Categories > Mind Body Medicine

Embarking on the journey of healing after a pregnancy loss can feel like navigating uncharted waters. We want you to know that you’re not alone, and there’s a supportive community here to walk with you through the process.

Time and space 

Allow your time yourself to grieve: there is no right or wrong way to grieve and there is no timeline for healing. It’s okay to feel a wide range of emotions from sadness and anger to confusion and numbness. Give yourself permission to mourn.

Be patient with yourself: healing is unique and an individual process. Be patient and gentle with yourself as you navigate this difficult journey. Your strength is immeasurable.

Connection and community support 

Lean on your support system: Reach out to your partner, family, and friends. Share your feelings with those you trust. Talking about your loss can be a crucial step in the healing process.

Connect with others: Reach out to support organizations, online communities, or local groups that focus on pregnancy loss. Connecting with others who have similar experiences can provide comfort.

Seek professional help: Consider speaking to a therapist, counsellor, or support group specializing in pregnancy loss. They can provide valuable guidance in a safe space to express your emotions.

Take Care

Take Care of Your Physical Health: Ensure you’re getting proper rest, nutrition, and hydration. Your body needs time to recover, both physically and emotionally. 

Self-Care Is Essential: Take time for self-care, whether it’s through meditation, gentle exercise, reading, or simply resting. Prioritize your emotional and mental well-being.

Memorialize and Remember

Create a meaningful way to honour your baby’s memory. This could be through a memorial service, planting a tree, lighting a candle, or keeping a journal of your thoughts and feelings.

Contact us

Whether you’re here for guidance or to extend a comforting hand to those in need, we’re honoured to be a part of this compassionate and supportive community.

Contact us to explore options for gentle next steps towards healing.

In the gentle embrace of October’s autumn, we pause to acknowledge a profound and often silent journey that touches the hearts of countless families. October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month—a time to unite, remember, and offer solace to those who have faced the unimaginable.

For those who have known the depths of loss, we want you to know that you are not alone. Your grief is valid, your pain acknowledged, and your precious babies remembered.

In our acupuncture clinic, we witness the incredible strength of those who walk this path and the unwavering love that forever connects them to their little ones. We stand with you in your grief and in your healing journey.

To those who have experienced the loss of a pregnancy, a child, or a dream of parenthood, we extend our deepest compassion and support. Your stories, your courage, and your resilience inspire us daily.

This month and every month, we honour the memory of the little souls who left us too soon and stand alongside those who continue to carry them in their hearts.

If you or someone you know needs support during this challenging time, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Our clinic is here as a safe and nurturing space for you.

Let us create a world where love and empathy shine brightly, where healing is not a destination but a continuous journey, and where the strength of our community knows no bounds.

If you have had a recent preganncy loss, contact us for more information about how we can support you.

Cortisol and Stress

Many of us have heard that having high cortisol levels can be damaging to our health, but what about having low cortisol levels? Studies show that low cortisol levels, or hypocorticolism, can be linked to long term exposure to stress.

During stress, the body adapts by increasing levels of cortisol to push the body to respond to danger (whether the danger is real or apparent). But if the stress response persists (like in the case of chronic stress), these elevated cortisol levels are unable to fall back within normal range & the body’s cortisol baseline level changes.

Chronic Stress and Hypocorticolism

After prolonged time of elevated cortisol levels, there is a fail-safe mechanism in the midbrain that tries to rebalance the hormone levels. For example, the amygdala and hippocampus can become less responsive, thus lowering levels of cortisol in the body. This negative feedback pattern continues and eventually the body can become less responsive to stress. This might sound good, but any long term imbalance can cause more issues down the road.

The body’s stress response is important & cortisol is designed to protect the body from danger and invasion. So when cortisol levels are chronically low, the body can become less responsive to inflammation and allergies.

Cortisol, Inflammation & Adaptability

Research has linked inflammation to higher levels of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and arthritis as well as symptoms like fatigue, stress intolerance, and low blood sugar. Those living with hypocorticolism are often tired, might be intolerant to exercise, overweight, crave sweet and salty flavours, and commonly experience anxiety, insomnia, and depression.

Overall, having chronically low cortisol levels reduces the ability to adapt to changes and stressors in life. Finding ways to better manage stress through meditation and yoga, acupuncture, balanced diet, and moderate exercise can help bring the stress response back into balance.

Contact us for a free 15-minute consultation call to find out more about how we can help you manage stress and balance hormones.

Reference: PMID: 15950390

Summertime is ideal to practice communally. It is a time to get out and spend time with others, teaching and learning from each other through observation and insight. Summertime is joyful and uplifting! This is the polar opposite of winter, which is interpersonal and reflective.

Some postures to incorporate into a summer practice are dynamic movements, standing postures, and pranayama (breathing exercises) to lighten up the heart.

Summertime can bring about bitterness emotionally if one does not allow heat to come in and flow out of the body. Any extra heat in the body has a cascading effect on sleep, digestion, and mood. Using techniques to flush out excess heat will benefit during the summer months, and also prepare the body for autumn.

Contact us for a free 15-minute consultation call to find out more about how we can support you throughout every season with individualized one-on-one yoga.

Spring is the season of the beginning small yang and is characterized by growth, movement, and expansion.

After winter, the body’s qi energy begins to flow strongly again and seeks to expand freely. Food during this season should supplement qi energy, allowing it to course freely, and support Chinese medicine spleen and liver functional systems.

Recommended Spring Foods:

Mildly warming foods with upward movement: Fennel, rice, buckwheat; possibly pungent flavours (garlic, paprika, ginger) in case of accumulated dampness left over from the colder months.

Sour flavours, because they stabilize liver yin energy and can regulate upbearing liver yang.

Foods from the wood phase, green in colour with neutral, cool, or warm energy: Green tea, spinach, celery, a little more raw foods and sprouts.

Wind is often the dominating seasonal factor during spring and causes recurring external wind disorders (like colds & flus), which can be balanced with the mildly pungent flavours of green onions and ginger.

Foods to Avoid During Spring:

The following foods can block Liver Qi energy:

Energetically hot and fatty foods
Excess sour flavours

Tip:

🌱 Choose foods that are local and in season!

Source: Chinese Nutrition Therapy: Dietetics in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) by Jörg Kastner

Contact us to find out more about how we can support you on your wellness journey!

Watch Whole Family Health fertility specialist, Christina Pistotnik and Alberta Reproductive Centre’s Reproductive Endocrinologist, Dr. Ariadne Daniel on CTV Morning Live – speaking to Canadian Fertility Awareness Week 2023.

Listen to Dr. Ariadne Daniel from Alberta Reproductive Centre speak with Global Health Matters host, Su-Ling Goh about Canadian Fertility Awareness Week (CFAW), her new IVF clinic’s vision of Whole Person Fertility Care and our joint event offerings for CFAW’23.

We are grateful to Global Weekend Morning Live for having us on this morning to raise awareness for Canadian Fertility Awareness Week!

WFH’s Dr. Alda & ARC‘s Dr. Ariadne had the pleasure of speaking with CBC RadioActive Host Jessica Ng about Canadian Fertility Awareness Week and our collaborative events for supporting the 1 in 6 this year. What a pleasure and honour it was – we are very grateful to CBC Radio for hosting us!

Katonah Yoga is based upon the principles that yoga is designed to improve the function of the organs.
The practice creates space within the body, thus creating room for the organs to function well.

Chinese Medicine Organ Systems and Fertility

The primary organ systems related to fertility in Chinese Medicine are the Kidneys and the Heart, as well as the Liver. A yoga practice focused on improving functionality of these organ systems will improve chances of conception, as well as overall wellness and vitality.

Yoga for the Kidney System

To access the Kidneys, one must work with the lower body. Our two legs relate to the two Kidneys and
represent the root system of the body. Using tools and postures to access the lower parts of the body
will give space and comfort to the Kidneys, flush out any stagnation within them, and keep their energy
reserves flowing well. These include pigeon, bound angle, shoelace, and standing folds.

Yoga for the Heart System

Working with the Heart system means working within community. It relates to the articulation of the practice and needs held within the body. The Heart is meant to feel all emotions fully, but then is designed to let them move through and release these emotions as well. A practice focused on clarity of needs and communal guidance and support gives nourishment to the Heart system and brings joy to the
practitioner! Breathwork (pranayama) helps move stagnant energy out of the Heart.

Yoga for the Liver System

A happy Liver system is a well functioning with no stagnation or Heat held within. Guiding the
practice to include supported backbends and twists will open up the Liver’s capacity for movement and
expansion.

Katonah Yoga provides archetypal patterns and fits for a well-informed practice. A good practice holds
up and provides clear evidence of improvements and expansion within the body and mind.

Contact us for a free 15-minute discovery call to find out more about how we can support you on your fertility journey with individualized Katonah Yoga.