Categories > Pain Management

SATURDAY, APRIL 30
2 – 4PM MDT

FREE ONLINE EVENT:

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PCRM

Are you Trying To Conceive?

#1in6 people struggle with fertility in Canada.

April 24 – 30 is Canadian Infertility Awareness Week – an opportunity to honour and empower those struggling with infertility.

Join us for this free online event to de-stigmatize infertility and to support you as you navigate your fertility journey.

Join the Whole Family Health Fertility Wellness Specialist Team, in collaboration with Dr. Caitlin Dunne from Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine (PCRM) for this informative and empowering online event.

This event is open to anyone who would like to attend.

Saturday, April 30th
2 – 4pm MDT

To Register:
info@wholefamilyhealth.ca
780-756-7736

EVENT PRESENTERS:

NAVIGATING INFERTILITY TREATMENTS & BUSTING COMMON MYTHS ABOUT IVF

Dr. Caitlin Dunne
Co-Clinical Director of PCRM, Reproductive Endocrinologist

Dr. Dunne will speak to fertility treatment options and help to debunk common myths about IVF. She will also be available for a Q&A to answer your questions about fertility treatment.

INFERTILITY & STRESS

Dr. Alda Ngo
WFH Co-owner, Registered Dr of TCM & Acupuncturist, Fellow of the ABORM, Co-Director of MindfulnessForFertility.com

Dr. Alda will discuss infertility stress and share some accessible tools and resources that will help to decrease stress and cortisol to increase resilience on your fertility journey.

NATURAL LIFESTYLE FACTORS

Christina Pistotnik
WFH Co-owner, Registered Acupuncturist, Fellow of the ABORM

Christina will share some natural and simple lifestyle factors that you can incorporate to support your overall wellness and fertility health.

ACUPRESSURE FOR FERTILITY

Catherine Woodlock
WFH Registered Acupuncturist

Catherine will share some acupressure points you can use at home to help improve circulation, manage hormonal symptoms and support your fertility.

MASSAGE FOR REPRODUCTIVE WELLNESS

Candice Cole
WFH Registered Massage Therapist

Candice will share self-massage techniques you can use at home to help you relax and alleviate tension build-up.

FERTILE FOODS – 5 NUTRITIONAL TIPS FOR FERTILITY

Kathryn Simmons Flynn
WFH Certified Nutrition Consultant, Founder of FertileFoods.com, Author of Cooking For Fertility and Co-author of The Fertile Secret

Kathryn will share her 5 top nutritional tips for nourishing fertility.

To Register:
info@wholefamilyhealth.ca
780-756-7736

Did you know that massage therapy is about so much more than relaxing muscles?

How Massage Therapy Works

Massage activates arterial and venous blood flow in the lymphatic system and in the connective tissue and muscles.

It also increases circulation and helps to correct postural stress from long periods of sitting. This can be especially important and beneficial for those who have sedentary desk jobs. 

A registered massage therapist works on these systems and the nervous system, to relieve sore and tight muscles from over-stimulated nerve pathways between muscle fibres and the brain.

We all intuitively know that human touch is therapeutic, here is a little research to support this:

Massage Therapy Decreases Stress

Research published in the International Journal of Neuroscience shows that massage therapy leads to decreased cortisol and increased serotonin & dopamine levels.

Basically, massage therapy leads to the biochemical signature for decreased stress and increased relaxation in the body.

Massage Therapy For Headaches.

The American Journal of Public Health published a study suggesting that muscle-specific massage therapy techniques significantly reduced headache frequency while the duration of headaches tended to decrease during the massage treatment period as well. 

Massage therapy is a functional, non-pharmacological intervention for reducing the incidence of chronic tension headache.

Contact us to find out more about how we can support you with massage therapy and/or to book an appointment with our wonderful registered massage therapist!

References:

• PMID: 16162447
• https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.92.10.1657)

Image: @lindbloomfloral

When

Sundays
11:00am – 12:00pm
May 3 – June 7

Who

Instructor: Sarah Kent
BA. Psychology
Certified Yoga Teacher

Why

Studies show that yoga postures and acupuncture points help to decrease pregnancy pain and benefit pregnancy, labour and birth outcomes.

Join us for this special on-line 6 week series of Yoga and Acupressure to support mom’s changing body throughout pregnancy and to help prepare the body for labor.

This practice will focus on:

• strengthening and energizing
• relief of pregnancy pain
• increasing flexibility
• breathing & relaxation techniques
• creating a calm environment for you & your growing baby

This class welcomes all stages of pregnancy and all levels of yogis, including beginners.

Registration

6 Classes: $120
drop-in: $25

Register on-line
A secure link will be sent to you upon registration.

A regular yoga practice offers many health benefits to both the mind and body. Yoga practice provides a refuge from our busy stressful lives.

Physical Benefits:

• Strength
• Flexibility
• Muscle tone
• Cardiovascular health
• Circulation
• Physical endurance
• Lung capacity
• Weight reduction
• Pain and injury prevention
• Anti-inflammatory

The mental and spiritual aspects are extremely valuable; yoga can help with stress management and calmness. It can help alleviate depression, insomnia and anxiety as well.

We offer both group yoga sessions as well as one-on-one personalized yoga.

Our instructors are additionally trained in fertility and prenatal yoga as well as acupressure as an effective adjunct.

Contact us for more information.

What.

Come to our FREE Community Clinic day to ‘Stop Period Poverty and Period Pain’ !!

Drop in to learn tips on how to prevent often dismissed menstrual symptoms, like cramps and PMS.

and

Receive a free community acupuncture and massage treatment in exchange for a donation of menstrual products (which we will contribute to No Woman Without‘s third annual pad drive this month.)

Why.

When we heard about this month’s third annual No Woman Without.Period campaign to address Period Poverty, and knowing that people are forced to choose between buying food and buying menstrual products, we knew we had to jump in and help!

We see this as an opportunity to de-stigmatize menstruation by getting it out of the closet and educating women about their bodies and their menstrual health.

A recently published study shows that period pain is linked to losing almost nine days of productivity at school and work per year. There needs to be an end to the normalization of women’s pain.

What else.

We are also assembling a limited number of ‘Menstrual Survival Kits’ for sale during the free community clinic day.

The kits will be featuring:
– specially formulated Blood Tonic Bone Broth from popular Edmonton restaurant RGE RD
– an herbal heat pack
– an herbal menstrual survival tea
– acupressure points
plus more tools for menstrual support.

There will be a limited number and first come first served 🙂
All proceeds from Menstrual Survival Kit sales will be donated to No Woman Without.

Where and when.

Whole Family Health Wellness Centre
6523 – 111 St NW
Sunday, February 23rd
12 – 3pm

Space is limited!
Register today!
587-200-5607 or info@wholefamilyhealth.ca

Why relax guys?? 

Seriously! What is all this hype about anyway? I’m relaxed….right? 

It actually hasn’t been too long that massage therapy has begun to be recognized as more than just a spa treatment for women, and don’t get me wrong I love a good spa day, but what you may not know is how much massage therapy can benefit all bodies and genders, including you guys! Here are some reasons why more men are seeking therapeutic massage:

Sports Massage

Active and do sports? Massage therapy can target your specific muscle groups to increase flexibility, decrease post workout pain, and aid in rehabilitation for injuries that keep nagging. We can even show you exercises and stretches that will help pre and post workouts or games to maximize your muscles’ capacity and recovery.

Desk job?

Guess what! Massage can help with tensions and strains you have at work. Chronic shoulder and neck tension, headaches, carpal tunnel, sciatica, and chronic tendonitis are just a few of the conditions that many suffer from working a desk job. Massage can ease and sometimes even eliminate these conditions. Saint Mary’s University research on massage therapy indicates that desk work strain can be reduced by 33% and blood pressure by 7% in just 4 weekly treatments.

Relaxation is key

With increased education around healthy living, many men are becoming more health conscious, attending to both physical and mental health.  Massage is the perfect blend of both. Let’s face it, stress is the worst! It disturbs sleep, wreaks havoc on relationships, raises blood pressure to unhealthy levels, depresses our immune systems, and diminishes productivity which in turn decreases our sense of satisfaction and wellbeing.  

Try it out! Book with us today. You tell us what you experience. 

Even though I have not experienced the miracle of pregnancy, I can say that I am no stranger to pain. I know pain not only affects us physically, but that it takes its toll on us mentally as well! Having to constantly modify our duties and activities, it creeps into every aspect of our life.

Once my patients become pregnant, their bodies change to accommodate the life that is growing inside. Of course there are going to be associated aches and pains and pelvic pain is very common.

Fortunately, I have had much success treating pelvic pain in pregnancy with acupuncture.  Here are a few snippets from a systematic review of three studies on the success of acupuncture treatment for the relief of pelvic pain in pregnancy (1):

• In 2000, a study found that the acupuncture group had a baseline of 7.4/10 pain that decreased to 1.7/10 after 4 weeks of acupuncture.  Whereas the control group’s pain only improved from a baseline of 6.6/10 to 4.5/10.

• In a 2004 study, 60% of women in the acupuncture group reported less pain compared to 14% of the control group. 0% of the women in the acupuncture group required pharmaceutical intervention.

• In 2005, a study compared 3 groups: an acupuncture group, a stabilizing exercises group and a control group. The baselines were 65, 60 and 63 respectively out of 100. The pain levels decreased to 35 in the acupuncture group, 50 in the stabilizing exercises group and 59 in the control group. Fewer women reported having pain when turning over in bed in the acupuncture group (66% vs 71% vs 88%.)

Acupuncture can successfully treat pregnancy related pelvic pain in less time, without the use of pain killers, and with less intervention than other treatment options!

If you need help with your pelvic or back pain, contact us for a free 15 minute Q & A or to book in with us today!

Reference:
1. Carolyn C. Ee, MBBS, BAppSci (Chinese Medicine/Human Biology); Eric Manheimer, MS; Marie V. Pirotta, MBBS, PhD; Adrian R. White, MA, MD, BM BCh,  Acupuncture for pelvic and back pain in pregnancy: a systematic review , MARCH 2008 , American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology

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The female body is a marvelous thing; however, despite its wonder and beauty, once a month, it goes through absolute…well, let’s just say it isn’t very fun.  And it isn’t really a once-a-month thing, either.  In actuality, the female body is continuously changing over the course of a month.  Hormone levels are in constant flux.  From day one of her cycle, estrogen levels begin to increase, the uterine walls thicken, and hormone levels increase to prepare for ovulation.  Once ovulation has occurred, and provided no fertilization has occurred, hormone levels drop, the egg breaks apart, and the thickened uterus lining is shed.  Then it starts all over again.  Repeat until menopause, barring any pregnancy-related disruptions.

PMS Symptoms

The fact that our bodies are on this perpetual hormone-related roller coaster means there really is no “normal”. When not experiencing the painful effects of our periods themselves, there is always the pre- and post-hormonal flux to hit us right in the psychoses.

For many, “normal” can include tension, anxiety, depression, crying spells, mood swings, irritability, anger, cravings or loss of appetite, insomnia, social withdrawal, inability to concentrate, joint or muscle pain, headaches, fatigue, wait gain, abdominal bloating, breast tenderness, acne, and even constipation or diarrhea.

Everyone’s body reacts a bit differently and because our hormone levels, physical and mental states are continuously changing, our symptoms can vary from month-to-month.

One thing is certain: PMS and period symptoms can be extremely disruptive and extremely unpleasant, if not physically or mentally painful.

Natural Methods to Manage Symptoms

Fortunately, there are a few strategies that can help you manage your symptoms without having to cram a bunch of chemicals into your body that may also cause a fluctuation of effects.

1. Acupuncture, Naturopathic Medicine, Massage Therapy, and Herbs– Seeking care from complementary health treatments such as acupuncture, naturopathic medicine, and  massage therapy is a highly effective way to help regulate menstrual cycles, reduce stress, influence hormone regulation, and improve blood flow in the reproductive areas. Traditional Chinese Medicine provides an excellent means to manage your health and relieve symptoms of PMS gently and naturally.
2. Improve your Diet- Your period takes a lot out of your body.  Literally, your body needs extra vitamins and nutrients to get through, which means it can leave you more than a little deficient at the end.  Do you ever wonder why you seem to get sick right around your period?  Ensuring your body is getting the vitamins and nutrients it needs can go a long way towards calming and regulating the monthly horror.  A lot of the time, the most unpleasant of symptoms can actually occur because our bodies are missing key vitamins or nutrients.  A few to watch out for: iron, magnesium, vitamin D, and the Omega oils.  As always, it is best to check with your doctor to find out what your iron levels (etc.) are in case you need to incorporate a supplement into your diet.
   Cutting back on sodium can help a lot, too.  Sodium leads to bloating, which means it can make the monthly bloat a lot more uncomfortable.
3. Drink Tea- There are a lot of herbal formulations that can help with the symptoms—and even the pain—of PMS and menstruation.  Plus, drinking tea keeps you hydrated and having extra fluids in your body can help ease bloating and replenish your body as it fights to regulate those hormones.
4. Exercise- Exercise can help balance out some of the mood-altering effects of PMS, but keeping it low-impact is best, especially for bodies that are having a rough time with all those hormone fluctuations.  Go for a walk, boosting vitamin D while exercising to balance blood sugar, etc. can be the best medicine and it can help you sleep at night.  There are also a number of yoga poses and stretches that can help ease your cramps.
5. Sleep- Finding a way to get regular sleep goes a long way towards regulating your fluctuating hormones.  Take a nice long bath with Epsom salts, drink     a cup of caffeine-free lemon tea, grab a hot water bottle, and catch a few extra hours of sleep until it’s over.

If you have any questions on natural methods to reduce PMS symptoms and are interested in learning more about how acupuncture, naturopathic medicine, and massage therapy can help please do not hesitate to contact us today!

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