Moving Day

It’s official. We move into our new office in the Logan Building (suite 109) today. I’m so excited and overwhelmed! It’s hard not to reflect on the past several years spent in suite 207…so many poignant memories and meaningful exchanges happened within those walls. I’ll always cherish the memories but look forward to a fresh start  and the positive shifts that happen when we take a big leap and make a big change. As much as I’ve felt growing pains in the last few months as we had the new office designed, built out and finished, I’ve also felt excitement about opening up to something a little unknown and new. Stretching ourselves a bit past our comfort zone of what feels safe and familiar is always a good idea– even though it can be anxiety-provoking and scary. I’m ready to shift into our new incarnation as a clinic and embrace the changes that will bring!

I need to acknowledge my support system and support staff for keeping me sane as I made the big decisions and dealt with the logistics around this move: Greg, my better half and free labor source, a man of infinite love and patience; Ezra for being an endless source of joy and love; Shanna & Alyssa, fabulous office assistants; Merry who supports my vision with her steady presence, the yin within my yang; Donna, my soul sister and best friend for always listening and saying what I need to hear; Randine, for awakening my passion about this work so many years ago and for always being there to give me courage and wisdom in my life. I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without all of you. I’m so grateful that have such amazing support holding me up and helping me to have true courage (to practice living and working with my whole heart).

Moving on Down!

We are totally excited to be moving our office downstairs next weekend (5/28) to a bigger, better suite with four treatment rooms, a yoga/workshop space and endless potential!  We will see our first patients there on the 30th of May. The place looks great and I cannot wait to move in and create a tranquil, healing sanctuary where we can come together and create more community.

With our bigger space and yoga room, we will be having many more offerings including the return of fertile ground yoga in June  (I can’t believe the first class we had was over 6 years ago in my building’s conference room!) as well as a one day Fertile Soul Retreat on June 12th with my soul-sister Donna, Fertile Soul affiliate and inspirational powerhouse.  A 4-class yoga series is slated to begin on June 4th and will continue for 4 Saturdays (4, 11, 18, 25) at 4:00 PM. Brooke Lewis, our new yoga instructor will be taking over these classes and we look forward to adding many more yoga classes in the coming months (restorative, prenatal/postpartum, flow). We will also add some free meditation groups as well as support groups and community events. Please give us your feedback if there is anything you would like see in terms of classes, groups or other offerings. We’d love to hear from you! Just shoot me an email: jane@acudenver.com.

We’ll keep you posted and thanks for all of your support. Pictures of the new space are coming soon…..

Upcoming Fertile Soul Workshop & Retreat in Denver

I am excited to announce that we are hosting a Fertile Soul One-Day Reclaim Your Fertility Workshop at our new office space on June 12 and also welcoming Randine and The Fertile Soul crew to Denver for a full-length 4-day retreat in July! We are so happy to finally have Randine come to Colorado.  It will be a great opportunity for local residents to attend one of her life-changing retreats without having to travel or pay for lodging. Randine strongly encourages those planning to attend her full-length retreat to come to our one-day workshop on June 12th to learn the basics of the Fertile Soul Method so that she can focus on deeper work during the retreat. The Fertile Soul Retreats are a wonderful way to reconnect, heal and restore– no matter where you are on the family-building journey. I know the retreat process changed my life and has changed the lives of many of my patients over the years. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity!

Details for the June 12th One Day Reclaim Your Fertility Workshop:

When: Sunday, June 12, 2011  9:00 AM-7:00 PM

Where: Acupuncture Denver, 899 Logan St. Suite 109, Denver, CO 80203

Workshop includes:

• understanding Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis and treatment
• group sharing & treatment, community, and individual self-inquiry
• simple meditation, qigong, and other body-mind practices
• dietary and self-care therapies to enhance your fertility and vitality
• handouts, materials, and a copy of The Infertility Cure

Space is limited. Call 303.929.9582 or email jane@acudenver.com to sign up today.

Details about The July Fertile Soul Retreat:

Dr. Randine Lewis and The Fertile Soul will be flying West to the Rockies for this retreat July 8th – July 11th at the Omni Interlocken Hotel located in Denver (Broomfield), Colorado. 

The retreat will begin on Friday afternoon around 3:00 – 4:00pm with an introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and an overview of the schedule ahead (specific times will be posted upon registration).  This is a great opportunity to meet with Randine and your fellow guests that are on a similar journey! The Retreat will continue Saturday and Sunday morning and go throughout the days until early evening and will end at 12 noon on Monday afternoon with a group Healing Circle and acupuncture treatment with Dr. Lewis. There will be intermission breaks for Lunch and a few shorter breaks to stretch your legs and get some fresh air throughout the day. Meals will be entirely on your own during these breaks, but there will be refreshments and snacks available in the meeting space during the day. We recommend that you stay close during these breaks as the schedule is full and we will need to start each session promptly in

order to maximize your time with Dr. Lewis. Click here to register!

K’s Story: HOPE

Another inspiring, wholehearted family-building story about how hope can carry us despite the odds, the statistics, the dismal prognosis…and a great follow up to H’s story since hope mattered much more than low AMH in this case!

Hope

I never gave up hope.  Not even after receiving the heartbreaking diagnosis that I had a 2% chance of conceiving, even if I went the expensive route of in vitro fertilization.  My anti-müllerian hormone level was almost non-existent at .1 ng/ml.  My follicle-stimulating hormone was 17 iu/l, a level indicating perimenopause.  In other words, my eggs were duds, acting like they belonged to the body of an old “past-her-prime” woman, not a woman who was 30-years-old and ready to start her family.  I had Diminished Ovarian Reserve.

I was destroyed, but somehow through reading success stories and hearing about miracle babies I managed to keep a glimmer of hope alive.  I sought some natural therapies—Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) through Acupuncture Denver and yoga.  I found support groups.  I talked.  I blogged.  I changed my diet.  I researched.  I tried to make sense of the pain that I experienced every time an announcement was made that another friend or family member was pregnant.  I tried intrauterine insemination with injectable hormones, but my body didn’t respond well enough and the cycle failed.  So, I kept up with yoga and TCM because it did seem to make a difference in my cycles and at least helped my mindset.

It was hope that kept me going.  I wanted a family.  After two years of trying, my husband and I decided to start down the adoption track.  I started to funnel my energy into researching types of adoption, agencies, the incredible cost.  It was a whole other daunting research project.  But, I still kept some hope in my heart that my body might jump start and shoot out a good egg while I was researching adoption.

And it did.

I still remember the beautiful morning, almost like it was yesterday, when at 5am I had gotten up early to shower for work.  My period was due the day before, but hadn’t shown up yet.  After two years of trying to conceive, I really didn’t test much anymore because it was heartbreaking every time only one line showed up.   But, I still kept a stash of tests in the closet.  When I awoke to no period, I thought, “Hmmm… maybe I should test.”  After three minutes, I looked at the stick and thought my eyes were deceiving me.  I rubbed them, looked again and staring back at me were two lines.  TWO lines.  One was still faint, but it was there.  It was really there.  I have never been more overcome with emotion than I was at that moment.  Was it possible that I was really pregnant?  Was it possible that I overcame my measly 2% chance of success?

I was a maniac.  I screamed and laughed and cried at the top of my lungs.  I bolted into our bedroom to tell my husband, and he thought I had hurt myself or that the house was on fire. I couldn’t even talk.  All I could do was turn on the light and shove the pregnancy test in front of his eyes.  We were finally going to be parents!

When our daughter was 6-months-old, we found out we were expecting unexpectedly again.  Impossible, right?  We couldn’t believe it, but we were thrilled that we might be lucky enough to have not one, but two babies biologically.  We waited the obligatory time to share our news with the world.  But when I went in for my 16-week appointment, our baby boy’s heartbeat was not detected.  He had died at about 15 weeks 4 days.  We were devastated and again facing the infertility diagnosis of Diminished Ovarian Reserve.

The grief and sorrow of losing that baby was intense.  I cried every day.  I forced myself to go through the motions.  But, I decided after a couple months that I wasn’t ready to give up hope.  If my body had gotten pregnant twice without interventions, it could do it again.  And although we weren’t really trying, we also weren’t really NOT trying.  Miraculously, in August of 09, I must have had one more good egg because we found out in early September that we were having another baby.  We were cautious for most of the pregnancy, but after we passed the 20-week mark, we let our guard down.  We were actually going to have another baby.  And even now, I’m still in awe that we managed to get pregnant again.

Now we have two magnificent daughters who grace us daily with laughter, love and a little rivalry to keep things interesting.  There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not thankful for the gifts we’ve been given, for the beauty that we have in our family.

Hope is amazing.  To be given a 2% chance of success, but to get pregnant three times naturally means we beat the odds.  And hope…hope is responsible.

The Winds of Change

Spring is in the air. It’s actually well upon us. The flowers are blooming and the grass is greener and greener every day. It’s my favorite time of year. I love the new growth, the lighter, longer days and the warmer weather. It’s the time of the Wood Element, which enriches our experience of dreaming, creativity, growth and flexibility. In the spirit of new growth, we are embarking on some exciting changes here at Acupuncture Denver. We are planning to expand our office space to incorporate more treatment rooms, a yoga/classroom space, and Jane’s own private office where she can eat her lunch in peace and privacy (and maybe install a treadmill for running in the winter months)! Yay!!

We are also giving our website a much overdue facelift. We will be able to share info more easily and offer more content and education this way. We can’t wait to unveil the new site in the coming weeks.

Change can be stressful but it’s also exciting; we are trying to lean into the creativity and possibilities that are opening up before our eyes. New rooms to decorate, new space to fill, new programming to offer. We are drawing from our roots to find the sustenance we need to make this blossoming happen. And things won’t change too much since we are staying in the same building but moving into a new suite. So you will all still know where to find us!

Stay tuned for more details and other exciting upcoming events…..

Congratulations Merry, new ABORM Fellow!

We just found out that Acupuncture Denver associate, Merry Reasons, passed the recent ABORM (American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine) Exam.  I am so proud and impressed!! Merry has shown such dedication, hard work, and commitment to Acupuncture Denver over the past few years. Merry started in the clinic in August 2008 when I was on maternity leave and has been with us ever since. Merry followed me in the clinic for many months before starting, trained with Randine Lewis to become  a Clinical Excellence In Fertility (CEFP) member with the Fertile Soul, and agreed to sit for the ABORM exam earlier this month. Here is more information about the ABORM certification from their website:

The ABORM has been formed by leading professionals in Oriental Reproductive Medicine who have come together voluntarily with a resolve to meet the patient and physician demand for a demonstration of knowledge of care in this field. We have recognized the need for a certification to maintain that practitioners who are treating patients with Oriental Medicine in the field of Reproductive Health are doing so with an advanced knowledge and experience, and to allow practitioners to demonstrate their knowledge through the process of voluntary examination.

We are happy to both be certified ABORM fellows and to offer our patients the highest standard of care in the field of Oriental Reproductive Medicine at Acupuncture Denver.  Since this certification is not required, it sets apart those practitioners who have extensive knowledge, experience and dedication to the specialty. Since there are more and more acupuncture “fertility specialists” out there as time goes by, we feel that having met the criteria of the ABORM and having attained status as ABORM fellows distinguishes us as practitioners and as a clinic dedicated to women’s health and fertility enhancement.

In addition to becoming such a great practitioner, Merry has been an amazing support to me as a friend and professional partner at the clinic. Her friendship and loyalty have given me inspiration to grow both personally and professionally over the past few years. As many patients have told me, Merry is very “zen” and  brings a calm presence to any situation. She has the wonderful ability to hold space, allow for open emotional release, and bring non-judgmental compassion to those she touches. I am truly grateful to have Merry in my life and know she gives so much to everyone she treats at the clinic. In addition to  now being a certified ABORM Fellow, Merry has a huge heart, a humble nature and a gentle, calm spirit.  Congratulations, Merry! I don’t know what I’d do without you– you have my gratitude and love!

Overcoming Shame with Courage, Compassion, & Connection

I have recently become a huge fan of Brene Brown’s work on living wholeheartedly.  Her words speak to me deeply and are so relevant to the experience I have every day in my own work and life. In her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, she speaks about how shame cannot stand up in the face of courage, compassion, and connection. For many of us who have struggled with infertility or pregnancy loss, we know how shame can get tangled up with all of the other painful emotions around this struggle. While I think feeling your grief, loss, sadness, disappointment, fears, and heartbreak is essential, feeling shame or getting caught up in what she calls a “shame storm” is more destructive and soul-sucking. We all know how our thoughts can spiral out of control when somehow we are triggered into a place of shame. Her strategy for dealing with shame is to have courage, compassion and to reach out for connection. We have all failed in this when we reach out to the “wrong” person as she so insightfully points out in her book.  I hear over and over how sharing the infertility struggle with the “wrong” person leaves my patients even more bereft than they were in the first place. Brene has a great guideline for determining who can be a good support when we need to overcome a shame storm by having the courage to reach out for compassion through connection with others:

When we’re looking for compassion, we need someone who is deeply rooted, able to bend, and, most of all, we need someone who embraces us for our strengths and struggles. We need to honor our struggle by sharing it with someone who has earned the right to hear it. When we’re looking for compassion, it’s about connecting to the  right person at the right time about the right issue.

I think this is essential on your infertility journey. I hear from people over and over that people who have not experienced infertility “just don’t get it.”  And often that means they are the folks (who are well-meaning, god bless them) who may not have “earned the right” to hear your story. So choosing who to go to for support is crucial here. Otherwise, you could find yourself feeling more isolated, shamed, or not heard at all. Having the courage to be with others in their darkness is the essence of what it means to be compassionate. Not everyone is the right person at the right time to be a support. Consider finding friends who have experienced infertility themselves or reaching out to a fertility support group or even an online forum.

And lastly, remember, being courageous enough to express your vulnerability is a huge step. As Brene points out, shame cannot survive in the face of such courage, compassion and connection. I would highly recommend reading The Gifts of Imperfection. It is truly a gem of a book!

Give Back This Season!

Looking for a way to give back this holiday season? Below is a list of non-profit organizations that we think are extra worthy of your donation or contribution.  We regularly support all of these organizations with financial contributions.

A Glimmer of Hope:
A Glimmer of Hope is a non-profit organization that helps lift women and children out of extreme poverty in rural Ethiopia. Acupuncture Denver looks forward to creating our own campaign through Glimmer of Hope in 2011!

Mudula Water:
Mudula Water is a partnership between adoptive families and Children’s Home Society and Family Services to raise funds and develop a water scheme to deliver clean, safe water to Mudula and the surrounding areas. This cause is near and dear to our hearts, since Ezra was born in Mudula and still has birth family living there. Acupuncture Denver contributed $1000 to this project in December.

International Child Welfare:
A division of the Children’s Home Society & Family Services that provides international adoption programs and other outreach efforts to help vulnerable children in need. Acupuncture Denver sponsors an HIV positive child in the AHOPE community outreach program every year. For just $365 per year, this sponsorship funds one child’s education, medical treatment, and care so that they get the vital support that they need.

Pathfinder International:
An organization that supports reproductive health and family planning all around the world.

Ethiopian Orphan Relief:
A non-profit corporation that works to improve the living conditions and lives of Ethiopian orphans remaining in Ethiopia by working with Ethiopian orphanages and adoption agency care houses to provide supplies, infrastructure and experiences. Jane serverd on the Board of EOR and continues to support them by contributing to their yearly fundraiser and making donations.

Heifer International:
An organization whose mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth. Acupuncture Denver gives “in honor” gifts from Heifer every Holiday. This year, we gave a “Flock of Hope” in honor of one of our favorite physicians.

The Girl Effect:
Powerful social and economic change can be brought about when girls have the opportunity to participate. Donate to causes that support education, family planning, and empowering women and girls through Globalgiving.org.

CARE:
A leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty, with a special focus on working alongside poor women to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natural resources.

Amnesty International:
A worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all. Their mission is to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated. Acupuncture Denver maintains a membership with Amnesty International yearly.

Orgyen Khamdroling:
A nonprofit organization that raises money for select projects that support the culture and the spiritual tradition of Tibet, including sponsoring Tibetan children living in rural parts of the Amdo province to attend school.

Acupuncture Denver makes regular monthly contributions to this organization to support their projects and the future Buddhist center to be built in Colorado.

Southern Poverty Law Center:
Located in Montgomery, Alabama, SPLC is internationally known for its tolerance education programs, its legal victories against white supremacists and its tracking of hate groups. Acupuncture Denver maintains a membership yearly to support SPLC.

UNICEF: UNICEF’s mission is to provide special protection for the most disadvantaged children: victims of war, disasters, extreme poverty, all forms of violence and exploitation, and those with disabilities.

Super Stressbuster Foods

Enjoy this article on stressbuster foods during the holidays from Qi Mail, Acufinder.com

The foods that you eat play a crucial role in your overall well-being as well as your ability to handle stress.

Over 1400 chemical changes occur as stress hormones, such as cortisone, deplete important nutrients such as B vitamins, vitamin C and magnesium from the body.

Here are three foods that can replenish your supply of these nutrients and enhance your ability to manage stress:

Cauliflower – Cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, and kale are chock full of stress-relieving B vitamins. Cauliflower is also one of the very best sources of vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid.

Pantothenic acid helps turn carbohydrates and fats into usable energy and improves your ability to respond to stress by supporting your adrenal glands. Fatigue, listlessness, numbness and tingling or burning pain in the
feet are all indications that you may need more vitamin B5 in your diet.

Salmon – Salmon is a healthy and delicious way to get your dose of B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids. Vitamin B12 supports production of red blood cells, allows nerve cells to develop properly and is essential to the synthesis of the “happy” brain chemical serotonin.

Among the many benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, a 2003 study published in Diabetes & Metabolism found that a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids significantly reduced the stress response and kept the stress hormones
cortisol and epinephrine in check.

Blackberries – Blackberries are jam packed with Vitamin C, calcium and magnesium. Vitamin C has shown to be a powerful stress reducer that can lower blood pressure and return cortisol levels to normal faster when taken
during periods of stress.

Blackberries have more than double the amounts of vitamin C, calcium and magnesium than their popular cousin, the blueberry.

Eat well, stay healthy and enjoy the holiday season!

Prebirth Acupuncture

Labor Preparation at Acupuncture Denver

Prebirth Acupuncture treatments begin weekly at 36 to 37 weeks gestation to prepare the pelvis and cervix. Focus is on relaxing the tendons and ligaments in the pelvic area, ripening the cervix, increasing stamina, positioning baby for labor,and relaxing the mind and spirit. Research indicates the potential for a more efficient active stage of labor and a reduction in women requiring medical intervention, including medical induction and caesarean section.

Research information provided by Debra Betts’ website http://acupuncture.rhizome.net.nz

Research on the use of acupuncture to prepare women for labour first appeared in 1974 with a study by Kubista and Kucera.[1] Their research concluded that acupuncture once a week from 37 weeks gestation using the acupuncture points Zusanli ST-36, Yanglingquan GB-34, Jiaoxin KID-8 and Shenmai BL-62 was successful in reducing the mean labour time of the women treated.

They calculated the labour time in two ways. The first was the mean time between a cervical dilation of 3-4 cm and delivery. In the acupuncture group this was 4 hours and 57 minutes compared to five hours and 54 minutes in the control group. The second was the mean subjective time of labour, taken from the onset of regular (10-15 minute) contractions until delivery.

The acupuncture group had a labour time of 6 hours and 36 minutes compared to eight hours and 2 minutes in the controls.

In 1998 Zeisler et al.[2] used the acupuncture points Baihui DU-20, Shenmen HE-7 and Neiguan P-6, treating from 36 weeks gestation.

This study concluded that acupuncture treatment had a positive effect on the duration of labour by shortening the first stage of labour, defined as the time between 3cm cervical dilation and complete dilation.

The acupuncture group had a median duration of 196 minutes compared to the control group time of 321 minutes.

In 2004 I was involved in an observational study looking at the effect of prebirth acupuncture together with Sue Lennox, a midwife[3].

169 women who received prebirth acupuncture were compared to local population rates for gestation at onset of labour, incidence of medical induction, length of labour, use of analgesia and type of delivery

In the acupuncture group there was an overall 35% reduction in the number of inductions (for women having their first baby this was a 43% reduction), 31% reduction in the epidural rate.

When comparing midwifery only care there was a 32% reduction in emergency caesarean delivery and a 9% increase in normal vaginal births.

Our conclusion was that prebirth acupuncture appeared to provide some promising therapeutic benefits in assisting women to have normal vaginal births and that a further randomized controlled study is warranted.

[1] Kubista E, Kucera H. Geburtshilfe Perinatol 1974; 178 224-9.
[2] Zeisler H, Tempfer C, Mayerhofe Kr, Barrada M, Husslein P. Influence of acupuncture on duration of labour Gynecol Obstet Invest 1998; 46:22-5.
[3] Betts D, Lennox S. Acupuncture for prebirth treatment: An observational study of its use in midwifery practice. Medical acupuncture 2006 May; 17(3):17-20