There has been a lot of talk about MTHFR gene mutation and its role in fertility, personally I think that if there is unexplained infertility or there has been a number of miscarriages, then it might be time to test for this mutation to rule it out as a cause; or to treat it and improve your chances of conceiving a beautiful little baby.  I think it is a piece of a puzzle that cn benefit your fertility: I do not believe it to be a magic bullet.

What is MTHFR?

MTHFR is short methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (it is so much easier saying MTHFR!); this is an enzyme that plays an important role in breaking down folate.  MTHFR is also important in breaking down homocystein to methionine, an important process in the production of other proteins.  

Sounds complicated and convoluted right?  

Well, what it basically means is that if you have the MTHFR mutation you are unable to break down folate into a usable source - so all that wonderful pre-natal work on folate intake  in supplement form and processed forms, can build up in the body leading to toxicity.  Also, since the MTHFR can not break down the homocystein into methionine, then you end up with elevated homocystein levels.  Elevated homocystein levels have been assoiated with cariovasular disease, inflammation, birth defects, difficulty conceiving, and difficult pregnancies 

How do we know if you have the mutation?  

The only way to daignose the MTHFR gene mutation is to do a blood test specifically looking for these genetic markers.  These blood tests can be ordered by your GP at your request.

What if you have the MTHFR mutation?

If you have the MTHFR mutation than it is imprtant we get you on the correct folate, the type your body can break down and benefit from.  We will also reccomaend you take a good B vitamin; patients with the MTHFR mutation are shown to benefit from supplementing with B2,3,6,12.  Also, it is important to have regular acupuncture sessions to improve blood flow, enhance the body's natural process of metabolsm and absorption, and of course work on improving your fertility!!!

We don't think about our fertility until we want to have a baby, right?  Then we things don't go to schedule we start panicking and getting into a desperate scramble to get all the levels checked.  In my Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture clinic in North Sydney, we like to prevent things from going bad before it happens.  So in this spirit I will share with you some basic ways to improve sperm health

Execise

A recent Brittish study showed that moderate exercice can improve your sperm health and function; this can be as simple as a short run, a swim, or just a quick gym session.  It is an easy one to do, and the benefits of exercise beyond improving your sperm health are immense.  So, get started today!

Diet

We are what we eat; we've all heard this a thousand times!  The same goes with our enetic material; if we we don't eat the correct the right foods than we are not consuming the correct vitamin and minerals to optimise sperm health.

We need to cnsume foods  rich in the following:

• Zinc:such as nuts, oysters, spinach, beef, flax seeds
• Magnesium: such as green leafy vegetables, walnuts, almonds, avocado 
• Omega 3 such as oily fish, flaxseed, walnuts, avocado, spinach, seafood
• Lycopene: lycopene is a bright red carotene found in tomatoes, water melon, paw paw

We need to cut out our harmful and destructive eating habits. We all know that greasy Mcdonalds and KFC does not constitute a meal; so don't pretend it does.  

It is important that we avoid foods with:

• Pesticides: avoid fruit and vegetables that are laden with pesticides and chemicals, better yet go organic
• Cottonseed oil:  An oil that is requently used in Take-away restaurants is cottonseed oil, this has been found to have detrimental effects on sperm health, in particularly its motility (their ability to swim!) (Ridley & Blasco, 1981).   
• Canned food is something you need to avoid if you want to protect your sperm; canned and packaged food has a component called bispehyl-A (BPA), this is a hormone disrupting chemical that can negatively impact on sperm production.

I will add to this list in the coming days, so stay tuned!

In the meantime you can contact me on 

0414 287 083

http://www.lukemcphersonacupuncture.com.au/contact

for a one on one discussion

IVF is an expensive endeavour; both financially and emotionally.  So when you choose your your acupuncturist you want to make sure you are getting the best fit for you.  My patients in my North Sydney acupuncture clinic reported on a few things to consider:

• Knowledgeable: They need to understand the science behind IVF
• Personable: You are going through a difficult time, and you have a big emotional investment. Does your acupuncturist get this?
• Environment: A relaxing atmosphere from an attentive acupuncturist in a beautiful comfortable clinic is a must!
• Experience: You want to be in the best hands right?  Your acupuncturist must understand the latest protocols, but more importantly, what is happening to you
• Availability: this has a double meaning; is your acupuncturist available for pre and post IVF acupuncture sessions? Also, is your acupuncturist available whilst in the session?  You don't want someone giving you a treatment than leaving you until time is up; but you also don't want someone who will talk your ears off

If our genetics have already predetermined our health than why don't we just accept the ineveitable?  We're going to get the disease anyway, so why don't we just indulge and enjoy life?

I believe that genetics makes us more susceptible to disease, but that does not mean we have to go 'quietly in the night'!  In my north Sydney acupuncture clinic I am dealing with issues relating to genetics issues all the time.  Feriltity is one area where I ahve had great success; patients with low ovarian reserves are quite common practice, but with acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, lifestyle changes, and a little time I can help the patient conceive.  

Cardiovascular disease is common, and genetics can play a role in this.  It is important that you know your helath and have all necessary testing done; and if you need to be managed by prescription medication that is ok to.  What is not ok is thinking the pharmaceuticals should do all the work!  In fact if you can turn all this around  by making some lifestyle changes  such as:

• Acupuncture: have a consultation in my North Sydney Acupuncture clinic and see how I can work in collaboration with your GP to support your health
• Exercise - moderatate effort 4 times a week for 45 mins is all it takes
• Diet -  cut that nasty processed crap out of your life, and avoid sugar
• Alcohol - stop binging and making excuses; you need to show some responsibility here
• Salt - It is recommended that those with cardiac issues should consume less than 1500 mmg/daily

www.lukemcphersonacupuncture.com.au/contact

A sugar free diet is essential!  Sugar is nothing but empty calories that hold zero nutritional value.  It is crammed into our food hidden by names such as 'multidextrose' and 'high fructose corn syrup'; and these are much more sinister versions of sugar that are created using GMO.  So why is sugar crammed into our foods?

1. The call for low fat foods: When you take something natural and tasty such as fat out of your food, than it pretty much tastes like crap!  So to combat this you cram as much sugar into your food as possible.  So essentially we are taking a natural product, stripping it, then rebuilding it into a frankenstein cration.  This is based on bad research, and designed to make you think you can have your cake and not worry about the effects; well I am here to say that the low fat version will cause more damage than the natural version
2. Longer shelf life: To keep foods longer, food manufaturers cram them with salt; to combat this overly salty, unpalatable taste, they balance the salt with sugar.  So you are not only eating sugar laden food, but it is also salty as hell as well!  Terrible news for your arteries people!
3. Enhance flavour:  This is a bit of an obvious one people..... BUT due to years of over consumption of highly processed food, our tastes bud have lost their sensitivity; so food manufacturers feel it necessary to cram foods with sugar to give flavour, rather than cramming food with well....um .... natural flavour such as spices?

giving up sugar is the first step to combatting inflammation in the body, losing weight, protecting your liver and cardiovascular system. A high sugar diet raises triglycerides which enables vLDL (very low density lipoprotein); the vLDL are the bad element of cholesterol that stick in your arteries forming plaque that will continue to form until the artery blocks. You can combat this by:

1. Giving up sugar!
2. Quitting Sugar!
3. Not eating sugar!  (Are we seeing a pattern forming here?)
4. High omega 3 foods such as oily fish, avocadoes, flax seed, walnuts
5. Omega 3 supplement that is wild harvested from sustainable sources
6. Raw garlic
7. Vitamin D, E, K
8. Ceasing the consumption of sugar

Check this film out!

http://m.imdb.com/title/tt3892434/

Fertility and the role of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a hormone and one that’s essential in the creation of your amazing sex hormones.  The role of vitamin D is surprisingly diverse; in fact Vitamin D acts more like a hormone than a Vitamin D!  Whether your a man or a woman, Vitamin D can boost your fertility in these cool ways:

• VitaminD helps create high levels of testosterone and oestrogen, which increase libido, and fertiliity
• By keeping these hormones buoyant, it protects against crashing moods including depression and anxiety. I
• By maintaining oestrogen levels, it helps bump up your neurotransmitters serotonin (your happy hormone) and GABA (your chilled-out, sultry hormone).

Vitamin D is also good mates with the genes MAO, COMT and VDR Taq, these are the genes that deal with the creation, release and clearance of serotonin and dopamine. When this system is working well, you’re brighter, more motivated and much more playful.... meaning you're more in the mood for babymaking acitivities

How Much Do We Need?

In Australia, Vitamin D serum levels should be >50-75 nmol/L (minimum), with optimal ranges between 100-140 nmol/L.

How Do I Get More?  I want that Vitamin D boost!!

Diet: Dietary sources include grass-fed butter, wild salmon and oily fish, cod liver oil, egg yolks, mushrooms and organic liver.

Sun Exposure: We can only create Vitamin D from the sun via UVB rays, and they only come out to play between around 11am and 4pm, when the sun is at an angle of >35 deg. So get your limbs/torso/as much exposed skin as possible out in nature for between 7-30 minutes (fair skin) and 20 minutes-3 hours (dark skin)* each day during this time.

***TIP: An app like DMinder can help you monitor your UVA/UVB sun exposure to ensure maximum benefit and minimum burn.

Genetics: Problems in the genes responsible for Vitamin D manufacturing and skin pigment itself affects your ability to create Vitamin D, with pale skin 6 times more able to generate Vitamin D than darker skin.

Age: Vitamin D decreases with age.

Body Weight: Increased fat stores bind Vitamin D making it less bioavailable.

Supplementation: If you need a boost, supplements such as Cod Liver Oil or a Vitamin D spray or capsule at between 1,000-3,000IU per day can boost levels.

So don’t forget about this juicy little hormone, especially as we come out of Winter … and make whey-hey while the sun shines.

*Seasonal guidelines from Osteoporosis Australia

If fertility is a problem it may be time for a consultation

call me on 0414287083

http://www.lukemcphersonacupuncture.com.au/contact

People are over indulging on food, leading sedentary lifestyles, and subseqquently they are pcking on the kilos!  Excessive intake of carbs and sugar will allow fat to accumulate around the abdomen area and that's where it is dangerous!  This accumulation of fat will put presure on the liver and alter its structure, and diminish its function.

By 2020 more people will have liver cirrhosis caused by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease than with hepatitis C and hepatitis B combined," says Dr Alex Hodge, a consultant gastroenterologist with Melbourne's Monash Medical Centre and Monash University.

So what do we do about it?

• We need to cut out refined carbs; ditch the chippies, shun white rice, bread, and pasta
• Cut-out sugar: become a label nazi and look for ingredients such as dextrose, muti-dextrose, high fructose corn syrup, and of course sugar
• Exercise more and change it ups a bit!  it doesn't have to be just running until you puke

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellbeing/nutrition/how-fat-can-destroy-your-liver-20161028-gsd0ko.html

Sent from my iPhone

The weather is lovely, the flowers are blooming

But the Sinusitis is horrendous!

We are definitely in the season of sinusistis, just walking down the road and witnessing the vibrant colour of flowers displayed in all the wonderful gardens.  Lately, the the weather changes rapidly: one day we are wearing jackets and cardigans, the next singlets and sandals! This sort of change wreaks havoc on your immune system, allowing for the surface of your body to be easily irritated, generally in the form of sinusitis.

You can actually do something about it

Usually, sinus infections begin with a cold due to factors such as weather changes; or an allergic response that causes swelling of the mucous membranes and increased production of watery mucus. When the mucus changes from clear to a yellow or green color, it means a bacterial infection. What this basically means is that we have:

· Stuffy nose

· Sticky-yellow nasal discharge

· Nasal congestion

· Diminished sense of smell

· Headache or a feeling of heaviness in the head

· Facial pressure around the cheeks, eyes, and forehead.

Widely-used herbs for sinusitis include skullcap (huang qin), magnolia (xin yi hua), and cocklebur (cang er zi). huang qin, or baical skullcap root, is traditionally used for clearing Heat from the upper respiratory system, and Damp Heat from the gastrointestinal system. It has an inhibitory effect against bacteria such as staphylococcus aureus, pseudomonas aeruginosa, and streptococcus pneumoniae. Research also found that staphlococcus aureus which has become resistant to penicillin will remain sensitive to skullcap.

Wouldn’t you love to live without the blocked, stuffed up nose, and the headaches? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to take a deep breath of the vibrant jasmine flower and not have to worry about a sneezing attack that results in red, itchy eyes. This is all possible with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine; you just have to make that call and book an appointment.

What I’ve noticed in my clinical practice is that patients who come for Acupuncture to prepare them for IVF implantation come into the clinic rushed, stressed, and anxious. After an hour in my treatment room they head off to the IVF clinic for embryo transfer feeling relaxed, confident and empowered.

There is a lot riding on a successful IVF implantation: expectations, finances, time, to name but a few. So on the day of the implantation most women I see are at their wits end with worry, and their anxiety levels are sky high.

Once they step into the treatment room, the ambience alone is enough to allow the patient to start to unwind. At my clinic we place a high priority on creating the right atmosphere for relaxation and change to occur. All of a sudden time slows down a bit, muscles relax, and the focus shifts towards the positive energy being created.

So, what roll does acupuncture itself play in this transformation?

When we are stressed and anxious the body releases the ‘flight or fight’ protein known as neuropeptide Y into our blood. This feeling created by the neuropeptide Y release will  increase your heart rate, cause dryness in the mouth, increase respiration, and tense your muscles; you will also think unclearly and allow irrational thoughts to take hold. Recent findings show that acupuncture can significantly reduce the levels of neuropeptide Y and calm the central nervous system (CNS).

So in addition to acupuncture increasing the effectiveness of IVF implantation, acupuncture is also preparing the patient emotionally for the procedure by reducing stress and creating an enhanced feeling of wellbeing – and in our experience, much better results!

Morning Sickness with Stomach acid

· Chew mint to soothe the acidic content of the stomach and help promote effective digestion and decreased symptoms associated with acid buildup.

·Avoid eating very large meals and eat meals slowly to avoid ingesting excess air. When the stomachis over filled and filled with air, painful bloating occur. When you belch to relieve the painful pressure, it may carry digestive enzymes into the esophagus and cause a burning sensation. By eating smaller meals and drinking slowly, you can reduce your chances of indigestion.

· Avoid fizzy drinks and legumes.  Fizzy drink is never a great addition to your diet, but legumes are generally considered healthy.  However, when you are suffering morning sickness, legumes and fizzy drinks can increase the amount of gas produced in the stomach which can deliver the acid to other parts of the body.

· Milk or yoghurt are heavy and can calm the rising acids from your digestive system

· Avoid spicy, salty, acidic foods.  

If the above advice does not work then it is probably a good time to see Luke McPherson for acupuncture.  Luke will also show you some relaxation techniques to help quell the rising sickness and pain.