Preconception & Pregnancy

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, 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 […]

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 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 […]