, menopause, laparoscopic surgery, LEAP procedures. Any of these sound way too familiar? Women's health is truly in an epidemic with the amount of dis-eases and imbalances experienced daily both on an acute and chronic level. Could it all just be a symptom of the disconnected way our society lives? A powerful discussion with Carly Beaudry, as a women's health advocate, leader, and practitioner, she has over 15 years of body work experience within Structural Integration, Holistic Pelvic Care™, +  Arvigo Therapy™. Carly is also a Full-Spectrum Doula, and a radical humanitarian - our world could use more people like this woman. With the deep seeded belief that the outcome of women's health as a whole resides in the health and resiliency of the pelvic bowl, Carly's work has transformed into a deeper calling to empower and educate people, especially women, about their bodies.  In this podcast we discuss the importance of balance and alignment of a women's sexual organs, the history of women's health advocacy before and as a result of colonization, the affects of generational trauma along with ancestral healing, commercial products polluting our bodies, ways to connect back to the land, the birthing process, the fourth trimester, and most importantly, share crucial tools so that we may begin to reconnect to our female bodies, in this fast paced, often comparison led society.  Speaking with and learning from Carly for this hour was an honour and privilege. It is our hope that you find this podcast thought provoking, empowering, and exactly what our society needs to hear right now - just as we do.

Elephant in the Womb: Practical Prenatal Ed 10/9/19 Arvigo Therapy Maya Abdominal Massage Mary and Rowan chat about one of their service options, Arvigo Therapy, and then it rolls into a chat about consent, privacy, and how we want you to have the safest most healing opportunity possible, our goal is to help your body find homeostasis. We want to teach you how to heal your body. FYI This is a good session to watch/listen too if you are considering hiring Mary and Rowan for your midwifery care, our personalities and how we practice are pretty well portrayed. The Arvigo Therapy ~ https://arvigotherapy.com/ and description of a typical Arvigo Session https://arvigotherapy.com/about/typical-session/ Possible benefits from an Arvigo session ~ https://arvigotherapy.com/about/benefits/ Book a session with Mary ~ https://square.site/book/7DC14HTYMACP9/mary-ames-bratcher-lmt-wombsday-prepper-houston-tx Book a session with Rowan ~ https://square.site/book/1YFF4R4P1D3ZF/preggers-can-be-choosers-houston-tx Text reminders so you can join us LIVE, alternating Tuesdays at 11 central right here https://tapit.us/jdoa5 As always, you can find us at www.Preggers.rocks in Houston Texas. Alert ~ Be wary, we are a little sweary. Get your earbuds if you are concerned about tender ears and sensibilities. #houston #love #preggerscanbechoosers #massage #thisiswhathealinglookslike #AfterBirth #4thtrimester #mayaabdomnalmassage #mayanabdominlamasage #abdominalmassage #elephantinthewomb #prenatal --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/pcbc/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pcbc/support

On this episode of Birth Circle we talk about the womb and reproductive system with Rachel Jackson. Learning to love our womb and periods is something that could seem foreign however Rachel Jackson talks about how she was able to do this. The real purpose of this episode is to help us eliminate anything that can negatively affect our relationship with our children and ourselves. - Rachels Story 1:44 - Arvigo therapy 7:36 - How does Arvigo Therapy impact Infertility? 21:24 - Arvigo in Conception and after Birth 33:35 “My relationship with my menstration is a direct reflection of my relationship with my reproductive organs. My relationship with my reproductive organs is a direct reflection of my relationship with my body, as a whole. My relationship with my body as whole is a direct relationship of my concept of self.”

Erin McCollough joins us today as we’re digging into mind-body support for the fertility journey. Erin McCollough is Founder of Fertile Hope Yoga, the world’s first online fertility yoga studio allowing women to practice from the comfort of their living room floor. For more than a decade Erin has been leading the industry with her in-person yoga fertility program at the CNY Fertility Center in Rochester, Buffalo, Albany and Syracuse, New York owned by Dr. Robert Kiltz. She’s the Chief Marketing Officer at CNY and Co-Creator of The Fertile Secret book and has helped thousands of women reach out and hold their baby after they had been told they could never get pregnant. She calls upon her 20 years of training and practice in the healing arts: yoga teacher trainings, licensed massage therapy, Reiki certified, Doula trained, myofascial release, Arvigo Therapy certified to name a few and uses the modalities to change how women approach motherhood. When she’s not actively helping women become pregnant or traveling to educate at fertility conferences, you’ll find her adventuring on a bike ride or hike with her daughter Amelia. Website: www.fertilehopeyoga.com Download your FREE Fertility Affirmation Deck - 75 Downloadable Affirmation Cards that will meet you right where you are at in your cycle! www.fertilehopeyoga.com   --   We want to know how we can best support you in 2019!!! Take our short survey and get the chance to WIN a signed copy of Fabulously Fertile: Supercharge Your Fertility book by Sarah Clark Survey closes - Friday, January 18th. Click here to access:  http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07eg0bvvgmjqrf6csc/start   --   Download your free fertility yoga video. In this 20-minute intro video, we focus on a calming and peaceful practice to connect back to our heart. These simple yoga poses can help quiet negative thoughts and make you feel more in control. www.yogafreebie.com --   Book your Free Supercharge Your Fertility Discovery Call here: https://intakeq.com/booking/cZ7XW6   --   Don't forget to check out my Resources page for more information and products that will help you on your fertility journey.  

Today I share another installment of my Fertility Awareness Reality Series. This is an on-air client session with Liz, a member of my most recent 10 Week Fertility Awareness Mastery Group Program. In today’s show, we delve into managing period pain and charting cervical mucus. My Fertility Awareness Programs are designed to help you to master Fertility Awareness and take a deep dive into your cycles. Gain confidence charting your cycles, and gain deep insights into the connection between your health, your fertility, and your cycles. Click here for more information! Don’t forget to sign up for my FREE FAM 101 video series. Click here for access. Topics discussed in today's episode: Holistic treatment options to manage painful periods What is Arvigo Therapy and how can it improve periods and menstrual pain? How to use castor oil packs What are the possible causes of painful menstruation? What factors affect your basal body temperature? How to differentiate between cervical mucus and vaginal cell slough How does cervical dysplasia (abnormal cervical cells) show up on the menstrual cycle chart? How  to identify ovulation The impact of long-term hormonal contraceptive use on cervical mucus production What is vaginal steaming and how can it improve your periods? Connect with Lisa: You can connect with Lisa on her Website, on Facebook, and on Twitter. Resources mentioned: Arvigo Therapy of Maya Abdominal Therapy Effects of long-term folate supplementation on metabolic status and regression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial | Pub Med Improvement in cervical dysplasia associated with folic acid therapy in users of oral contraceptives | Pub Med Fertility Massage Therapy Taking Charge of Your Fertility (book) by Toni Weschler 10 Week Fertility Awareness Mastery Group Program Fertility Awareness 101 FREE Video Series Fertility Friday Facebook Group Related podcasts & blog posts: FFP 180 | Managing Painful Periods | Dysmenorrhea | Endometriosis | Dr. Lara Briden, ND FFP 067 | Healthy Menstruation | Fertility Awareness | Fertility Massage Therapy | Rachel Eyre FFP 018 | Arvigo Abdominal Therapy | Vaginal Steaming | Traditional Maya healing for Fertility and Menstrual Cycle Irregularities| Dr. Rosita Arvigo Fertility Awareness Reality Series Episodes | Fertility Friday Fertility Awareness Podcast Episodes | Fertility Friday Join the community! Find us in the Fertility Friday Facebook Group Subscribe to the Fertility Friday Podcast on iTunes! Music Credit: Intro/Outro music Produced by J-Gantic A Special Thank You to Our Show Sponsor: Fertility Friday | Fertility Awareness Programs This episode is sponsored by my Fertility Awareness Programs! Master Fertility Awareness and take a deep dive into your cycles and how they relate to your overall health! Click here for more information!

Donna Zubrod is a nationally certified and NC state Licensed Massage & Bodywork Therapist. She is a certified practitioner with advanced training in preconception wellness, fertility enhancement, and pregnancy of the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy®. She has numerous certifications including a certification in Mercier Therapy and various massage techniques including pregnancy massage, fertility massage and both pre and perinatal massage. Diane MacDonald is a Registered Nurse with over 30 years in the field of nursing. She has her Masters Degree in Nursing and is a former Family Nurse Practitioner. She has worked extensively in mainstream and alternative health care. She has been an Arvigo® practitioner for 15  years integrating this modality into her practice. She teaches all levels including Hands on Health (one day class) Self Care and Professional Training. She has taught workshops in England, Australia, Belize and throughout the States. Her practice focuses on the Arvigo® Techniques as well as health and wellness support, herbology, Reiki, Reflexology and much more. Together Donna and Diane edited the recently released book "Journeys in Healing: Inspiring Experiences of Arvigo® Practitioners & Their Clients".  This book was published last October by the Arvigo Institute and is a compilation of 30+ clinical case studies authored by Arvigo® Therapy practitioners from around the world.  The case studies featured in the book demonstrate the profound healing that Arvigo® Therapy can offer and cover a wide variety of reproductive and digestive conditions including fertility related issues. In today’s show, we discuss the book, the inspiration behind the book as well as the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy® and the implications this work has for women struggling with fertility issues. Topics discussed in today's episode What is Arvigo® Therapy? How to become an Arvigo® Therapy practitioner The inspiration behind the book Journeys in Healing: Inspiring Experiences of Arvigo® Practitioners & Their Clients How does Arvigo® Abdominal Therapy help women to improve fertility and menstrual irregularities How does Arvigo® Therapy improve alignment and circulation of the reproductive organs What other health conditions benefit from Arvigo® therapy? The ways that Arvigo® Therapy can encourage emotional healing as well as physical healing How Arvigo® Therapy can help women with fertility challenges Connect with Donna and Diane You can connect with Donna on her Website, and on Facebook and LinkedIn! You can connect with Diane on her Website, or via email! Resources mentioned Journeys in Healing: Inspiring Experiences of Arvigo Practitioners & Their Clients Arvigo Institute | Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy® Seven Generations Massage and Birth | Donna Zubro Join the community! Find us on the Fertility Friday Facebook Fan Page Subscribe to the Fertility Friday Podcast on iTunes! Music Credit: Intro/Outro music Produced by Sirc of (The Nock)