The teenage years are a time when school, homework, extracurricular activities, active social lives and part time jobs keep kids busy from early in the morning until late at night. They are likely to try to make up for a lack of sleep by “sleeping in” on the weekends. Unfortunately this contributes to an irregular sleep schedule and actually makes the problem worse, setting them up for a kind of jet lag when Monday morning rolls around.In addition to having difficulty turning off the worries of their day, most teens show signs of delayed circadian rhythms –which contribute to their inability to fall asleep until later at night. During puberty, the biological clock in their brain naturally sets to a later time. The pineal gland releases melatonin later at night and this causes teens to fall sleep later.Then, when it’s time to get up, a teenager’s body clock is likely to still be producing the night time hormones. This makes it hard for them to feel active and energetic in the morning. Since many teens aren’t sleepy until around 11.00pm, but need to be at school by 7.30 or 8.00 they do not get an adequate amount of sleep.A growing body of research suggests that starting high school later, more in line with their natural body rhythms, improves attendance, achievement, and grades and reduces tardiness, in a landmark study a few years ago, the morning school bell was delayed for an hour in Edina, Minnesota. As a result, test scores on the SAT college entrance exams jumped more than 100 points on average. Unfortunately, most schools are not set up to start later and accommodate teen’s sleep needs.Lack of sleep can be very dangerous […]
PCOS – Diet&Exercise More Effective that Drugs!
A study has just been released that proves changing your diet and exercising more is your best bet for inducing ovulation and improving your chance of pregnancy. This study divided 348 overweight women with PCOS and infertility into four groups. One group received dietary and exercise advice. The other 3 groups received Clomid, metformin, or a combination of the two drugs.Clomid is used to stimulate ovulation. Metformin is used to reduce insulin resistance.The women in the Clomid group had a 12.2% pregnancy rate. The metformin group had a 14.4% rate. The group taking both Clomid and metformin had a pregnancy rate of 14.8%. The group not taking any drugs but only making dietary and exercise improvements had a 20% pregnancy rate. The study authors concluded: “…lifestyle modification may be used as the first line of ovulation induction in PCOS patients.”I cannot emphasise enough the importance of keeping to a therapeutic diet and exercising 3-4 times a week. I counsel all my PCOS patients on what foods they need to be eating and what foods they need to avoid. Trust me – it does make a difference and this study confirms my advice! An assessment of lifestyle modification versus medical treatment with clomiphene citrate, metformin, and clomiphene citrate-metformin in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.Karimzadeh MA, Javedani M.Research and Clinical Centre for Infertility, Yazd Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of clomiphene citrate, metformin, and lifestyle modification on treatment of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). DESIGN: Prospective randomized double-blind study. SETTING: University-based infertility clinic and research centre. PATIENT(S): Three hundred forty-three overweight infertile women with PCOS. INTERVENTION(S): The participating women were assigned to four groups: clomiphene (n […]
PCOS – Diet & Exercise More Effective that Drugs!
A study has just been released that proves changing your diet and exercising more is your best bet for inducing ovulation and improving your chance of pregnancy. This study divided 348 overweight women with PCOS and infertility into four groups. One group received dietary and exercise advice. The other 3 groups received Clomid, metformin, or a combination of the two drugs.
Clomid is used to stimulate ovulation. Metformin is used to reduce insulin resistance.
The women in the Clomid group had a 12.2% pregnancy rate. The metformin group had a 14.4% rate. The group taking both Clomid and metformin had a pregnancy rate of 14.8%. The group not taking any drugs but only making dietary and exercise improvements had a 20% pregnancy rate. The study authors concluded: “…lifestyle modification may be used as the first line of ovulation induction in PCOS patients.”
I cannot emphasise enough the importance of keeping to a therapeutic diet and exercising 3-4 times a week. I counsel all my PCOS patients on what foods they need to be eating and what foods they need to avoid. Trust me – it does make a difference and this study confirms my advice!
An assessment of lifestyle modification versus medical treatment with clomiphene citrate, metformin, and clomiphene citrate-metformin in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.
Karimzadeh MA, Javedani M.
Research and Clinical Centre for Infertility, Yazd Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of clomiphene citrate, metformin, and lifestyle modification on treatment of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). DESIGN: Prospective randomized double-blind study. SETTING: University-based infertility clinic and research centre. PATIENT(S): Three hundred forty-three overweight infertile women with PCOS. INTERVENTION(S): The participating women were assigned to four groups: clomiphene (n […]
Kava Helps Treat Anxiety
Kava, used for generations in traditional ceremonies by Pacific islanders, is an effective and safe treatment for anxiety, university researchers say. People with “chronic high levels of anxiety” feel less worried and, in some cases, less depressed during a 60-person trial undertaken at the University of Queensland. “We’ve been able to show that kava offers a natural alternative for the treatment of anxiety and, unlike some pharmaceutical options, has less risk of dependency and less potential of side-effects,” said lead researcher Jerome Sarris, a PhD candidate from UQ’s School of Medicine. “We also found that kava had a positive impact on reducing depression levels, something which had not been tested before.” Anxiety levels were reduced in trial participants who took five tablets of kava daily, as opposed to a placebo group that took dummy pills. Critically the study’s participants did not show any signs of potential liver damage – contrary to concerns that prompted European, British and Canadian authorities to ban kava sales in 2002.Kava products sold in those countries were based on ethanol or acetone extracts of the kava plant, Mr Sarris said, not the water-soluble extracts used traditionally by Pacific islanders and approved for sale in Australia. “Our study used a water-soluble extract from the peeled root stock of a medicinal cultivar of the plant, which is approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration,” Mr Sarris said. “When extracted in the appropriate way, kava may pose less or no potential liver problems and I hope the results will encourage governments to reconsider the ban.”The Kava Anxiety Depression Spectrum Study (KADSS): a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial using an aqueous extract of Piper methysticum.Sarris J, Kavanagh DJ, Byrne G, Bone KM, Adams J, Deed G.School […]
Kava Helps Treat Anxiety
Kava, used for generations in traditional ceremonies by Pacific islanders, is an effective and safe treatment for anxiety, university researchers say. People with “chronic high levels of anxiety” feel less worried and, in some cases, less depressed during a 60-person trial undertaken at the University of Queensland.
“We’ve been able to show that kava offers a natural alternative for the treatment of anxiety and, unlike some pharmaceutical options, has less risk of dependency and less potential of side-effects,” said lead researcher Jerome Sarris, a PhD candidate from UQ’s School of Medicine. “We also found that kava had a positive impact on reducing depression levels, something which had not been tested before.”
Anxiety levels were reduced in trial participants who took five tablets of kava daily, as opposed to a placebo group that took dummy pills. Critically the study’s participants did not show any signs of potential liver damage – contrary to concerns that prompted European, British and Canadian authorities to ban kava sales in 2002.
Kava products sold in those countries were based on ethanol or acetone extracts of the kava plant, Mr Sarris said, not the water-soluble extracts used traditionally by Pacific islanders and approved for sale in Australia. “Our study used a water-soluble extract from the peeled root stock of a medicinal cultivar of the plant, which is approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration,” Mr Sarris said. “When extracted in the appropriate way, kava may pose less or no potential liver problems and I hope the results will encourage governments to reconsider the ban.”
The Kava Anxiety Depression Spectrum Study (KADSS): a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial using an aqueous extract of Piper methysticum.
Sarris J, Kavanagh DJ, Byrne G, Bone KM, Adams J, Deed G.
School […]
She Let Go
This has to be my favorite poem to date and I wanted to share it with you. It embodies the effortlessness of surrendering. “She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go. She let go of fear. She let go of the judgments. She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head. She let go of the committee of indecision within her. She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons. Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go. She didn’t ask anyone for advice. She didn’t read a book on how to let go… She didn’t search the scriptures. She just let go. She let go of all of the memories that held her back. She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward. She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right. She didn’t promise to let go. She didn’t journal about it. She didn’t write the projected date in her day-timer. She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper. She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope. She just let go. She didn’t analyse whether she should let go. She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter. She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment. She didn’t call the prayer line. She didn’t utter one word. She just let go. No one was around when it happened. There was no applause or congratulations. No one thanked her or praised her. No one noticed a thing. Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go. There was no effort. […]
DHEA also Reduces Miscarriage Rates – Especially in Older Women
The Centre for Human Reproduction and a leading Toronto Fertility Centre has reported preliminary clinical data that suggests DHEA reduces miscarriage rates in older women with diminished ovarian reserve. DHEA supplementation may reduce the number of chromosomally abnormal embryos (aneuploidy) due to the following factors:In a small number of women who underwent preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) after being treated with DHEA, researchers found lower aneuploidy rates than in women without DHEA supplementation. Unfortunately, women in need of DHEA usually have small embryo numbers and, therefore, only rarely qualify for PGD. There is a lower miscarriage rate in DHEA pregnancies. Since miscarriages, especially in older women, are mostly due to chromosomal abnormalities, this observation, too, suggested the possibility that DHEA may reduce aneuploidy rates. Since the combined data sets between CHR and the Toronto center involve an adequate patient sample, they are now confident to state that DHEA supplementation significantly decreases the miscarriage rate in women with diminished ovarian reserve.While a reduction in miscarriage rates is seen in women of all ages, the reduction is smaller in women below age 35 than in women above age 35 years, where the reduction often exceeds 50 percent. This, of course, should not be surprising as miscarriages are known to increase with advancing female age. Most of these miscarriages are, however, due to aneuploidy and this observation brings us back to this exciting evidence on the decrease in miscarriage rates after DHEA supplementation especially in […]
DHEA May Optimise Fertility in Combination with IVF
DHEA is a natural steroid hormone produced from cholesterol by the adrenal glands, and in the body it is converted into testosterone and estrogen. The most abundant of all steroid hormones in humans, DHEA declines as we age. The concept in regards to fertility is that androgens may augment FSH-receptor expression and stimulate granulosa cell proliferation. This could potentially increase oocyte yield, by increasing the number of follicles responding to exogenous FSH administration and by improving the quality and pregnancy potential of the retrieved oocytes. “Apparently the maximum effect of DHEA kicks in only after about four months,” says leading fertility researcher Dr Norman Gleicher. It’s also important to note that Gleicher thinks that DHEA can only boost egg production when used in combination with prescribed fertility drugs. “In a natural cycle, it doesn’t matter how many eggs a woman produces. In the end her body will release usually only one,” he explains. “When you are on fertility drugs we make the body release more eggs. And so in order to get the full benefit of DHEA, it is very likely that it will have to be taken in combination with fertility drugs so that the woman does release more than just one egg.”Dr Gleicher has begun to conduct a larger controlled, double-blind study that might offer more concrete proof that DHEA can increase egg yield in older women. The results are due out in March 2010 but in the meantime, read below for his initial research literature results. For optimal fertility health, it is vital to look at the health of your adrenal glands and support them using natural therapies. Stress has a huge impact on our adrenal glands, as they are activated […]
DHEA May Optimise Fertility in Combination with IVF
DHEA is a natural steroid hormone produced from cholesterol by the adrenal glands, and in the body it is converted into testosterone and estrogen. The most abundant of all steroid hormones in humans, DHEA declines as we age. The concept in regards to fertility is that androgens may augment FSH-receptor expression and stimulate granulosa cell proliferation. This could potentially increase oocyte yield, by increasing the number of follicles responding to exogenous FSH administration and by improving the quality and pregnancy potential of the retrieved oocytes.
“Apparently the maximum effect of DHEA kicks in only after about four months,” says leading fertility researcher Dr Norman Gleicher. It’s also important to note that Gleicher thinks that DHEA can only boost egg production when used in combination with prescribed fertility drugs. “In a natural cycle, it doesn’t matter how many eggs a woman produces. In the end her body will release usually only one,” he explains. “When you are on fertility drugs we make the body release more eggs. And so in order to get the full benefit of DHEA, it is very likely that it will have to be taken in combination with fertility drugs so that the woman does release more than just one egg.”
Dr Gleicher has begun to conduct a larger controlled, double-blind study that might offer more concrete proof that DHEA can increase egg yield in older women. The results are due out in March 2010 but in the meantime, read below for his initial research literature results.
For optimal fertility health, it is vital to look at the health of your adrenal glands and support them using natural therapies. Stress has a huge impact on our adrenal glands, as they are activated […]
A Possible Hidden Reason of Miscarriage for Women with PCOS
You’re probably aware that women who have polycystic ovarian syndrome have difficulty ovulating and becoming pregnant. It’s also well known that they have a much higher rate of miscarriage than other women.There are various ideas as to the cause of the miscarriages. Researchers at the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona in Spain have discovered evidence that your immune system may be involved in reducing the quality of your endometrium. The endometrium is the blood-rich mucus membrane lining the uterus (which is usually shed as your period). The embryo implants into this lining and takes early nourishment from it.They discovered that infertile PCOS women had increased levels of “anti-endometrial antibodies” or AEA. AEA is a protein that signals your immune system to attack endometrial tissue, thus compromising your ability to have a successful pregnancy.The elevated AEA appears to be caused in part by “oxidant stress”, also known as “free radicals”. Oxidant stress is a biochemical process that has gone haywire and creates enormous damage in your body. Two prime causes of oxidant stress are eating a poor diet and exposure to chemicals and pollution. The best way to reduce oxidant stress is to consume a diet that is high in antioxidants and to avoid pollution. You can also find antioxidants in a high quality multi-vitamin/mineral formula or antioxidant formula.Bottom Line: A healthy diet, high in antioxidants, plays a vital role in any successful pregnancy — and should be started BEFORE you try to conceive. Many naturopathic treatments are available to support your immune system and reduce the risk of miscarriage.ReferencePalacio JR, et al, The presence of antibodies to oxidative modified proteins in serum from polycystic ovary syndrome patients, Clin Exp Immunol. 2006 May;144(2):217-22
