Saturday, August 14, 2010

Herbal Fertility Support within a Maya Abdominal Therapy Practice


by Angela Ferri, MA, LMT, Holistic Healthcare Provider


 
As a practitioner and former instructor of the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy (MAT), I see many women for fertility issues. The populations I see most are in their 30’s and early 40’s. Two common stress factors affecting a woman’s ability to conceive and carry to term are Vata imbalance and boggy uterine tissue. The term “Vata” comes from the East Indian practice of medicine called Ayurveda. Vata refers to the air element, which is quick, of the mind, and changeable. My approach in working with these factors is summarized below, as is sharing herbs used to support fertility generally.


Population Overview

With younger populations in their 30’s preconception care includes self-care massage, which I teach during our first session together, as well as herbal support and nutritional awareness. In the area surrounding Washington, DC  women seek me out when nothing that is covered by health insurance works. Consequently I see many women who are terrified of surgeries/pharmaceuticals and who are desperate: fear overlays the symptom picture.

Many of the women I see are in their early to mid 40’s. I find this population most often conceives and carries pregnancy to term when they are committed to a spiritual practice and self exploration; are receiving MAT and acupuncture, using herbal support, have awareness around nutrition and practices yoga in some form. They have financial resources and are committed to a holistic approach.

My 3-4 hr. sessions include an intake; usually lasting about an hour, though for some this can go up to two hours, depending on a woman’s history. During this time I am making notes about relevant herbs, supplements and nutritional factors that will build health for the client. I am aware of the diagnosis my client has been given before they arrive for their session. What I listen for during the intake is for unresolved trauma – physical or emotional; for nutritional habits that may be problematic; for the level of support they have in their lives; and for heredity factors, both physical and emotional. I am also paying attention to the physical/energetic constitution of the person in front of me: Are they lean and nervous? Do their tissues feel boggy? Is there a lot of fire or anger? 

A client will receive the manual work of Maya Abdominal Therapy following the intake interview. This usually runs about an hour and a half. While they are on the table I teach them how to do the abdominal work for themselves. I give them a handout describing how to do the massage, which helps them remember the details when they get home.

Often the first formula contains blue vervain (verbena officinalis) and/or borage (borago officinalis)/hawthorn berries (crataegus oxycantha) to provide healing on an energetic level for shock and/or heartache in addition to the plants I use to support fertility. What follows is a summary of how I work with each constitution I have just mentioned, and then sharing of herbs I may use to enhance fertility.


Vata Imbalance

If a woman is lean and nervous I first look at her diet to determine whether she is consuming foods and drinks that are contributing to Vata imbalance. I recommend eliminating the irritating factors and suggest substitutions, such as weaning off of coffee and instead drinking Yerba Mate, for example. I often suggest alternative sweeteners, and recommend decreasing sugar intake overall. If the client does not partake of caffeine or excess sugar, I may suggest chamomile (matricaria recutita) tea, and will include nervines in her custom formula such as passionflower (passiflora incarnata), motherwort (leonaris cardiaca) and skullcap (scutellaria laterifolia). If she avoids caffeine and sugar, and still presents as nervous and high achieving particularly, I recommend they test for progesterone levels.

With nervous and high-achieving women I like to rule out the possibility that they may have a genetic marker that prohibits them from synthesizing folic acid/vitamin B9, and consequently are not able to produce enough progesterone to carry a pregnancy to term. Apparently, this challenge is becoming more common. There is an expensive genetic test for this condition called MTHFR. A woman instead, for less expense, may have their progesterone levels checked a week after ovulation to determine whether this might be a factor. If progesterone levels are low at this stage of the cycle, supplementing with Folic Acid and B9 may help with this condition. Testing and supplementation for these women is very important because it reduces the risk of potential heart-breaking outcomes such as stillbirth and spina bifida.


Boggy Uterine Tissue

Some women who are trying to conceive present with boggy uterine tissue. The woman may have irregular and/or heavy menses, and/or excessive or abnormal vaginal discharges. It is important to understand factors that may be contributing to the symptom-picture. A common factor I find in this instance is that the client has had previous trauma to her pelvis, usually through an accident, from abdominal surgery, or from sexual trauma. This woman’s hips torque in some way.  She may present with lordosis or kyphosis. This displacement of the skeletal structure often irritates nerves exiting the spine. The irritated nerves enervate end organs: bladder, uterus, bowel, and consequently the organ(s) become inflamed. Inflammation produces edema; excess fluids.

A physical trauma that has happened at any time of life, and has not been corrected through manual therapies is likely present in the posture of the client. If she has had abdominal surgery, the adhesions (scar tissue) that form often harden over time and begin creating strain patterns within the body. Not only is this the cause of structural misalignment, but it may also cause organs to adhere to one another, to the pubis; or the adhesions may entrap nerves, organs and other tissues. This is the source of much otherwise unexplained abdominal pain and pathology.

Mis-alignments are sometimes held so long in the body without resolution, that the mind becomes numb to the signals of pain. Once a physical misalignment is resolved, often the client is able to make better nutritional and exercise choices. Her mind is not distracted by her physical discomfort.  Maya Abdominal Therapy addresses the structural misalignment and adhesions directly, enabling the body to begin healing itself. The nerves are no longer chronically irritated, and the tissues of the end organs are no longer receiving inflammatory signals from the nerves. The body reabsorbs the excess lymphatic fluid (edema) and pathology resolves. Herbal allies I use to support this process include astringents such as shepherds purse (capsella bursa-pastoris) or yarrow (achillea millefolium) in the initial fertility support formula. I also consider dietary components that may be aggravating boggy tissues, such as excess sugar consumption and possible food allergies.

 
Eclectic Herbs for Fertility

Raspberry (rubus spp.) leaf tea is a staple uterine tonic for all stages of life and particularly throughout pregnancy. It is useful after birth also, as it has extraordinary toning affects upon the uterus and the entire pelvic area. Both wild and cultivated varieties are beneficial. If you are able to pick the leaves of the wild variety (be sure they have not been sprayed), dry them or use them fresh. As Rosemary Gladstar has said “The wild variety is considered more potent and carries with it the indescribable, yet discernable, strength and vitality of things that belong to the wilderness”.

The following are herbs I most often use in my formulas for fertility. These suggestions are also applicable to the man in the family.

  • 2 capsule of dong quai three times a day, except during menstruation. (Men should take 2 capsules of ginseng every day.)
  • Take Liquid Floridix with Herbs regularly, following dosage recommendations on the bottle.
  • Take the following fertility tonic daily; ¼ teaspoon 3 times a day:
4 parts rehmania (rehmania glutinosa)
1 part dong quai root (angelica sinensis)
2 parts false unicorn root (chamealirium luteum)
3 parts wild yam root (dioscorea villosa)
1 part vitex berries (vitex agnus castus)
2 parts partridge berry (mitchella ripens)
1 part ho-shu-wu (polygonum multiflorum)

  • Drink ginseng tea daily or take ginseng capsules. Ginseng is most helpful for fertility issues relating to weak or cool sexual organs. Ginseng increases heat in the pelvic region and helps remove blockages.
  • Take sitz baths several times a week for several months. This increases circulation in the pelvis.
  • Use acupuncture in conjunction with these recommendations
  • Try homeopathic remedies. Consult a homeopathic physician for an appropriate remedy.
  • Belly dance!
When you begin to use herbs, awareness develops around our undeniable interrelationship with Gaia, our earth. In this formula I am aware that false unicorn root is extinct in the wild. A new level of awareness and learning is developing around using sustainable, effective substitutions. In this way using herbs is healing on many levels. As they give us their gifts they make us more mindful of our place in the web of life.

The following links offer more information on using herbs to support fertility:

The indomitable Henriette Kress’s article Trying to Get Pregnant? looks at stress, tight jeans, model-thin proportions and discusses going off of carrot seed or taking lily and peony.

Kristena Haslam at Dreamseeds Organics has written a tribute to Exotic, Erotic Damiana and even has a picture of the (in)famous Mexican Liqueur bottle shaped like  a sitting pregnant woman.

Gail Faith Edwards of Blessed Maine Herbs has  had 25 years of women bringing their red clover babies to her and writes Red Clover Is Not Just for Healthy Women Who Want to Conceive, It Is for ALL Women Who Want to Conceive. She recommends that men with low sperm count smell roses too.  Note you must have Facebook access to read the piece.

Karen Vaughan has written Staging Herbal Formulas to Enhance Fertility, taking the stance that the yin and yang parts of the cycle deserve different formulas, since women have cyclical tides of hormones and discusses how menstrual charting can be used for more than finding fertile days.

Rosalie de la Foret’s very comprehensive Holistic Herbal Perspectives for Challenges With Fertility discusses preparing yourself for conception, nutrition, dosing and herbs.

Angela Ferri’s piece on Herbal Fertility Support Within A Mayan Abdominal Practice discusses herbs for vata imbalance and boggy uterine tissue.  She brings the experience of a body worker who looks at physical connections with the internal chemistry.

Darcey Blue of Gaia’s Gifts wrote Nutrition for Pregnancy which looks at nutrient dense foods and micronutrient requirements from a combined Paleo-diet and modern nutrition perspective.

Friday, August 13, 2010

New Conventional Treatment for Uterine Fibroids

Interventional Radiology: Zapping Uterine Fibroids With Heat from High-Energy Sound Waves

ScienceDaily (Mar. 15, 2010) — There's a new interventional radiology tool showing promise in the treatment of uterine fibroids: magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS), a minimally invasive treatment that uses high-energy ultrasound waves to generate heat at a specific point to destroy uterine fibroid tissue and relieve symptoms. A study of more than 100 patients shows that women can get lasting relief from uterine fibroid-related symptoms with MRgFUS -- thus avoiding myomectomy, the surgical removal of uterine fibroids, or hysterectomy, major abdominal surgery to remove the uterus, say researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Cost effective estrogen dominance test and solutions!

This is a link that tells you how to order this test and how to calculate whether or not your estrogen levels are problematic and how to improve them if so.

Estrogen Dominance Test

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Healthcare workforce was amended so that it now officially includes, “licensed complementary and alternative medicine providers and integrative health

The health care reform bill has passed and many people will be celebrating that, finally, the United States will work to assure every citizen health insurance that cannot be canceled because you change your job, because you get sick, or for any other reason.

Those of us who believe in preventive health care, integrated health care, functional medicine, and complementary and alternative medicine have special reasons to celebrate. This bill has provisions that explicitly support these approaches to health care. One of these is the creation of a National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council, which I testified about before the Senate last February.

The Integrated Healthcare Policy Consortium (IHPC) was created in 2002 and has been quietly working on Capitol Hill to bring about the kinds of changes in health care that we all want. Last month, I was in New York presenting at the Integrative Healthcare Symposium and I was on a panel with IHPC’s executive director, Dr. Janet Kahn. When I heard her describe what IHPC has been doing about health care reform and the things that are lying quietly in this bill, I got very excited about their work and what is to come in 2010.

Dr. Kahn explained 3 major aspects of this bill that IHPC helped shape.

1. Due to Kahn’s work with Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the definition of the healthcare workforce was amended so that it now officially includes, “licensed complementary and alternative medicine providers and integrative healthcare practitioners.”

2. IHPC was a collaborator on the creation of the Wellness Initiative for the Nation (WIN), a document that prompted the inclusion of the National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council that I mentioned above. Truly remarkable.

3. And third, IHPC worked hard to have the Council on Comparative Effectiveness Research in the bill. This will allow functional medicine approaches to be evaluated toe to toe with conventional medicine.

And there will be more. As Kahn so clearly told the audience in New York, this health care reform bill is just the beginning. It contains toeholds from which we climb toward what we really want – a nation that really understands how to help people live healthy lives and that supports the availability of many different pathways to healing.

I often say that I practice functional medicine because it tackles and fixes the underlying causes of health problems and doesn’t paper over the symptoms as so much of conventional medicine does. That is exactly IHPC’s approach to health care reform. IHPC is about reforming the very architecture of American health care.

Mark Hyman, M.D.

join our Online Action Network
http://capwiz.com/ihpc/mlm/signup/?ignore_cookie=1

By joining IHPC’s Online Action Network you will receive regular updates from IHPC, and will be provided opportunities to take action on important healthcare policy when it matters most.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Winter Classes

The long nights of Winter are upon us. Today is the coldest day I can remember in Maryland for a long, long time! The following classes are offered to aid you in increasing your health and happiness. Movement, introspection, earth wisdom, relational support and self empowerment are important ways to become and stay connected to your inner wisdom and inherent health.
All of the following classes will be held at Body & Soul Healing Arts, 22201 Davis Mill Road, Germantown, Maryland 20876. Pre-registration is required. Please contact me to register. Hope you can join us!

SPIRITUAL BELEDE
Ongoing Thursdays beginning January 21 at 11:30a.m. Six one and one half hour sessions. $120 for the series, $25 per class. Class size limited to four participants.
Every Spiritual Belly Dance class is both different and the same. All classes taught in this way include the basic vocabulary of belly dance movements that can be learned anywhere-hip circles, hip drops, shimmies, etc. All of these movements generally come from distinct energy sources. For example hip circles and figure eights are second chakra movements; shoulder shimmies come from the heart...However, beyond these movements, the energy of any one given day is unique. In fact, every minute of every day comes with a different energy. Spiritual Belly Dance teaches the student to notice and furthermore control these energetic differences and then to blend them into traditional dancing techniques.
The intended final result of all of this teaching is to help women to be stronger, healthier, and happier in all aspects of life, not only dancing. Please bring a hip scarf and veil if you have them!


DREAM GROUP

Ongoing Thursdays beginning January 21 at 1pm. Six two-hour sessions. $180 for the series, $35 per session. Limited to eight participants.
Gather with us to share your dreams and explore their meaning in a structured, yet intimate environment. The messages in our dreams are gifts from our soul. We will work to understand the language they are speaking to help guide us through our journey through life.
We will meet for six Thursdays beginning January 21th and ending February 25th, 2010. The group will have the option to continue ongoing meetings. Commitment to attendance of each weeks gathering is strongly encouraged.


WINTER HERBAL SUPPORT
Saturday, January 30, 2-4 pm Fee: $30. Limited to 8 participants.
Learn how to nurture your body during the winter season. We will discuss which herbs and foods to use to fight infections, stifle symptoms and rebuild health. Learn how to make and use tinctures and cook with herbs to keep healthy! Angela has been an herbalist for over nine years. She grows, wild-crafts and makes herbal products using her plant allies. Come join us learn to live in harmony with nature’s gifts!

PREGNANT BODY CARE FOR COUPLES
Saturday, February 13, 2-4 pm Fee: $40. Limited to three couples.
Come and learn what you can do for yourself or your partner to help ease discomforts that often develop as your body grows ripe. I will show you gentle massage techniques, suggest products to use, and have on hand, as well as movements that help your baby position correctly. My intention is to lovingly support, prepare and empower you in your birthing experience. Bring your questions and see where they lead us!


HEAL THE UTERUS (Hands on Health the Maya Way )
Saturday, April 17, 2010, 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. Fee: $120, Limited to 8 participants.
Discover the wisdom of Maya traditional healing in recovering and maintaining the health of your reproductive, digestive and urinary systems. This work is helpful to so many “female” concerns. During this class you will learn about Dr. Rosita Arvigo, her apprenticeship with Don Elijio Panti and other healers from Belize. You will learn the fundamentals of anatomy and physiology as it relates to the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Massage (ATMAM), and of course, to specific health issues. I will teach you Maya Abdominal Massage (MAM) for your own Self Care. We will also identify situations in which practicing MAM would be contraindicated. If time permits we will experience a guided meditation, and discuss other modalities such as diet, lifestyle, herbs that support MAM.
To register please send a check for $30 to Angela Ferri, 3710 Poffenberger Road, Jefferson, MD 21755

Friday, October 23, 2009

Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Massage Self Care Training

This class is a prerequisite for professional training as a practitioner of the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Massage...


Dates of training are:
Friday, Nov. 13, 2009, 2p.m. until 6p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 14, 10 a.m. until 6pm
Sunday, Nov. 15, 10 a.m. until 5p.m.
at Body & Soul Healing Arts, 22201 Davis Mill Road, Germantown, Maryland 20886
Phone:
2402772826
Email:

Description

Dr. Rosita Arvigo’s Techniques of Maya Abdominal Massage are based on an ancient Mayan healing method: applying external manipulation to the abdomen to facilitate blood and lymph flow, nerve conduction and Qi, (or Chu-lel, as it is know to the Mayan people) movement throughout the body. Maya Abdominal Massage (MAM) helps reposition reproductive organs thereby reducing symptoms of a displaced uterus or swollen prostate, which may manifest as fibroids, endometriosis, infertility, low back pain, painful menses, IBS, acid reflux, constipation, incontinence, prolapsed uterus and bladder, and over 30 other symptoms. It is helpful after abdominal surgeries such as hysterectomy, cesarean births and exploratory surgeries.

This two and a half day workshop will teach the participant about the anatomy and physiology of normal abdominal organs and structures, and what happens when they become imbalanced. Signs, symptoms, causes and the related pathologies will be included in this program. This modality incorporates a holistic approach to health care which includes massage, nutritional considerations, guided meditation, emotional and spiritual healing, as well as herbal healing remedies. Dr. Arvigo believes that with any natural healing technique, these areas must be addressed simultaneously to promote optimal health.

Completion of this program will qualify the participant to perform the abdominal massage on themselves ONLY, and will prepare the licensed practitioner to go on to
Professional Training with Dr. Rosita Arvigo, DN.


Continuing Education Credits for Level 1 Self Care Training

The Arvigo Institute is approved by:

The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a continuing education Approved Provider for 17.5 CE hours;

19.8 contact hours by the American Holistic Nurses Association which is accredited as an approver of continuing education in nursing by the American Nurses credentialing Centers Commission on Accreditation;

16 contact hours for the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council.

Prerequisites:
Anyone may register for this class.
No prior training or licensing is required.
To inquire about scheduled classes click on www.arvigomassage.com
Registration must be submitted through the Arvigo Institute at: www.arvigomassage.com