Helix Clinic blog

In March 2009, the results of a study on acupuncture for pain relief during delivery was published in the journal Birth. The study was carried out by researchers at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.

The researchers conducted a randomized, controlled trial with 607 healthy women in labour. The objective of the trial was to compare the results of acupuncture with TENS (electrical stimulation) or more traditional pharmacological interventions.

The researchers found that the group of women who received acupuncture required significantly less pharmacological or invasive treatment during labour compared to the non-acupuncture groups.

The acupuncture was found not to affect the duration of labour, but the researchers did find that mean Apgar scores at 5 minutes were significantly higher among infants in the acupuncture group compared to infants in the other groups.

The Apgar score was devised in 1952 by Dr. Virginia Apgar as a simple and repeatable method to quickly assess the health of newborn children immediately after birth. The results of this study therefore seem to suggest that the use of acupuncture during pregnancy and particularly during labour can lead to healthier newborn babies!

Tags: Apgar, labour, newborn babies, pain, TENS

IBS is probably the most common gastro-intestinal disorder. Roughly 15% of the population suffer from IBS complaints, with women twice as likely to be affected than men. IBS is characterised by some combination of abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, colonic mucus, dyspeptic symptoms such as flatulence or nausea, and varying degrees of anxiety and depression.

April is IBS awareness month, so we thought it would be good to talk about a few natural approaches to the treatment of IBS. The three major things to consider are (1) increasing dietary fibre, (2) eliminating allergic/intolerant foods and (3) controlling any psychological components to the problem. Today we will talk about (1) and (2), and tomorrow we will talk about (3).

As far as increasing dietary fibre goes, this is more important for people who are suffering with constipation rather than loose stools. Fibre from fruit and vegetables is usually the best kind - other traditional sources of fibre such as wheat bran could be contra-indicated because food allergy can often play a significant role in IBS, and many people have some kind of intolerance to wheat.

Food intolerances can be tricky to uncover and eliminate, but there are a few ‘old chestnuts’ that should be eliminated first to see if there is any improvement. Wheat, dairy, caffeine, sugar and alcohol are the first things to stop in order to see if symptoms improve. In fact, if the thought of giving up one or more of these fills you with horror, then that could well be the main culprit - the body often perversely develops an addiction to the food that it is intolerant to.

Other symptoms  such as palpitation, hyperventilation, fatigue or excess sweating could also indicate a possible food allergy or intolerance.

Try eliminating all of the ‘bad foods’ and wait until the symptoms subside. Then you can start slowly bringing each food back into the diet in small quantities one at a time. If the symptoms start up again then you will have a good idea which food could be causing the problem.

Foods containing refined sugar are particularly pernicious because they can lead to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth by decreasing the intestinal motility. A rapid rise in blood sugar slows GI tract peristalsis (the natural rhythmic movement of the intestines).

If you are suffering from abdominal cramping, you may want to try peppermint oil, as this can be good to relieve intestinal spasm and is often used to treat IBS. If possible, find capsules that are enteric-coated to prevent release of the oils too early in the digestive tract to avoid possible heartburn or acid reflux.

Tags: fibre, food allergy, IBS, peppermint oil

Some women who are having trouble getting pregnant get worried at the thought of all the drugs involved in assisted reproduction treatments like IVF. However, it is possible to do IVF in a natural cycle without hormonal stimulation.

A natural IVF cycle basically involves collection of a naturally produced egg, followed by fertilisation in laboratory and subsequent replacement of the embryo. It is less expensive and less invasive than a normal IVF cycle and in addition, because no drugs are used to stimulate the ovaries, it can be easily repeated in following cycles if unsuccessful after the first go.

The only thing is that success rates tend to be low compared to stimulated cycles. However, for women who don’t want to take conventional fertility medicine, or who can’t take fertility medicines, this treatment could be an option to consider. For example, women who are ovulating and have damaged tubes may wish to try a natural cycle of IVF before moving on to stimulated IVF.

Obviously, the natural IVF cycle fits well with the natural approach of acupuncture. No research has yet been done to see if the natural IVF success rates are improved if women also have acupuncture treatment, but based on previous studies of acupuncture and IVF it could be an interesting study to look at.

Tags: fertility, infertility, IVF, natural cycle

In 2007, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (which is part of the WHO) listed shift work as a possible human carcinogen. This listing was based on studies that showed that shift workers are at a 48% higher risk of developing breast cancer than women who work regular daytime hours.

The body’s production of melatonin is reduced if night time is spent in artificial light. Melatonin acts to keep the biological clock ticking so that you are alert during the day and sleep at night, but is thought to also play a role in cancer protection.

There is evidence suggesting the night shift effect is also linked to reproductive health. A Danish study of 40000 women showed that night workers were more likely to have lower-weight babies or longer lasting pregnancies, potentially increasing the risks of still birth.

The ancient Chinese were keen observers of biological cycles, and used the language of yin and yang to describe their observations. They have long noted that staying up late or working into the night can deplete the ‘yin energy’, and over long periods of time, they also noticed that this deficiency can lead to fertility and reproductive problems or more serious illnesses such as cancer.

Tags: cancer, melatonin, yin energy

It takes two to make a baby, and if a couple is infertile the problem is often due to a combination of male and female factors.

Three key measures for sperm health are sperm count (quantity), sperm motility and sperm morphology. The correct medical name for low sperm count is oligospermia, and there are some key nutritional guidelines that can help to improve this condition.

Most people have heard about ‘free radicals’, chemical fragments that contribute to the toxicity of various drugs, aging, and the development of cancer. What one might not know is that free radicals tend to be abundant in the semen of 40% of infertile men. In fact, free radical, or oxidative damage to sperm is one of the major causes of oligospermia.

So how to reduce damage from free radicals? This is where anti-oxidants can work their magic, and some of the best anti-oxidants are vitamin C (found in citrus fruits), beta-carotene (found in red, orange and yellow vegetables) and vitamin E (found in nuts and green leafy veg).

Smoking reduces vitamin C throughout the body - this is one reason why smokers are more likely to have low sperm counts, but non-smokers will benefit from increased vitamin C as much as smokers.

Vitamin E is the main anti-oxidant in sperm membranes, and can enhance the ability of the sperm to fertilize an egg in vitro.

In addition to good levels of antioxidants, it’s important to have the right kind of fats and oils, so saturated or hydrogenated fats should be avoided and replaced with the good Omegas (3, 6 and 9) found in oily fish and seeds like flax, pumpkin and sunflower.

Finally, the most important trace mineral for sperm production is zinc. Zinc deficiency decreases testosterone as well as sperm counts, and studies have shown that men with oligospermia tend to have lower levels of zinc.  15mg a day should do the job, and zinc can be found in high quantities in oysters and other shellfish, chickpeas, baked beans and pumpkin seeds.

Tags: antioxidants, fertility, infertility, oligospermia, omega oils, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc